ASHLEY SEARS/ASHLEYSEARS.COM
D1 January 6–12, 2017
A Taste of Palm Springs on D6
www.EpochTaste.com
Good Stock makes elevated versions of the classics, such as its Roasted Tomato soup and Short Rib Chili, as well as more creative soups, like Rabbit Pot Pie.
Liquid Comfort At Good Stock, these soup masters take the humble soup to a higher level By Channaly Philipp | Epoch Times Staff
C
Good Stock
GoodStockSoups.com West Village Location 31 Carmine St. (between Bedford & Bleecker streets) At Urbanspace Vanderbilt 230 Park Ave. (East 45th Street & Vanderbilt Avenue) West Elm Pop-Up 75 Front St. (at Main Street), Dumbo, Brooklyn Mondays & Thursdays Noon–2:30 p.m.
While pureness of heart is surely something between them and their maker, Santos and his business partner Ben LeBlanc, the founder and owner of Good Stock, must be doing the right thing. In addition to their location at the food hall Urbanspace Vanderbilt and their weekly pop-up in Dumbo, this week they’ve just opened a brick-and-mortar location in the West Village. LeBlanc, a southern Louisiana native, left a career in finance (he liked his work, he said, but it wasn’t his calling) to head into the soup business, and he did it with eyes wide open. He knew that going into the restaurant business was going to be risky, and that “a focus within that is probably even riskier,” he said. He knew that if it was going to work, Good Stock had to offer the best soups possible. “We’re not going to do anything that we’re not going to be incredibly, incredibly proud of,” he added.
SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
hef David Santos must have been channeling Beethoven as he recently described what makes a great soup. “It’s a symphony: You have the brass playing, the strings, you have layers and layers. In the end, it’s a culmination of all your pieces and all your layering, and you have something beautiful,” Santos said. “To me, it’s the difference between a really great soup and something that’s just thrown together, an afterthought.” Speaking of Beethoven, well, the composer considered himself to be somewhat of a connoisseur of soups. (One book calls him “a kind of oracle on the subject,” and it’s said that he once threw an unsatisfactory soup at a waiter.) Beethoven considered, of all things, the character of the cook to be an essential part of making soups. In 1817, he wrote in a letter about a servant who had once told him a white lie to spare his feelings. The servant was soon dismissed. “Whoever tells a lie cannot be pure in heart—and only the pure in heart can make a good soup,” he wrote.
These guys don’t mess around with their soups: Ben LeBlanc (L) and David Santos.
See Good Stock on D4
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January 6–12, 2017 www.EpochTaste.com COURTESY OF VALRHONA
JANUARY SPECIALS AT BENOIT
COURTESY OF VALRHONA
For a limited time, Benoit is making galette des rois, a cake traditionally made to celebrate the Epiphany. Benoit’s cake is filled with frangipane, a sweet almond cream. Available from Sunday, Jan. 1 to Tuesday, Jan. 31, the cake serves about six. $29. Benoit will also serve a family-style menu featuring cassoulet, the hearty French stew of white beans, pork, and duck. The set menu will include an amuse-bouche, appetizer, and dessert. Available from Monday, Jan. 9 to Sunday, Jan. 15 for parties of two or more. $60 per person. Benoit 60 W. 55th St. (between Fifth & Sixth avenues) BenoitNY.com
Weekend Pick
PIERRE MONETTA
Ladurée’s vanilla-flavored hot chocolate.
Lafayette’s hot chocolate with white chocolate Chantilly and vanilla marshmallow.
Valrhona Warms Up the Town With Hot Chocolate Festival By Annie Wu | Epoch Times Staff Valrhona, the French chocolate manufacturer beloved by pastry chefs and chocolatiers, is collaborating with top pastry and dessert shops in New York City for the second annual Hot Chocolate Festival. Participating shops will serve up specially crafted hot chocolate drinks made with Valrhona chocolate, such as Ladurée’s vanilla-infused hot chocolate; Lafayette’s hot cocoa with white chocolate Chantilly and vanilla marshmallow; Dominique Ansel Kitchen’s hot chocolate with chocolate whipped cream; and Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery’s hot cocoa spiked with orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. The other partici-
pants are La Maison du Chocolat, The St. Regis hotel, Sugar and Plumm, Epicerie Boulud, Baked, Patisserie Chanson, and Almondine Bakery. For every hot chocolate (whether specialty or regular) sold at the shops, 50 cents will be donated to Valrhona’s Clean Water Project, an initiative to provide water filters to villagers in Los Ranchos, Peru. The village is located in northwest Peru, where a nearly extinct variety of cocoa called Gran Blanco was recently grown and harvested by Valrhona in collaboration with local farmers. Valrhona is also hosting a kickoff event on Jan. 18, where attendees will meet the pastry chefs and get a first taste of the special drinks. $35 per person.
