French Laundry

Jane took us to French Laundry up in Yountville today. She and her two sons flew in from Denver last night, and we all rendezvoused in Napa today. The vineyards were spectacularly red and gold, with a carpet of green, as we drove up this morning under low clouds. Flocks of starlings looped over the road as we approached the town.

Eating here was something that Jane has wanted to do... the prix fixe prices put it somewhere above the financial limit that I set for eating a meal. However, I have to say that for a special occasion, it was really worth it. Each tiny course was like a little work of art. Each one had an interesting taste combination. By the time 8 or 9 courses were downed, over 3 hours, we were all stuffed and very very happy with what we had eaten. The ambiance was very highbrow and like a library - at first, we spoke low and in whispers. Later, the room warmed up as people pushed back their chairs and chatted more freely.

I had a glass of Riesling that was the best I've ever had. I had Maine Lobster Tail flavored with vanilla butter. Wow, so sweet and so tender. The French bleu cheese "bleu du bocage" was so strong and wonderful that even though it was one of the last courses, I had to eat every little bit.

There are only about 15 tables in the place, and a slew of waiters take care of you - not one per table, but all of them at different times. They took care to always place a plate in front of each of us at exactly the same moment. After placing it down, one of the senior waiters would "introduce us" to each item. Some of the details were too much, like what kind of chicken laid the eggs that my tiny omelette were made of, or where the local onions were grown. They make an effort to have locally grown food, and even the caviar was from Sacramento. Dan, who is a caviar aficionado, said it was some of the best he's had. Not too salty. They provided three types of salt, one of which was called "Jurassic salt". I pictured a dinosaur holding a salt shaker. It was extremely salty and a little pink in color.

Pie, oh my

We inaugurated the kitchen last night. I made meatballs with pasta and salad. It took me so long to cook a simple meal like that, mainly because most of the tools were still out in the patio, and I had to keep climbing down into the backyard (via the step stool) to find the colander, the salt, etc.

This morning we pulled some of the boxes out of the garage and unpacked the baking dishes and other supplies. One pie is in the beautiful oven, and now I'm taking a break at the kitchen table. The sun is streaming in through the french doors, and honestly we just can't believe that this dream has come true. Granted, the trim is not painted, the lights aren't all installed, the cabinet hardware isn't on yet, but it is a working kitchen, and now the work will not seem as much like work.

Lola doesn't seem to know how to take it in. She is aware of this being a new place to beg for food, but it seems to me that she doesn't like change, and it will take her a while to find her "power spot". She keeps flopping down on the floor in various places, looking around, and barking at the slightest sounds.

Now we're cookin'!

Just in time for the holiday feasting, our stove and oven are functional! We went to the farmers' market this morning, and it was such a strange feeling to think that anything there could actually function as ingredients.

I am so thankful that my kitchen stove USED TO look like this:


And now, it looks like this:


There will be a pear pie AND an apple pie for thanksgiving.

Passover Pie

When our friends Lippy and Suz invited us to a passover seder, I immediately started thinking about what I would bring. Traditionally, we provide a 'savory sidedish' - almost always asapargus with balsamic vinegrette - to most passover potlucks, but these days, since I am still trying to become a piemaker, when holidays come up, I first think of pie. However, passover is not really a "pie" holiday. True, the pie does not require yeast or any type of leavening, and none of our friends have kosher requirements that prevent using unblessed flour, but something that bakes for an hour in the oven doesn't really go along with the spirit of the story about food that was packed up in a hurry to escape Egypt.

However, pie is very popular. And really, we were having other food that was slow cooked. So I decided to invent a passover pie recipe. I bought some almond macaroons at the store and crumbled them with some butter and cinnamon. and pressed them into the pie pan. I pre-baked it for about 10 minutes while I cut up the apples. I got some big ugly green apples at the farmers market for 25 cents a pound! I haven't seen prices like that in a long time. I filled two pie shells for $1.50. Traditional apple pie spices, nutmeg & cinnamon, but I used honey instead of sugar. Finally, I made a crumb crust with half almond flour, half cake matzoh meal. I should have used only the almond flour, because using the matzoh meal made the topping less crunchy and brown than I wanted. It looked almost white and didn't brown up like usual crumb topping.

I brought one to each seder we went to, and at the first one, we ate it as charoset, and the second one, it was served as dessert. It was a hit!

Pear Pie

The NY Times pear pie recipe (sans pomegranates) was so delicious!



I used blackstrap molassas, which was beautiful when it boiled in the pan, and made the pears a rich dark brown after they were carmelized. The crust came out very flakey.. I'm not sure if it's because I used freshly made butter from the farmer's market.

I want to try the recipe again, with apples and walnuts.

Pies

This is pie season.. I have been enjoying making pies all year long, but now we have reached the month when pies are held in high esteem by nearly everyone. You see them for sale in great piles at the stores and farmers markets. The pies that you can buy are always just so - with a perfectly trimmed crust, with no spillage or juice that has bubbled over pooling around the bottom of the pan. They sit, neatly pristine, in a spotless white box and every slice comes out cleanly. I worry about how they get that way. Every pie I have made is just a bit messier than that.

Tonight and tomorrow I'll make a few pies for the feast. Pear and apple. I found a recipe in the NY Times for Pear Pomegranate, which sounds lovely, but requires pomegranate molassas, an item that I'm pretty sure I'll never find another use for. I think I'll pop in a few strawberries and achieve the same pretty pink that the pomegranate molassas would have provided. The apple recipe, from the same source, calls for thyme. That sounds lovely and savory and just right for pie season.

Pride, Pie, and Public Places

Our quartet did very well at contest this year, which accounts for the first word in the title of this post. We improved 50 points and attained the second-place ribbon. It's possible that we will go on to compete at the international competition in October, but more about that later - we won't tempt fate by writing about it before we have actually qualified! We'll know at the end of this month.

Ever since reading "Humble Pie", I've been trying to pesonally revive the art of pie making in San Rafael. All attempts have been tasty, but some looked better than others. I got a cuisinart for my birthday, and according to Martha Stewart, it's easiest to make pastry dough in a food processor. My latest pie, a green rhubarb/strawberry pie, came together quite easily using this new tool, although it will take some practice to know just how long to pulse the butter and flour to get the right texture. Other presents included a new rolling pin, a pie bird, and little cutters to make decorative crusts. Behold!



We took an outing to the new deYoung museum in Golden Gate Park, and really enjoyed it. I was underimpressed by the exterior of the building.. it looked so large and a bit bleek. The foggy day did not help, since the metallic sheathing was dark and unreflecting. But once inside, we found the exhibits to be extensive and interesting, and the spaces in the building were airy and inviting. Here is the stairway that passes the fern garden.



The tower was especially delightful, with unusual views of San Francisco in all directions. At the base of the tower was a collection of wire sculptures by Ruth Osawa. The shadows were just as beautiful as the wires: