"Summer ain't over cod carpaccio"

Everyone is back from their summer holidays and not always very eager to get back to work. 

If you want to extend your summer a little longer just try out this nice and easy cod carpaccio :
it's delicious and healthy and the mango/vanilla association is awesome to raise anyone's spirits when the weather is starting to cool down.

Ingredients for 2: 

1 medium Mango - ripe
Mint
2 small tomatoes
300 g of fresh cod (or any other white fish that can be marinated)
Vanilla extract
1 fresh vanilla bean
1 lemon
2 tb of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

How to do it: 

1. Peal the tomatoes and the mango. Then dice them.
2. Chop the mint.
3. Cut the fish in small dices and keep them in your fridge.
4. For the dressing: extract the vanilla from the bean, pour the vanilla extract, the juice of 1 lemon and the olive oil. Shake well.
5. In a bowl, mix the fish, tomatoes, mango and mint. Add salt and pepper to season (white fish always needs extra salt).
6. Add the vanilla vinegrette and adjust the seasonnng if necessary. Dress onto your plates.

Et voilà ! Enjoy !

Incidently I had fresh tomatoes from my mom's garden. That was the extra touch that made the difference.

How to taste sushi - this is not as stupid as it sounds !

How to taste sushi? "Just put it in your mouth !" most of you think.
Easy right?

Well, there is a difference between simply eating sushi and knowing how to enjoy it properly.

As I said in my previous post, sushi is an art. Japanese people are dead serious about it. When they eat bad sushi, they feel the same way a French person reacts when they taste a "pain au chocolat" made with margarine:
"Yuk".

So today I am going to try to give you a few tips so that you are sure to know how to recognize what makes good sushi.

1. Try the tamago yaki (a slightly sweet omelet).

This is a simple and pretty radical way to know how the rest of your meal is going to be when entering a sushi restaurant. In Japan this simple sushi is considered one of the most delicate ones and it requires great skill to be perfected. If it is soggy and too sweet, either run out of the restaurant or be prepared to even more disapointed by the rest of the meal.


2. The second easiest way to know if you are facing a good Itamae is to focus on the rice: 

How does it taste? How does it feel? The rice should not be too soft nor too firm, and the balance of seasonings should be just right. If it’s too sweet or tastes of vinegar, you are screwed. Sometimes the simplest things are the most difficult to cook.
Rice the very foundation of sushi (by the way sushi litteraly means rice in Japanese), so you should be sure to watch out for it when eating out at a Japanese place.

3. Sushi is like wine: it is about balance. 

Inspect your nigiri-sushi (not the maki roll, the one with a little clump of rice and fish over it). In a quality establishment, you shoul not find huge hunks of fish on top of three grains of rice. Although this might seem like good value for money, it will destroy the proper balance of the meal. Japanese food is about discipline and craft, it is not about supersizing your food. For that there is McDonald's. 


4. Look for fresh wasabi. 

You know that green mustard? If you are lucky what you have in your plate is just plain horseradish with food coloring. If you're unlucky... who knows. 
Real wasabi - the fresh sort - is immensly rare. If your restaurant is a real deal, you should have a waiter come and grate you a little bit of the wasabi rhizome in your plate. I know it doesn't sound very appetizing when I say it like that but trust me, the taste is entirely different. Not nearly as harsh and strong, it almost has a nutty flavor. It's like comparing real parmesan and the canned thing you buy at your supermarket. It's just not the sae product. 


5. Look for interesting seasonal items. 


This is not really necessary but it may indicate that the sushi chef pays extra attention to the particulars of the foods he offers, and seeks out something when it is available and fresh. It will mean your food has not be stuck in a freezer for the past 6 months. 




These 5 little tips should help you out to know if the restaurant you are eating at is a true Japanese establishement.
Of course, I don't expect these requirements to be met in all the restaurants I go to but for the ones that I anticipate to be good, I make sure to look out for them.
But what a joy when I find the real gem that complies with all these elements!

Think you know real sushi? Think again. -- Wasabi restaurant by Chef Morimoto in Mumbai

I have been to several very good sushi restaurants in my life. A lot of them in the US, on the west coast. Some in Paris with a traditional Itamae (sushi chef) that came all the way from Japan.

But it was in Mumbai - of all places - that I tasted the best sushi of my life.

