Chef Amy Ferguson's Travel Blog

Lost in Paris…

November 16 to 20

Lost in Paris…four days later and I emerge from a blur of metro stations, monuments, museums, cafes and markets… This is a Paris I don’t remember. It’s modern. After all, 31 years ago I spent most of my time as a student in and around the 7e…not being a tourist. I am busy trying to show Nick, my 16-year-old son Paris for his first time. We find ourselves strolling into small souvenir shops looking for shot glasses with the Eiffel Tower engraved on it for his Russian school friend or instead of couturier on the rue de Rivoli….we are shopping for Bob Marley patches and wall hangings on the Champs Elysées…interestingly enough these items have been easy to find…I don’t remember Paris being this commercial nor for that matter this filled with tourist…many of them are French who have come to see the sights…

Walking is still my preferred method of getting around town. However the RER Red Line is a great way to reach the outskirts of the city. Seine St. Denis is the district where Nick and I are the guests of Frank and Michelle Lodinzski, Jessica’s mom and dad. They live in a charming home surrounded by beautiful gardens and with a kitchen equipped as well as only found in commercial restaurant. They have a passion for food and cooking. I have been dazzled by the variety of preparation that spans numerous countries… Simply put it has been by far my best food experience in France. Here’s just a few menu items for thought….Golobki (stuffed cabbages),Moules Frites , then next day Mussels in Garlic Sauce, Poached sole, and prawns in a light lemon hollandaise filled puff pastry with braised endive and courgette and carrot custard, next day for lunch we had a well marbled Beef Carpaccio with shaved Parmesan and an incredible Penne Arabiata spiced with Harissa and lots of my favorite…garlic. I never knew I was a fan of raw oysters until now…Normandy Oysters with Balsamic Mignonette, Sea Urchin straight from the shell…  and Frank’s hand thrown Pizza…better than any I have found stateside…these are just a few of the items Nick and I have happily consumed.

Touring the markets with Michelle is an education. I must admit while I am excited to see all of the overwhelming choices, I am a bit sad there are few places in the US that have this sort of variety of seafood, produce, meats, cheese, breads…not New York nor San Francisco can compare. And I am only talking about the variety found at a local Farmer’s Market on Sunday morning in this quaint town Of SSD.

 

Highlights:

Paris: Musée d’Orsay (don’t forget to stop by their café for a bite…it’s beautiful and the food and wine selections is surprising for a museum café), Stroll down Champs Elysées, Around the Arc de Triomphe, Trocadéro, Père – Lachaise tombs of Chopin, Sarah Bernhardt, Jim Morrison of the Doors and various tourist sites not to forget Nick’s shopping spree at Galeries Lafayette…and a regrettable forgettable Fauchons…what did they do to that once landmark shop?

Champagne: The caves at Moet et Chandon…lunch at a country restaurant featuring Pate Maison, Coq au Vin with Agatha Whipped Potatoes and Chanterelles…yummy! Last but far from least, our spontaneous drop in on  René Geoffroy to taste not only his champagne Brut Rosé but try his Cumieres Rouge. His dessert wine Rafiata (I have to check my spelling is a great alternative to a dessert Sauterne)

Farmer's Market: Potatoes...here's just a few; Ratte, Pompodour, Le Charlotte, Amendine, La Belle de Fontenay, Mona Lisa, Agatha....a pink one I have forgotten it's name...there are more of course. The shallots: Cuisse de Poulet (the real shallot/ mildest), Grey shallot (spiciest) and our common shallot (medium spice)

My greatest pleasure has been being Michelle and Frank's guest...talk about 5 star treatment! Merci beau coup, mon Ami's

In tribute to my friend Michelle who always sets a proper table, makes every dinner a party while making it look easy, I givee you her recipe for a fast yet fabulous Penne Arabiata.

Penne Arabiata

Fry a generous amount (lots) of sliced garlic cloves in a flavorful fruity olive oil until the garlic is golden (not burned). Add Good canned Italian Whole Tomatoes that were previously pureed. Add Harissa (chili pepper sauce) to taste (start with a tablespoon..then add more if desired). Season with salt (Fleur de sel / the top layer harvested from sea salt). Simmer until tomatoes no longer taste raw and garlic has infused sauce. Simply boil Penne pasta until it is al dente. Drain and serve hot in a pasta bowl with the heated Arabiata sauce on the side with Parmesan Regianno.  Frank and Michelle served this after a beautiful beef carpaccio laced with good olive oil and shaved Parmesan...crusty french bread is a must to satisfactorily sop up any remaining sauce in the bowl....

