Good vs Evil:

An evening with Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert

Last Thursday evening the Foodie Girls
went to see Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert
in the show Good vs Evil at the IU Auditorium.

Eric Ripert was the Good
while Anthony Bourdain was the Evil,
and played the part of the Devil's advocate
with relish.

These two unlikely friends opened the show by taking turns

grilling each other, 

asking pointed and often embarrassing questions.

The answers were honest and often just as embarrassing.

Just so you know, this was not a child-friendly venue.
Anthony can out-swear a sailor
and you will find out that truffle oil is better used
as a personal lubricant than a cooking oil.
And now we all know - whether we wanted to or not.

Ahem...

After that,
the two gentlemen visibly relaxed, took more comfortable seats,
popped open beers,
and began discussing all things food.

They finally closed the show out with a Question and Answer
segment; taking questions from the audience.

It was obvious that both chefs were enjoying themselves.

It was also quite obvious that the audience had fun listening to 

the two men chat, pontificate, and sometimes rant.

What did we learn?

Eric Ripert dislikes rude chefs and

believes that a professional kitchen can be run well

without the executive chef screaming and swearing

at the help.
He even asked that the house lights be raised so that
he could ask for a show of hands from the audience:
"How many of you like to go into work and be
screamed at and bullied by your boss?"
Point taken.

The Grand Tasting Menu with wine

at Le Bernardin, 

Eric Ripert's four star restaurant in New York City,

will set you back $325 per person.

 

Eric believes strongly in being responsible stewards 

of our planet as we are merely visitors here.

Anthony posed a hypothetical question for Eric:
suppose there is one Blue Fin tuna left on Earth
and the Japanese have killed it.
Not only is it the last Blue Fin tuna,
but it is the very best Blue Fin tuna.
Would you eat some of it?
Eric adamantly said no,
he would not and could not.
Anthony said F**k that,
he's eating that fish.
I have to say that I agree with Anthony on this.
The fish is already dead at this point.
I would hope that a few cells had been saved so
the fish could be cloned, though.

Chef Ripert would never have hired Anthony Bourdain

as a chef at his restaurant.

Anthony laughed and agreed that he was never 

a good enough chef to work at Le Bernardin.

Anthony bristles when asked if he is qualified

to be a judge on Top Chef,

given that he isn't good enough to compete on the show.

His counter is that after spending the last

several years eating his way around the world,

he knows if a "risotto is (expletive deleted) good or not."

Anthony Bourdain spends about 250 days a year

on the road and adores his young daughter and wife.

Anthony firmly believes that as a guest,

you should always eat what you are given and

be thankful for the food and gracious to your host.

Anthony also believes that we should eat more

organically grown foods.

Anthony is hopping mad about the hypocrisy of

Paula Deen pushing her unhealthy take

on Southern food, while hiding the fact that 

she had Type II diabetes until she sealed

a deal with a drug maker to hawk a 

diabetes medicine.

He is very concerned about the rising rate 

of obesity in America.

During the Q & A segment,

the chefs were asked whether one should

go to culinary school first or just start working 

in a restaurant if one wants to become a chef.

Eric answered that one should not believe

that one is a chef after coming out of 

culinary school.  

One still needs the experience of the kitchen.

Anthony replied that before going to culinary school,

spend a year in the kitchen so you can be sure

that being a chef is what you really want to do

before you spend the money for school.
Also, one should be in good physical condition.

And both agreed that one shouldn't expect 

to become rich and famous if one becomes a chef.

When asked what is American Cuisine,

Eric said that it is fusion cooking, 

a mixture of all the foods from all the other countries.

Anthony answered that it is what we are 

cooking now.

It isn't what our great-grandparents

or even our grandparents made.

All in all,

it was an evening filled with laughter

as well as insights into the world of food

and the minds of these two very different men.

The Foodie Daughter and I also had purchased

VIP tickets to the after-show backstage party.

Hors d-oeuvres were provided by 

Finch's Brasserie and Restaurant Tallent.

A cash bar was set up for those who wished to drink.

Books by the chefs were available for sale 

and the gentlemen were seated at a table,

ready to sign autographs.

The Foodie Daughter had a tiramisu ice cream

and I tried some meats and cheeses 

from a charcuterie board.  

The meats were from Smoking Goose,

a meat shop in Indianapolis.

I then purchased the book

Avec Eric, by Eric Ripert

and the book Medium Raw,

by Anthony Bourdain.

The Foodie Daughter very nicely stood in the autograph line

for me while I waited in the food line for Restaurant Tallent.

I decided to be brave and try my first raw oyster.

It was good and I would do it again!

I didn't take any pictures of the food as the lighting was so poor

and it was very crowded.

I joined my daughter in line and we chatted while we waited.

And there they are.

Look, we're on stage!

