One of the nice things of having a little time to myself before starting at The Club is that I can catch up on posts and projects that I have been meaning to do for a while.
Melanie Dunea created a marvelous book called “My Last Supper.” In it she asks some of the most famous Chefs in the world what their last supper would be. In the introduction Anthony Bourdain says;
“If cooking professionally is about control – about manipulating the people, the ingredients and the strange, physical forces of the kitchen universe to do one’s bidding always anticipating always preparing, always dominating one’s environment – then eating well is about submission. About letting go.”
I’ve read this quote over and over again. I’ve thought about it quite extensively since I first read it because I agree with the sentiment completely. I think that cooking is about control of chaos or rather order from chaos. Whereas eating is about submitting to the dish, the person that made it and the environment that surrounds you.
One of the things that shocked me most about the book was the number of Chefs that said that they would prepare their own meal. Moreover, in most of the cases, the meals were something that you would not suspect, while in some, it was exactly what you would expect. So then, how exactly would these Chefs let go and submit.
The questions that were asked were; what would you want for your last supper? Where would you want to have it? Who would you want to be there? Who would you have prepare it for you? What kind of music accompaniment would you have? Along with their answers are beautiful pictures which also say something elemental about the Chef.
Each of these questions and ultimately their answers reveal an intimate portrait of the Chefs that answered them. Some of my favorite responses are as follows;
Daniel Boulud would have his last meal in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles with his dinner guests being Apicius, Bacchus, Careme, Escoffier, Bocuse and Ducasse with Ducasse as the Chef.
Ferran Adria, the worlds number one Chef from El Bulli would eat his meal in Tokyo, at Kiccho and have Escoffier cook it.
Eric Ripert would have a simple meal of toasted bread, olive oil, truffles, rock salt and pepper. And naturally he would prepare it himself.
Masa Takayama would have blowfish on a boat with Mozart playing live while they sipped on Bowmore Scotch over glacier ice.
Dan Barber; would eat his pig Boris; “If I’m going so is Boris.” Barber would cook the meal himself; “I’d have one finally chance to get it right.”
Thomas Keller would have Osetera caviar, Otoro, a quesadilla, roast chicken and Brie with truffles.
Gordon Ramsay would have a classic roast with Yorkshire pudding and red wine gravy naturally preparing it himself.
Nobu interestingly enough would have Kenny G while eating Sushi prepared by his Sous Chef.
Mario Batali, ever the great eater would have an Italian feast of eight or ten courses including seafood, pasta and vegetables.
Jacques Pepin would have an eclectic, relaxed and informal meal of Brittany butter, Oysters, Iberico ham, eggs and roast squab.
Lydia Shire would make herself a 14 to 16 ounce Sirloin with fried parsnips ended by a Carlos Fuente Cigar (a woman after my own heart).
Raymond Blanc would have something humble and simple prepared by Bocuse.
Charlie Trotter would have many courses, raw, tiny and delicate seafoods. Miles Davis would play with Bob Dylan while Dostoevsky, Hemingway, Bukowski, Miller, Wolfe, Hunter S. Thompson along with F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. His Chef Matthias Merges would prepare it.
Jean – Georges Vongerichten would have a Royal Banquet such as they have at the Grand Palace in Bangkok prepared by the Royal Chef.
Martin Picard (a great Canadian Chef) would have a multi course feast which would start with a kilogram of Caviar, butter and vodka. 2 one hundred gram truffles, one black and one white. It would be served in a forest with Bach as played by Glenn Gould. LOVED THIS ANSWER!
Ducasse would eat on Mars. He currently prepares special celebratory meals for the European Space Agency for astronauts on board the International Space Station.
Guy Savoy’s exact response was as follows;
“Dear Madam,
I thank you for your note and am touched by your admiration. Nevertheless, I have a phobic rapport with death and because of this, will never discuss my last meal. This returns me to my life’s philosophy: I talk about openings not closings.
Receive, dear Madam, my best wishes.”
As I said earlier the responses to these questions reveals quite a bit about these Chefs.
What would your last meal be? Who would be there? What would be playing? Where would it be?
I plan on answering these questions in the next blog post.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Showing posts with label Daniel Boulud. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daniel Boulud. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Braise by Daniel Boulud (file under THAT’s RIGHT)
In “Braise” by Daniel Boulud is a wonderful piece de la resistance. In this book he dedicates great time and care to braising. Braising has traditionally been used to make lesser or tough cuts of meat very tender and delicious.
Moreover in this book he talks about he nature of the restaurant business in New York City and how there is a wealth of knowledge to be gleaned from the various cultures that come to work in his restaurant. One of the first things he does with a new hire, from anywhere in the world, is gets them to make staff meal. Traditionally staff meal is prepared with left over scraps and junk that could not other be used. But don’t let this fool you, scarp from Beef Tenderloin is still beef tenderloin. Something I learned at Reservation when we would prepare duck. Beef tenderloin, striploin and the like into glorious meals that we all enjoyed.
