Kitchn Tour: AEB HQ, rev. ed.

We've provided you with plenty of glimpses before, of course.

 fig. a:  AEB Kitchn 1

But have you ever wondered what an outsider's perspective on our beloved AEB headquarters would look like?  Well, here's your chance, because the good people at TheKitchn have posted an extensive tour + an interview with Michelle in this week's editions, as part of their ongoing Cook's Kitchen series.

Michelle dishes on a wide variety of topics--minimalist tastes, maximalist collecting, baking, home cooking, epic dinner parties, etc.--and TheKitchn's camera-eye examines our kitchen and dining room to see what secrets they may hold.  You can find the whole she-bang right here.

 fig. b:  AEB Kitchn 2

And if you find yourself with lingering questions about our collection of cast-iron, well, those get answered here.

aj

On the Horizon 3: The Return of the Strawberry Social! (now with more BBQ!)

 fig. a:  Strawberry Shortcake was here

St. Jean Strawberry Social, featuring Mile End/St. Louis BBQ #1

"...an endless banquet" is kicking off the Fruit Social Season for 2013 with a special St. Jean Strawberry Social.  This time we'll setting up a pop-up at Espace Pop, at 5587 avenue du Parc, just north of St-Viateur, and we'll be doing so on "la Fête de la St. Jean," Monday, June 24, between 1:00 and 5:00 PM.

 fig. b:  strawberry socialism

We'll have unbelievably delicious strawberry shortcake (with fresh Quebec strawberries, fresh whipped cream, and Michelle's nonpareil shortcake) on offer, as well as Savouré strawberry soda, and our own homemade iced tea.  And we'll also be teaming up with Mile End/St. Louis BBQ #1 to bring you some honest-to-goodness, Carolina-style, hickory-smoked, chopped pork sandwiches, with all the fixin's you might need to reach Hog Heaven.

 fig. c:  ole time BBQ

We'll be raising money to support one of our favourite local charities, Mile End Community Mission, a.k.a. Mile End Mission, who've been a fixture of the neighbourhood for years, helping out the most at-risk members of the local community with "practical, emotional, and spiritual" assistance, including a Food Bank that serves the needs of over 100 people each and every week.  All proceeds from our Strawberry Social / BBQ will go directly to the Mile End Community Mission.

 fig. d:  ole time strawberry short cake

So drop on by to grab a sandwich, a drink, and/or a strawberry shortcake, to make a donation to the Mile End Mission, or to just say "hey, y'all."

who:  AEB + Mile End/St-Louis BBQ #1

what:  an afternoon of tasty treats and positive action

where:  Espace Pop, 5587 avenue du Parc (just above St-Viateur), in Mile End.

when:  Monday, June 24th, 1:00 to 5:00 pm.

why:  because you love barbecue and strawberry shortcake and you want to make a difference.

how:  just drop on by.

See you soon, God Bless Strawberry Shortcake, God Bless Ole Time BBQ, and vive le do-good-isme!

aj

BBQ Bash

 fig. a:  invitation to a social

From the time we received our invitation, we couldn't wait to make our way down to the Catskills for this year's summer social.  Actually, even before we received our invitation we were pretty giddy with anticipation.  Just the thought of smoking those Fleisher's pork shoulders was enough to get us excited.  When we factored in the summer cordials, the musical entertainment, the swims in nearby creeks, rivers, falls, and swimming holes, and (especially) the company, we found ourselves prone to sudden bursts of uncontrolled and enthusiastic exclamation.

"I can't wait!"

"Yes!"

"Slow & low, baby!"

"Summer 2012!"

"Boof!"

 fig. b:  the list

We knew this wasn't going to be a cake walk, though.  There going to be dozens upon dozens of guests--discerning ones, too--so we knew we had to be on the ball.  That's why we came armed with lists, and schedules, and hard-to-find ingredients, and tools.

When we arrived, things were pretty mellow, though.

 fig. c:  afternoon shadows

We put our things down and took a look around.

 fig. d:  turkey coop

Coolers had yet to be filled with ice.

 fig. e: mud room

Lanterns had yet to be filled with fuel.

 fig. f: photo studio/bandstand

And the outdoor photo studio/bandstand was vacant.

 fig. g:  welcome to Smokey Mountain!

