The Voluptuous Table goes beyond virtual reality

This past Saturday night, something very special happened.  I experienced the realization of a long-time dream.  I launched The Voluptuous Table as a prix fixe dinner venture with a premier event featuring a dinner buffet of rustic French cuisine for 30 people.

It was a perfect day, weather-wise.  The house looked great, the back yard looked stupendous (thanks to my husband), and the menu was full of rich, fall flavors.  Wine flowed like the river Loire.  And there were charming tables and seating areas everywhere, both inside and out.  Candles twinkled, Edith Piaf warbled, incredible aromas emanated from the kitchen.  I was running a French bistro for the night!  Where were the black-turtlenecked existentialists with their sour looks?  They must have stayed in Paris.

There were many memorable moments and I enjoyed my guests--many familiar to me and several not.  One of the highlights of the evening was that some friends of mine have a lovely 14 year old daughter who sang for us beautifully in Italian, French and English.  She brought the house down with her rendition of "The Lady is a Tramp."  End-of-the-evening entertainment is always one of those little surprises that I like to arrange for specific gatherings and my guests were both surprised and delighted.

If the appetites of my guests are any indication, I'm going to have a very successful business.  They ate almost everything.  Every toast point (with plenty of pate and handmade goat cheese loaded on top), every spoonful of rich, silky cassoulet, every slice of the five pounds (and five varieties) of artisanal breads I baked, most of the homemade butter, practically all of the two salads served and every last dainty slice of the banana cake with caramel frosting.  All washed down with countless glasses of wine and pots of coffee.   Bon appetit!

Wines served: Jean-Luc Colombo Cotes du Rhone 2010 (France), a lemony, floral, medium-bodied white suggested to accompany the goat cheese appetizer; Domaine Sarcin Cotes du Rhone 2009 (France), a medium-bodied red with earthy herbal notes, dark red fruit and wild strawberry suggested to accompany the pate; Chateau Tuilerie Pages Bordeaux 2007 (France), with mild tannins and good, firmly structured red fruit to accompany the main course of cassoulet, artisanal breads and salads.

Here's what I cooked and the recipes:


Lemon Goat Cheese with Lemon Oil, Herbes de Provence and Nicoise Olives

For the cheese:
Follow procedure for making homemade goat cheese here, or purchase 16 oz. chevre or montrachet.  Whether you make your own or buy it, knead in about 1 tsp. fresh lemon zest.  Form into a ball and chill until ready to serve.


For the lemon oil:
Heat one cup of the lightest olive oil you can find slowly and gently.  Add the zest of one lemon and steep for at least one hour.  Strain, cool and set aside until ready to use.

To present the cheese:
Place cheese on serving plate.  Drizzle generously with lemon oil.  Sprinkle with about 1 tsp. herbes de Provence.  Scatter about 1/2 cup pitted nicoise olives around the cheese.  Garnish with Prince Edward pansies, violets or other small flowers and small sprigs of parsley.  Serve with toast points.  Serves 12. 


Rustic Pate
This pate recipe sets up into a creamy and rich finished product.  Don't be alarmed by how loose it is before it chills down.  Superb flavor and beautiful on the plate with the pistachio garnish.   Adapted from http://larry-ervin.suite101.com/how-to-make-two-easy-chicken-liver-pate-recipes-a43473.

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
8 oz chicken livers, chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
1/4 cup marsala (or sherry or Madeira)
2 anchovy filets, drained and coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp capers, drained
1/4 cup shelled pistachios plus 2 Tbsp chopped for garnish
Freshly ground pepper

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the celery and garlic and cook two minutes.
2. Turn the flame up to high and add the chicken livers. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the livers are crisp outside but still a bit pink inside, about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the sage and deglaze briefly with the marsala. Transfer all to the bowl of your food processor.
4. Add the anchovies, capers and whole pistachios. Process until fairly smooth, but not puréed. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The anchovies are salty enough that you should not need to add more salt.
5. Transfer to your serving dish and serve warm or at room temperature.  You can also chill this pate in a mold and serve it slightly cold.  It is highly seasoned enough for the flavors to come through.  Serve with thin slices of toasted baguette or dress it up by using it to fill individual endive leaves. Garnish with the chopped pistachios and strands of fresh chives.  Serves 12.

Artisanal Breads

I've run this recipe before under my first blog entry in February of this year.  You can do it as you like and add chopped scallions, herbs, raisins, orange peel, chopped olives or anything you like.  It's great bread and very versatile.  This recipe made five one-pound loaves.
 


