“Butter! Give me Butter! Always Butter!” - Salmon and Leeks with Beurre Blanc

I’ve realized over the past couple of weeks that I’m about as good at blogging as I am in the kitchen. That is to say, not very. In particular, I am not sure the best way to write about these great, interesting, and instructive recipes that I’m cooking out here in Napa. Do I just recite the recipe in a narrative form? Should I write a fictional account of preparing the dish? Or, perhaps write about the dish from the point of view of a pad of butter? (“I’m melting, I’m melting. Aaaaggh!” Sorry that was unnecessary.)

This issue has come to a head because I’ve been trying to write about this great salmon and beurre blanc recipe I made two Fridays ago, but have come up with little more than just a recitation of the steps I followed in making it, e.g. “First, I reduced a vinegar and white wine mixture. Then, I added a crap load of butter. Etc., etc., etc.” Frankly, I got a little bored just writing it and didn’t want to bore all six of you who might actually read it.

So, what’s a neophyte blogger like me to do? Although I’m already four recipes deep into the Bouchon Cookbook, I know I do not want this to be a blog that works through a famous cookbook, e.g. the (in)famous Julie/Julia Project and the very informative The French Laundry at Home. For now I want to set out my goals for each recipe that I write about: 1) to be informative, 2) to find ways to make many of these dishes doable and accessible so they don't have to be reserved for special occasions and 3) to be at least somewhat entertaining.

With that lengthy lead-in, let’s get to Atlantic Salmon with Leeks and Beurre Blanc (Bouchon Cookbook, p. 174). I think it will be helpful (for this and for future recipes) to start at the end and work backwards. What (and how good) was the end product, and how did I get there?

The final product was a piece of fresh Atlantic salmon, cooked about two-thirds of the way up the thickness of the fillet. The skin side was nicely browned, which contrasted with the cool, light, freshness of the top. The fish rested on a small portion of blanched leeks and beurre blanc.

After cooking four of Bouchon's recipes, I have realized two important cornerstones of French recipes: butter and sauces. Beurre blanc is an almost perfect unification of both. Like the previous sauces I’ve made, the beurre blanc consisted of two main elements: a concentrated base and the bulk of the sauce’s volume. The base of the Bouchon beurre blanc consisted of dry white wine, champagne vinegar, shallots, thyme, bay, parsley, and peppercorns.

A quick wine side note. I used a Buehler Vineyards Russian River Chardonnay for the sauce (see above). The recipe called for something with a little more acid, like a sauvignon blanc, but for budgetary reasons I wanted to buy a wine that I would also drink with the salmon. (The whole killing two birds with one stone thing.) So, hence the chardonnay. Just a plug for Buehler, in addition to this chardonnay they make a zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon, all of which are great values. Check one out if you see one!

Back to the beurre blanc. The "base" was brought to a boil and then reduced to a simmer for twenty minutes. The reduction should be about one tablespoon of liquid. If you are sensitive to vinegar (and probably even if you’re not) make sure to keep a window open! The vinegar smell is quite strong.

Next came all the fun stuff. First, off the heat, I added some cream, which is then reduced by half. The cream is supposed to help stabilize the emulsion in the sauce. Then, take 8 oz. of cold butter which have been cut into sixteen smaller pieces and begin adding them one at a time to the sauce over low heat. This takes some time and patience (and coordination). I had to keep whisking the sauce while adding the butter. It was one of those challenging pat yourself on the head and rub your stomach moments. I added the next piece of butter after the preceding one has almost melted. For some final seasoning, I added a couple tablespoons of chicken stock after incorporating all the butter.

The final product was a nice contrast of richness and acidity. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m not generally one for rich, creamy sauces. But, I must admit that I enjoyed this sauce and was already thinking about other ways in which to use it. I have a somewhat untraditional idea brewing, but that will have to wait for a future post. I kept the sauce on a very low heat while I turned my attention to the salmon.

Although I know that it’s true for every dish that better ingredients equal a better result, I think it is most true (is that possible…can something be “more true”?) when it comes to seafood. I am always very careful about where I purchase my seafood. For this recipe, I decided to check out the relatively new Napa branch of Whole Foods, which opened in the past couple years. They had some beautiful pink salmon in the case and I asked for a little less than a pound with the skin removed, which was enough for two servings. The fillet was also thick enough to sustain the graduated cooking method in the recipe.

(Skinned side up on the left)

I had never cooked a fish this way, which is similar to the “unilateral” cooking technique. It results in a piece of fish with a graduated level of doneness from the skin side (crispy, but not burned) to the top (rare, or as close to it as you prefer). To achieve this result, the fish is cooked only on one side, which means that the bottom gets crispy while the top is just warmed through. I first heard of unilateral cooking when Jen used it in the Bocus d’Or challenge in the most recent Top Chef season. Unlike some recipes I’ve seen on-line that suggest the top should be warmed through until it turns white, the Bouchon recipe calls for the salmon to remain pink and rare on top.

The salmon was seasoned with salt and white pepper on the skin side and only salt on the top (otherwise the raw salmon on top would be overpowered by the also raw pepper). After warming a very thin layer of canola oil in a stainless steel skillet, I put the fillets in skin-side down. The key here is simply to monitor the heat levels so about half the salmon gets cooked without burning the bottom. Luckily salmon is easy to read and you can watch the meat gradually turn white up the fish to your liking. I took mine out after about seven minutes, and you can see the results in the picture below. The salmon should pretty much go directly from the pan to the plate.