I was especially excited because I had a new toy to play with.  Instead of the battery of Weber One-Touch grills I'd used in the past, I had a brand-new Weber Smokey Mountain smoker at my disposal.

By the day of the party, though, we were totally prepared.  We'd done all the necessary shopping.  We'd prepped all the food we could.  We'd tidied up and decorated.  I'd run a smoker test to season that Smokey Mountain.  It was showtime.

 fig. h:  me & Willie

So I got up at the break of day, put on my lucky barbecue t-shirt, fired up the smoker, and made some coffee.

 fig. i:  red sandals diaries

Meanwhile, Michelle put on her dancing shoes, and then we started finalizing this year's menu.

Hours later, this was what we served:

3 x 12-lb Fleisher's pork shoulders, applewood-smoked and pulled  

8x racks of MO-style ribs

Martin's potato rolls 

AJ's Down East baked beans 

Smokehouse potato salad 

Tidewater coleslaw 

Poor man's caviar

Baked cheese grits 

Sweet tea

Michelle's peach and raspberry cobbler with Graeter's vanilla ice cream 

This may very well have been the best version of the bbq social we've yet to orchestrate (the 7-hour ribs were pure candy; the 14-hour shoulder was a deeply lacquered work of art, and it made the smokiest and most tender pulled pork we'd yet to achieve).  It certainly was the craziest.  Guests arrived in unprecedented numbers, and they arrived hongry.  When we started serving, food was disappearing at such a rate that we could barely keep up, prompting a flurry of GoogaMooga jokes.  But then things began settle down again, as they do, and people began to mellow out again as their focus shifted from just FOOD, to a combination of FOOD, DRINK, MUSIC, SOCIALIZING, and so on.

 fig. j:  as the band began to play

And then a stripped-down, two-man version of Golden Bones began to play.

 fig. k:  bravo!

And they played with passion and conviction.  And the crowd was appreciative.

 fig. l:  engagement ring*

And then a couple of lovebirds got engaged, right there in the outdoor photo booth, and the crowd went wild.

 fig. m:  bonfire

And when night fell, the bonfire was lit up, and that's when things turned appropriately bacchanalian.  And the fireflies sparkled all around us, and the music throbbed, and the party lasted deep into a warm summer's night.

----

One major new addition to this year's menu was the batch of cheese grits.  We considered making mac & cheese instead, but ultimately settled on the cheese grits.  People go crazy when they have cheese grits.  Those who've had them know to load up on 'em.  Those who haven't experience something quasi-religious.  There's something pretty exotic about them for a lot of Northerners, and we had several people who said the grits were the best thing they'd ever tasted (!).

Baked Cheese Grits 

2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup grated sharp hickory-smoked cheddar cheese (just use sharp cheddar cheese if you can't find a premium hickory-smoked cheddar)
4 tbsp butter, melted
2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 cups cooked grits, still warm (purists will likely scoff, but we recommend using quick grits for a recipe such as this) 

Preheat your oven to 350º.  Butter a 4-6 cup casserole dish. 

Mix the eggs, cheese, butter, mustard, salt, and garlic.  Stir this mixture into the warm grits and then pour it into the prepared casserole dish. 

Bake uncovered for 50 minutes.  Serve immediately direct from the casserole. 

Serves 4-6 (we obviously made a much, much larger batch for our group of 100+ guests) 

[based very closely on a recipe that appeared in Jane & Michael Stern's Popular Plates:  BBQ in 2010]

Remember:  it's summer, people.  2012.  Don't let it slip you by.

aj

p.s.  Sincerest congratulations to Paige and Thomas.  True love!

p.s. 2  And extra-special thanks to our host, Stephen!

* I wish I could take credit for this one, but this amazing ring/s/Coke/nails photograph comes courtesy of Travis Blue Photo.

Grand Aïoli Redux, rev. ed.

 fig. a:  Ode to Provence


When Michelle isn't busy holding down the fort at FoodLab, appearing on television shows, and preparing a summertime feast for the newspaper, she's collaborating on Provençal feasts.  The girl's unstoppable!

Years and years ago, we posted about a grand aïoli feast we threw at AEB headquarters, and we received a lot of positive feedback when we did.  Now's your chance to get in on another very special Provençal occasion: this one the product of a partnership between Michelle, our good friends at Popcorn Youth and Kinfolk Magazine, our good friends at Oenopole, and our good friends at Alexandraplatz.  Talk about a supergroup!

