Coq au Vin Mamie

Another discovery in my piles of papers tonight. A fax from 6 September 1996--almost 13 years ago to the day--from my aunt in Paris to my office in Singapore. I had asked her to ring my grandmother for her coq au vin recipe that I obviously needed quickly for one of our faux winter dinner parties. Apparently my grandmother had resisted sharing the recipe given the futility of locating a rooster in Singapore. Of course she was right, so we had to settle for a firm chicken. I've retyped it here, word for word.

1 coq de 1.5 kg

50 gr beurre

100 g lard de poitrine fume

1/2 litre bon vin rouge

2 cuilleres a soupe de cognac

2 oignons

2 gousses ail

2 cuilleres a souple de farine

bouquet garnie

sel et poivre

1. faire revenir les morceaux de coq
2. ajouter les oignons en rondelles
3. saupoudrer de farine, melanger
4. arroser de cognac et faire flamber
5. couvrir de vin rouge
6. ajouter sel et poivre, ail, bouquet garni
7. porter a ebullition
8. couper le lard en des, mettre les des dans une casserole d'eau froide et faire bouillir 5 minutes pour enlever l'exces, bien egoutter et ajouter dans la cocotte
9. laisser cuire 1 heure ou meme 1 heure et demi selon l'age du coq

Notable Meals

From Great Queen Street the other day, with a 37.5 of chilled Beaujolais.

grilled puff balls with salsa verde

ham hock & foie gras terrine

green salad with mint & coriander vinaigrette

freshly-baked bread & butter

Norwegian Delight

A little number I remember from --must have been 2002 or something-- a dinner with Wilhelm and his Norwegian friends. One of the wives had made this, and I remember it being so fresh and fishy and delicious. I recently served it on an endive leaf- looked pretty and tasted good too.

sour cream (thick)

red onion chopped very finely

tiny cooked prawn, halved

smoked salmon, chopped

dill

S&P

small lettuce leaf (escarole)

1. mix all ingredients together
2. put in fridge to thicken
3. serve on cooled, toasted bread
4. lettuce leaf (I think this was on top not between bread and topping!)

Bistrot Ari & David Christmas Menus

I'm digging them up and posting them here, in reverse order. That means this year's our 7th annual, like Manou!

