Results tagged: Fernand Point

Here's a short list of gift ideas that looked interesting to us. Happy holidays!

Loves Wine:
Visit the Terroir gift store for a selection of wine themed T-shirts presumably designed by the grape guy himself, Paul Grieco. T-shrits like the one celebrating winemaker, Bartolo Mascarello, poster-man for sticking to traditional methods of producing wines while everyone else looked for the short-cut as well as a simple shirt that says, "jerez de la frontera" are available, each for $19.

Loves a Variety of Meats:
Pick up a house made terrine from chef Pierre Landet of Cercle Rouge. A half-pound (minimum order) serves 4-5 people and costs $47.50 and can be ordered by calling 212-226-6252 before Dec. 19. Would make for a nice hostess gift or Christmas day hors d'oeuvres.

Loves Pig and Beer:
Purchase a gift certificate to Blue Hill's 4th annual sausage and beer dinner. Partake of this 5-course banger and brew fest at Blue Hill Manhattan ($150) or upstate at Blue Hill at Stone Barns ($190). The dinner will feature fresh and cured sausage and meats paired with locally brewed beers. Check out Blue Hill's newly designed website and watch video of some of the featured farms that Blue Hill sources their product from.

Loves the Ocean:
Marx Foods has several different oyster samplers to choose from. You can order 3 dozen live Pacific oysters for $105  or choose the Live Oyster Sampler, which includes 4 dozen Pacifics, Kumamotos, Virginicas, and Olympias for $114.

The Book Lover:
Whenever we interview a chef, we ask what cookbook inspires them. One of the most recommended books is Ma Gastronomie by the legendary French chef, Fernand Point. This outstanding book was just republished and includes a forward by Thomas Keller.

Photo: geishaboy500 on flickr

Starchefs has an interesting article titled 'How to Cook an Egg' with Chef Joël Robuchon of L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon that involves the use of a thermal circulator and insulating foam. Robuchon and his cohort have determined that the perfect egg must be cooked in a water bath at exactly 63.5 degrees for 45 minutes before being served. Cooking it at just a half degree higher tempurature results in a mushy yolk and an unappealing dish when served plainly.

If you find yourself wanting a well cooked egg, but don't have ready access to sous vide equipment here's a more manageable method involving a pan, some butter and a little heat. This "recipe" of Fernand Point's can be found in the first few pages of The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine, Rudolph Chelminski's fascinating biography of the brilliant, troubled Michelin 3-star chef Bernard Loiseau.

"Place a lump of fresh butter in a pan or egg dish and let it melt -- that is, just enough for it spread, and never, of course, to crackle or spit; open a very fresh egg onto a small plate or saucer and slide it carefully into the pan; cook it on heat so low that the white barely turns creamy, and the yolk becomes hot but remains liquid; in a separate saucepan, melt another lump of fresh butter; remove the egg onto a lightly heated serving plate; salt it and pepper it, then very gently pour this fresh, warm butter over it."

As a non-chef my egg cooking goes something like this: heat pan, add butter, crack egg, wait. After trying Point's method, however, I have to admit that it sure does make for a reliably tasty egg. So when you're assigned brunch responsibility at next month's PCPD meetup or you just want to treat that $2 greenmarket egg with respect, a little focus on the details goes a long way.