I had vaguely heard of Chef Masaharu Morimoto in the past.

On “Top Chef”, he is the champion for Asian cuisine.

As I am not a huge fan of media friendly chefs, I thought he was probably overrated.

Well I was wrong.

Deeply.

Chef Morimoto forgive me for my sins; since for me, you are now the god of sushis.

(Appetizer: rice ball in coconut and sesame sauce)

But what can possibly differentiate good sushis from great ones? 

Is it the fish? The rice? Or maybe just the wasabi?

After all, the ingredients are pretty standard… it can’t be that complicated.

Well it is.

Sushi is an art.

And once you’ve tasted this art at its climax, you will understand why I want to call my future son Uni (urchin).

 (Hot shrimp tempura - simply perfection in the form of a fried piece of dough. Who would have thought so?)

Tasting great sushi is the utmost decadent pleasure. Swallowing pure beauty without even chewing it.

It feels so good that it’s almost indecent.

At Mumbai’s restaurant Wasabi by Morimoto, sushi is art.

Service is perfect of course and the view on the gateway of India is magnificent. But nobody gives a damn.

The food is that good.

(A simple salmon maki. With fresh wasabi. Not that green paste Japanese restaurant usually serve you. And oh yeah: the fish is directly imported from Japan. Every day)

(Black cod in miso paste. Gorgeous). 

Chef Morimoto, thank you.
And please, come to Paris. 

What to drink with curry?

A week ago a good friend of mine invited me over for dinner. 

His specialty: a delicious Mauritian Curry. 

One of the characteristics of Mauritian Curry is that it is both sweet and spicy. 

Small raisins soften the spicy taste of peppers and exquisite chutneys help you cool off your mouth when you've just bitten a piece of green chili. It's an adventure: you never know on what you are going to end up. 

Although this is quite charming and delicious, it doesn't make it easy to find a good wine pairing. 

So when my friend told me I was in charge of finding a wine that would be well suited for his dish, my first reaction was: "ouch". Tough one. 

Usually when I cook a curry, I go for the only easy wine-food pairing I know for this dish:Gewürztraminer. 

Look it up on the internet if you want, if you type "what to drink with curry", you basically have this : 

• Beer 
• Riesling or Chenin
• Gewürztraminer

And it does work I must admit. 

1. The bitterness of beer blend well with the spiciness of the curry, and cools off the hottest chili. 

2. Riesling ior Chenin are also a good choice as their freshness tames the chili yet enhances the flavors of the curry with the overall acidity of the wine. 

3. Finally Gewürztraminer is both sweet and complex, rich and dense. It's not always easy to pair Gewürztraminer with food as each glass of this wine explodes with aromas of rose, lychee and spices (cumin mostly). Yet curry seems to work perfectly with it. The sweetness of the wine blends magically with the raisins of the curry. The cumin and pepper aromas mingle with the spices of the Mauritian dish. And the overall opulence of the wine disciplines this adventurous dish. 

Yet this time, I felt like doing something new. 

Living dangerously. 

Finding a wine I would usually not drink with a curry dish. 

So I went for a strong, spicy red wine from the south of France. 

A wine which would contrast rather than complement our food. 

A wine whose alcohol level would tame a sweet dish. 

Whose notes of toasted bread and spices would magnify the curry's sweet and sour aromas. 

A rich and supple texture with elegant tannins which would be in harmony with the opulence of the curry dish. 

Vin de P

And it worked out very nicely. 

I'm far from being a pro at making wine and food association but sometimes a little bit of imagination can help you find a new interesting combination. 

You shouldn't always focus on finding similar aromas in your wine and in your food. 

Sometimes contrast is the key. 

It can reveal a whole new dimension to your wine and to your food. 

Don't only concentrate on aromas, you should also take into account the texture and intensity of the wine and of the food to elaborate great associations that would not seem adequate at first sight. 

Domaine de L'Aigle, Pinot Noir, Gerard Bertrand, 2006

Languedoc-Rousillon

 Nose: Berries (black and red), pepper, clove, toasted notes

Mouth: supple and rich, well balanced however with surprisingly soft tannins for a Languedoc wine. 

What to drink with cheese ?

Do you like camembert, comté, stilton, cheddar ?
And what about goat cheese, roquefort or vacherin ? Of course you do.

Like most French people, I'm a huge fan of cheese.

Look at this :

It looks good doesn't it ?

Well here is something that might startle you :


Cheese and Red wine just don't go together.
I know, this may shatter one of France's most traditional preconceptions, but the sad truth still remains.
Red wine + Cheese = not good. 

The red wine's tannins, its acidity and overwhelming power have a negative effect on the taste of the cheese.
I know this is a polemic issue. I might have the French Trade Union of Cheese makers who will try to pour tones of Camembert on my front porch to punish me for saying this.
This is my mere opinion and I don't expect to convince everyone out there.
However for me it is crystal clear : red wine and cheese are an insanity. 

So what will you drink with cheese will you ask me?
Very simple, my dear readers, there is a world of white wines out there, just yearning to be drunked with a nice little Stilton.

• For example, take a Goat cheese. 

Saint Maure de Touraine for instance. Well most of you, will have it with a soft red wine, fruity or herbal.
Big mistake.
Next time, try having the exact same cheese with a Chenin blanc from Touraine. Its acidity, freshness, even fruitiness will allow the Goat cheese to express its best aromas.
Sauvignon would also be a good choice.  Herbal aromas, grass, straw : a perfect match for this light cheese which often comes with a straw in its center.

Here have a bit of this Champ Chenin, 2007 by Olga Raffault. The tasting note will come soon.

• Next example: Comté. 

Comté is a rather salty cheese, a little nutty too. Drinking it with red wine will simply kill the subtle underwood flavours it exhales.
So go ahead and have it with a white Savagnin from the Jura region. I already wrote a note on these magnificent yet unfamiliar wines (Check it here).
The nuttiness and woodiness will be perfectly suited for the comté's salty texture. Honestly it is simply one of the best food and wine pairing I've ever tasted.

• Last but not least : Roquefort, Stilton Blue Cheese. 

You would think that with a cheese that strong you would need a REALLY tannic wine, something that can tame their power. Well there again, my friends, you would be wrong.
The sweetness of a dessert wine fits incomparably  well with blue cheese.
Try Sauternes, Barsac, Icewine, or Dessert wines from the Loire Valley like Coteaux-du-Layon, Bonnezeaux or Quart de Chaume (see my note on these wines which unfortunately remain a well kept secret). It will give a spectacular end to your meal and you may even move on to your dessert, it will ravish your guests trust me.

Have it with this lovely Coteaux-du-Layon, 2000, from Saint Lambert du Lattray. See my tasting note for the 2005 vintage.

So you see, I'm not saying you should not have red wine and cheese. It's a habit, and I must admit I love doing it. The most important thing to learn how to pair food and wine, is just to do what you like. There is no right and wrong. You're free to enjoy Château Yquem with French fries if that's what makes you happy. 

Yet I truly believe that to experience the greatness of cheese (it is the French person in me speaking here !), the subtly of their various aromas, you should really try having them with whites.
Trust me you won't regret it !

And if you have doubts on what you may try with your cheese, go ahead and ask me I'll gladly answer if I can!

Piece of cake - my moist orange/cranberry feast

Dear Readers I must admit that sometimes I try to be careful about what I eat. 
Like most young women, I'm a little self conscious about calories in food and I usually skip dessert when I am at a restaurant (all the more so as I certainly DON'T skip the wine !)
Only if I'm really starving or invited at a friends'house do I have a bite of dessert but I obviously feel so guilty the following morning that I immediately hit the gym for a week.
Sometimes it sucks to be a woman. 
Sometimes I wish I could gulp down waffles without putting on a pound. 


And then there's the perfect cake. 
The cake I always indulge in, because : 
1) I made it and I know it is not THAT ridiculously fattening
2) It is insanely moist and good and delicious so I just couldn't care less about the calories anyway. 


This is my secret weapon against crappy weeks and low spirits. It's a cake that will stay moist and soft for a week (although to tell you the truth I never actually got to verify this because it's always finished after a day).
And it is so easy you just can't get it wrong. It's almost magic. 
This cake should seriously be taught in school. 


Go ahead, bake it and tell me what you think, I'm interested ! 

