Archive for category Paris
Paris! Bavette (flank) steak
From the entrance to my apartment building. When I walked into my furnished apartment, it was apparent that my landlord had already been here earlier before meeting me at the bus stop. It was peaceful, away from the traffic and the room was beautifully furnished with a mix of Scandinavian furniture and older, classical styles. Two huge window/doors illuminated the room. There was classical music playing already. Ever seen the movie Before Sunset? The last scene came to my mind immediately.
Hello par-hee
Here is what I have observed in the last 2 days
- There is a boucherie (butcher) or 2 always close by. In Melbourne, most people would by their meat from the supermarket. Otherwise, butchers are concentrated in the markets and you can’t just walk to one in your neighbourhood.
- The number of pâtissieres is ridiculous. Quality vary, but generally good to very good compared to back home.
- There are very few public toilets to be found – on the streets, and because the lack of shopping malls compared to back home, there just aren’t easy to find. I wonder if I missed something as I can’t figure out where the thousands and thousands of locals and tourists go for a toilet break
- Not as much dog poo as I thought
- When dusk renders the sky a dim and dark blue, the white/cream buildings are really beautiful. Then I realize I am standing in a maze of narrow streets, filled with shops, restaurant and French people chattering away. Sweet. I am in Paris for the rest of this year.
The French also have a liking of the lesser-known steaks in Australia. Bavette (flank – lateral abdominal muscles), onglet (hanger – part of diaphragm closer to the spine) and skirt steak (part of diaphragm) are frequently seen. Not exactly cheap either at 15-30 Euros/kg compared to less than 10 AUD/kg for skirt steak in Australia (although skirt steak is the cheapest). These cuts have large and prominent muscles fibers running parallel in a flat, sheet-like muscle. Often cooked rare by searing on both sides and the cut into thin slices against the grain, these steaks are very flavourful. Overcooking will make it very tough and dry. I read that in South America, these steaks are also popular, grilled quickly on open fire.
Bavette
Sacre Cordon Bleu – What the French Know About Cooking
What the French know about stocks. Michael Booth, a travel writer and journalist decided that he had enough of writing about chefs, restaurants and food. He takes his wife and young kids to Paris and joins the famous cook school Le Cordon Bleu. There he learns the exciting, tedious and at times bizzare ways of French cooking. Surrounded by food loving students from all over the world (many from Japan) and the local culture, isn’t that the ultimate foodie’s dream? Read the book!
OK, I admit I am a bit biased towards that area of the world. I have my own dreams. But at least when I take a year off, I can combine a bit of hospital work in a less developed country for a few months and then join the cook school in Paris. How long for? Last time I checked the tuition fees, I almost clogged off my well-buttered arteries.
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“It is to the production of perfect stocks that the sauce cook should devote himself” – Auguste Escoffier
Tedious as they are, stocks are the fundementals of French cooking. But once you have tasted a velvety sauce burting with flavour and joyfully married to the main ingredient on the plate you know all that sweat was not wasted. You just wish someone could some to taste it rather than trying to explain it all over again with words.
Serves 2. Prep time 45 minutes. Clean up, none if you are cooking for a friend.
- 350g raw prawns, peeled, heads reserved
- 100g scallops
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 1 carrot, half finely diced, the othe other half sliced into ribbons with a fuit peeler
- Half a baby fennel, thinly sliced, a few green fronds reserved
- A few parsley stalks, finely diced (Michael observes that chefs prize this often binned ingredient)
- 100 m of cream
- a table spoon of butter
- half a lime + a wedge
Heat a heavy based pan with some grape seed oil until hot. Add the prawn heads in and fry until the heads turn to bright orange and continue on low heat for 5 minutes. Don’t let it burn. Add the finely diced shallot, carrot and parsley stalks and fry for another few minutes. Add water (around 300 ml) until heads are just covered and simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally letting out some steam by bashing the heads with a wooden spoon. Strain the resulting liquid and discard the solids. Replace the liquid and gently reduce in a pan by a third.
While reducing, heat up a wide, non-stick pan with a little oil and cook the prawns and scallops quickly under high heat. They should sizzle and not boil. Once ready and coloured, add some finely ground pepper and take them off the pan and into a warm bowl. Re-heat the pan and cook the carrot and fennel ribbons until soft.
Add butter and cream into the stock and dissolve. Add the juice of half a lime and then suck the lime after you squeeze it. It taste good. You should not need any salt.
To serve: place most of the carrot and fennel on the bottom of the plate, add the seafood and top with remaining carrots and fennel. Pour the sauce around the side of the plate. Finish with a spinkle of fennel fronds and a wedge of lime.