Finally we got to meet Anthony and Eric.

They both were gorgeous and gracious.

I got both books signed 

and the Foodie Daughter got her program autographed.

We then got our picture taken with the two men.
I have to admit that I don't remember much after
shaking hands with Anthony Bourdain.
I think I also shook hands with Eric Ripert?
I do recall telling both men that they just had
to come back to B-town and try out the restaurant scene
some time.

Le sigh.

It was a wonderful evening and I had so much fun.

The Light Totem stands outside

the Indiana University Art Museum.

Another light column inside the atrium.

The art museum was designed by 

world-renowned architect, I. M. Pei.

The Light Totem reflects colored lights

 against the facade of the Art Museum.

Many thanks to my dear husband for paying for the evening

and to the Foodie Daughter for putting up with me.

I was, as she put it, "like a child in a candy store."

I think she was ready to ground me.

Cat, Interrupted

Today I was innocently sitting in our library, getting ready to watch No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. When what to my wondering eyes should appear? My cat. My cat who apparently decided that sitting on the desk, and incidentally blocking my view of the TV, was the right thing to do.

Ah, even the guy on the television is trying to see over the cat. Maybe I shouldn't have the cat's glass of drinking water sitting there?

And Midnight is completely oblivious to the fact that he is interrupting my time with Anthony Bourdain. Bad kitty.

Culinary (Mis)Adventures

There is no doubt that food and flavors play a huge part of our lives. Memories of mom standing in front of the stove, churning out food for the family are etched in our minds and imprinted upon our psyche. And it is easy to see that this experience can easily lead us to either absolutely love or merely just tolerate food.

My own memory conjures up the acrid smell of canned spinach, heartily doused with distilled white vinegar, boiling away on the stove. It subsequently took me several years to be able to subdue the automatic gag reflex from that particular culinary memory. Coincidentally, it also took several years for me to realize that I do in fact love spinach. Raw spinach. Preferably paired with some red onion, sliced Crimini mushrooms, a few pieces of crisp bacon and dressed with a warm bacon vinaigrette.

Likewise, it has taken me half my adult life to learn to truly appreciate mushrooms. But, given that my entire childhood experience with the fungus came in the canned form, you must forgive my reticence for embracing the ‘shrooms. Nowadays? Give me some lovely Criminis on a fresh salad or lovingly sautéed in a bit of good olive oil and butter, and I am in heaven. Even better yet, sauté some morels when they are in season, and you will understand my new found joy.

We did not have a lot of money growing up, so we had to make do with what we had. My parents were either very fond of beef heart or it was dirt cheap, because it was a common dish in my house. My parents would try to pass it off as steak, but I always knew. How could I not know? What can I say about beef heart? It is a strongly flavored meat, tasting more of beef than even the most pungent aged piece of steak. Beef heart is also incredibly tough. No surprise there, given just how hard the heart must work to keep the creature alive long enough to reach the slaughter house.

Oh, and then there is the aromatic dish of liver and onions. I know of no other dish that is more likely to chase vermin and loved ones out of the house than that one. One of the first things I told my husband 25 years ago was that I would never make him liver and onions. If he wanted the dish, he’d have to go elsewhere for it because he would never have it at home.

I do know of one dish that might give liver a run for its money, though. Occasionally, we’d camp with a large family who were known for one dish in particular. Boiled beef tongue. Early in the morning the father would start the fire while the mother prepped the tongue and cut the vegetables. The tripod would be set up, with a large kettle of water hanging over the fire. The tongue and the various veggies would then be tossed in and the fire would be tended throughout the day, as the tongue needed that long just to become palatable. That particular shade of grey is forever etched in my mind and not in a good way. Perhaps it was good, but the color combined with the smell of the cooking dish was more than enough to turn me away from enjoying the experience.

Looking back now, I realize that my mother seemed to have been oblivious to the fact that vegetables came in any other form than canned. We only had fresh corn on the cob when it was given to us or we children were directed to snatch some field corn from some unsuspecting farmer’s field. Potatoes, iceberg lettuce, carrots, celery, cucumbers and onions are the only vegetables I can recall us having had fresh back then. Though it certainly could be that more simply wasn’t available in the grocery stores thirty or forty years ago.

Likewise, the only fresh fruits I can recall from my childhood were bananas, grapes, oranges and grapefruit. Lemon juice came in a bottle, while peaches, pears and pineapple resided in cans.
There is also the matter of spices and herbs. Never did my mother’s kitchen cabinet contain more than iodized table salt, ground black pepper, ground cinnamon, garlic salt, onion salt, ground nutmeg, oregano and whole cloves, which were only used to stud a whole ham. Today, my kitchen contains no fewer than sixty different herbs and spices. In addition, I grow several herbs and harvest them for use in making my own Herbes de Provence blend.

