Bear Cuisine

Salad of White Asparagus and Celeriac

White Asparagus is everywhere in French markets in the spring. Farmers go to a lot of trouble to grow this colorless vegetable. This salad makes excellent use of the prized white asparagus and offers a vegetable tip for cooking artichokes, white asparagus, celeriac and Jerusalem artichokes when you want to keep their color.

SALAD OF WHITE ASPARAGUS AND CELERIAC

(Serves 6)

• 18 Even-sized (not too thick) white asparagus
• 1/2 celeriac, peeled and diced into 1 cm squares
• about 12 chestnut mushrooms, depending on size (may substitute shitaki, shimeji or sliced oyster mushrooms)
• 2 tablespoons sweet walnuts
• enough watercress, rocket(arugula) or other small mesclun greens for a base of green on six plates

DRESSING

• 6 tablespoons walnut oil plus 2-3 extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar 
• salt, pepper, pinch powdered mustard
• couple of drops of truffle oil (optional)

To cook the vegetables in a "blanc": This is the cooking method for white asparagus artichokes, celeriac and Jerusalem artichokes when you want to keep their color; it also give them texture.

Peel the white asparagus and discard the base of the root at the point where it begins to toughen. Peel the celeriac and dice as required. Take 2 saucepans large enough to fit the vegetables and place a spoonful of flour in the base of each. Using a whisk, add in enough cold water to cover the vegetables, and bring each to the boil, stirring with the whisk to prevent lumps. Add one of the vegetables to each pot and cook until just tender to the taste, but a little crunch--about 6 to 8 minutes, depending on toughness. Drain and combine in a bowl; set aside.

Rinse the mushrooms if necessary, or wipe over carefully. Set aside. Wash and prep the greens; set aside. As near as is comfortable before diner, put a film of olive oil on a pan and quickly saute the mushrooms just enough to give them a sheen. Add to the bowl, without stirring them in.

The Dressing: Combine all the all the ingredients except the truffle oil in a jar or bowl; season and set aside until dinner.

To Serve: Place a bed of greens on each serving plate. Shake or whisk the dressing and pour over the combined vegetables and mix. Pile in the center of the greens, dot with sweet walnuts, add a few drops truffle oil is using and serve immediately.

Carving a Leg of Lamb

Even in the blistering heat of a southwestern summer, a roasted leg of lamb can be a great dinner. Outdoor grills were made to cook such delights. While we were at La Combe en Perigord, Di Holuigue showed us a very neat and easy way to carve a leg of lamb. My efforts at carving have always been pretty much hit and miss. This method makes it almost foolproof. I don't remember the name of the very cool tool that she used to hold the bone, but I think one could easily make do just by grasping the bone with your hand. Not elegant, but I know it will work.

What could be simpler? And it makes for a very nice presentation on the plate or platter.

Artichauts et Feves en Ragout

Artichokes are relatively easy to find in the markets starting in the spring; but here, in America, Fava beans are harder to come by. I guess I should qualify that by saying that here, in New Mexico, one hardly ever sees them in the markets. So, you can imagine my excitement when one of my favorite vendors at the Santa Fe Farmer's Market had them in abundance a few weeks ago. Their lovely beans made it possible for me to make one of the favorite dishes I learned to cook during our stay at La Combe en Perigord.

This recipe is from Diane Holuigue and the pictures in this post are of her showing us how to prepare the artichokes for this dish. If you follow them, you will have a very complete picture of how to cut up these prickly vegetables.

RAGOUT OF ARTICHOKES AND BROAD BEANS

(serves 4 to 6 as a vegetable)

1. 5 large globe artichokes
2. 1 kilo broad beans
3. Juice of a lemon
4. 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
5. 3 tablespoons olive oil
6. 2 tablespoons dry white wine
7. few sprigs thyme
8. chopped parsley
9. salt, pepper

Peel the broad beans and blanch 2 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain, refresh under cold water and peel off their greyish outside layer. Set aside.

Wash the artichoes and cut off the length of the leaves to about 2 cm above the level of the artichoke bottoms. Leave a little length in the stalk, peel this with a knife and pull away any outer leaves that look tacky. Cut in four and, using the point of teaspoon, remove any vestige of the choke (hairy part).

Acidulate them with lemon juice to prevent discolouration. Make a "blanc" (put a heaped tablespoon flour in a saucepan and whisk while filling it with water then bring the water to the boil), add salt and blanch the artichokes 4-5 minutes our until just tender. Drain and set aside until needed.

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the artichokes sections and grease them well without coloring. Add the wine and the garlic and thyme, salt and pepper. Stir once, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer very slowly for 15 minutes. After this time, add the broad beans and cook a further 15 minutes.

Check that the artichokes are tender, the seasoning correct, then stir through some chopped parsley and serve.

We had this with lamb in France, but it was equally delicious with roast chicken.

Le Vieux Logis, Tremolat

The farewell lunch marking the end of our time at La Combe en Perigord was at Le Vieux Logis, a Relais et Chateux hotel and a Michelin-starred restaurant. The setting was absolutely idyllic and Chef Vincent Armould, "Un des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France,' prepared a gorgeous and sumptuous meal for us. The perfect end to a perfect week.

  


LES ASPERGES VERTES  (asparagus with foie gras)                                                                   

LE POIREAU ET LA POMME DE TERRE  (green onion and pototo)                                                            

LE SAUMON  (salmon)                                                                                     

  LE SANDRE  ( a fresh-water white fish similar to Pike)                                                                                  

LE COCHON (pork)

LE CABECOU  ( a regional cheese in a creme brulee)                                                                                                                            

LES FRAISES   (lemon sorbet with basil)                                                                                                                                 

LA POMME ET LA RHUBARBE   (rhubarb and apple in gelatin(                                                                                                                   

         LA NOIX     (walnut )                                                                                                                             

In the U.S., this would have been a called a "Tasting Menu." No serving was that large--just enough to savor the flavors and satisfy the palate. If you are in the Perigord, this is a restaurant that should definitely be on your list of places to go.    

 

 

Tourain Blanchi

After wandering the streets of Perigueux on a rainy, chilly morning, we had worked up something of an appetite. Our group gathered for lunch at an outdoor cafe, Cocotte et Cie. On the menu was a soup that is unique to this part of France, Tourain Blanchi. The best way I can think to describe it is  as a sort of garlic-egg drop soup. I found a recipe for it on a French website: auFeminin.com. I haven't yet tried to make it so I am offering this recipe untested. The version I enjoyed was quite tasty and bracing on a blustery day.

 TOURAIN BLANCHI

• 15 cloves of garlic
• few springs of thyme
• few leaves of sage
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vinegar
• Salt and Pepper

Heat two liters of water

Peel the garlic cloves and press them. Put them in boiling water with salt, pepper, thyme and sage. Cook for 3/4's of an hour. When cooked, taste and adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper is necessary.

Break the eggs and set the whites aside.

Pass the soup through a fine sieve.

Return to the heal and boil, then remove from the heat and ad the egg whites all at once, stirring well.

Beat the yolks with the tablespoon of vinegar, then put this mixture into the bottom of a bowl. First add a little soup and stir well; add a little more and so on until you have 1/3 of the soup added, then add all of the remaining soup.

Serve hot with parsley and croutons.