Galette des rois.
It’s hot chocolate galore.
Festival: Saturday, Jan. 21–Sunday, Feb. 5 At participating locations ValrhonaChocolate.com Kickoff event: Wednesday, Jan. 18 6:30 p.m.–9 p.m. Ladurée SoHo 398 W. Broadway (between Spring & Broome streets) ValrhonaHCF. Eventbrite.com
CULINARY HISTORY OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION Culinary historians Jane Ziegelman and Andrew Coe will speak about what American dinner tables looked like during the 1930s. A sampling of 1930s-era dishes will precede the historians’ lecture on how food, politics, and culture converged during the Great Depression. $40 per person. Wednesday, Jan. 11 6:30 p.m. NYU Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health 411 Lafayette St. (between West Fourth Street & Astor Place) Fifth Floor CulinaryHistoriansNY.org
Emilia Romagna
IS THE REASON YOU GO TO ITALY CULTURE • FOOD & WINE • CARS • WELLNESS Emilia Romagna is a region in northern Italy, extending from the Apennine mountains to the Po river in the north. Its rich culture has constructed much what Italy is loved for —refined cities, cars, rich gastronomy and wellness. Find out what you missed last time you went to Italy:
VISIT EMILIAROMAGNATURISMO.COM
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January 6–12, 2017 www.EpochTaste.com CHRISTINA MULE
OLD-SCHOOL MEXICAN MENU AT NO FUN Lower East Side bar and restaurant No Fun is serving a new menu of classic Mexican dishes, such as posole, the pork and hominy stew; cemitas (burgers) with either a smoky beef or fried chicken cutlet, Oaxacan cheese, charred onions, avocado, and chipotle mayo; and sopes, corn cakes topped with either chicken or steak, radishes, and salsa. No Fun 161 Ludlow St. (between Stanton & East Houston streets) NoFun-NYC.com
TACO TUESDAYS AT ANEJO At upscale Mexican restaurant Añejo, chef Ricky Camacho will debut a series of special tacos served every Tuesday, to be revealed on social media each week. Some of the taco specials include beer-braised beef tongue with pastramispiced mayo, pickle, and mustard seeds; grilled octopus with chorizo rillette, pickled jalapeño, and black ash; Mexican blue shrimp with garlic oil, kale, Tabasco, and yuzu guacamole; and “beer can chicken” with aged cheddar, black pepper crema, and applewood-smoked bacon. $5 each. Tuesdays Añejo 301 Church St. (at Walker Street) 668 10th Ave. (at 47th Street) AnejoNYC.com
Posole stew with pork and hominy.
Weekend Pick
THE BLACK AND BLUE SANDWICH
STEVE HILL
APPRECIATION CLASSES AT THE CANNIBAL
The popular burger joint Black Tap is joining hands with fried chicken sandwich spot Blue Ribbon to create The Black and Blue: a sandwich featuring buttermilk-dredged chicken fried in housemade spicy oil, with pickles and Black Tap’s signature buttermilk-dill dressing. Available throughout the month of January at Blue Ribbon and from Jan. 20 to Jan. 22 at all Black Tap locations. $8.95.
The Cannibal’s certified beer expert Eric Singer will be hosting a beer appreciation class every Saturday. The classes will cover beer ingredients, beer history, and the science of brewing. Each class will also pair food with beer samplings. Gluten-free beer sessions can be arranged. $75 per person. Saturdays 3 p.m. The Cannibal Beer & Butcher 113 E. 29th St. (between Park & Lexington Ave.) Eventbrite.com (search “The Cannibal”) COURTESY OF THE CANNIBAL
Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken 28 E. First St. (at Second Avenue) BlueRibbonFriedChicken.com All Black Tap locations BlackTapNYC.com
The sandwich is a collaboration between Black Tap and Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken.