Bon Appetit

Flashback...Meeting a 23 year old aspiring to be a chef

A friend of mine wanted me to attend a dinner last night to meet a young man who had just recently graduated from the California Culinary Academy in SF . I forget how old I am at times. Thirty-One years as a chef is longer than most of my cook's and chef's ages. However,cooking is an ageless profession. I hope to be cooking as long as the great late Julia Child did professionally. It has never been about age, sex etc...it's always been about passion, dedication and focus. I was once again taken back to my childhood as we discussed the TV chefs he watched who made a lasting impression on him. His favorites of the time were Martin Yan of Yan Can Cook and Ming Tsai... It hit me, how many generations of cooks /chef have followed since I was that little girl watching the early Julia Child and Graham Kerr (when they were both still drinking on camera)...Things have changed.

Cooking shows are faster...driven by the current lifestyle. Perky 30 min meals, tailgate parties and home cooking. How we have flipped from classic technique which is seldom spoken about to simple down home pleasures...quick and easy sometimes even healthful. Of course I have been aware of these changes, but I have never thought about the impact...the instant chef. Why not? The profession I entered with a degree of seriousness, dedication, focus and extreme professional guidelines has emerged. It is no longer a closed society, but a free for all who have the passion to cook from the heart, 24/7...of course today most chefs and their staffs are insisting on 5 day work weeks... thats a 11/5 I guess. Still, a chef's mentality is one of eating, breathing , and living his or her passion...cooking (or should I say food for the raw foodist) and everything that surrounds it!

I guess I miss those classical days. Last week, I decided I would cook an extensive Spanish Meal; 18 items...Simplicity is nice, but give me a challenge. The real deal, something I can sink my teeth into and sharpen my knives for (my knives are always sharp)...3 days and 6 hrs of paella practice and we were ready for our Taste of Spain... It was fun to push it a bit...It's the thrill of the challenge that only you can set for yourself. It was no more or less challenging than the classical french meal I prepared at 15. The only difference was there was no question that it would be expertly executed. Comfort comes with time. I have sweated literally over numerous meals and special events worried it would not live up to someones expectation. As a chef, I always work toward exceeding everyones expectations...after all I am my worst / best critic.

Remind me one day to tell you about Food Choices 2000, an event hosted by The Ritz Carlton Mauna Lani of which I was Executive Chef at the time. We had 200 chefs, writers, food professionals from around the world...and I was responsible for the 8 day event. Whoever said too many cooks spoil the soup wasn't at this event. It was incredible...

Check out the sidebar for a short segment of Julia Child and me cooking on her Master Chef's series. Julia to this day remains my lost but never forgotten friend, mentor and guide..I know she is watching from a far with a great glass of wine...reminding me to add a bit more butter because it tastes goods...As for my young chef friend, may your passion never burn out...remember always to cook from your heart and only confer with your head when necessary...

I wish you all a good palate and culinary sensibilities...

Amy...got to go. I need to find my passport! 

 

Memories

Paris is only a few days away and I wonder if any of the foods, chefs, charcuterie, markets, cafes I remember are still there. I look forward to retracing my steps. Food memories: Sables, pain au chocolat from the corner boulangerie on Rue de Grenelle....the 5 franc (then) 4 layered chocolate meringue filled with chocolate mousse covered with bittersweet chocolate from the En Face du l'Eglise on Rue St Domonique, The Drugstore hamburgers (unlike the American version) on the Champs Elysees along with the decadent ice cream parfaits and sundaes,the petit suisse with strawberries, street vendors selling both marron roti and marron glace, the rotisseurie chickens and pomme de terre frites, and the saucissions, pates, rillettes, foie gras from the charcuterie found on rue Cler ...all eaten with baguette straight from the ovens...if I timed it right.

As a student with limited funds, these were treats. I spent most of my meals in the student cafeteria eating grilled steaks of horse meat...Yes I said horse. They were raised for food. (Perhaps that is why I spent the years following my staying Paris as a vegetarian)...Accompanying that delicacy was a leafy salad with a sharp vinaigrette and of course baguette...and yes wine sometimes cheese. This only lasted a short time until I moved into a demi pension with a fellow student Helen Go, a girl from Hong Kong. Then I discovered the delights of French home cooking and the french housewife's favorite simple sauce...the beurre blanc. I still have fond memories of veal birds, quenelles and creamed spinach...as well as the sip of anisette after dinner.

One of my favorite meals out was a Ham, Potato, Mushroom, Gruyere cheese omelette from an omelette cafe not far from the Sorbonne...I will make a point to see if it still exists...Another were the beautiful steamed mussels from a bistro near the metro Ecole Militaire.

If there is one concern I have returning to Paris this time it would be I would fall in love all over again and not want to leave...the other is not ordering correctly in the markets / cafes...It's been a while and even though my french friend Jessica tries to build my confidence in my ability speaking french ...who's kidding who. It's been 31 years. The quantities are what get me...I need a crash course in numbers...3 kilos of mandarin oranges is a lot to have to return because you made a mistake in the weight...you get my drift. If I over order, I just hope I err on the side of too much foie gras, chocolate or champagne...Nick and I can live with that...

