Book Review - Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine, and the End of France

Before getting into my review of Michael Steinberger's fascinating exploration of the French food and wine culture, I want to take a moment to wish all of you who care for children, in whatever capacity, a happy Mother's Day. I hope your day is bright and that you are showered with the affection you are due. You deserve every accolade that comes your way. I'm not cooking today, so I thought that rather than reprise an old recipe, I'd use this post to share my thoughts regarding Steinberger's book Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine, and the End of France.

Make no mistake about it, while this book is a eulogy, it orchestrates a funeral that respect and curiosity for the deceased will prod you to attend. Three decades ago the French food establishment ruled the culinary world. Nowadays, the world's most influential chefs and most sought after restaurants are no longer French. Segments of the French wine industry have been in shambles since the Judgement of Paris favored American over French wines, and the French artisanal cheese industry is fighting for its life. Cost, consumption and complacency have all contributed to the decline, but the root causes are more pervasive and Michael Steinberger takes a look at them all.

He begins with a brief history of French food and the great chefs who codified its recipes and service. He moves on to interview today's top chefs and a handful of bright young chefs who are attempting to stay the decline. Even the once untouchable Michelin Guide is examined and its role in the decline is explored. There are, of course, visits to vineyards and a dissection of the appellation system that has actually contributed to the problems it was designed to prevent. And then there is McDonald's and its influence on French food culture. France, which has become a fast food nation, is the 2nd most profitable market in the world for McDonald's and other food conglomerates are bringing artisanal cheese makers to their knees.

All this gloom and doom, in the hands of a lesser writer, would be too academic to enjoy or find even passably interesting. Fortunately, Michael Steinberger is a gourmand who has a way with words. He knows what he is talking about and he manages to ferret out truly interesting and humorous characters to flesh out his tale. This is a funny book that takes a hard look at what went wrong in France. It is obvious that Steinberger loves France and has an affinity for its people, and while he may report the funeral, you get the feeling he wants to be wrong and would rather not attend. I urge all of you who love food and/or France to read this sharp and witty dissection of French food culture.

                    

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Chillin' with Icy Desserts for Mother's Day

My Thought for the Day can be found, here. If you like it, please let us know with an official  thumbs up.

Happy Mother's Day. Another year has passed, and we've all lived to tell the tale. I hope you have a wonderful day and are surrounded by a doting and appreciative family, who truly know your worth. If they don't, we do. I've closed my kitchen for the day, so while I have no new recipes to share with you, I do have two older recipes that will be making an encore appearance in this post. Both are cold, lime based desserts that I think you'll enjoy as much as I do. They are perfect for chillin' on a warm spring day. Here are the recipes.

                                                                   Key Lime Sherbet

Ingredients:
3 cups water
1-1/4 cups sugar, divided use
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup key lime juice, strained
2 to 3 drops green food coloring (optional)
2 egg whites
Salt

Directions:
1) Place water, 1 cup sugar and corn syrup in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat; continue to boil for 5 minutes. Set aside; cool to room temperature.
2) Stir in lime juice and food coloring, if using. Pour into a shallow metal pan. Place pan in the freezer and freeze until solid throughout. Place bowl and beaters of an electric mixer in the freezer as well.
3) Remove pan from freezer. Quickly break up lime mixture with a wooden spoon; turn into frozen mixer bowl. Beat with frozen beaters at low speed, just until mixture is lump free. Remove bowl containing lime mixture from stand and transfer immediately to the freezer. Return beaters to freezer as well. Refreeze.
4) When the mixture is refrozen, place egg whites in a small mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt; beat until slightly thickened. Add reserved 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites hold their shape. Set aside.
5) Remove lime mixture from freezer, Break up with a wooden spoon. Beat with chilled beaters until just smooth. With mixer set to low speed, beat in egg whites only until just incorporated. Immediately return bowl to freezer. Refreeze, folding gently from bottom to top, two or three times during freezing process. Serve firm. Yield: 6 cups.