The festivities will be taking place on June 25th at the brand-spanking-new Alexandraplatz in Little Italy, the festivities get underway at 7:00 pm, the wine will be flowing (Gros Noré rosé!),* the aïoli will be abundant, and the event promises to be memorable.

Sold?  Act fast!  Spots are limited!

Want to get in on the action?  Does a "mad, joyous circus" sound like a good time to you?

The word from Popcorn Youth is:

Reservations required. Ticket cost for the dinner is $25. We ask that you save your seat through Paypal, at natasha.pickowicz@gmail.com.

Hope to see you there!

aj

p.s. How's Gros Noré with food?  Glad you asked.  Check out this account of dining with Alain "Gros Noré" Pascal himself.

p.s. 2:  The word from Michelle, as of the morning of June 20th:  "...[This] thing is almost sold-out. Act fast."

Let them eat well!, 2nd rev. ed.

With the streets of Montreal still very much occupied by the events of "Maple Spring" and the struggle over the Charest administration's proposed tuition hikes--Quebec's very own contribution to the international debates over austerity economics--you'd be forgiven if somehow you'd overlooked the fact that this Saturday marks the inauguration of Food Revolution Day internationally.  But there it is.  Note it on your calendars, and make an effort to take part, if you can (and if you care).

What, exactly, is Food Revolution Day?  Well, it's an initiative of the Jamie Oliver Foundation (JOF), a clarion call on the part of Jamie O to "stand up for real food."

 fig. a:  FRD

 fig. b:  FNB

The event's logo might look strikingly similar to Food Not Bombs' iconic clenched fist, but Food Revolution Day (FRD) is a somewhat more genteel (and somewhat less punk rock) occasion that nonetheless has some substance to it.

 fig. c:  Jamie needs YOU

As you might expect, the rising rate of obesity (a major bugaboo of Jamie's) is one of the main issues FRD is meant to address.  Part of the message here is to encourage people to make better food choices and learn to cook from scratch, instead of relying on the convenience foods and the processed foods that have contributed to this crisis.  But it's also about encouraging people to demand better food options, in school, as well as in general, and to address issues of food inequity around the world.  How can you get involved?  Well, the JOF recommends everything from throwing or attending an awareness-raising food event, to hosting your own dinner party (no processed foods allowed!).  But they're also hoping you'll donate money to the cause of food education.

 fig. d:  AEB Raspberry Social

Here at "...an endless banquet," we've been advocating in favour of food events, the art of the dinner party, the development of good food habits, and the creation of sensible and sustainable food policy from the very get-go, so perhaps it's not surprising that Michelle got asked to participate in a local Food Revolution Day event.  There are a number of FRD happenings taking place this weekend in the Montreal area--you can check this handy interactive map for more details--but one of the more active local organizers is Appetite for Books in Westmount.  They'll be organizing not one, but two events for the occasion:  a Bake Sale on Food Revolution Day itself, and a Boxed Lunch Sale the day before, on Friday, May 18th.  That's the one that Michelle is helping out with--the Boxed Lunch Sale.  The idea is that Appetite for Books will be putting together a whole slew of Jamie Oliver-inspired boxed lunches, featuring ingredients from Fruiterie Atwater, les Douceurs du Marché, and Boucherie Westmount, tea from DavidsTea, and "a special dessert by famed pastry chef Michelle Marek," and they'll be on sale at the bookstore from noon until they last.  Sound tempting?  I thought so.  Minimum donations on the boxed lunches are $10, and all the proceeds will go to the Jamie Oliver Foundation's food education efforts (as will the proceeds from Saturday's Bake Sale).  So, go ahead--by a FRD Boxed Lunch for yourself, your friends, your family, your co-workers, whoever.  Eat well, get the word out, and support a good cause, all in one go.