Christmas 2009

Champagne

Greek Pissaladiere

Jowl Bacon, Kimchi Apple & Maple Labneh

Mackerel, Rhubarb Compote, Horseradish

Tuna Tartare & Wasabi Ice Cream

Lemon Chitarra & Prawn Brains

Skate Wing & Crushed Crab Potatoes

Curry Mussel Musclade

Parmesan Polenta & Truffled Brandade de Morue

Pan-Fried Foie Gras & Caramelized Leeks

Celeriac, Radish, Pomegranate & Truffle

Slow-Cooked Pig Cheek Ravioli

Melon Granita & Basil Soup

Goose & Hay, Prune & Chestnut Stuffing

Dill, Tarragon, Mint & Mixed Leaves

Caerphilly, Michelle's Oat Biscuits, Red Pepper Chutney

Zabaione da Felice

Coffee/Digestif & Jule's Truffles

Christmas 2008

Champagne Cocktail

Carrot & Lemongrass Shot

Wild Icelandic Salmon & Celeri Remoulade

Scallop & Morcilla w/ Jerusalem Artichoke Mash

Bacon, Trotter & Prune on Foie Gras Toast

Cod Cheeks with Green Peppercorn Sauce

Beetroot Gazpacho & Avocado Sorbet

Pheasant Saltimbocca & Confit w/ Vacherin Potatoes

Mac & Truffle Cheese

Oxtail & Quail Egg on Toast

Bouillabaisse David

Mango Carpaccio

Canon of Lamb & Yam

Treacle Tart with Vanilla Bourbon Ice Cream

Coffee & Shortbread

Digestif

Christmas 2007

Waterloos & Champagne

Hapsburg Beet & Date Caviar

Thoroddsson-Caught Salmon w/Horseradish Cream

Coquilles St Jacques Nobu Style

Marrow & Herb Salad on Toast

Shroom Stroganoff

Fancy Cream of Corn, Burnt Nut Oil

Foie Gras Bonbon

Helix Pomatia Mar & Montunya

Home-Made Fontina & Porcini Cappelletti, Sirloin Brodo

Pepper-Crusted Black Cod with Teriyaki Reduction

Ice-Cold Cavaillon Carpaccio

18 Hour Beef with 2 Anti-Cuchos

Salad Exotique Redux

Bruno's Surprise

Roasted Vanilla-Infused Pineapple, Citrus Mascarpone

Stilton & Port

Coffee, Fresh Mint Tea

Macaroons

Digestif

Christmas 2005

Cocktails

Sevruga Caviar Versailles Style

Chestnut-Wild Mushroom Veloute w/Horseradish Marscapone & Hazelnut Oil

Dressed Kamchatka Crab & Sweet Corn Ice Cream

Tuna Ribbons, Radish & Aromatic Chili Oil from the Bund

Pan-Fried Baby Red Mullet with Umeboshi Plum Cream

Red Grape & Lime Slush

Truffled Bacalao Raviolini in Broth

Heston's Snail Porridge

Cucumber Tarragon Salad Kazakh Style

Basil Lemongrass Soda

Smoked Puffin & Duck with Persimmon Jelly

Oxtail Tatin with Coffee Tomato Confit

Icelandic Meatballs with Rhubarb Chutney

Daylesford Penyston Cheese & Yuzu Salad

Bitter Chocolate Ice Cream Catalonia Style

Cafe, The, Infusion

Digestif

Christmas 2003

Beet Tartare

Potato Ravioli

Ricotta Chili Bomb

Scallop & Cauliflower in Caper-Raisin Sauce

Surf & Turf Bouchee a la Reine with Pernod Cream

Celeriac Parmentier with Foie Gras, Truffle, Sweet Gnocchi

Petits Haricots Verts Salad with Laguiole

Loup de Mer Madagascan Vanilla Essence

Mango Mambo de Tito Puente

Saltimbocca Polynesienne

Mixed Herb Salad

Selection of English Cheeses

Choco-Coffee Parfait

Cafe, The, Infusion

Petits Fours

Digestives

Salmon Tartare Nicoise

Although there isn't anything particularly Nicoise about this--the salmon for one--the recipe is a hand me down from the chef at Flaveur, one of Nice's coolest restos. Chef worked at Sketches in London prior to opening Flaveur, and rather understatedly claimed that former boss Pierre Gagnaire was "a very good chef".

top quality salmon filet

coarse sea salt

baby scallions

fresh coriander

juice of lime

zest of lime

soy sauce

EVOO

black radish (sliced thinly thru mandolin)

fennel shoots

1. coat salmon with salt, let sit for 10-15 minutes, rinse off and pat dry
2. chop salmon into small cubes
3. add juice of lime
4. mix in finely chopped scallions, coriander
5. add zest, few drops of soy sauce, EVOO
6. dress radish with EVOO and salt
7. mound up the tartare, dress with fennel shoots, adjoin with a few slices of radish

Mackerel Rillettes & Toasted Sesame

One of Keisuke Matshushima's appetizers. He calls for 100g of butter; I think we can get away with 50g-75g.

1 liter of home-made veggie stock

300g mackerel

100g best quality Normandy butter

30g of white sesame

1. cook the mackerel in stock very delicately
2. drain fish, blend with butter until nice paste
3. pan fry sesame seeds until just golden, add in
4. serve on a spoon or cracker

Cote d'Azur Resto Picks

The concentration of young, inspired and modern cooking is to be found in Nice. I only ate at a handful of these places but have ranked them based on feedback & insights from others.

1. La Part des Anges: a wine store with a few tables set haphazardly and a tiny kitchen in the back. An amazing concept and surprising we don't see it more often.
2. Flaveur: ex-Sketches/Gagnaire chef doing modern twists with Provence ingredients
3. Le Bistrot d'Antoine: a delicious bistrot with an animated and caring patron; his first day back from vaca he was making a large bowl of champagne sangria for all. The best tomato salad I've had, no menus just chalk boards. Lots of positive vibes, happy employees.
4. Keisuke Matsushima: a young Japanese chef of 32 who has already made a name for himself his six years in Nice, his chosen second home after Tokyo. Nationwide fame already, with new opening in Tokyo recently and one planned for Paris. He's had a star for about three years, with more to come. A rising name on the haute cuisine scene.
5. Chez Pipo: home of the adopted local dish, la socca Nicoise. An institution.
6. Le Safari: an institution with a perfect view on the market. Ari's favorite, although he tells me that he's "lazy" in Nice.
7. Don Camillo: an up an comer, Gault Millaut is hinting at bigger and better things for chef Marc Laville.
8. African Queen (Beaulieu-sur-Mer): very casual, port-side dining. Truffle pizza is the signature dish.