The ultimate Moist Orange Cranberry cake

Ingredients

190 g all-purpose flour
3 g baking soda
2 g baking powder
120 g vanilla sugar
55 ml orange juice
1-1/3 eggs
160 ml buttermilk
120 ml vegetable oil
175 g fresh cranberries
8 g grated orange zest


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a tube pan.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup the vanilla sugar, the orange juice, the eggs, the buttermilk, and the vegetable oil using an electric mixer. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. If you judge the mixture is too moist, add a little bit of flour.

3. Fold in the cranberries and orange zest. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

4. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour (depending on your oven) until a knife inserted into the crown of the cake comes out clean.



Notes:

Regarding the egg, I know it sucks to have 1 egg and 1/3 but it really makes a perfect mixture whereas only 1 egg makes it too hard and 2 eggs to moist.

If you don't have buttermilk you can always make some yourself : place one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a one cup measure. Fill to one cup mark with regular milk and let sit for five minutes.

As for your wine pairing,

cranberry wine could of course do the trick.
You may also go for champagne or white dry wine like Riesling. The lime and acidity will perfectly counterbalance the tartness of the cranberry.
 

How to nail a dinner party - Appetizer

You've got a dinner planned at your place tonight.
And no clue whatsoever what you're going to pull out of your sleeve this time.


Well ladies and gentlemen here is a simple "dazzle your friends" recipe that can easily be made in advance.
I know it seem surreal. Don't worry it's not. It's not even magic.
It all burns down to a siphon soda. And a little bit of organization.
Here see for yourselves:


Tangy Salmon carpaccio with its whipped wasabi cream



Ingredients for 4

15 cl of single cream (crème fraîche liquide)
1 tsp of wasabi
1 lemon
350 g of very fresh salmon
dill
10 cl of orange juice
1 gelatin paper (2g)
Salt and pepper

1. Mix the cream and Wasabi. Add some salt and pepper. Filter the mixture and pour it in your soda siphon.
Turn your siphon upside down and screw the gas cartridge in. Shake it well and set in your fridge upside down for 2 hours.

2. For the carpaccio: cut small squares of salmon. Add salt and pepper, grated ginger and the juice of one lemon. Add fresh dill, mix well and put in your fridge until for at least one hour.

3. Heat the orange juice and add the gelatin (after having left it 1 minute in cold water to soften it). Mix well. Add the juice in 4 little glasses and put them in your fridge for at least 2 hours.

4. When the orange juice has thickened, add the salmon carpaccio over it. Spray wasabi cream on top. Add a few dill sprigs.

With this lovely little dish I would recommend either
- Rosé champagne (Billecart Salmon is awesome, check it out: Billecart Salmon

- Gewurztraminer (Domaine Trimbach is usually a good choice).

Sunday afternoon tea

A little bit of sweetness in my world of Chicken and wine.
It can't hurt, and with the dreadful weather we've been having in Paris today, I just felt like hanging around home with a couple of friends.
Hanging around with food of course.

So here's a little improvisation that comes from the Kumquats I found at my local market this morning. I don't usually cook them, there are lovely just like that.

Easy chicken recipe - my chicken run

Everyone eats chicken.
It's easy to make, tasty and not too expensive.
Actually, I'm lying.
It's not always tasty. In fact, more often then not, it's either cardboard hard, burnt or totally bland.

Chinese Sushi

I’m a big fan of sushis.

I love their scrumptious texture, the oily sensation they distil on your tongue, their melt-in-the mouth quality.

That’s when they are good of course. And fresh. Which is scarcely the case.

I don’t know if this is so in the US or England – I’m sure it’s not in Japan – but in France, or in Paris at least, Sushi restaurant are more often than not managed by Chinese people.

I discovered this a few years ago, when I was having lunch at a little sushi place and I heard the sushichef speaking Cantonese to one of his waiters.

Oh, and they had ha-kao on the menu. And spring rolls.

I know. I’m quite sagacious aren’t I ?

Armenia's finest

Dear Readers, I have a confession to make.

Half of my crazy family is Armenian.

We are all spread out around the world and almost none of us speak Armenian any more.

As for me, I haven't even been to Armenia.

Yet there is something that keeps us together. Something that seems to be intrinsicly linked to Armenian people and makes them stand out in a crowd.

I'm not talking about Armenian's way of wearing leopard print all the time. I'm not even referring to their overwhelming Christian faith. Or their so-called hatred of the Turks.

No, my friends, there is something much greater, that every Armenian will relate to and shares.

Love for food.