Appetite for Books, 388 Victoria Ave., Westmount, (514) 369-2002

aj

p.s.  If all of the above isn't enough to satisfy you, there'll be a Real Food Market taking place on Sunday, May 20th, from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM.  The line-up includes such local hot shots as Michele Forgione, of Osteria Venti fame, and, yes, Appetite for Books (in case you weren't able to make it out to Victoria Ave.).  The fun takes place at Espace Réunion (6600 Hutchison) in Outremont, and 5 bones gets you in the door (with all the proceeds going to the Jamie Oliver Foundation, naturally).

p.s. 2  One last thought:  maybe, if we Canadians throw enough, er, weight behind Food Revolution Day, we can get the Jamie Oliver Foundation and others to put pressure on our feeble domestic food policies (as I understand things, funds raised from this first FRD will go to address food education issues in the UK, the US, and Australia only).  As a UN official suggested earlier this week, we clearly could use some help.  Urgently.

Crunchy Granola Suite

fig. a: fresh batch

Push it / Push it good / Push it / P-Push it real good
--"Push It," Salt-n-Pepa

For years, my breakfast of champions involved a toasted Montreal bagel and a schmear of cream cheese. Mostly poppy seed, often sesame, and from time to time, when I'd been good, I might treat myself to an "everything." Usually, I'd eat these bagels with just the cream cheese, but on special occasions they might get gussied up with some capers, a slice of fresh tomato (in season), a razor thin slice of red onion, and/or some smoked fish.

That's still my breakfast of champions.  I'll choose it over other options nine times out of ten.  But in the last year or two, as my latent hippieness has become more and more apparent, my morning routine has expanded slightly: it now concludes with a small cup of yogurt topped with some homemade granola and drizzled with a splash of maple syrup.

fig. b: crunchy granola suite*

Truth be told, I've had a taste for that kind of thing for years, but it only became ritual recently, when I started to make my granola myself.

Granola became a more regular part of our homelife right around the time we started "...an endless banquet." Michelle had made granola before, but she experienced a granola epiphany not long after she began working for Patrice Demers.

You wouldn't necessarily expect Patrice to be a granola guru--he doesn't exactly fit the description of a hippie ("a person of unconventional appearance, typically having long hair and wearing beads, associated with a subculture involving a rejection of conventional values and the taking of hallucinogenic drugs," is how my dictionary characterizes the type), and his desserts are so refined, so sophisticated, so artful--not exactly "crunchy." They're hallucinant, but not necessarily hallucinogenic.

Yet those who've been paying attention will know that he's not averse to the idea of using a little bit of granola as a textural and flavorsome counterpoint in some of his desserts. So Michelle was regularly making granola à la Patrice, and what she learned is that she'd never cooked her granola long enough. Patrice's granola transcended, and his secret was that he baked his granola slow & low. What she learned was that if you wanted to take granola to a higher realm, you had to push it.

When Michelle made her deeply flavorful granola, things were good; but even though she was the one who'd had the epiphany, I was the one who was the serious convert.  I went through batches in the space of a couple of weeks, and there were times when Michelle couldn't keep up.  I was happy to make it myself, and I kept asking for the recipe, but Michelle can be cagey about her methods from time to time, even with me (professional discretion, and all that jazz).  Anyway, it took six or seven years, but, finally, after years of pleading, she let me in on the secret formula.

First off, like I said, it's more about the method than it is about the ingredients.  It's about taking your time, baking the oats and nuts at a relatively low temperature, attending to them carefully, and achieving a deep golden brown colour, at which point, not only will the granola be fully cooked through and through, but it will have a greatly expanded flavour profile.  Secondly, you can be creative with your fruit/nut/seed combinations, but we like to stick to a palette that's fairly regional: oats, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, cherries.  (If you want to get all exotic with your granola, that's up to you.)  Thirdly, feel free to adjust the sweetness, but keep in mind that when I serve the granola, the ratio of granola to yogurt is fairly small, and I only ever serve it with a premium full-fat, unsweetened yogurt.  And, lastly, people have asked me if my granola is fat free--the short answer is "no."

AEB Crunchy Granola

3 cups rolled oats, preferably organic
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup
1/2 cup sliced, blanched almonds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1 scant pinch kosher salt
1/4 - 1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried cherries (optional, adjusting the amount of raisins accordingly)

Preheat your oven to 300º F.

Pour the oats into a large mixing bowl.  Add oil and mix well.  Add the honey, the maple syrup, the almonds, the pumpkin seeds, and the salt, and mix thoroughly.