But, don’t forget the leeks! The leeks were the final element to hit the heat, because they just needed to be warmed up. The recipe called for only the light-green portion of the leek, cut into rounds with all the layers kept intact. Leeks retain a lot of dirt in between its layers, so I quickly swished them around in some warm water. Once they were cleaned, I blanched the leeks in a large pot of salted water. (According to Chef Keller, the water should be so salty that it “tastes like the sea.”) They were then left to rest until shortly before the salmon was ready, at which point I warmed them in a small amount of chicken stock and adjusted seasoning with salt and pepper.

Finally, the beurre blanc received some chopped tarragon, chives, and parsley before hitting the plate. I then put the salmon in the center of the plate on a small mound of leeks.

With the exception of the beurre blanc, the dish was actually pretty quick and could even be a good weeknight fish option. The relative simplicity of the salmon could also make it a good vehicle for completely different flavors, e.g. a Japanese sesame- or soy-based sauce.

My favorite part about this dish was the range of textures and flavors created by unilateral cooking. I found it more interesting than a seared tuna steak with a raw interior. I’m not quite sure why, however. There was just something intriguing about the taste and feel of the graduated textures and flavors that I found appealing. After doing some more reading about unilateral cooking, I'm not sure if I cooked this fish enough. But it tasted good, so I'm not complaining.

Finally, it is a rich dish. The fattiness of the salmon and the silky, buttery beurre blanc make it taste and feel luxurious without being a drain on the wallet. Salmon, after all, is less expensive than tuna, lobster, and many other popular seafood options. This is one of the consistent themes I’m noticing in Bouchon’s bistro recipes: a way to get the most taste and excitement out of relatively commonplace proteins like salmon or chicken. Foie gras is easy to make luxurious (of course, it’s also easy to screw up), but making a skirt steak taste expensive and deserving of a Michelin star seems more fun to eat and to make.

A Blog Backlog

So, I've experienced a bit of blog block in terms of writing about the stuff that I've been cooking and the restaurants I've visited. But, I'll do my best to catch up.

However, I wanted to give you a little preview of some of the things that are coming up:

Recipes

• Homemade Hot Sauce (in preparation for Super Bowl Buffalo Wings)
• Roast Duck
• Hamburgers with Leftover Red Wine Jus

Restaurants

• Taylor's Automatic Refresher
• Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen
• Bouchon

A Bistro Approach to Beef: Skirt Steak with Caramelized Shallots and Red Wine Jus

Other than a few hamburgers (Mustards Grill, Taylor’s, and In-N-Out Burger), I haven’t had any red meat out here in cabernet country. Also, there is an organic butcher located in the Oxbow Market with a great looking selection that I wanted to try out. So, I was looking forward to trying this steak recipe from The Bouchon Cookbook (p. 209). Plus, one thing that I like about bistro fare is that it uses inexpensive yet flavorful cuts, e.g. skirt and hanger steak, rather than strip or filet.

I bought a one pound piece of skirt steak from the Five Dot Ranch counter at Oxbow. A California purveyor of, in their words, “natural” beef. According to their brochure, this means that the cows are raised without antibiotics or additional hormones and are given the freedom to roam in open grazing spaces. At $9.99 per pound, I was able to get two good-sized servings for about $10.

I began with a sauce: a red wine jus. The first step was to develop a flavor-rich and concentrated base. The jus uses a base of reduced cabernet sauvignon with herbs (bay, thyme, parsley) and vegetables (leek, carrot, onion, mushroom). This mixture was reduced for approximately 50 minutes (I think I should have had it on slightly higher heat, but I’m still trying to master the concept and appearance of a “simmer”).

(The red wine jus base at the beginning of the reduction.)

(After 50 minutes of reducing.)

To this base, the recipe called for 2.5 cups of veal stock. I did not have veal stock, so I used a blend of Kitchen Basics beef and chicken stocks. I know that this was not ideal, but I had chicken stock that I needed to use. I also added a small “juice-box” sized container of beef stock, to make the jus more similar in flavor to the beef. This mixture was then further reduced for another thirty minutes at a simmer and seasoned to taste. I left it on the stove on a very low heat while I prepared the steaks and shallots.

I put a stainless-steel skillet on medium-high heat with a couple tablespoons of canola oil. Once the oil was hot, I added two tablespoons of unsalted butter. I added the skirt steaks, which had been seasoned with both salt and black pepper as soon as the butter started to brown. (The salt and pepper also end up seasoning the shallots, so be liberal.) The steaks are relatively thin, so it is important to watch your time to prevent them from getting too done. I seared the steaks for about 90 seconds on the first side, and then about another three minutes on the second side. I removed the steaks (only the steaks, leaving all the liquid in the skillet) from the heat and let them rest in a glass baking dish.

Before putting the steaks on the heat, I had prepared two cups of thinly sliced shallots. After removing the steaks to the baking dish, I added the shallots to the same skillet the steaks had cooked in. Once the shallots had softened…more butter (about 1 ½ tablespoons). The shallots were left in the pan over medium heat to caramelize in the pan.

By the time the shallots had caramelized, the steaks were pretty happy sitting in their own juices. They were about to get happier. Half of the caramelized shallot mixture was placed on each steak, and any juices that had collected in the bottom of the pan were spooned over the shallots. I put the dish in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for six minutes for the steaks to finish cooking to about a medium temperature.

