Rosemary Tisane

The first I hear of a tisane from rosemary, but certainly makes sense.

a few rosemary sprigs

honey

boiling water

1. put rosemary and honey to taste in a tea pot
2. let seep in boiling water for a few minutes until the tisane reaches the desired strength

Notable Meals

Certainly not my first time at the River Cafe, but I think one of my favorite meals there. Thanks to Toby for some nice Tuscan wine selections!

• bagna cauda
• gnocchi romana and white truffle
• veal shin slow cooked in valpolicella, spinach and polenta
• lemon tart
• mint tea
• wine: Brancaia Tre 08 and Selvapiana Petrognano Pomino 07

Jerusalem Artichoke & Greens

The nutty roasted flavor of jerusalem artichoke with a clean, green salad works very well indeed.

jerusalem artichoke

mizuna leaves

rucola

frisee

parsley

chives

chervil

sherry vinegar

EVOO

walnut oil

garlic

shallots

S&P

1. grate garlic very finely, put half a thumbnail of it in a bowl with vinegar and S&P; let set for an hour
2. cut and peel jerusalem artichoke; toss in bowl with EVOO, S&P; roast until golden
3. finish vinaigrette by emulsifying EVOO into the vinegar and garlic mixture
4. dress salad leaves and herbs with vinaigrette
5. put some salad on a plate with a few chunks of jerusalem artichoke, sprinkle more herbs and season to taste

Paris Restaurant Picks

This posting will complement a previous posting--Paris Bistro Picks--which I update regularly. Some of these I will have been to, others I'd like to go to (with asterisk).

• Frederic Simonin (17th): ex-Atelier Joel Rebouchon in London
• l'Astrance* (8th): I've no idea why I haven't made it here yet, but I never cease to hear good things.

Konro Bakar

Javanese BBQ beef ribs & peanut sauce from Jakarta's Bunga Rampai. The very kind waitress and only good English speaker on the staff was able to extract this information from the chef. This was accompanied by a perfectly balanced sour fish soup.

beef short ribs

onion, chopped

garlic, minced

hazelnut, chopped

katsup manis

regular soy sauce

ginger, slices

lemongrass

peanut sauce

onion

garlic

hazelnuts

soy sauce

coriander roots and leaves

butter

lemon

salt

1. put peanut sauce ingredients in a blender and mix
2. sear the ribs in a little oil, remove from the pot
3. saute chopped onions, garlic, hazelnut; return the meat with soy sauce sauce and a bit of katsup manis so that meat is covered; add ginger and lemongrass stalks which have been banged up a little; simmer for 3 hours
4. when done, remove short ribs, pat dry and grill
5. brush with peanut sauce as the ribs grill; wait until caramelized
6. serve with additional sauce on the side

Bistrot Ari & David Christmas Menu

Another fine success this year. My favorites in order of appearance were Ari's salmon and beetroot, my octopus and vitello, Ari's eggs and soldiers, my salsify and Ari's hake.

• Scallop Sashimi & Yuzu Buttermilk
• Smoked Icelandic Salmon & Braised Beets
• Cured Duck & Celeri Remoulade
• Octopussy Yeah Baby
• Vitello Tonnato to Go
• Eel, Pickled Carrot & Horseradish
• Truffled Eggs & Soldiers
• Salsify, Trompettes & Polenta
• Foie Gras, Pear, Prosciutto Powder
• Snails, Girolles & Mash
• Risotto & Roe Deer
• Cotechino, Lentils & Mostarda
• Sgroppino Venezia
• Hake & Aniseed Beurre Blanc
• Deconstructed Boeuf Bourgignon
• Vacherin & Herb Salad
• Affogato
• Digestivo
  
  

Lentils & Burrata

An absolutely tasty little number from Polpetto.

lentils

carrot

celery

onion

bay leaf

thyme

shallots

home-made broth

burrata (buffalo mozarella ok too)

home-made pesto

EVOO

red wine vinegar

maldon sea salt

fresh ground pepper

1. make lentils al dente using above ingredients except pesto, EVOO and vinegar
2. when done, add a couple small splashes of vinegar and a drizzle of best quality EVOO; spoon some burrata and pesto over the lentils and serve