Place the mixture in a 11" x 17" baking dish (there's no need to grease it--you've already added oil to the mix).  Bake, uncovered, for 1 1/2 - 2 hours (possibly a bit more), making sure to remove the baking dish every 30 minutes in order to stir the mixture thoroughly.  Bake until the mixture has the desired deep golden brown hue.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and use a spatula to transfer the granola back into your large mixing bowl (cleaned, of course).  Add the dried fruit, stir thoroughly, and let the granola cool.

Transfer granola to clean 1-liter jars.

Makes two 1-liter jars of granola.  

Get it? Got it? Good!

Now you're all ready to have some hippie yogurt for breakfast, or go on a hippie hike. Whatever, man. If it feels good, do it!

aj

* The reference, of course, is to Neil Diamond's song of the same name.  The definitive version, in my humble opinion, is on Hot August Night.

fig. c: Hippie Neil

Goodbye, 2011!

Song

Destroyer, Kaputt + Destroyer and War on Drugs @ Cabaret Mile End

Kurt Vile, Smoke Ring for a Halo + "The Creature"

Wilco, The Whole Love

Forest, s/t & Full Circle



figs. a & b: ooh la la!

Faces, Ooh La La

P.G. Six, Starry Mind

Thurston Moore, Demolished Thoughts + Bardo Pond, Thurston Moore w/ Whiteout, and Metal Mountains @ Poisson Rouge, NYC, June 2011

Metal Mountains, Golden Trees + P.G. Six & Helen Rush, "Take It As It Comes"

Karen Dalton, In My Own Time

V/A, Never The Same: Leave-taking From the British Folk Revival, 1970-1977



fig. c & d: G.J.!

Glenn Jones, The Wanting, Barbecue Bob in Fishtown, and Against Which the Sea Continually Beats + Glenn Jones @ Casa del Popolo, Mtl x 2 (June & December 2011)

The Pentangle, Solomon's Seal

Fleetwood Sack @ Casa del Popolo, Mtl

Flying Burrito Brothers, Burrito Deluxe & The Gilded Palace of Sin

J. Mascis, Several Shades of Why

P.J. Harvey, Let England Shake

Led Zeppelin, III

Davy Graham, Folk, Blues & Beyond

Wye Oak, Civilian

Orchestre Poly-rythmo, Cotonou Club


Print

fig. e: Melville's NYC by Leyda

Herman Melville, Moby Dick + Jay Leyda, The Melville Log: A Documentary Life of Melville

Ben Katchor, The Cardboard Valise + Ben Katchor @ Drawn & Quarterly, April 2011

Gabrielle Hamilton, Blood, Bones, & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef

David Tanis, Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys

Misha Glouberman with Sheila Heti, The Chairs Are Where the People Go + Trampoline Hall Mtl, hosted by Misha Glouberman, curated by Mark Slutsky and Sheila Heti

fig. f: J.B.!

Frédéric Morin, David McMillan & Meredith Erickson, The Art of Living According to Joe Beef: A Cookbook of Sorts + "The Radical French-Canadian Comfort Food of Joe Beef" (as told to Kate Heddings), Food & Wine, October 2011

Adam Leith Gollner, "The Glabrous Fruit of Samarkand," Lucky Peach #2

Kermit Lynch & Co., Inspiring Thirst: Vintage Selections from the Kermit Lynch Wine Brochure

John McPhee, The Crofter and the Laird

Garden & Gun, "50 Best Southern Foods" issue, October/November 2011

Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

Noel Perrin, Amateur Sugar Maker

Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio

Mark Kurlansky, The Big Oyster: A Molluscular History of New York

fig. g: G.B.!

Petite Planète books


Moving Images

fig. h: W.A.Y.!

We Are Young, dir. Thompson and Hammid

Patience (After Sebald), dir. Gee

The Trip, dir. Winterbottom

Contagion, dir. Soderbergh

fig. i: fun w/ Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Mr. and Mrs. Smith, dir. Hitchcock

Les Plages d'Agnès & Daguerreotypes, dir. Varda

Beat the Devil, dir. Huston

The Ides of March, dir. Clooney

Mister Deeds Goes to Town, dir. Capra

Blue Valentine, dir. Cianfrance

Of Gods and Men, dir. Beauvois

fig. j: fun with Mr. & Mrs. Bonner

Adam’s Rib, dir. Cukor

My Dinner With André, dir. Malle + “My Dinner with My Dinner With André” theme party hosted by Mark Slutsky

Melancholia, dir. Von Trier


Food & Drink

Sally's Apizza, New Haven, CT

fig. k: A.B.!