To finish, I put the steak, with the shallots on top, on the plate and then drizzled some of the red wine jus on top and around the steak. The recipe also included a watercress salad with a simple dressing of olive oil, chives, shallots, and tarragon. But couldn’t find any watercress, so I used arugula instead and it worked well. The freshness of the salad was a nice contrast to the steak’s earthy flavors.

In his book, Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain lists a few reasons why restaurant food always tastes better than home-cooked food. Two of those reasons are butter and shallots. After tasting this recipe, I couldn’t agree more. Shallots have a much more versatile and subtle flavor than either onion or garlic, while the butter (which I never would have added unless under orders from the recipe to do so) provided a greater richness.

When I was plating the steaks, I thought that red wine jus was a tremendous waste of time, given how long it took to make and how little was actually used in the recipe. When enjoying the meal, however, I noticed it had added a depth of flavor that I had never been able to achieve in steak. The earthiness of the jus melded perfectly with the natural flavors of the steak, both of which were balanced by the sweetness of the caramelized shallots.

I found this to be a tremendously satisfying steak recipe, especially for the winter when I have a hankering for steak but might not want to stand out in the cold next to a grill. Also, without the red wine jus preparation, it’s a pretty quick and economical recipe and I don’t think the recipe would lose that much without it.

I did, however, end up with a lot of jus left over. The cookbook says it should keep in the fridge for a couple days. My plan: incorporate it in hamburger patties (what can I say, I’m a sucker for a good burger). I’m hoping it will add some depth of flavor and moisture to the burger. Stay tuned.

Napa Wine Train of Straight Talk Waste Express

I have no affection for the Napa Valley Wine Train, which I consider a tourist trap on rails. If you're unfamiliar with this Napa Valley institution, it is an old-fashioned train that goes in a straight line up the Valley from Napa to St. Helena (and back). During the scenic trip, you will enjoy not only a meal but also lovely views of almost the entire Valley. If you pay a little extra, you can also get off for little winery excursions at one of two pre-approaved wineries, cruise-ship style.

I have never ridden on the Wine Train and have no plans to do so in the future. The greatest pleasure I get in the wine train is checking to see if anyone happens to be making out on the back platform of the caboose (I think my count is currently up to 4 couples, and that's not including the people I've seen making out in the outdoor space between cars.). I'm hoping that my count might increase after taking a look at their website which seems to encourage this kind of behavior, a quote from the site: "The Gift of Time and Intimacy." If by "intimacy," you mean that the millions of tourists on the busiest highway in the county can see you and your beloved sucking face. Then, yes, it is "intimate."

But, the Wine Train doesn't need my harsh words. Republican Senators John McCain and Tom Coburn have beat me to it! Yes, they cited the Napa Valley Wine Train as a waste of taxpayers' money because of an Army Corps of Engineers project designed to protect downtown Napa from flooding. (The most recent serious flood in 2005 caused $115 million in damage to the city.) Unfortunately, the project includes $54 million to move the train because its station is downtown along the Napa River. The senators and others critical of government spending projects have since nicknamed the train the "Stimulus Waste Express."

This story is now on the front page of CNN.com and it will apparently be on Anderson Cooper 360 (personally, I think Anderson was just looking for an excuse to expense a French Laundry dinner). Check out the on-line story, which also has some video, here. It has even elicited a strong response from the Wine Train, including an open letter to John McCain (here) and text on its website stating that it "Got NO Federal Stimulus Money."

I don't really care much about government spending or "my tax dollars at work." What I do care about is the fact that CNN referred to the Wine Train as "the quintessential Napa Valley experience." Do not be fooled by the liberal, mainstream media!

More Changes at Williams-Sonoma

The AP is reporting that longtime Williams-Sonoma CEO Howard Lester is retiring after 31 years. He is credited with expanding the brand from Chuck Williams's small four-store operation to the international, publicly traded corporation it is today. Read the store here.

This is the second big change in personnel for Williams-Sonoma in the past few weeks after I quit as a seasonal employee on December 24, 2009. Although my accomplishments were not as far-reaching as Mr. Lester's, I did once sell a $200 corkscrew to a customer, helping our staff to achieve our hourly sales goal. And, everyone knows what an important indicator of financial success the 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. hour on a random day in mid-December is for any retail corporation. So, you're welcome Williams-Sonoma shareholders.

Although the corporation has already announced that Mr. Lester will be succeeded by Williams-Sonoma president Laura Alber, word on the street is that the difficult search for my replacement will not begin until next October. Interested parties can pick up an application at any store before the holidays and should be prepared to answer the following questions in a group interview in a mall atrium: "What is 'customer service'?" "Why do you want to work at Williams-Sonoma?" "How do you define leadership?" Good luck to all applicants.

The Bachelor is Coming to Napa

For those poor few of you who have not been following this season's installment of ABC's The Bachelor, you really only need to know two things to get caught up. First, all of the girls hate Vienna, who the girls think is fake/backstabbing/annoying. Yet, to the surprise of all, Jake keeps her around. Second, if bachelor/pilot/hunk Jake keeps kicking women off at his current breakneck pace, the season will be over next week. See, e.g. last night's DRAMATIC rose ceremony when Jake cut an extra girl after consulting with relationship guru and moral philosopher, Chris Harrison (he had already cut two girls from a group date when he was only supposed to eliminate one).

Last night we also learned that the show would be based in San Francisco for the next couple of weeks, which, in my mind, meant only one thing: romantic date in wine country! And, the closing preview of upcoming episodes did not disappoint. From the brief teaser, it appears as though the Bachelor is coming to the (and I'm being restrained here) horribly tacky and grotesque winery Castello di Amorosa. Fashioned as a 13th-century Tuscan castle, the winery, in case you couldn't guess, tries to recreate a little bit of Italy in Napa. The castle is owned by Daryl Sattui who owns another tourist trap and cash cow on the other side of St. Helena, the V. Sattui Winery.

