Breaking News: Top Chef Coming to D.C.!

According to a recent post on the Washington Post, the upcoming season of Top Chef will be filmed in Washington, D.C. The show is set to begin taping in the spring.

Check out the Post article here.

Food on TV: Coming Soon to a DVR Near You

There are two exciting upcoming food shows on television that I learned about today, both of which are making DVR at the new apartment look like a fantastic investment.

First, the return of Top Chef: Masters on Wednesday, April 7. In addition to a number of new "master" chefs, a few of Season 1's unsuccessful chefs will be returning for another chance. I am, of course, excited for the return of any form of Top Chef. But, I barely recognize any of these chefs except for prior appearances on Bravo or the Food Network, e.g. Wiley Dufresne, Marcus Samulesson. That's not necessarily a bad thing, however, as it could present a good opportunity to learn about a new generation of "masters" out there. Most importantly, though, it will be the effective greasy breakfast for the post-Top Chef hangover, rather than the ineffective cup of coffee that Shear Genius has been.

Second, a new show, Food Wars, premiers tonight on The Travel Channel at 10 p.m. The premise of the show is to settle debates between two rival food purveyors. The classic example would be the battle between the two iconic cheesesteak shops in Philadelphia: Geno's and Pat's. The score is "settled" by a blind taste test. The series starts with a doozy: Buffalo, N.Y. The battle is between Anchor Bar, the birthplace of the Buffalo Wing, and Duff's. As a newly converted buffalo wing fanatic, I'm looking forward to checking this one out. Of course, the series will do little "settling." Most likely it will just amount to additional promotional materials for the winning establishment and make the owners thankful that Camille Ford showed up on their doorstep rather than Bobby Flay for a throwdown.

“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.

Welcome to the Gluttony

I don't spend money on clothes (as anyone who knows me can attest). I don't buy electronic gadgets (anymore). I don't go to many concerts or movies. Rather, 95% of my disposable income goes to either food or wine.

A gourmand, so says Webster, is one who takes great pleasure in food and drink. This could describe you since, after all, you're reading a blog about food and wine. A glutton on the other hand is one who is devoted to eating and drinking to excess. This blog will strive to be gluttonous.

I'm also a lawyer, but my singular accomplishment as a lawyer has been passing the bar. I'm currently one of many recent law school graduates who has been deferred by my law firm. In the past few months, I’ve had an opportunity to explore (superficially) my love of food and wine.

For example, I worked the holiday season at my local Williams-Sonoma. I also watched Julie and Julia a couple of times, read Julia Child’s My Life in France (but refused to read anything by Julie Powell), and received Thomas Keller’s new Ad Hoc Cookbook for Christmas.

Then, a couple weeks ago, I decided to move back to Napa for five weeks. I first lived here for a few months prior to law school. I spent the majority of that time working at one winery while trying to visit all the rest. This time around, I want to focus a little more on the Valley's amazing culinary scene from its great restaurants to the amazing resources available for the home cook. This is not to say, of course, that wine will be ignored.

I want to do this for two reasons. First, I have A LOT of free time on my hands and cooking a meal and then writing about it can fill up a day pretty easily. Second, Top Chef. I was excited when Top Chef scheduled its most recent finale in Napa...until, I saw that the only places that they highlighted were Brix (a good and reliable, but not very exciting restaurant) and the tourist trap on rails known as the Napa Valley Wine Train.

So, what's with the name? Napa is one of my favorite places. I've lived here and worked here. My fiancee and I got engaged here and have shared countless memories here. Hence, the name of this blog -- The Oakville Grade -- which is a winding mountain road that crosses into Napa from Sonoma County and drops you off in the heart of the Valley's prime Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards.

Finally, why should you waste your time reading what I have to say? I have no clue. But, if you're interested in food, wine, cooking, visiting Napa, or remembering a past visit to the Valley, I hope you'll find it interesting.

**A couple of disclaimers: (1) I am not a good cook, but I hope to become a better one before I leave (mainly because I can't afford to eat out very often) and I hope my mistakes will be helpful (and possibly amusing). (2) I take no responsibility for anything I may or may not write on this blog after a few glasses of wine.