Whisk! Don’t Churn at Bowery Poetry Club

Whisk! Don’t Churn at Bowery Poetry Club

THIS COMING SATURDAY:


Saturday May 16 2009
6:00pm -7:30pm

Concert CD release of:
“Whisk! Don’t Churn!”
Nicole Peyrafitte
(voice, video, electronics, whisk & sweets!)
Michael Bisio
(double bass)
&
with guest poet & producer
Pierre Joris
$8
Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
(212) 614-0505

CD Details: here
Read  reviews: here
Get the CD: here (though if you come to the release party Saturday the CD will be available on donation)

And you can always find out more about my works on:
Cooking Parties
Nicole’s Website

Cherry Coke Foie Gras

Cherry Coke Foie Gras

Cherry Coke Foie Gras
photo: Josh Stansfield

“She is making Cherry Coke Foie Gras!” says Ariane, nodding her head, pursing her lips, and cracking a demi-smile. She looks at my face and quickly adds: “she always wanted to do it. Ariane Daguin, the Foie Gras goddess and childhood friend, is talking about her daughter Alix.  Rose, Ariane’s best friend, and I have just been picked up at the corner of Madison ave. & 52nd street, and the  three of us are now en route to Ithaca (N.Y) for the last Underground dinner of the season organized by an independent group of talented and inventive students from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. Alix Daguin is a founding member and one of the main emulator of the smart and energetic Underground cohort.
So we are excited to attend the Underground #3 dinner installation and the last event of the season. The five hour drive passes very fast despite traffic, weather, anxiety to be late — and all that thanks to Rose & Jacques’ interaction. Jacques is Ariane’s French speaking GPS, who is much better at keeping us entertained than at giving accurate directions!

The premise for tonight’s dinner:  six of the Cornell students work on six separate courses mentored by a master chef; each has to create one dish to be served to forty guests (2 servings of 20). The mentor chefs were: Daniel Boulud, Eric Ripert, Anthony Bourdain, Drew Nieporent, Rick Tramonto, and Francois Payard. The location is the beautiful private home of Ann Druyan and the late Carl Sagan on Cayuga Lake (all dinner proceeds are going to the Carl Sagan Foundation). Cocktails are  served outside, overlooking the lake; there we meet Ann Druyan who graced the evening with her generous and caring hospitality —Ann is a writer, and also the founder and chair of the Carl Sagan Foundation. We are now called to dinner. We are taking our seats in the impressive below ground glass veranda. We look down at the kitchen, we look up at the trees, we are in a dreamscape like setting and the Nicolas Feuillate champagne helps!

grouppix

The level of attention for details and care is very impressive. The chefs and waiters show total command throughout the soiree. The menu is creative, exciting, balanced and imprints my memory with beautiful flavors. I will not give a detailed review of every dish but I do need to return to the Cherry Coke Foie Gras. Yes! The idea is provocative, and I have to admit that for once the evil ingredient made itself discreet and (to me) it is it’s best usage ever!  The Cherry Coke is used in the reduction, and acts as a gastrique (If i remember correctly I think that 2 cans are used for 40 servings), then the Cherry Coke demi-glace is spooned out under a perfectly pan seared slice of Foie Gras, accompanied by preserved black cherries, and garnished with a few slivered almond. The combination of the Foie’s silky texture, the fleshy tartness of the cherries and the light crunch of the slivered almond created a subtle balance of flavors and textures. Bravo! Alix, you sure are carrying on the family tradition with style and inventiveness. Bravo! to the entire Underground team,  I hope that I will be asked back, I heard that not everybody makes the guest list. For more info read the review in the The Cornell Daily Sun of the Underground Dinner #1 and do not miss the video below. Meanwhile drool while reading the menu! & Thank you Ariane for taking me along.

Menu
Cherry Coke Foie Gras
Alix Daguin mentored By Rick Tramonto

Rabbit and Chanterelle Tamales with  Mole Trio
Nicole Leong and Anna Bauer Mentored By Anthony Bourdain

Finger Lakes Schuyler Cheese filled Ravioli with Green Peppercorn
Kevin Relf Mentored By Daniel Boulud

Pan Seared Halibut with Shellfish Emulsion and Spring Vegetables
Max Kellman Mentored By Eric Ripert

Beef Tenderloin with Marrow Parmentier and Spring Garnish
Peter Roumanis Mentored by Drew Nieporent

Lemon Verbena Sorbet
Katherine Kiess

Chocolate Toffee Cake
Danielle Tsuzuki Mentored By Francois Payard

Molokhia, Corète potagère, Corchorus Oilitorius,ملوخية

Molokhia, Corète potagère, Corchorus Oilitorius,ملوخية

It can be spelled Molokhia, Mulukhiya, Malukhiya, Molokia; A.k.a: Juteplante in Germany, Jew’s mallow in the UK, corète potagère or chanvre du bengale in France, Crain-Crain or Krin-Krin in francophone’s Africa, Corchorus Olitorius in Latinand finally, in Arabic, ملوخية. Until my trip to a Syrian grocery store yesterday in Bay Ridge, NY, I had never heard of it. It is a very well known Middle Eastern & African mucilaginous leave-vegetable that grows easily; it belongs to the family of the Tiliacea. It as been cultivated for century both in Africa and Asia, it is found wild on both continents.

Same family as jute (white jute is Corchorus capsularis and Tossa jute Corchorus olitorius). Raw jute was exported to the western world to make cordage, ropes and is better known in the USA as burlarp.

Once cooked the leaves produce a viscous or gooey texture similar to okra. I bought a frozen pack and since I knew nothing about it, I just followed the simple recipe on the package, just adding a few pickled chili pepper . Next time I will add a few drops of fresh lemon juice.

Molokhia soup

Molokhia Soup Recipe
Drop frozen molokhia in 2 cups of boiling water or broth.
Mix often until totally unfrozen.
In a sauce pan melt 1 tbsp of butter and lightly brown 6 finely chopped garlic cloves adding a pinch of coriander.
Add the molokhia, stir, adjust seasoning and serve.

So voilà! my dinner last night:  Molokhia soup and a batch of home made French fries. It was a quick, unusual and satisfying dinner.

Februa

Februa

Collective unconscious memories of ancient February festivals —helped by Ovid’s Fastis. This piece is part of the Calendar Series.

Februa
(February/Fevrier)


play song

Februa, Februa
Carnival, blood, goat, dog
Don’t pan-ic
She no she wolf
He no he god

Februa, Februa
It’s a stick, it’s a laugh

She could be your mother
Bringing flowers
To your boundaries


Musicians: Benjamin Chadabe, percussions & Anne Githler, flutes
Text & collages: N.P

1 11 12 13 14 15 17