Some of the ideas that I took from this book include; Ropa Vieja Matambre, Milk braised pork, Pork shoulder in Guinness and Braised Veal Sweetbreads. I took each of these because they were ways of cooking that I had not thought of. Especially when it comes to the milk braised pork and sweetbreads. I am excited to try them out and will let you know what spin I put on them.
Interestingly Boulud says; “I think braising is the best way to cook sweetbreads.” I had never even conceived of cooking sweetbreads in this way and can hardly wait to try it when C gets back.
Swami Vivekananda once said; “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced.” Are you ready to be a GIANT?
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Moreover in this book he talks about he nature of the restaurant business in New York City and how there is a wealth of knowledge to be gleaned from the various cultures that come to work in his restaurant. One of the first things he does with a new hire, from anywhere in the world, is gets them to make staff meal. Traditionally staff meal is prepared with left over scraps and junk that could not other be used. But don’t let this fool you, scarp from Beef Tenderloin is still beef tenderloin. Something I learned at Reservation when we would prepare duck. Beef tenderloin, striploin and the like into glorious meals that we all enjoyed.
Some of the ideas that I took from this book include; Ropa Vieja Matambre, Milk braised pork, Pork shoulder in Guinness and Braised Veal Sweetbreads. I took each of these because they were ways of cooking that I had not thought of. Especially when it comes to the milk braised pork and sweetbreads. I am excited to try them out and will let you know what spin I put on them.
Interestingly Boulud says; “I think braising is the best way to cook sweetbreads.” I had never even conceived of cooking sweetbreads in this way and can hardly wait to try it when C gets back.
Swami Vivekananda once said; “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced.” Are you ready to be a GIANT?
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Daniel Boulud (file under Growth each day)
Daniel Boulud (who again I have written about before) is the consummate New York restaurateur. His pedigree is almost unmatched in the foodie world of New York City. As a chef given free range at Le Cirque his pedigree and skill became ever present and obvious.
Reading his book; “Cooking in New York City” I was in awe of what he has accomplished in a very limited time frame. The recipes in this book are both informative and look quite fun. While at the same time reveal the inner workings of a top notch Chef mind.
He says; “A great meal starts in the market… the fate of natural products hangs on nature’s whims. The marketplace tells the record of those events more surely than any written chronicle.” Truly a profound statement. One that seems second nature but I have not come across it so succinctly.
“Ideas are born in the market. An ingredient will speak to the chef, demanding in some natural, non evident language that it be served up.” This is something I have always believed. When C and I go shopping it is less about a preconceived notion of what I want to cook and more about which ingredients cry out to me to be paid attention to. Intuition in this sense has a lot to do with the way that I personally cook.
About specials he says; “Tonight’s specials – the serendipitous creations that surprise and delight Chef and diner alike – will somehow come out of the alchemic reaction of chefly inspiration and raw material.”
From the book I was also able to discern that during the day at Boulud he has 45 cooks, bakers and assistants between the hours of 6 am and 5 pm. This to me is an incredible number as I consider that at Reservation with its 3 restaurants we had no more than twenty or so cooks at any one time. This puts into perspective the work that gets done by him and his team.
One of his more interesting statements; “A restaurant is not just a kitchen and a dining room. A restaurant is a process, a piece of software, a way of organizing the efforts of scores of people and hundreds of ingredients and having them all come together as if nature had decried it.” I agree but also think that what I have seen and know intrinsically there is no way that nature decried it. Though at times it may seem that way. He says; “The fury of the kitchen belies its inextricable orderliness.”
His tasting menu consists of 16 dishes over 8 courses with 9 different wines. No small feat and it opens my imagination to endless possibilities for when I have my own restaurant.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Reading his book; “Cooking in New York City” I was in awe of what he has accomplished in a very limited time frame. The recipes in this book are both informative and look quite fun. While at the same time reveal the inner workings of a top notch Chef mind.
He says; “A great meal starts in the market… the fate of natural products hangs on nature’s whims. The marketplace tells the record of those events more surely than any written chronicle.” Truly a profound statement. One that seems second nature but I have not come across it so succinctly.
“Ideas are born in the market. An ingredient will speak to the chef, demanding in some natural, non evident language that it be served up.” This is something I have always believed. When C and I go shopping it is less about a preconceived notion of what I want to cook and more about which ingredients cry out to me to be paid attention to. Intuition in this sense has a lot to do with the way that I personally cook.
About specials he says; “Tonight’s specials – the serendipitous creations that surprise and delight Chef and diner alike – will somehow come out of the alchemic reaction of chefly inspiration and raw material.”
From the book I was also able to discern that during the day at Boulud he has 45 cooks, bakers and assistants between the hours of 6 am and 5 pm. This to me is an incredible number as I consider that at Reservation with its 3 restaurants we had no more than twenty or so cooks at any one time. This puts into perspective the work that gets done by him and his team.