As a child, eating out was a rare treat. I could count on one hand the number of times a year we did go out to eat. But even then, the ‘treat’ was to eat industrialized cafeteria food that was worthy of any hospital. To this day, green Jell-O has a special place in my heart.



Now that I have finally grown up, I have come to appreciate food in a way I never could have imagined as a child. Now I will hunt out new vegetables to try. Now I watch hours of cooking shows, hoping to learn new techniques and recipes. Now I read food blogs and learn how other home cooks approach the matter of food. Now I will search diligently in books and on line for any way to put a new spin on an old favorite. I can also tell you that I am the proud owner of sixty-three cookbooks, including two that I have written. In addition, I have two books on culinary adventures written by Anthony Bourdain.

I will admit that the journey to culinary awareness is not always easy. For instance, I recently purchased broccolini for my family: we hated it. Despite assertions that it has a milder taste than traditional broccoli, we found the opposite to be true. And while I liked the roasted Brussels sprouts I made, my family begged me to not ever make them again.

There have also been times when I have wanted to try a new recipe, even going so far as to purchase all the necessary ingredients, only to chicken out and return to the familiar. It can often be a leap of faith to mess with what already works.

Reality also jumps up and plays havoc with our culinary experience. Learning that chicken was causing most of my asthma attacks has greatly changed my eating habits. It’s no longer a matter of simply ordering whatever sounds good on the menu or blithely picking out a packaged product at the grocery store. I have learned that I must ask questions and demand answers when eating out. And given that I absolutely adore Asian foods, the language barrier can present a bit of a problem. I strain to read the fine print on packages at the grocery store since I really don’t want to go to trifocals just yet. But I somehow manage, and I am learning that there is indeed life beyond chicken. Who knew?

At about the same time, my college-age daughter began to develop an aversion to processed foods, resulting in many upset stomachs. Thus, between my allergy and her aversion, very little in the way of processed foods now finds its way into our home. I make my own stocks or buy the better quality boxed stocks. I use herbs and spices rather than seasoning packets. We make macaroni and cheese from scratch rather than from a box. Sauces are often assembled rather than poured out of a can or jar. Salad dressings are usually made from scratch and lemon and lime juices come in round containers that must be squeezed and that can be zested rather than the top unscrewed. I use kosher salt or sea salt for cooking and table salt is reserved just for the table. Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee is regarded as the last true sitcom on television rather than a real cooking show.

Then, there are the precious times like last night. That morning I seared a beef rump roast in olive oil and seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper before placing in a slow cooker. A bit of chopped Vidalia onion and garlic cloves were added along with homemade turkey consommé. The beef happily simmered away for several hours before I removed the roast to a plate and the consommé to a saucier. The consommé reduced over high heat while I pulled the beef apart by hand. Once the consommé had reduced by 2/3, I added catsup, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, white wine, hot sauce, brown sugar and ground cayenne pepper. By a happy coincidence, the sauce was finished cooking by the time I had finished burning my hands, er pulling the beef. Everything then went back into the slow cooker for another couple of hours. My daughter told me that this was one of the best things she had ever eaten. She said it was so good that the beef could be eaten as is, without the bun. We have subsequently been put on notice that she has laid claim to the remaining beef. Believe me when I tell you that it is best to just walk away at this point. No point in risking one’s life here.

And still the desire and the need to improve and broaden our culinary horizons beckon and we keep reaching. There are always new foods, new techniques, new recipes to try. What will be our new favorite food?

In the end, food is the great unifier in life. It is what brings us all together and it transcends language barriers, political and sociological differences.

A Super Spread: The Highlight Reel

We come back from the first commercial break and the announcer shyly admits that she missed two of the players on tonight’s lineup: the Sassy Turkey Bites and the Sassy Chicken Bites. She will be forced to endure the good-natured ribbing from her colleagues for the remainder of the game.

1st quarter, 3rd and 15: The coach is reducing the beef consommé and beef juices in a saucier on the stovetop when her assistant coach, Mr. P, asks her to peel an onion so he can make his cheese ball. While I am peeling, my husband points out that the liquid in the pan is bubbling over onto the stovetop. I instruct Mr. P to pick the pan up and get it off the heat. Seeing that he is hesitant to do so, I rush over to remove the pan from the heat. The referee calls: Illegal motion on the play; 5 yard penalty.

2nd quarter, 2nd and 5: The coach is preparing the Sassy bites and asks for her star player to go in to the game to take care of the chicken bites.
Kelley: why do I have to help?
Me: because this party is for you and Justien too, and she’s allergic to turkey.
Kelley: I didn’t ask you to make all these appetizers.
Me: well, I could do what other people do and make a pot of chili.
Kelley: Ugh, I hate chili.
Me: then get to work.
The call on the play is face mask; 10 yard penalty.