This seems like the perfect wine country setting for a reality show, doesn't it? I'll be tuned in to see how the winery turns into a romantic hook-up spot for Bachelor Jake. My guess is that he and the ladies will retire to the "Royal Apartment." Back in the good ol' days when I used to work at a winery, people just made out in the bathroom. But, maybe I'm old fashioned.

The Bachelor: Love Takes Flight airs on ABC on Mondays at 8 p.m.

PS - if you're looking to propose to your beloved at Castello di Amorosa, check out their proposal pacakges here.

Simple Pleasures (an ongoing series): Sweetie Pie's Lemon Poppy Seed Scone

Food, through its tastes and aromas, has a powerful connection to memory. One of my most memorable “meals” in Napa was the breakfast that my fiancée and I had on the first morning of our first trip here. We woke up at about 6:30 in the morning since we were still on east coast time and decided to head into downtown Napa for coffee. Our guide book had mentioned a good place called Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company (I still go there regularly – they also have a bustling St. Helena location). We made our way to the shop and drowsily ordered some coffee and a lemon poppy seed scone.

Having had a number of mediocre scones from places like Starbucks, I was not expecting something so delicious from a pastry calling itself a scone. But, we were tired and hungry, so this large scone looked like a good option. I don't think either one of us was prepared for how good this scone was going to be.

When I bit into the scone I discovered bits of candied lemon hidden throughout. The sweet tartness of the lemon was balanced by the rich butteriness of the scone dough. The scone is also covered with a lemon and poppy seed glaze, which added another layer of sweet and tart. One tip: like a cupcake or slice of cake, you have to take care to balance your frosted and non-frosted bites (and make sure neither you nor your companion are too greedy).

I love lemon-based pastries and sweets, and this one tops my list. But, like many foods it does so both for how it tastes and for the memories it evokes.

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For those of you visiting Napa, the scones are available at coffee stops throughout the Valley, including Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company (Napa, St. Helena); Oakville Grocery; and, Dean & Deluca (St. Helena). They are made, however, at the Sweetie Pie’s in downtown Napa, which is a great stop for breakfast or to satisfy your sweet tooth at any time of day.

Silverado Vineyards: Disney's Little Piece of Napa

It only makes sense that a property owned by a member of the Disney family would be beautiful and have some of the most magical views of the Valley. Owned by Diane (Disney) Miller, Walt's eldest daughter, and her husband Ron (a former Disney CEO), Silverado Vineyards is located in the Stags Leap District of the Napa Valley, approximately six miles north of the city of Napa on the Silverado Trail.

Located at the top of a small hill, the Italian-style tasting room has a spectacular, elevated view up the Valley. Although few of Silverado's wines are spectacular, a visit is always a pleasant experience. The tasting room employees have always been kind and knowledgeable, and the wines tasty and enjoyable.

Generally, there are two wines that I look forward to at Silverado. First, I really enjoy Italian wines and Silverado makes a sangiovese (the grape that comprises most Tuscan red wines), which is not very expensive and pretty tasty. During this visit, they were also pouring a zinfandel that had 20% sangiovese blended into the wine. It was a fun mix of the zinfandel's spicy fruit with the smooth, candied fruit of California sangiovese. I bought a bottle to have at home for the next time that I order pizza.

The second wine that I always enjoy tasting at Silverado is called Solo and is their premier cabernet sauvignon. The fruit for the wine comes from the estate property around the winery in the Stags Leap District.

So what?

This is perhaps the best place to introduce how the Napa Valley is divided up. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives ("BATFE"), which regulates this type of thing, the Napa Valley is comprises a number of distinct American Viticultural Areas ("AVAs") (see map). The technicalities are not important here, but for our purposes an AVA is a federally recognized, distinct wine growing area. So, even though the "Stags Leap District" AVA and the "Rutherford" AVA are both within the Napa Valley and only a few miles apart, the BATF has recognized that grapes grown in these areas have distinctive flavor characteristics due to certain climatic and geographical features. One final note, in order to put "Rutherford" or "Stags Leap District" on a wine label, at least 85% of the grapes used to make the wine must have come from that AVA (and the Napa Valley itself is an AVA, so wines that use grapes from several different smaller AVAs within the valley will simply be labeled "Napa Valley").

Again, you ask...so what?

The Stags Leap District has a very good reputation for producing delicious and long-lasting cabernet sauvignons, the best of which is probably Shafer Vineyards's Hillside Select (retail ~ $215). The typical flavor profile of a Stags Leap District cabernet is rich cherry, blackberry, and spice with a smooth, elegant finish.

Well-made wines from this area also have a reputation for aging well over a long period of time. This was demonstrated afresh on my visit to Silverado, because they had a bottle of their 1985 cabernet open to share with guests. I have had many Napa cabernets from the 1990s, but few from the 1980s and this one was pretty impressive. The wine still had a nice red color (red wines tend to turn a brickish/brownish color as they age) and good fruitiness (they also tend to lose their fruit flavors over time). All in all, a pleasant treat during this visit.

I recommend Silverado as a good and friendly place to visit. Its wines might not blow you away and give you one of those epiphanies that the main characters in Sideways described, but the hospitality, wines, and spectacular views are well worth a stop.

