Literary Tapas

Originally published by Paper Palate (paperpalate.net) on June 24, 2008.

Small dishes from the rhealm where paper meets palate.

In the May/June ’08 issue of Draft Magazine, Bruce Paton helps everyone with the often daunting task of what wild food should be paired with each obscure micro-brew. He suggests pairing wild blackberries with Maylon’s Dragoon’s Dry Irish Stout, trout with Mad River Steelhead Extra Pale Ale (a no-brainer), figs with Urthel Samaranth, pine nuts go with Stone Pale Ale, and of course if you are drinking Marin Point Reyes Porter you will need plenty of Morel mushrooms.

Blogger and food writer extraordinaire Molly Wizenberg explains in the July ’08 issue of Bon Appetit that she realized she had met the man of her dreams when he made her marshmallows . . . from scratch. Wizenberg then goes on to offer a brief but informative history on what the French once called pâté de guimauve, perfect for those wondering just what the heck a marshmallow actually was.

Sergio Esposito’s new book Passion on the Vine: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Family in the Heart of Italy is being well received. Bill Buford (the food writer not the drummer from 70’s art rockers Yes) states, “Without qualification, the best book about Italian wine today, if only because Sergio Esposito understands that its mysterious greatness is in its poetry – the earth, its diurnal magic, the ghosts of great-grandfathers. A beautiful, boldly sentimental memoir.” Passion on the Vine is the latest in the growing genre of “culinary adventure” that began with Buford’s best seller Heat and continues with other publications like Bob Spitz’ the Saucier’s Apprentice which I am currently reading.

A recent issue of Cook’s Illustrated had Christopher Kimball and crew (specifically Erika Bruce and Adam Ried) rating the world of Dijon mustard. Their findings? While they rated France’s Roland Extra Strong Dijon Mustard as their #1 pick, their top 5 was dominated by American-made Dijon’s headed by Grey Poupon which is manufactured by Nabisco. Who knew?

After Hours with Daniel

Originally posted at Edible TV (edibletv.net) on March 19, 2008.

In the culinary world Daniel Boulud is royalty. To put it in musical parlances Jamie Oliver is like Justin Timberlake – hot, young, and showing a lot of staying power. Daniel is more like Eric Clapton – proven, reliable, and still capable of topping the charts anytime he wants. He is a classic. Chef Boulud is also about to begin the third season of After Hours with Daniel on MOJO HD, a 100% high-definition network geared towards affluent males.

After Hours certainly takes advantage of the crisp 1080i picture with beautiful images and transitions. The scenes are stylishly shot pictorials of enchanting locations like Miami, LA, and New Orleans. The food is unbelievable – it is a no-holds-barred foodie burlesque show. The guests are diverse consisting of athletes, models, entertainers, and of course chefs.

Recently, I was afforded the chance to preview some of the upcoming episodes. Boulud floored me in the very first one when he threw an after-hours party at Michael Schwartz’s Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in Miami’s Design District. Chef Schwartz came loaded for bear with a fresh caught Black Grouper speared that morning just for the wood fired oven at Michael’s. An impressive offering, or so it would seem.

Boulud described his dish as a meat pie. My first thoughts went to the small spicy-sweet meat pies of Jamaica that I love so much. But that was far from what Daniel had in mind. He used ground pork, fois gras, and freshly killed game birds for his meat pie. Chef Schwartz watched in amazement as Boulud reached into a plane brown paper bag and retrieved a woodcock, a red-legged partridge, a female pheasant, a male pheasant, and a wild mallard duck. The resulting tureen was a treat for the eyes.

The guest list included former baseball Hall of Famer Gary Carter, Formula One racing great Brian Redman, Miami Herald food critic Victoria Pesce Elliot (in disguise), and a number of area restaurateurs. All sat at an intimate table in the heart of the closed restaurant and were dazzled by the creations of the two hosts.

After Hours is not a dump and stir show nor is it educational cooking so do not expect any step-by-step instructions or clever diagrams of the layers of a grain of wheat. Instead it is a true reality show that simply documents a dinner party of extraordinarily successful people with discerning tastes from dissimilar backgrounds. Like all good dinner parties it is about the food and the company.

Daniel has hosted these after-hours parties for years with his friends in the restaurant world. Thanks to MOJO HD for giving us a glimpse of these highly entertaining gatherings. On succeeding episodes Daniel shares his table with models Ines Rivero and Eve Salvail, athletes Magnus Liljehal (Olympic Gold Medalist) and Dorell Wright (NBA player), and a host of famous chefs including Norman Van Aken, Allen Susser, and one of my all time favorites Michelle Bernstein.

The new season of After Hours with Daniel premieres on Sunday, March 16 at 9:00 PM, ET/PT on MOJO HD.