3rd quarter, 1 and 10: The food is ready and the players and assistant coach are ready to help themselves when. *Whistle* Mr. P is caught trying to use the tongs for the Sassy Chicken Bites for the Sassy Turkey Bites (remember, one person here is allergic to chicken, the other is allergic to turkey). He gets a chorus of "Don't cross-contaminate the food!" for his trouble. The call: Unsportsmanlike conduct; 15 yards.

The 2 minute warning: While the assistant coach and the players are engrossed in the game, the coach, after having ensured that the cold food stayed cold and the hot food stayed hot, begins to clean up and put things away. Dishes are cleaned by hand, the dishwasher is full and ready to be run at a later time, and the kitchen faucet has been cleaned of debris so the water once again flows nicely. And how else did the coach pass the time? She surfed the internet, watched Wedding Cake Challenges on Food Network. She turned the channel to HGTV when the challenge with the annoying bride came on, she read a chapter of Anthony Bourdain’s A Cook’s Tour. Then, after all was put away and cleaned up, she went to bed before the final play. After all, the coach had taught her assistant and her players well. She knew they would do their jobs and win the game.

Building a Dream

Reading one of my favorite blogs by Rosie Hawthorne about her recent kitchen remodel has put me back in the mood to work on renovations in my own home. We have many plans for finishing spaces, but alas, money (or the lack thereof) has delayed this much anticipated construction. My husband would like to add a lower deck on the back of our house; my daughter would like to finish the basement, adding a bathroom and kitchenette; and I would like to finally finish the room above the garage.

The attic room is above the garage.

When we bought our house almost 10 years ago, we had every intention of finishing the room above the garage, turning it into a spare bedroom. Over the years, that vision has altered, and I have laid claim to that space. In that spirit, I have decided that I want to do most of the work myself, so that I will truly own the end result. The room is 11’ x 22’, with a ceiling height of 7’ in the middle while the knee walls are 5’ tall. There is a window that faces north and I have plans on putting a closet in on the other end of the room, which will shorten the room by 2 or 3 feet. Thus far, I have put dry wall on the end walls, added 2 ceiling lights to the stairway, moved one of the ceiling fixtures in the room, rewired the lights, moved an outlet, and laid out where the closet will go. In fact, the only jobs I anticipate needing help with are moving the door to the house from the garage (so this room will actually be inside the house), cutting the door to the room, hooking the heating and a/c ductwork to the system, and the carpet installation.

Getting ready to drywall the end wall. The closet will go here later.

As I have rewired lamps and changed out light fixtures in our house before, I was not intimidated by the prospect of doing the electrical work myself. It took an afternoon to install the stairway lights, with the only problem being a loose wire that was easily found and corrected. Adding a new light switch for the room’s ceiling lights was a bit more problematic. After several frustrating attempts to correctly wire the switch, I finally realized that I had been trying to wire it as I would wire a light fixture. Wrong. A light switch is wired all together differently. (Read: I finally read the directions. Yeah, I can be so masculine in that. Instructions are for wimps!) So now I know. Moving the light fixture and the outlet were more a matter of brawn than finesse, so that went easily. Although, I do seem to remember the hammer bouncing off the ceiling fixture and hitting me in the forehead…

The new light fixtures. The stains on the ceiling are from when a can of cola exploded during a cold spell several years ago.

I have hung drywall before, so that too was relatively easy, if not heavy. While the side walls are still open, I took the opportunity to install spacers behind the existing insulation in the sloped ceilings. Believe it or not, those spacers will help protect the roof and prolong the life of the shingles.

Now I need to purchase more insulation and get back to work. Then I need to get drywall, 2x4’s for the closet, doors and wood trim. Oh well, one step at a time.

And just what do I plan to do with this room? It will be my own personal retreat from my family and the world. I have already told my husband and daughter that they will not be welcome there. I have no hope of keeping the cat out of there, so he will be allowed access. This room will be my refuge when the weather is too cold, too hot or too rainy for me to sit out on my back deck.

I plan on installing cable so I can have my own TV and watch Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations and snark away on Sandra Lee and her faux food to my heart’s content. A daybed will allow the room to be used as an occasional guest room or just as a place for me to nap, while a library table will hold my laptop computer and bookshelves will house my garden books. I also anticipate my dollhouses moving up there (much to my husband’s delight) and will likely decorate the room with a garden inspired theme.

Sigh, yet another home improvement project that is on hold.

This doll house only needs to be wired for lights. The sign reads "Rose Cottage Garden Shoppe".

I made all the furniture in this shop.

Let’s see: first I’ve got to clean off those stairs so I can actually get up there. Then I need to buy a few rolls of insulation… I can hardly wait.

Houston, we have problem.