Take a peek inside the American pantry.
EXPLORING AMERICAN CUISINE Sarah Lohman’s recently published “Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine” documents the rise of eight ingredients in the American cupboard: black pepper, vanilla, curry powder, chili powder, soy sauce, garlic, MSG, and sriracha. She will be discussing the topic with Jonathan Soma, a lecturer on the chemistry of food.
The Cannibal’s selection of craft beers.
COURTESY OF THE MEATPACKING DISTRICT
HOLIDAY HANGOVER IN THE MEATPACKING DISTRICT
Tuesday, Jan. 24 7 p.m. 92nd Street Y 1395 Lexington Ave. (at 92nd Street) 92Y.org
During January, restaurants in the Meatpacking District are participating in an event to benefit the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). One dollar from each specialty drink purchased will go to support the ACLU. The drinks include the Fig and Walnut Julep, with bourbon, elderflower liqueur, port, muddled black mission figs, mint, and shaved walnuts at Fig and Olive; the Onabay Cabernet Franc (from North Fork, Long Island) at High Street on Hudson; the Domaine de Vens-le-Haut Mondeuse rouge at Foragers Table; and the End of the Maze, with Lemorton Calvados, Amaro di Angostura, ginger, cinnamon, Bigallet Thym liqueur, and lemon at Sons and Daughters.
SPECIALS AT TAIM FALAFEL At Taim each month, a different guest chef creates a unique falafel sandwich. In January, chef Einat Admony is collaborating with food blogger Molly Yeh to serve Yeh’s specialty: falafel dressed with mint, spicy pickled onions, and preserved lemon yogurt.
Through Tuesday, Jan. 31 Taim Falafel 222 Waverly Place (between West 11th & Perry streets) 45 Spring St. (at Mulberry Street) TaimFalafel.com
Through Tuesday, Jan. 31 Participating restaurants Meatpacking-District.com
The Meatpacking District.
WINE SPECIALS AT BOUCHERIE French brasserie Boucherie will serve all their bottles of wine at half price, Sundays to Wednesdays, until Feb. 12. The wine list includes bottles from wineries in France, Spain, Italy, and the United States. $60 and up.
Through Sunday, Feb. 12 Boucherie 99 Seventh Avenue South (at Grove Street) Boucherie.NYC
BRENT HERRIG PHOTOGRAPHY
WE’RE MORE THAN MEATS THE PLATE MIDTOWN 551 Fifth Avenue 212.972.3315
WORLD TRADE CENTER 136 Washington Street 212.608.0171
HACKENSACK One Riverside Square 201.487.1303
GREAT NECK 777 Northern Boulevard 516.498.2950
WHITE PLAINS 9 Maple Avenue 914.683.6101
MORTONS.COM
Compiled by Annie Wu/Epoch Times Staff
Weekend Pick
D4
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January 6–12, 2017 www.EpochTaste.com SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
A HEALTHY TAKE ON THAI Delicious & unique dishes you can’t find anywhere else, made with authentic spices and preparations. We offer a selection of organic meats and healthful side dishes like brown rice and quinoa.
Good Stock founder Ben LeBlanc (L) and chef-partner David Santos.
1718 2
nd
avenue
Larb Duck
(btw 89 st. & 90 st.) NYC E Sarn Grilled Steak
T. 212.289.8889 www.ThaisNYC.com
Liquid Comfort Good Stock continued from D1
Authentic Japanese GMO FREE
When you taste the Japanese food at Momokawa you will know it is the real thing. Each ingredient and every detail ensures the most authentic experience.
Momokawa Prix Fixe Menu Small Course (service for two or more) • Appetizer • 2 kinds of Sashimi • Choice of Sukiyaki or Shabu-Shabu (Sauté meals cooked at the table)
LeBlanc’s first choice of soup was a most contentious one: gumbo, around which in his native state there are plenty of intense debates and endless comparisons. “No one’s gumbo is as good as my uncle’s, my Grandma’s. My mom makes the best. ... Uncle Jerry’s is better than this.” “You have it at Christmas, at tailgates, at the fishing camp, at graduation—it’s a very emotionally connected food,” he said. He knows when he gets Louisiana folks eyeing the menu because they look dubious. “You’re from Louisiana, aren’t you?” he asks them and gets nods. “You don’t think the gumbo will be any good, do you?” he then asks. More nods.