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Silverado Vineyards, www.silveradovineyards.com, 707.257.1770, click here for directions

Project Roast Chicken, Part 2 - The Leftovers

I don’t know about you, but one of the things that frustrates me about making a special meal out of a cookbook is that it often calls for unique ingredients that, after preparing the recipe, end up sitting in the pantry or fridge until they aren’t good anymore. This is why you have that little container of Garam Masala in the back of your spice cabinet.

According to The Bouchon Cookbook, bistros must operate on a tight budget and make the best use of their ingredients, regardless of how humble they may seem. Leftovers in the home kitchen, like the offal or “spare” parts of animals in the professional kitchen (e.g. tripe, kidneys, brains, etc.), are such “humble” ingredients that can be put to good use when properly prepared. Since I’m trying to live on something resembling a budget here in Napa, I’m going to try and make the best use of my leftovers.

While I have no doubt that the second half of my roasted chicken would have tasted delicious after being warmed up in the oven, a recipe in The Bouchon Cookbook calling for some shredded roast chicken caught my eye: savory crêpes with roast chicken, morels, and fava beans (p. 198).

Looking over recipes, I realized that it often takes a little extra effort to convert leftovers into a wholly new dish. Unlike my roast chicken, this recipe required me to go out on a ledge and learn a couple new techniques. I hope to challenge myself to learn at least one new technique or preparation in each new recipe.

The first new technique was crêpe-making. I was a little hesitant to try my hand at crepes after a mediocre day-after-Christmas pancake making performance. Fortunately, my housemate had a crêpe pan (a shallow, low-walled pan) from Williams-Sonoma that ended up working perfectly. The batter was quite easy. Like a pancake batter (although thinner), it consisted of mixing wet ingredients (eggs, milk, and cream) with dry ingredients (flour, salt, and pepper). After letting the batter rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, I strained it and added some melted butter and minced chives. On the stove, it was like cooking eggs, swirling the batter around to coat the pan and then waiting for it to set before flipping. After a couple, I developed a good rhythm and felt comfortable with the process.

My confidence steadily building, I was feeling good about trying new technique number two. Sauce-making is an important skill necessary for the home and professional cook alike. I hope to improve my abilities as a saucier over the next few weeks. I generally don’t like cream- or cheese-based sauces, which has the rather un-American consequence of my not being a fan of macaroni and cheese either.

This recipe called for a mornay sauce. It contains milk, heavy cream, and cheese as well as, peppercorns, cloves, nutmeg, and bay (see picture below). So although I wasn’t expecting to really like my efforts, I decided to push through. Making a mornay sauce, I realized from the recipe, is a series of quick, high-pressure movements, followed by a long period of waiting while the sauce reduces.

Mornay is roux-based and, therefore, uses a flour and butter mixture as the base of the sauce. At this stage, one has to be careful to manage the heat level and keep stirring the roux to prevent it from scorching while the flour and butter are combining. After a couple of minutes, the cream must be whisked in and, then, once it's incorporated the pepper, cloves, and bay are added. At this point, the sauce simmers for about 30 minutes during which the sauce becomes thick and rich.

At this point the sauce is strained and put back on low heat while the Emmantaler cheese is mixed in. The chicken, which I had pulled off the leftover roast chicken, was then added to warm through. I left the sauce to keep warm.

Although fava beans proved to be the most difficult ingredient to find (since I failed to check whether they were in season), they were not the most luxurious. That distinction fell to the morel mushroom. This required a trip to the St. Helena outpost of Dean & Deluca (Leslie Rudd, the owner of Dean & Deluca also owns a winery and restaurant in the Valley), which is a reliable stop for high-end ingredients, like morels (a paltry $312 per pound). Fortunately, mushrooms don’t weigh a lot, so I was able to get three servings worth of these pricey fungi for $16. The morels required minimal preparation before cooking, simply swishing them around in warm water to clean off any remaining dirt.

The morel and fava bean mixture was the quickest part of the preparation, so I waited until the end to prepare it. After melting a few tablespoons of unsalted butter in a skillet, I added the morels (careful not to let them brown) and then some brandy. I had rehydrated the beans in boiling water earlier (which, sadly, never regained the bright green color of fresh beans) and kept them cool in the refrigerator. They simply needed to be added at the end to warm through after the alcohol from the brandy had burned off.

To assemble, I placed a crêpe on the plate and then spooned a generous portion of the mornay and chicken mixture on top. (The recipe produced much more mornay-chicken mixture than I could use.) Next, I placed one-third of the fava and morel mixture on top of that and then rolled the crêpe into a log shape and cut in half.

Even as one not inclined toward creamy sauces, I enjoyed the dish. It was perfect for a cool and rainy night in the Valley. The biggest flaw in the dish was, without question, the lack of fresh fava beans, and only reinforced the importance of seasonal cooking (or at least paying attention to the seasons!).

I enjoyed the previous night's roast chicken much more, but this recipe was no less satisfying to prepare. Although I doubt I'll be making a mornay sauce again in the near future, the fact that I was able to handle the challenge only gives me more confidence to try other new and difficult techniques. Hopefully all of your successes in your own kitchens encourage you to do the same.

Mustards Grill: A Napa Original

The first time that we went to Mustard's four years ago, we probably didn't give it a fair shake. We were tired (we had overslept our original reservation) and brought a bottle of wine that was much, much too overpowering for the meal (Shafer Vineyards Relentless, if you're curious...the stuff is so full-bodied that it stains the wine glass). I like chef/owner Cindy Pawlcyn's other restaurants -- Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen and Go Fish -- so I figured that I should give her original joint another shot.