Arthur Bryant's, Kansas City, MO

Newsom's Old Mill Store, Princeton, KY

Fatty 'Cue, NYC

Hot Bird, NYC

FoodLab, Mtl

La QV Été, Mtl

White Manna, Hackensack, NJ

Pies & Thighs, NYC

fig. l: Michelle @ Prune

Prune, NYC

Kajitsu, NYC

Bon-Ton Mini Mart, Henderson, KY

Shopsin’s General Store, NYC

Green Mountain Pizza @ American Flatbread (Waitsfield, VT), Parker Pie Co. (West Glover, VT), and Pizza on Earth (Charlotte, VT)

Nora Gray, Mtl

Fleisher's @ Joe Beef, Mtl

Montreal Oyster Festival

fig. m: kaffeeklatsch!

Kaffeeklatsch Mtl

Fruit socials (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry)!

Okanagan Wine Tour + The Waterfront, Kelowna, BC

Liquor Barn + Lynn's Paradise, Louisville, KY

tasting menu @ Lawrence + Domaine de la Roche Buissière Côtes du Rhône 2007 "Flonflons"

Kootenay Alpine Cheese Co. "Alpindon"

Jasper Hill Farm "Harbison"

Maplebrook Farm burrata


Miscellaneous

This American Life (among our favorites of the year: #218, "Act V;" #440, "Game Changer;" #443, "Amusement Park;" and #452, "Poultry Slam")

The Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT

Melville tour, NYC

Helen & Ian's wedding

fig. n: shrooms

vintage Finnish bowls

Heritage Leather Co. bags

Naked & Famous jeans

Les Étoffes, Mtl

Summerland Thrift Store, Summerland, BC

Rooney, Mtl

Kingsland Bay State Park, VT


R.I.P.

Bert Jansch

Peter Falk

Jack Layton

Menace & Strindberg


Hello, 2012!

All the best to all of you!

aj

The Gifts of the Vine

fig. a: "...drink wine, feel fine!"

This year we were pretty single-minded when it came to our annual AEB holiday bash: it was all about the wine. Sure, we still made plenty of food to serve to our guests, but everything was meant to encourage hours of focused oenophilia.

fig. b: wine by Olney

We imagined a party that would inspire our guests to bring an interesting bottle or two, uncork them, share generously, and drink deeply. We imagined a party that would be 100% free of Château Dep.* We imagined a party we might have invited both Richard Olney and Kermit Lynch to.

fig. c: big burgundy

It worked! We had people who called us in advance of the party and said, "Yes, but what kind of wine?" To which we responded, "Think beef Burgundy, think French cheese, think pâté." Some of these people really went all out. Some people really got into the Burgundian vibe. Some people even brought magnums.

We also imagined a wine-soaked Christmas affair, and wine-soaked it turned out to be. I'm not sure if it was just the effects of all that wine piled on top of the effects of all those delicious French '75s (Champagne, gin, lemon, sugar) that we started out the evening with, but this year's edition was easily the most bacchanalian AEB xmas party in the eight years (!) we've been throwing this party. Mission accomplished!

This was the menu that did it all:

French '75 punch

fig. d: Beef Burgundy by Olney

boeuf à la Bourguignonne (follow the link for our recipe)
cheese platter (featuring the most extraordinary Vacherin Mont D'Or)
baker's foie (recipe follows)
baked, stuffed onions à la Olney (follow the link for Michelle's recipe)
baked mushrooms à la Joe Beef (recipe follows)
marinated beet salad
bitter greens salad
oysters on the half shell (TY, F.!)

Far Breton
panforte
Christmas cookies

Mandarin oranges (lots and lots of 'em!)