One of his more interesting statements; “A restaurant is not just a kitchen and a dining room. A restaurant is a process, a piece of software, a way of organizing the efforts of scores of people and hundreds of ingredients and having them all come together as if nature had decried it.” I agree but also think that what I have seen and know intrinsically there is no way that nature decried it. Though at times it may seem that way. He says; “The fury of the kitchen belies its inextricable orderliness.”
His tasting menu consists of 16 dishes over 8 courses with 9 different wines. No small feat and it opens my imagination to endless possibilities for when I have my own restaurant.
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Books I’m Reading (file under Knowledge, Knowledge, Knowledge)
Care of my weekend I haven’t read more than a paragraph since Friday. But I have been reading, as I alluded to, in one of my weekend update posts, I have been reading a few books at the same time.
Of course, care of Ruhlman’s; “The Soul of a Chef” I decided to pick up his “The Making of a Chef.” In it Ruhlman is going through the first year of classes at the Culinary Institute of America. It follows him as he goes through his classes and the subtle transformation from Writer to Cook. I say subtle though I don’t think that anyone else would say that it was subtle.
Over the weekend I alluded to the fact that there are those of us that get it done and those that don’t. For cooks, all the world over, failure is not an option. Hung over, we show up. Sick, we show up. Short of dead, we show up. In his exploration, Ruhlman tells a story about a vicious snowstorm that threatened to keep him from school for a test. When he called the examining Chef Instructor, Ruhlman became stung when the Chef alluded to the fact that it was okay because he was not a real cook or chef. Subtly the Chef made the point that it didn’t matter the circumstance, cooks showed up. With his pride stung, Ruhlman too showed up and by doing so learned a very valuable lesson. One that will stay with him for life.
I’m not done “The Making of a Chef” yet. In fact it is currently in my locker at work as I was too tired to be bothered to bring it home on Sunday. Next week I will write some more about it.
I have also been reading “How I Learned to Cook; Culinary Educations from the World’s Greatest Chefs,” edited by Kimberly Witherspoon and Peter Meehan. Reading how the likes of Ferran Adria, Mario Batali, Raymond Blanc, Heston Blumenthal, Daniel Boulud and others came to learn to cook is as illuminating for a young cook (i.e. me) as reading Aristotle’s; “The Politics” is for Political Science students.
What I gleaned from all these different Chefs is that there is no true set course that leads one to the kitchen. As I’m pounding out this entry before I have to go to work I will regal you with more next week when I have some time.
I came to this book through another that I picked up entitled; “ If You Can Stand the Heat; Tales from Chefs and Restaurateurs.”
And of course I’m still reading Bourdain’s; “A Cook’s Tour.” All of these will be covered next week when I have some more time.
Anton Chekhov once said; “Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
Of course, care of Ruhlman’s; “The Soul of a Chef” I decided to pick up his “The Making of a Chef.” In it Ruhlman is going through the first year of classes at the Culinary Institute of America. It follows him as he goes through his classes and the subtle transformation from Writer to Cook. I say subtle though I don’t think that anyone else would say that it was subtle.
Over the weekend I alluded to the fact that there are those of us that get it done and those that don’t. For cooks, all the world over, failure is not an option. Hung over, we show up. Sick, we show up. Short of dead, we show up. In his exploration, Ruhlman tells a story about a vicious snowstorm that threatened to keep him from school for a test. When he called the examining Chef Instructor, Ruhlman became stung when the Chef alluded to the fact that it was okay because he was not a real cook or chef. Subtly the Chef made the point that it didn’t matter the circumstance, cooks showed up. With his pride stung, Ruhlman too showed up and by doing so learned a very valuable lesson. One that will stay with him for life.
I’m not done “The Making of a Chef” yet. In fact it is currently in my locker at work as I was too tired to be bothered to bring it home on Sunday. Next week I will write some more about it.
I have also been reading “How I Learned to Cook; Culinary Educations from the World’s Greatest Chefs,” edited by Kimberly Witherspoon and Peter Meehan. Reading how the likes of Ferran Adria, Mario Batali, Raymond Blanc, Heston Blumenthal, Daniel Boulud and others came to learn to cook is as illuminating for a young cook (i.e. me) as reading Aristotle’s; “The Politics” is for Political Science students.
What I gleaned from all these different Chefs is that there is no true set course that leads one to the kitchen. As I’m pounding out this entry before I have to go to work I will regal you with more next week when I have some time.
I came to this book through another that I picked up entitled; “ If You Can Stand the Heat; Tales from Chefs and Restaurateurs.”
And of course I’m still reading Bourdain’s; “A Cook’s Tour.” All of these will be covered next week when I have some more time.
Anton Chekhov once said; “Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.”
Are you dreaming big and inspired?
A la prochaine
SDM
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