As per usual when dining solo, I went to the bar and grabbed a stool at the cozy eight seat nook which served as the "bar." (The restaurant isn't really in any town, so necessitates a drive - thus, I'm guessing that the bar scene is pretty limited to people like me or those waiting for tables.) I instantly felt more comfortable at Mustards than I did at Angele a few nights ago (post forthcoming).

The bartender, Nick, (actually his name is David, but he seemed more like a Nick...if he wants his own name back, let him start his own blog), instantly offered me a glass of water and some

bread. Perhaps these are just the habits of a bartender accustomed to catering to inebriated wine tasters, but I appreciated the attention. He also bore a slight resemblance to Anthony Bourdain and seemed to have a similar sense of "cool"...but, then again, who doesn't seem cooler when standing behind a bar? The bar is for older guys, as the guitar is for "cool" guys in college. A deft hand at either instantly makes women more attracted to them and other guys envious.

I had planned on simply getting a nice glass of red and a hamburger, but there on the menu I saw an appetizer of Dungeness Crab Cakes with a Chipotle Aioli. In the wake of the great Dungeness v. Chesapeake Blue Crab debate, it seemed only fair to see how these West Coast crabs faired in the crab cake portion of the competition. I must admit that they faired better than their steamed counterparts at the Crab Feed a few days ago. That might be just because I'm a sucker for anything fried (I was quite the chicken finger connoisseur as a youngster), but under the nice layer of breading and pleasantly spiced chipotle aioli, the crab meat itself tasted sweet and rich.

After the crab cakes came a delicious Nieman Ranch beef burger, which was served with some great french fries. Also, while I was waiting for the burger to arrive a local patron who both the hostess and bartender knew by name claimed a seat near me at the bar. Based on the parts of the conversation that I could hear, I'm guessing that this gentleman ate approximately 75-90% of his meals at Mustards. After plumbing the depths of the ramifications of a Republican Massachusetts senator with Nick the bartender, he turned his attention to me. I quickly learned that he too was an attorney (good God, who isn't a lawyer these days!?) who was now a winemaker in the Valley. Although we only had a short and superficial conversation, it is these types of moments that make me love dining at a bar. When I left, I had the feeling the feeling that he was not the only local to make Mustards his "local."

The end result was that this was a much better experience than my first at Mustards and I plan on returning. One of the earliest culinary landmarks in the Valley (it's currently celebrating its 26th anniversary), it has a comfortable wine country feel to it without sacrificing quality. Also, for those looking for a special bottle of wine, the wine list has a number of Napa legends, including several older vintages that would be difficult to find elsewhere. I'd highly recommend it for a casual dinner or a leisurely lunch.

Simple Pleasures (an ongoing series): Oakville Grocery Animal Crackers

Even "simple" treats are taken to another level in Napa, and often with a price at another level too. For example, a cheeseburger at the high-end steakhouse Press will run you $18 (of course it's made with Kobe beef too). Still, I often find that such recognizable foods, elevated even one degree, are some of the most enjoyable.

There are, however, some inexpensive options out there and one of my favorites is the animal crackers at Oakville Grocery. The Oakville Grocery is a great spot to grab a coffee before your first tasting, or a sandwich and other picnic items for lunch. But, for my money, the best item in the store is a small bag of animal crackers. At about $1.25, they are the best animal crackers I've ever had. They are crisp, lemony, and (this is what makes them great) have a small bit of salt which highlights both the lemon and mild sweetness of the "cracker." I love them.

I used to keep a bag of them in my locker at Cakebread to snack on during breaks. And, I even recommended them as a wine pairing on a tour at the winery when a guest asked me what went well with a Cakebread chardonnay. My co-workers were skeptical, but they became believers later that evening as we were having an after-work glass of wine with some Oakville Grocery animal crackers.

Countdown to The French Laundry

I'll try not to engage in hyperbole, but The French Laundry is probably the best restaurant in the country, and maybe the world. (Since scientists have discovered potential Earth-like planets out there, I don't feel like this claim is that much of a stretch.) It had an even stronger case when chef/owner Thomas Keller was regularly in the kitchen, but now he's busier managing his growing network of restaurants in Napa, Las Vegas, New York, and, most recently, Beverly Hills. But, like a top university, the Laundry attracts many of the country's best young chefs to preside over the kitchen in Keller's absence. Many of whom then go on to start amazing restaurants of their own, such as Grant Achatz of Chicago'sAlinea and Eric Ziebold of DC's CityZen.

For those who don't know about The French Laundry, it is Keller'sThree-Michelin Star restaurant in Yountville, culinary center of the Napa Valley. Reservations are taken two months in advance and become available at 10 a.m. PST. The phone line stays busy until all sixty seats are full for each service.

If you get a reservation, you'll have your choice of two nine-course meals (although a diner is likely to have several additional plates arrive at the table): a regular tasting menu

or a vegetarian testing menu:

I have never eaten at The French Laundry. On February 12th that will change.

Why should you care about my good fortune at getting a reservation? Two reasons. First, I'll publish a blow-by-blow of my dinner there to try and provide as much information as possible to you, and I won't even charge you the $240/person for dinner and service. Second, in the weeks leading up to February 12th, I'll try at least a couple recipes from The French Laundry Cookbook. Hopefully, these experiences will help both you and me to recreate some of The French Laundry experience at home.