And here are a couple of the featured recipes:

The first is an adaptation of an incredibly simple and drop-dead lovely pâté de foies de volailles recipe from Chad Robertson's Tartine Bread. This pâté is a stunner. We had some guests who told us it was the single best thing they'd ever tasted. Ever. Like I said, it's really good, and as easy as a pâté recipe gets. You can also use chicken livers, but duck livers really make it.

fig. e: baker's foie

Baker’s Foie

1 small shallot, finely chopped
6 black peppercorns
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
6 duck livers
olive oil
1 tbsp fresh thyme, leaves only
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup cognac
1/2 tsp salt

for the cognac butter:
3 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp cognac
pinch of salt

Make a simple syrup by mixing the sugar and water in a saucepan and bringing to a simmer. Add the chopped shallot and black peppercorns and bring back to a simmer. Poach the shallots and pepper in the simple syrup for ten minutes. Strain the shallots and peppercorns and set aside. Discard the simple syrup.

Rinse the livers in cold water and remove any visible fat or connective tissue. Heat a heavy skillet over high heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil begins to smoke, carefully add the livers and sear for about 30 seconds. Quickly turn the livers and sear for another 30 seconds. Add the thyme and cook for a few seconds until it is aromatic. Remove the pan from the heat and pour off the excess oil and fat. While the pan is still hot, add 2 tablespoons of the butter and 1/4 cup of the cognac, and deglaze the pan, stirring to loosen any brown bits sticking to the bottom. Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor, add the candied shallots, and let cool for 8 to 10 minutes.

Once the livers have cooled, add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter to the food processor and process to a thick puree. Add the salt and the remaining 1/4 cup cognac and process again. Taste and add more salt if needed. Pour the liver puree into ramekins or into a suitably sized loaf or pâté pan.

To make the cognac butter, place the butter in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cognac until it is hot to the touch. Add it to the butter along with the salt. Stir the butter until it has a liquid consistency and then pour it evenly over the pâté. Cover and refrigerate until the cognac butter has set. Serve cool or at room temperature with toast or bread or crackers.

[based closely on a recipe that appeared in Chad Robertson's Tartine Bread]

The second is another crazy-easy, crazy-tasty recipe, this time from our good friends at Joe Beef. The Art of Living According to Joe Beef states that, "This dish is best prepared in a cast-iron frying pan, served family style at the table," and they're right--the sight and the smell makes people go wild. Another wickedly good hors d'oeuvre!

fig. f: baked shrooms

Baked Mushrooms with New (or Old!) Garlic

16 large white mushrooms, stem ends trimmed
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
2 garlic flowers or garlic cloves (in season)
6 sprigs thyme

Preheat the oven to 450º F. Score each mushroom cap with shallow cuts about 1/8 inch deep. Spread the butter and oil in the bottom of a heavy ovenproof pan. Season the bottom of the pan with salt, pepper, and the paprika. Place the mushrooms, cap down and side by side, in the pan. Tuck the garlic flowers (if using) and thyme among them.

Bake the mushrooms for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the pan juices are bubbling and the mushrooms have shrunk and roasted. Serve bubbly.

[recipe from The Art of Living According to Joe Beef: A Cookbook of Sorts by Frédéric Morin, David McMillan, and Meredith Erickson]

That spread got demolished! We had just enough beef burgundy for leftovers the next day, but otherwise those vineheads cleaned us out. But they paid us back in laughs, memories, outrageous behaviour, and all-around good times.

Hope you've enjoyed the holiday season this year. All the best in 2012!

aj

* If you're not from Québec, this is local parlance for the abysmal, insanely overpriced vins ordinaires that are available from our supermarkets and dépanneurs (corner stores), hence the name. Why the government, which otherwise holds a monopoly over the sale of alcohol (with the exception of beer, which, again, is largely available from the deps and supermarkets) in this province, should feel that the sale of sub-grade wine at every corner store and supermarket in Quebec is acceptable is another matter.

Back in Blue

You asked for it, you got it.

fig. a: back in blue

This Saturday, August 27, Michelle will be hosting the last social of the summer social season: her Blueberry Social.

It all goes down at this week's Marché de FoodLab in Place de la Paix, off St-Laurent Boulevard, between René-Lévesque and Ste-Catherine, and adjacent to the S.A.T. (La Société des arts technologiques), from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM.

Like our earlier socials, Blueberry Social will be a by-donation-only berry extravaganza ($10 suggested donation, but any amount of money will be accepted), this time featuring blueberry cobbler with lightly whipped cream, iced tea, and rhubarb lemonade, with all proceeds going to our friends at Dans La Rue.