Homemade Compound Butter

Homemade butter is ridiculously easy if you have the right equipment.  Pour a quart of heavy cream and about 2 tsp. kosher salt into the bowl of your food processor, blender or stand mixer.  Turn on the machine and let 'er rip.  Let it go beyond the proper stage for whipped cream and when the whey splatters out of the bowl, it's done.  Squeeze all the whey out with your hands and form into balls.  At this stage, you can flavor your butter with fresh herbs, garlic, spices, etc.  Press into ramekins or form into logs wrapped in parchment paper or plastic wrap.  Chill until ready to serve.  Makes about 2 cups.


Peppery Green Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Mustard Vinaigrette

Combine 12 cups mixed greens such as arugula, watercress endive, spinach and/or romaine in a large salad bowl.  Toss with several tablespoons of Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe below) until leaves are coated lightly.  Do not overdress!  Scatter with about 1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces.  Serves 12.

An Excellent Mustard Vinaigrette

¾ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon grainy Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and emulsify.  Makes about 1 cup.  This is wonderful on bitter greens with toasted walnuts, bleu cheese and pickled onions.  Yummm!  Enjoy…

Note: I like to experiment with different vinegars (like tarragon and champagne vinegar) and also like to use white Worcestershire instead of the regular kind for variety.

Celery, Fennel and Apple Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette


Cassoulet Toulousain 

This cassoulet recipe (affectionately and forevermore known as French Beanie Weenies in my circle of friends) has enough richness, meat, pork fat and duck fat to, as one of my friends says, give a small child a coronary after the first bite.  It is, by far, the best cassoulet I have ever made in my cooking career.  I will warn you: the preparation is very labor intensive and long and if you don't like to cook, then get a plate of cassoulet at Justine's instead.  But if you do like to cook, if you covet the aromas of the French countryside in your kitchen and if you're looking for good, hearty peasant fare on a blustery day, then do make the effort and try this dish.

You can take a shortcut and purchase rendered duck fat and prepared duck confit, but it is very expensive to do so.  It was almost as expensive to buy a pound tub of rendered duck fat and a fresh duck, but I thought it a very satisfying venture to make my own.  You can see an excellent procedure for making duck confit here.  Start this procedure at least 7 days before you plan to make the cassoulet.  Duck confit and duck fat keeps for up to 2 months.  And since you can use the duck fat to again confit another duck (or to make duck fat-roasted potatoes or duck fat fries), it is truly the gift that keeps on giving.  And...you can use duck confit in so many other ways...


Gateau de Banane with Caramel and Toasted Pecans

This banana sheet cake is exceptionally moist and is delectable with the caramel icing and toasted pecans.  I literally cannot make this anymore without seriously overeating it.  It is beautiful when you cut it into diamonds before serving on large, frilly pastry papers (I got mine at Hobby Lobby).  Serves 20 to 24.

Banana Cake recipe.  Use butter, not margarine--it really does make a difference.  Cool the cake until ready to frost.

Caramel Frosting recipe.   I use half and half in place of the milk for a creamier, richer frosting.  Use frosting while it's still quite warm; it will be easier to spread.

Garnish with toasted pecans if desired.

Creating excitement at dinner without high anxiety

Cooking for one and eating alone doesn't have to be pedestrian and boring.  On the other hand, making a great dinner for yourself, even planning to have a guest at dinner, doesn't have to be stressful because you don't know what to cook (or because you've run out of Xanax).  In a previous post, I gave you several recipes that could change your cooking and eating habits from dull and predictable to "company's coming--and it's me!"  Today's post will offer several more ideas for versatile condiments that you can keep on hand for a great meal in almost no time at all.  Imagine relaxing with a glass of wine while your next great dinner is just moments away.  Imagine having a guest for dinner and relaxing in the same way.  Imagine the lovely sound of that cork as it leaves the bottle.  Imagine having an enjoyable conversation while you confidently prepare an outstanding meal.  Sound impossible?  Not!

I always have a batch of Madhur Jaffrey's Lemon Chutney in my fridge, first, because I cook and eat a lot of Indian food and second, because this chutney is spectacularly bright and intense with other foods (like grilled chicken or even pork tenderloin), but can be tempered with mayonnaise to become a velvety sauce for broiled fish.  Find the recipe (entitled "Lemon Chutney" in the post) and technique here.  I think after you taste the chutney by itself, with its perfect balance of tang, heat and sweetness, you'll want to make it frequently because, like me, you'll find a million uses for it (like making a marinade out of it for chicken, pork or firm-fleshed fish with more lemon juice and the oil of your choice).  It's really easy to make, and also makes a great hostess gift!