Would You Pay $4.25 for a Cup of Coffee? I just did.

I know how to read. I just forget to do it sometimes. I've discovered that this can lead to awkward situations, especially when the thing I forget to read is a price.

It's another rainy, cold, and windy day in Napa, and I decided to have a nice cup of coffee and a morning bun at Napa's new Oxbow Market.

The morning bun should have been the first warning. The cashier at the bakery said the total was $1.75, I was almost certain I had read $1.50. Taking a second look, I realized that I was looking at the muffin prices and not the morning bun prices. But, twenty-five cents...no big deal.

Then, I came over to the coffee shop in the market -- Ritual Roasters. I had purchased a couple of Iced Americanos there and they were pricey ($2.75), but not exorbitant. Plus, the setting was nice and they had free Wi-Fi. Today, I wanted a nice warm cup of coffee. I learned that all of their cups of coffee are made to order, and you get to pick your coffee from a list of about six different available beans. Easy enough. So, I decided to start at the top of the list and ordered the El Alcazar from Colombia.

Holding two $1 bills in my hand, I patiently waited by the cash register for the barista to grind my beans, measure the water, and then brew my coffee. After a couple of minutes, the coffee arrived at the register and the barista said, "$4.25, please."

"Huh?"

"Yes, the El Alcazar is $4.25." I looked down at the list of coffees and there under the description of the coffee was printed "$4.25 per cup." Casually slipping my two humble dollar bills away while pulling out my debit card, I tried to convey the impression that I always pay $4.25 for a coffee. No, no...I actually thought $4.25 was a BARGAIN. I had those two dollar bills out just in case I needed to sneeze or spit my gum out in them (I, of course, wasn't chewing any gum at the time).

That being said, it was a pretty delicious cup of coffee...smooth and rich, with just a touch of acidity. Unfortunately, I'm guessing they don't do free refills.

Project Roast Chicken, Part 1

“I had come to believe that one can judge the quality of a cook by his or her roast chicken.” – Julia Child.

Who can argue with Julia? I certainly can’t, given my limited cooking skills. So, I figured that the roast chicken, or poulet rôti, is the best place to begin my adventures in the kitchen here in Napa. It will be my baseline.

Luckily, I happen to love roast chicken. I order it whenever I go to two of my favorite restaurants in the Valley: Angele and Bouchon. Also, during my lazy culinary days in grad school and law school I consumed many a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from grocery stores like Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, and Acme. On a budget, it was a good way to get two meals out of about six dollars.

Chicken is the vanilla ice cream of meat. On its own, chicken is often prepared in boring or uninteresting ways. But, even when paired with other flavors, any chicken-ness is either completely masked or, in the case of those inflated skinless chicken breasts, never existed in the first place.

Since I actually wanted to taste the chicken, I decided that the place to start was at the poultry counter at a good, local grocery store: Sunshine Foods. Located in St. Helena, Sunshine has a great selection of high-quality local ingredients. You’ll be hearing a lot about Sunshine in the weeks to come.

My little chicken came from Petaluma Poultry in neighboring Sonoma County and was called a “Rocky Jr.” Petaluma’s Rocky Jr. chickens are the farm’s line of 3 to 3.5 pound free-range chickens. This is a perfect size for two dinners worth of chicken for me. Although the recipe I used (Bouchon Cookbook by Thomas Keller, pp. xii, 192) called for a 2 to 2.5 pound chicken, I think that this slightly larger bird worked perfectly. And, at less than $10, it wasn’t too expensive.

The first step: brining. (Recipe techniques and components will be a highlighted in bold.) The key flavor components of this brine included a lot of salt, honey, lemon juice, thyme, and rosemary (see picture at right), all of which had to be brought to a boil together in water and then cooled before it could be used.

After letting it swim in the aromatic brine for about four hours (the recipe called for six, but I think four was sufficient), I took the chicken out to dry and warm to room temperature. It was now time for me versus Rocky in Battle Truss. I had never trussed a chicken or tied up any meat for that matter. The purpose of trussing is to keep the meet compact for even cooking. I did my best to follow the cookbook instructions and even checked out a few instructional videos on YouTube.

I’m sure it could have been tighter and that mistakes were made, but I don’t think it was too bad for a first attempt. From what I saw on-line, there are two schools of trussing -- the Neck School and the Leg School – depending on where you start the process. Keller (and the YouTube link above) belong to the Neck School, starting there and keeping the twine tight around the wings. Then, to plump the breast meat, you tie a not under the breast before pulling each end of twine under the legs and then up. This brings the legs close together. Then, simply tie a knot to hold the legs and cut off the excess. And, you have a trussed chicken!

That was pretty much the end of my work. The chicken went in a 450 degree oven. I rotated the chicken a couple of times to ensure even cooking, and after 50 minutes out it came. Once the chicken skin was a golden brown, I added some chopped thyme to the juices in the bottom of the pan and basted the skin with this mixture a couple of times.

Then, the toughest part: waiting. I let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes while I opened a bottle of Madrigal Vineyards 2006 Merlot. A new release from one of my favorite wineries in the Valley, it was BIG and I probably should have opened it when I started brining the chicken. It tasted much better a couple hours later.

After my first bite, I vowed (to myself and my housemate’s dachshund Romeo) never to make poultry without brining ever again. The meat, even the breast meat, was tender and tasty and didn’t require any additional salt or seasoning once it was on the plate. Although I don’t think that I got the rosemary, thyme, and lemon in balance, they were not so overwhelming as to mask the natural flavors of the bird.