Blueberry Social will be just one of the attractions at the S.A.T.'s Marché de FoodLab. There will also be plenty of organic farmers on hand selling fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as other products.

Come down and say 'hello.' Eat blueberry cobbler till you're ready to burst.

fig. b: "I feel funny!"

Think about it: this is our chance to take back the Quartier des Spectacles! In the most delicious way.

aj

mission improbable

One of my very dearest friends got married earlier this week. She asked if Michelle would be willing to make one of two wedding cakes for the reception. (There were going to be lots of people and she happened to be friends with two trained pâtissières.) Michelle was all too happy to put her talents to work. After all, she's made quite a number of wedding cakes over the years. No big deal, right?

Well, there was one catch, maybe two. The wedding was in New York City.

fig. a: no problem, right? fig. a: destination New York

And there'd be no Laloux-style professional kitchen on the New York end.

This was definitely a new challenge for the AEB Mobile Unit, but one that we were happy to take up. There'd be an international border to cross, countless potholes to dodge, extreme heat and humidity, and the very real possibility of severe thunderstorms. The cake would have to be cut, filled, and iced in a Bed-Stuy kitchen. It would then have to be assembled, piped, and finalized in a crowded Atlantic Avenue bar. Prayers would be prayed, curses would be cursed. There would be moments of inspiration, and a fair share of perspiration.

This is roughly how things elapsed:

1. We pulled up outside of Restaurant Laloux to pick up Michelle's meticulous prep: cakes, blackberry compote, vanilla icing, butter cream, and a set of tools. The gear was loaded into the trunk of the car and Team AEB devised some makeshift harnesses to keep things from sliding around.

fig. b: packing

Like I said, prayers were prayed.

fig. c: praying

2. Team AEB managed to avoid a wait of roughly two hours at the border by deftly taking an exit and slipping to a smaller neighboring crossing. Total wait time: 15 minutes.

Apparently, wedding cakes don't appear in the training manuals of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. When we were asked if we had anything to declare and we responded, "No, just a wedding cake," the border guard was incredulous. "You have a wedding cake, in your car," he said as he turned his penetrating gaze on our miniscule VW Golf. It took a bit of explaining, but he eventually allowed us to cross without incident.

3. When we arrived in New York, all the ingredients were promptly dispatched to the refrigerator.

The next day, Michelle continued with her prep.

Cakes were cut.



figs. d & e: first assembly

Cakes were slathered with layers of blackberry compote and butter cream. And cakes were iced.

Then they were put right back in the refrigerator for safe keeping.

4. The next day was slated to be hot (92º) and humid, with the risk of a thunderstorm, but, in the end, Day 2 turned out to be the scorcher with the thunderstorm, and the day of the wedding was actually really pleasant: hot, but with lower humidity than expected.

We still had to transport the cakes their final destination: Hot Bird. Just getting into the car while balancing those cakes was tricky enough. Narrowly avoiding getting swallowed up by the Mother of All Potholes sent a shiver down our spines. But we made it. And within minutes we were inside Hot Bird, where curiosity over the cake created a mad crush, but at least the A.C. was in full effect.

I set up a pick, and Michelle got to work, building the cake into its final form, then piping it.

fig. f: final assembly

Michelle had claimed that the final assembly would take "seven minutes." In the end, she wasn't far off. Before I knew what was happening, she was already putting the finishing touches on the cake: blackberries, sugar plums, flowers, flower petals.

fig. g: finishing touches

And, with the cake now fully decorated, it was time to usher it outside to its final resting place, on the ceremonial picnic table/cake cutting stage.

fig. h: show time

It was still hot out, but the cake held up like a champ. About an hour later, the cake still looking divine, and, purely coincidentally, matching the bride's dress, it was time for the cake-cutting ceremony.

fig. i: cake-cutting ceremony

We felt pretty good from the time we got the cake into the air-conditioned environment of Hot Bird. We felt a little bit better when we had our first micro-brewed draft beer from Hot Bird's amazing selection. But, let me tell you, we felt best of all when the first round of cake slices had been served, and we sat down with our very own slices of Michelle's Blackberry Bramble and a couple of cold pints.

fig. j: cake & beer

That's when we really relaxed, for the first time in three days.

Congratulations to H. & I.! And special thanks to L. for the hospitality and the use of her incredibly accommodating Bed-Stuy kitchen.

aj