I’m happy to report that last week’s mashup was followed by a fun, calm, successful class.  I relaxed and followed Chef around, listening to his advice, asking him questions, tasting and chatting with other students as they made their dishes. Love Chef Olive’s French sensibilities. What a bonus to have a French Chef instructor!

Here’s that I learned about stock:

• Choosing what goes into a stock is all about how you’re going to use the stock. Stock is just flavoring. What flavors do you want to impart to your dish?
• Why do you use veggies like carrots, celery & onions? Because they are dense and won’t fall apart resulting in a clear broth in the end.
• Heat is important. High heat until is just starts to smoke (pre-boil stage) then turn it down to medium-low. Do not boil stock. You don’t want to break the veggies down, you want to slowly extract the flavors.
• Don’t put salt in your broth.  Remember you are using it in a recipe, you will be adding salt to the recipe.
• Leave the lid off, on such a low temperature, you won’t lose much to evaporation.
• When making beef stock use smaller bones with lots of tendons, marrow and collagen and you’ll have lots of rich nutrients.
• Bay leaves are basic to flavor. Don’t chop it but do tear it in half. Fresh or dry leaf does not matter.
• Chef’s cook their broth long and low. Often times the stock is made at the end of the night and the Chef turns it off in the morning.  Do not do this at home unless you want to risk a kitchen fire while you are sleeping.
• The riper the veggies the better = more flavor.
• Fish stock only takes 10 minutes. Use the whole fish leftovers including the eyes. Remember the lesson about density? Little bones don’t take much time to breakdown.
• If you want to cool down stock, it will take forever if you put a big pot in the refrigerator, so put it in smaller containers, or leave it near a window with the lid off until it’s cooled down a bit.
• Use a very fine mesh strainer to remove veggies.
• Remove fat in meat broths using a ladle.  You can save the fat for your recipe if you want.

Here’s that I learned about soup:

• To thicken clear soups, you don’t have to use corn starch or flour: try mashed Garbanzo beans, wet blended bread, cooked puréed rice, or nuts.
• Soups will last about 3 months in the freezer.
• An Immersion Blender is a great tool for pureeing warm soup; avoids putting something hot into your blender.
• If you do use a blender, don’t use a lid, it keeps the heat in. Instead cover with a wet towel to release steam.
• Instead of adding flour or cornstarch to small amounts of liquids and adding it to your soup, thicken it with Roux. Lightly melt some butter and quickly stir in flour to create a paste.  Cook on medium until the flour has broken down.  This avoids the raw flour flavor.
• Don’t forget to salt your soup as you go so the flavors are enhanced.  If you salt only at the end, you get salty soup.
• Why should you rinse rice several times before putting it in soup? The cloudy starch leaches into the water, strain it and let it dry a little and it won’t make your soup cloudy.
• Tomatoes come in one shape in winter –canned. There is no flavor in tomatoes in winter, so buy organic canned tomatoes because they were canned during their summer peak.
• When making Miso Soup, miso can be like glue, so you must use low, gentle heat and add it slowly a teaspoon at a time.
• Turmeric is called “Saffron for the poor.”  It keeps for a long time and is cheaper.  Chef says the best Turmeric comes from Iran and Spain.
• Don’t forget, when making soup, shred ingredients if you want to eat fast.
• Different rice matters. Some, like Tamaki has nutrients and is still white. Don’t substitute brown rice in soup until you know it works.
• Can’t cook a soup without fat. First, it will have no flavor. Second, you need it to absorb nutrients for your brain, hair and skin, etc.
• And the answer to a pet peeve of mine…Never leave tomato paste in a can, the acid reacts with the iron and creates rust. Put it in glass and use your fingers to get rid of the air before refrigerating it.

Extra Credit:

• Chef is not a big fan of poaching because you lose nutrients. In France, they poach in white wine and herbs, reduce the liquid and then make a sauce. Oh yeah!
• See Day 2 & Day 1 of the series.

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Paris 2010

Reflections, lessons learned and tips for other travelers.

• I experienced French people as very warm and helpful and I believe it was due to one tip I received before I left. Greeting everyone with a hearty (never a wimpy) Bon jour! Hello! is culturally correct and signals to continue in English. Upon leaving, say au revoir! I watched French people’s faces tighten when Americans came up to them and did not greet them properly before asking for whatever they wanted. In France, not greeting people first is discourteous.

• I traveled with a Nook ereader and read Eiffel’s Tower, (Jill Jonnes). A page-turner centered on the  brilliant & wealthy engineer Gustave Eiffel working to complete his tower in time for the 1889 World’s Fair.  Jonnes’ book was the perfect tour guide, filling my head with a rich tapestry of characters including Gauguin, van Gogh, Whistler, Buffalo Bill & Annie Oakley, Thomas Edison, journalists, dandies and politicians.  As I walked through museums and explored the androissments (neighborhoods) of Paris, I experienced a feeling of living history because of this wonderful book.

• Trying to describe Paris in a few words, someone said to me, there’s nothing that compares to Paris. I agree. First, it is really big, with a population of almost 12 million people. (San Francisco has less than 1 million people.) It’s the number 1 tourist spot in the world; I’ve never seen so many monuments, concourses, parks, old buildings, statues and museums all in one place. The Seine, canals, boats and bridges create a moving picture that gives the city a special energy and life force.

• Seven days  was perfect for my introductory trip. I took an easy and comfortable morning high-speed train from Frankfurt, Germany and by noon I was enjoying a lentil salad and glass of rosé in Paris.  Every day I walked towards a museum or monument, exploring as I went. If you ask me if I saw such-n-such, the answer is yes.

• It’s easy to travel alone in Paris, but it’s lonely. Unfortunately, my hubby can’t walk well and Paris is a walking city. Seeing the kissing couples along the Seine bummed me out. On the other hand, I made sure my hotel had high-speed wireless and we video-chatted every day.