Another great condiment to have around--one that you can prepare ahead and have ready to go in your freezer--is a recipe I am unabashadly stealing from Aaron McCargo, the TV chef on Big Daddy's House, one of the cooking shows that airs early on Sunday mornings.  Now, Vindaloo thinks it's time for a little confession.  The first confession is that after 8 years, Vindaloo is now watching TV again.  Just a teensy, little bit.  I won't go into the details now, but let's just say that marriage changes everything and leave it at that.  Vindaloo is very devoted to her local gym (because, as I said, marriage changes everything) and she is there doing her cardio workout at least 5 days out of 7.  But the biggest motivator for Vindaloo--the one that will get her out of the house and into the gym on weekends?  That would be Vindaloo's second confession:  she loves watching the Food Network during her workout.  I know what you are thinking: "Isn't watching cooking shows while you're trying to work out at the gym counterproductive?"  And my reply is "Are you kidding???"  Not only does Vindoloo get her workout done with no complaining, no boredom and faster than you can say "hor d'oeuvres," she does it with a vengeance!  And she comes home with lots of new cooking ideas, which make it necessary to maintain the gym membership.  It's a vicious cycle.  Marriage changes everything.

So here's what you do:  Finely chop about 1 cup of fresh garlic cloves.  Put the chopped garlic in a small bowl and add about 1 cup of olive oil.  Season highly with salt and pepper.  Use this garlic and oil paste to season meat and fish, grilled vegetables, pasta, potatoes...the list goes on and on.  I watched Aaron McCargo rub a generous amount of this garlic and olive oil paste all over a large pork roast and started salivating immediately.  I could just imagine what his kitchen was going to smell like 45 minutes after he put that roast in the oven.  You can add other seasonings to this recipe as well, but this is the basic technique.  You can store it in your freezer for several weeks and just scoop out what you need with a spoon--it's the consistency of hard ice cream when frozen.  This recipe is a ridiculously simple concept, and a seriously necessary seasoning backbone.  For lack of a better name, I refer to this concoction as GOOPS, which is an acronym for garlic, olive oil, pepper and salt.  Thanks Big Daddy!! 

The next three suggestions for flavored oils (Chili Oil, Lemon Oil, Garlic Oil) are a springboard for your own inventiveness and creativity.  I'm going to get you started, and then you can make the next great flavored oil, sell it in high-end gourmet shops and make a million bucks.  Flavored oils are so simple to make and they add a lot of bang to what you're cooking.  I use them to saute vegetables and meats, to finish soups and stews, and to drizzle over pasta.  They're also great dipping oils for artisinal breads if you vary the ingredients slightly (recipe below). 

Here's the basic technique: heat one cup light olive oil in a sauce pan on medium-low heat.  Add to that whatever you wish to flavor your oil with: several whole, dried Thai peppers, or a heaping teaspoon of dried crushed pepper; the peel of a lemon (or orange); several cloves of garlic that have been peeled and crushed slightly.  Let the oil stay on the heat for about an hour, reducing heat if necessary.  What you want is a slow, gentle infusion, so no sizzling or bubbling.  Then let the oil cool and pour it (straining out ingredients if you wish), into a clean jar and cover tightly.  That's it.  Makes about one cup.  Please let me know about your future experiments--I'd like to try your ideas as well.

The last suggestion for a flavored oil is for those of you that like to dip hot, crusty bread into olive oil and herbs.   Here's how I like to do it:  Put 1 Tbs. dried minced garlic (I like Penzey's) in a small saucepan or saute pan and toast gently on low or medium-low heat.  This takes about five or ten minutes.  Then add 1 cup fruity or extra virgin olive oil and continue to heat gently.  Remove from heat after about 20 minutes.  Cool to warm room temperature and add your choice of dried herbs and spices; i.e., marjoram, oregano, rosemary, fennel, crushed red pepper, cracked black pepper, thyme, etc.  Of course, add a generous amount of salt.  Pour everything into a clean jar and store.  Makes about one cup. 

If you want a really knockout version of this dipping oil, use the same proceedure, but after infusing the toasted garlic and cooling the oil a bit, add some chopped fresh herbs with freshly cracked black pepper and some flake salt (such as Maldon sea salt).  This version is best served right away with bread.  Add a little good-quality red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar and you've got a great salad dressing.

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I plan to send one more post about spice mixtures you can make yourself to have on hand in your pantry for making your cooking efforts less stressful and more enjoyable.  Look for it soon.  Meanwhile, Vindaloo is preparing for an al fresco gathering for friends who love wine and love to cook.  I'm looking forward to telling you all about it.  The mosquitos were not invited, but they always end up crashing the party in Texas springtime, so if any of you have suggestions for non-toxic mosquito repellant, please write!

May your tastebuds dance!