                                                                  Cold Lime Souffle

Ingredients:
5 large eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar + sugar for coating extensions
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest + additional zest for garnish
3/4 cup lime juice, strained
1 tablespoon (1 envelope) powdered gelatin
1-1/4 cups heavy cream, lightly whipped
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1) Cut four strips of parchment paper or aluminum foil to fit around four 8-ounce baking cups. Fold each strip in half lengthwise. Tie strips around souffle cups to extend the height of each by 1-1/2 inch. Brush extensions generously with melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar to coat, tapping out excess. Set aside
2) Combine egg yolks, 1 cup sugar and lime zest in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is thick and pale, about 3 minutes.
3) Heat lime juice in a small pan until warm. Slowly beat into yolk mixture.
4) Pour 1/4 cup water into a small cup. Sprinkle with gelatin and let sit until gelatin softens. Fill a small skillet with water; bring to a boil. Lower gelatin bowl into water; stir unti gelatin is dissolved and clear. Cool slightly. Add to lime mixture, beating on low speed until combined. Transfer to a large bowl, cover and refrigerate until thickened but not set. The mixture should have the consistency of a light cream sauce. Fold whipped cream into lime mixture with a spoon.
5) In a separate bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold whites into lime mixture until just combined. Spoon into prepare souffle dishes. Refrigerate and chill until set.
6) When ready to serve, combine 1 cup whipping cream and confectioners' sugar in a 1-quart bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Remove collars and top with whipped cream. Sprinkle with lime zest. Yield: 4 servings.

Strawberry Panna Cotta with Strawberry Compote

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Mother's day is just a week away and I wanted to present a few dessert recipes for you to consider before the day is here. The first of the entries is figure friendly and designed for health and diet conscious eaters. It's a panna cotta, and when it's made with small field ripened strawberries, only the cook will know the dessert has been lightened. The key to the success of this dessert, however, lies in the flavor of the berries, and, to be honest, I wouldn't bother with it when local berries are less than prime. Even then, I enhance its flavor with a berry extract, that can be found at the sources listed at the end of the recipe. The recipe for the panna cotta first appeared in Gourmet magazine and can now be found on the Epicurious website. Comments associated with the recipe indicate that some readers had problems getting the panna cotta to stiffen enough for unmolding. To avert that problem, I've increased the amount of gelatin in my version of the recipe and recommend it be made a full 24 hours before you plan to serve it. While I make and serve the fruit compote that accompanies the recipe, I also like to use a bit of melted strawberry jam as a sauce for the panna cotta. This is not necessary, but it adds wonderful color to the finished dessert. This is really easy to make and I think those of you who try it will enjoy it. Here's the recipe.

Strawberry Panna Cotta...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Gourmet Magazine and Epicurious

Ingredients:
Panna Cotta
3 cups sliced strawberries (1 pound)
1-3/4 cups well-shaken low-fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon strawberry flavoring (optional)
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
Compote
2-1/2 cups strawberries (preferably small; 3/4 pound), trimmed
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons superfine granulated sugar

Directions:
1) To make panna cotta: Blend strawberries, buttermilk, strawberry flavoring, salt and sugar in a blender until very smooth, then pour through a very fine sieve into a medium bowl, pressing hard on solids. Discard solids. Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small bowl and let stand 1 minute to soften. Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add gelatin mixture, stirring until dissolved. Whisk gelatin-cream mixture into strawberry purée and pour into 6 (6-oz.) molds. Chill molds, covered, until firm, at least 24 hours. To unmold, dip molds in a small bowl of hot water 2 or 3 seconds, then invert panna cottas onto dessert plates and remove molds. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes to soften slightly.
2) To make compote: While panna cottas stand at room temperature, halve strawberries lengthwise if small or quarter if larger. Whisk orange juice and superfine sugar together in a bowl until sugar dissolves. Add strawberries and toss to coat. Serve panna cottas with compote. Yield: 6 servings.

Source for strawberry extract can be found here.







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Strawberry Rhubarb Compote - Gina's Skinny Recipes
Fresh Strawberry Pie - Sing for Your Supper
No Bake Strawberry Yogurt Cheesecake - Little Corner of Mine
Strawberry Shortcakes - The Flourishing Foodie
Strawberry Cake - Petit Foodie
Strawberry Cupcakes - Sugar Plum
Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars - Sugar Crafter
Strawberry Linzer Cookies - Beach Lover Kitchen
Strawberry-Sour Cream Ice Cream - Confections of a Foodie Bride
Strawberry Sherbet - Shih's Cooking