• I’m glad that my first trip  to Paris was in late August. The city is much quieter and therefore less overwhelming.  My luxury boutique hotel was behind the National Assembly and the politicians were on summer break. I can only imagine what that neighborhood is like when they are in session. On the other hand, the bistro nearby was excellent in service and quality and the gendarmes (police) were everywhere making me feel very safe. (I highly recommend my hotel and neighborhood.)

• My two favorite memories of Paris are the people and the food. Before I arrived, I envisioned myself spending afternoons lazily sitting in cafes sipping cappuccino. It was even more fun than I imagined.  I enjoyed delectable pastries and every brasserie, casual bistro, high-end restaurant and deli served delicious food. I never felt awkward dining alone and was treated like a queen. Upon arrival at my one splurge lunch, the host greeted me, Bon jour Mademoiselle, we’ve been waiting for you!

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Among California wine professionals, posts discussing hospitality faux pas elicit copious responses. Tasting room jobs are sought after by wine enthusiasts willing to work long days, special events and weekends. No matter how tired or disturbed they are, they can’t show it. If the winery’s mission is to be known for it’s wonderful hospitality, staff can’t carry around any negativity; admittedly a tall order but it’s the difference between a hit & miss winery and an excellent winery.

Industry professionals are often flummoxed by two arguments: 1) who is at fault–the seemingly rude customer or an employee listening with an agenda? and (2) what comeback might be justified as a response.

In Germany, I had an amusing exchange with a restaurant worker who was overwhelmed and listening with an agenda.

Three minutes after leaving my hotel, it started to rain and quickly turned into a deluge.  I ducked into the nearest restaurant along with 100 other people.  Literally, an almost empty restaurant was immediately packed.  A greeter told me to order at the counter, gave me a little credit card and said to pay on my way out. I queued up with other patrons who sent their children scurrying to secure tables.  I watched and listened carefully so I could find my way through the process. When my turn came, speaking only English, I told the Italian who spoke German that I wanted a house salad and to add prosciutto to it. I had followed the lead of the woman in front of me who had requested chicken on her salad.

The man glared at me and said, “you want ham?!”  I replied, “prosciutto.”  He then flung his hand into a tray and pulled out a fist of ham, “this is ham!,” he bellowed, then he turned, opened a refrigerator and took out a tub of uncooked chicken, “This is chicken! What do you want?” I wondered why doesn’t a guy who’s name must be Carlo Giovanni know the word prosciutto?

A well-dressed German lady offered to translate, “what do you want, maybe I can help?” she asked sweetly.  I timidly said, “prosciutto?” She slowly turned and eye-locked the guy behind the counter; without another word being said, he shut his mouth, look chagrined and put prosciutto on my salad.

My second hospitality story is a fable with the moral at the end.

My first morning at a 4-star hotel in Paris, I enjoyed some packet-coffee and cream in my room, took a shower, washed some laundry in the sink and contemplated my 7-day stay. I had reservations elsewhere but booked this hotel after coming in two days early. I absolutely loved the hotel I was in, so I decided to stay the full week and cancel my other reservation.

Perhaps since I had just enjoyed 5-days in Germany and was thinking about the impressive efficiency I had experienced, I decided to write down my preferences for coffee and laundry and give it to the hotel staff.  I waltzed downstairs and handed my little note to the lady at the desk and announced, “Since I’m staying for a week, I thought I’d let you know my preferences.  Is it okay to have 3 coffees and six creams in my room every day? And I’ll reuse my towels, so don’t wash them daily unless I leave them on the floor.” I said all of this sweetly with a smile, so imagine my surprise, when the short French lady with the sturdy frame said with a poker-face, “We can not do that.”

“You can’t give me 3 coffees and 6 creams?” I asked, genuinely taken aback.

“No,” she continued with a completely straight face, “That was your welcome, only.” I replied, “I’ve never heard of such a thing, you don’t replenish the coffee packets?” “No, it is only your welcome.  You have coffee at breakfast. And we change the towels every day.  Some hotels don’t, that is not how we do it here,” and then she dismissed me with a curt movement of her head.

As I walked around Paris, I thought about both of these exchanges.  The Italian-German was obviously listening with an agenda so he could not hear my request;  perhaps I was the only person ever to ask for proscuitto on my salad so he did not trust his hearing.  I had also probably offended the order of things, orderliness is  revered in Germany, so my bad.

With Grace (who I later found out was the manager) I concluded that although my intention was good, I had come across as a rude American and she had got me back good.  I smiled when I realized that she had got me back in her French way; a straight face and just saying, nope, can’t do it, even though of course she could. When I returned to the hotel, my room was exactly as I had requested, and the next morning, I waltzed down the stairs and shared a knowing smile with her, Good Morning Grace! she smiled back, Bonjour Mademoiselle.

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Some birthdays involve big trips, lovely parties, friends or family, but this year, I’m resting.  My spirit says, give yourself the gift of quiet time. I made no plans except to care for myself.  As I happily played in my garden, I opened a beer and turned on the radio.  A Reggae tune came on, transporting me back to college…good times, good friends and a decidedly slow pace on weekends. (Was it a sign?)

When I give someone a birthday card I always wish them a fabulous year ahead.  Last year was packed with parties/events, wine tasting, work, and unfortunately some personal crises.  Frankly, if the next 12 months are a little calmer, I’d love it.

So this year, all I have planned is a trip to Germany (as a guest of Wines of Germany) & Paris (my gift to myself), a reasonable work-pace and of course, the best gift in the world will be an improvement in my Hubby’s spinal injury.  Keeping my fingers crossed and a positive thought, and making a big wish when I blow out  my candles.

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