Joan goes through the menu, but doesn't discuss the quality of the experience. As I am critical of my own work, so I shall be of theirs.
We were part of the first Friday night seating. The setting, the staff, and our fellow diners were terrific. It was very informal, with people having a better and better time as the night wore on. It was not one of those stuffy temples of food where we were expected to be overawed by virtue of being admitted to the place.
The Brandade de Morue was pretty inspid. Okay texture, not much flavor. Usually, it is prepared with a little garlic, but not in this instance.
I missed the point of the aperitif. It was sweet and seemed out of place. I did not drink it.
The eel salad was the highlight of the meal. Greens were great, properly dressed, eel was tasty and had good texture.
The pasta could have been perfect. It was garnished with fresh peas, and if all the peas had been the same size (and age, I'd guess) it would have been wonderful. As is was, a lot of the peas were very large and starchy, and since they were barely cooked (in deference to the small, sweet tender peas) it was almost like having an uncooked reconstituted legume in the salad. There were crisp, very thin squares of pancetta, which were excellent.
I love squab. But this was overcooked, for my taste, verging on livery.
The wine selections, we were told, came from someone at A16 who'd done some sort of tasting with the Chez Panisse staff earlier in the week. As Joan said, the first wine was delicious. It may have been Austrian rather than Italian, in any case it came from the hills between those nations. The remaining 2 wines were Italian, both from the area around Naples, and tasted for all the world (to me, anyway) like typical overpriced undistinguished California wines--it may as well have been a $25 Kendall-Jackson. Disappointing.
And because it was Friday, there was an extra course, and an extra cost. It was $95 per person, plus the wine, plus a 17% service charge.
Should one expect perfection for $150? Probably not. But everything than I found wrong that night was a result of poor preparation: First rate ingredients, generally well thought out dishes. But undercooked peas and overcooked squab? At the first seating? On a weekend night, when presumably the A team is in the kitchen?
I certainly have paid more for lesser dining experiences, but I really had expected more from Chez Panisse. I still find that, all things being equal, I care less about the pedigree of my peas and squabs than I do about how they taste.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Pig and Prunes II
A similar recipe to the Pig and Prunes I, which came from Jacques Pepin. This calls for cream in the sauce, and is from Elizabeth David's French Provincial Cooking (1960).
"[This dish is not] exactly a light one, and is perhaps best eaten, as pork dishes are always supposed to be, at midday rather than in the evening."
6 to 8 noisettes of pork from the loin, about 3 oz each
1 pound large prunes (about 2 dozen)
1/2 bottle of wine, white, preferably Vouvray
1 T red currant jelly
1/2 pint of thick cream (you may not use it all)
2 ounces butter
Flour
Seasonings
Steep prunes with 1/2 pint of the wine, overnight or at least half a day. Cover and put in a very low oven for an hour or more, the longer the better as long as the wine does not dry up.
Season the pork with salt and pepper and dust with flour. Melt butter in large, heavy pan. Gently brown meat. Do not let the butter brown. After 10 minutes, add remaining wine. Cover and cook gently on stove top or in oven until done. (David says 45 minutes to an hour, depending on quality of the meat. Today's pork is, sadly, much leaner than that of 50 years ago, so beware of drying it out.)
When the meat is done, pour over the juices from the prunes. Keep the prunes hot in the oven. Let the juices bubble and reduce a little. Transfer the meat to a serving dish and keep hot.
Add the red currant jelly and stir to dissolve. Then add some of the cream. Allow it to bubble and thicken: Add more cream. When the sauce is shiny and really thick, pour over the meat, arrange the prunes around, and serve.
The amount of cream will depend on the amount of juices from the meat and prunes. If the sauce thickens too much, too quickly, add cream to thin.
David: "On the whole, I think is is better to drink red wine than white with this dish. And, of course, you do not serve any vegetables with it. Even with light first and last course dishes, 8 noisettes should be enough for four people.
"[This dish is not] exactly a light one, and is perhaps best eaten, as pork dishes are always supposed to be, at midday rather than in the evening."
6 to 8 noisettes of pork from the loin, about 3 oz each
1 pound large prunes (about 2 dozen)
1/2 bottle of wine, white, preferably Vouvray
1 T red currant jelly
1/2 pint of thick cream (you may not use it all)
2 ounces butter
Flour
Seasonings
Steep prunes with 1/2 pint of the wine, overnight or at least half a day. Cover and put in a very low oven for an hour or more, the longer the better as long as the wine does not dry up.
Season the pork with salt and pepper and dust with flour. Melt butter in large, heavy pan. Gently brown meat. Do not let the butter brown. After 10 minutes, add remaining wine. Cover and cook gently on stove top or in oven until done. (David says 45 minutes to an hour, depending on quality of the meat. Today's pork is, sadly, much leaner than that of 50 years ago, so beware of drying it out.)
When the meat is done, pour over the juices from the prunes. Keep the prunes hot in the oven. Let the juices bubble and reduce a little. Transfer the meat to a serving dish and keep hot.
Add the red currant jelly and stir to dissolve. Then add some of the cream. Allow it to bubble and thicken: Add more cream. When the sauce is shiny and really thick, pour over the meat, arrange the prunes around, and serve.
The amount of cream will depend on the amount of juices from the meat and prunes. If the sauce thickens too much, too quickly, add cream to thin.
David: "On the whole, I think is is better to drink red wine than white with this dish. And, of course, you do not serve any vegetables with it. Even with light first and last course dishes, 8 noisettes should be enough for four people.
Pig and Prunes
6 ounces (20 to 24) small pitted prunes
1/2 cup port
2 small pork tenderloins (20-24 oz)
1/2 t+ salt
1/4 t+ pepper
2-3 T vegetable oil
2 T minced shallots
3 T red wine vinegar
2/3 cup brown stock
1 T black currant jam
1 T ketchup
Parsley or basil for garnish
A couple hours before cooking, pour 2 cups boiling water over prunes and rehydrate for half an hour. Drain, and add port to the prunes.
Preheat oven to 200° F.
Slice each tenderloin into 6 pieces, of roughly 2 oz. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in heavy frying or saute pan and sear meat over medium-high heat until well-browned on all sides. Remove meat to platter and place in oven.
Add shallots to pan and saute briefly. Add red wine vinegar and deglaze pan. Add stock, then port, then prunes. Bring to gentle boil and allow to reduce, 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
Stir in jam and ketchup. Remove meat from oven and pour juices into sauce. Stir, simmer, taste and adjust seasoning. Sauce should be viscous and shiny.
Arrange prunes amongst pieces of pork and pour sauce over all. Garnish and serve.
1/2 cup port
2 small pork tenderloins (20-24 oz)
1/2 t+ salt
1/4 t+ pepper
2-3 T vegetable oil
2 T minced shallots
3 T red wine vinegar
2/3 cup brown stock
1 T black currant jam
1 T ketchup
Parsley or basil for garnish
A couple hours before cooking, pour 2 cups boiling water over prunes and rehydrate for half an hour. Drain, and add port to the prunes.
Preheat oven to 200° F.
Slice each tenderloin into 6 pieces, of roughly 2 oz. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in heavy frying or saute pan and sear meat over medium-high heat until well-browned on all sides. Remove meat to platter and place in oven.
Add shallots to pan and saute briefly. Add red wine vinegar and deglaze pan. Add stock, then port, then prunes. Bring to gentle boil and allow to reduce, 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
Stir in jam and ketchup. Remove meat from oven and pour juices into sauce. Stir, simmer, taste and adjust seasoning. Sauce should be viscous and shiny.
Arrange prunes amongst pieces of pork and pour sauce over all. Garnish and serve.
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