Ah memories are overtaking me...The first classic French menu I prepared before heading to France my first time: Escargot Bourguignon, Ris de Veau Bourguignon en Brioche, Mousse au Chocolate. I was 14 cooking for and to the surprise of my then 15 year of boyfriend... I found back then it was best not to tell them what they were eating until they swallowed a few bites. My dad thought I was going to cook him out of house and home...I was always force feeding boyfriends ... thank god we were all young.

One more memory...The last thing I ate before leaving Texas to move to France was a peach so juicy the juices ran down my arm... hum...I have yet to find another peach as juicy.

To this day , I still look back and cherish my early days in the kitchen. Food is my passion , I love it in it's raw state of perfection and truly endeavor to never mess it up by preparation. The foulest form of arrogance in the kitchen is to ruin food by over manipulating it ... enough with the serious talk. To be totally honest with you the only time I have ruined food not on purpose but energetically is when I am cooking for someone I am mad at or have just been hurt by. There have been boyfriends who worried I might actually poison them...how ridiculous...they were lucky they got off with a bad meal...for that matter any meal at all! Did I say I am passionate about food...

I am including my Mousse au Chocolat recipe. It is classic and by far the best I have ever found... Bon Appetit Amy

Chocolate Mousse

Serves 6

4 Eggs room temp, separated (no yolk in the whites)

¼ cup Sugar Blend together in a bowl and cook over a dbl boiler until a ribbon stage.

Add: 1 oz Cognac or other flavored liqueurs Cook longer until bubbles appear indicating the alcohol is being cooked off.

Using a bowl of ice water: Place bowl with yolk mixture over ice and whip until cool.

Meanwhile: Melt over a dbl boiler:

8 oz. Chocolate: semi sweet, bittersweet or even white

2 Tbsp. Kona Coffee

4 oz Butter, unsalted

Blend cool to touch chocolate into the yolk mixture. Set aside.

Whip: 4 Egg whites to a soft peak

Fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Do not completely incorporate.

Whip: 2 cup Heavy Cream, to firm yet smooth peaks Finish mousse by folding the whipped cream.

Please be mindful not to over mix thereby changing the mousses’ texture. No Cream nor egg white should be visible. Chill for a minimum of 3 hrs or overnight.

The velvety texture will embrace your palate and delight your senses. Savor every small spoonful and think of me at 14 making this for the first time in my mother's kitchen. Recipe provided by Neva Paul my first cooking teacher.

A walk down memory lane...Paris 31 years ago.

Aloha

I am still in Kona preparing for my long awaited return to France. It's been 31 years since I left Paris. Bright eyed and full of ambition. My dream of becoming a chef could only manifest if I were to return home to Texas to put to use everything  I had absorbed as a student living in the 7e. Looking back, 17 and living in Paris...it was so "Sabrina". I was 8 maybe 9 when I knew I wanted to be a chef. I loved  to cook for my family...later my friends...always from my heart. It was the my way of showing love to those special to me.

Back to Paris, I was 15 when my mom first took me to France and England to visit schools. Of course I would choose France for my studies only after promising my mom that I would major in art. She did not want me to be a "servant". Clearly a difference in generations. I respected her wishes and became intimate with the art of France, Spain and as well as the Dutch masters. 

My earlier years was spent reading Larousse Gastronomie, Ma Point (Fernand Point's story), Escoffier Cook book. My father thought I was a little different. When other kids were out playing I was sitting on the edge of my bed plowing through cookbooks. I could not get enough of it...I was hooked! It must have been from a past life after all a young girl living in Houston Texas, steak, BBQ, and Mexican food...not a lot of French cuisine. Never the less, the books allowed me to experiment and dream. It all seemed so easy..it came naturally to me.

As I prepare for my return to France, I am compelled to share my experiences with anyone interested. It will be on this journey that I re-visit my youth. I am taking my son Nick who is 16 along with me. He is about the age I was when I first saw Paris. I can't help but wonder how it will effect him. He loves art...now let's see just how much he loves it after I take him on one walking tour after the other of through the museums I studied in daily. This could prove to be a turning point for him. Or it may just be another trip with mom. 

Highlights to look forward to on our trip:

Release of the Beaujolais Nouveau (it will be released upon our arrival)

Champagne..the region and the wine!

The Markets

The Catacombs...

The TVG bullet train to London...the trip through the tunnel under the English Channel

and of course the museums, tombs and Brasseries

Daily Notes and photos will be posted to keep you informed of our travels in and out of Paris...

My favorite part will be retracing my steps when I was student; the cafes, la Caves, Quartier Latin, the artists scene, if I can find it...Gitanne / Gauloise filled cafes, the Tunisian bakeries ...

For now A bientot...