After finishing half of the chicken,** I began to think about Julia’s suggestion again and what she really meant. Roasting a chicken really only requires two very basic skills: boiling water for the brine, and knowing when to take the chicken out of the oven (a meat thermometer makes this latter skill quite easy). So, I don’t think she meant that a roast chicken should be used to evaluate a cook’s skills. Rather, I think it is a way of evaluating a cook’s attitude or approach. If you take the time to elevate something so humble and common as a roast chicken by investing in good ingredients and a little extra time, then maybe you belong in the kitchen after all.

**What happened to Rocky Jr.’s second half? That’s coming soon, but I’ll give you one hint: crepes!

The Week Ahead in Napa

The rain has subsided just long enough to take my housemate's dachshund, Romeo, for a walk. But, as is often the case this time of year in Napa, the week's forecast is filled with cloudy skies and rain.

Looking ahead to my first full week in wine country, I've tried to create something of an agenda for eating out, cooking, and wine tasting. As a general rule, I'll do most of my cooking during the weekends, since restaurants will be more crowded. So, during the week, be ready for more restaurant and winery reviews and notes.

I haven't mapped out the entire week, but on the heels of my first cooking projects this past weekend (posts forthcoming), I want to visit two of my favorite restaurants, both of which serve French bistro fare, Angele and Bouchon. Depending on what pops up on Ad Hoc's menu this week (the restaurant's four-course American influenced menu changes daily), I might make my first visit to Thomas Keller's most casual restaurant. I especially want to try their fried chicken, after my dad used their kit (sold at Williams-Sonoma) to make a batch a couple weeks ago. A lunch-time visit to my favorite Napa Valley eatery, Taylor's Automatic Refresher, is also highly likely.

As for wineries, I'm planning on visiting my old place of employment, Cakebread Cellars, (For full disclosure, I'm now a wine club member, which has the benefit of free tastings.), as well as the consistent and reliable Silverado Vineyards. I'm also tempted to visit one of the Valley's sparkling-wine producers simply to toast the Dallas Cowboys's loss this weekend, but I'll probably hold off.

Tasting Like a Professional at the CIA

Opportunities for wine and food education abound in the Napa Valley. Many wineries and wine shops offer informative tastings and have very knowledgeable

staffs. (Remember, however, both of these groups of people are trying to sell you something!) Additionally, the local college offers community education culinary classes and even has its own cooking school. At the top of the hierarchy is the Culinary Institute of America ("CIA"), which has a campus and a restaurant in an old winery building in St. Helena.

I had always been interested in taking a community education or "enthusiast" course at the CIA, but never had the time. So, I registered for a couple of the less-expensive wine-tasting options. Unfortunately, there weren't any good cooking courses available in my timeframe.

The first of these courses - "Tasting Wine Like A Professional" - was slated for two hours yesterday morning. It ended up being a good introduction to an organized and easy-to-follow process for tasting wine and very similar to the way we tasted and discussed wines at the store where I used to work. Below is a quick summary of some of the highlights and useful information from the course.

Setting and Instructors

The CIA's Napa Valley campus is located in the beautiful town of St. Helena, which is in the northern part of the Valley. The campus has a small building dedicated solely to wine education -- the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies. The class took place in a well-appointed and cozy seminar room, which included sinks for spitting and lights for evaluating a wine's color at every seat. Additionally, the instructors were very knowledgeable, engaging, and patient.

Helpful Tools and Tips

The course began with a warm-up exercise which included smelling samples of certain common wine aromas, like grapefruit and green pepper. One tool that my wine store manager gave me when I first started and which the instructors provided is the aroma wheel. It can be very helpful in facilitating your descriptive vocabulary. I am terrible at describing wines, and I found a re-introduction to the aroma wheel helpful.

A second important tool that the instructors mentioned is a notebook or pad to record your impressions for the wines you taste. I have been very bad about keeping such a log, but it will only help to improve one's sense memory and tasting skills. Plus, it makes it easier to remember those good bottles of wine the next time you go to the store or to a restaurant.

Wine Tasting - Step-by-Step

Although it seems cumbersome and too time-consuming, going through a glass of wine's different elements will really help you to taste, identify, and evaluate the wines you drink. It might not be practical for drinking wine in social settings, but it can be a fun way to learn with friends who are also interested in learning more about wine. In my opinion, it will also give you a greater appreciation for the variety and nuance of different wines from around the world. So, here are the 3 big elements to focus on when keeping your log:

1) Appearance - clarity of color? color? bubbles?

2) Nose - intensity? fruit flavors? non-fruit (spice, floral, etc.) flavors?

3) Taste/Palate - sweetness? acidity? texture? alcohol? tannins? fruit flavors? non-fruit flavors?

The answer to each of these questions can tell you a little bit about different aspects of the wine, such as the quality of the vintage, how the winemaker manipulated the final product, how the wine is aging, and how well it will pair with certain foods. In this summary of the course's content, I can't go in to all the details - but, if you're more interested you should get a good wine education book. Kevin Zraly's Windows on the World Complete Wine Course is the gold standard in this respect. Check it out.

Although it was a little pricey ($95), I'd recommend this course if you have a morning to spare in Napa, especially early in your trip. It will be helpful not only as you move around the Valley, but also enhance your wine tasting experience at home.

Finally, in addition to the helpful tips, we got to try some pretty nice wines (9 in all) throughout the class, including a tasty Merry Edwards Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast and a big and bold Whitehall Lane Reserve Cabernet from Napa.