Using the best ingredients you can buy will always make a difference. David Santos
ASHLEY SEARS/ASHLEYSEARS.COM
• Dessert
$48/per person A L SO AVA IL A BLE: DA ILY LUNCH SPECI A L S (12 P.M.-4 P.M.)
Momokawa 157 East 28th Street | 1466 1st Ave (btwn 76 and 77) (212) 684-7830 | momokawanyc.com
2nd Location
Taste the beauty of artful Thai cuisine
THE NUAA
LAUNCHING A
The Roasted Tomato soup. ASHLEY SEARS/ASHLEYSEARS.COM
BRAND NEW MENU Fried Chicken and Andouille Gumbo. ASHLEY SEARS/ASHLEYSEARS.COM
(212) 888-2899 1122 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10065 www.thenuaa.com
Short Rib Chili. The heirloom beans are sourced from Rancho Gordo in California.
ASHLEY SEARS/ASHLEYSEARS.COM
THAIS NEW YORK
The Portuguese Kale soup. Soup prices range from $7 to $12.
You can’t really fault them, though, because as LeBlanc will tell you, it’s very, very hard outside of its home state or places like Charleston to get a good gumbo. LeBlanc’s version, tested endlessly and approved by Louisiana family and friends, is more Cajun than Creole, and it is made with a super-dark roux made with the chicken fat used to fry the chicken. Yes, there is fried chicken in this gumbo, in addition to andouille sausage and rice. And it has won over those skeptical visitors from Louisiana. Santos and LeBlanc are in essence soul, er, soup brothers, united by a common philosophy to make the best food they can. LeBlanc, who was running Good Stock by himself and sorely in need of help, found a chef-partner in Santos, after the latter had to close his restaurant Louro. In the kitchen, Santos, who’s always been prone to experimentation, famously kept a perpetual stew going, named “Stu,” fed by the day’s leftovers and in turn offering rich flavor in dishes, from his garlic soup to his lobster chawanmushi. (For those who are solicitous: About a pint of Stu is cryogenically preserved until the time comes to revive him.) Santos is all about technique. Even in something as simple as tomato soup, the tomatoes and onions get a nice roasting to draw out their sweetness first. And “using the best ingredients you can buy will always make a difference,” Santos said. “Ingredients and technique,” added LeBlanc. “But even before that, you have to care enough to buy better products; you have to care enough to spend 10 hours to make chili.” They do the math: It turns out that, with the soaking of the beans—amazingly toothsome heirlooms from Rancho Gordo in California— combined with the de-stemming, de-seeding, and roasting of three to four different kind of chilies, the searing of the short ribs, and the braising to bring it all together, the process adds up to three days. The result is of such complexity, the flavors bloom in succession in your mouth, while slow, complex heat unfolds over bites of savory short rib. May music lovers forgive me, but it truly does taste like a symphony. When asked for some tips for making soups, Santos, in a sort of eerie echo of Beethoven, said that if you don’t care, “there’s no direction on earth that will help you. It’s the plain and simple of it. You gotta care to make something good.” Of course, there’s that emotional tie. People often pick what has an emotional appeal—a memory of soups past, perhaps, and first-timers often spring for the chili, tomato soup, or gumbo. Those three are always on the menu. And then there are two rotating soups, and that’s where LeBlanc and Santos experiment a bit, from pepper pot soup, to a Rabbit Pot Pie soup with a drop biscuit over the top. It might have been the Louisianians’ gumbo to my Southeast Asian-raised taste buds, but I had a flashback when I had the coconut chicken soup. It was so familiar, but about 100 times more elevated—a beautiful revelation of liquid comfort, mingling chilies, soy sauce, mirin, and fish sauce all together, into something greater than the sum of its parts.
D5
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January 6–12, 2017 www.EpochTaste.com
Chefs Offer Their Soup-Making Tips By Channaly Philipp | Epoch Times Staff Jenny Dorsey, chef and culinary consultant Use good ingredients and cook those ingredients appropriately. For instance, don’t overcook greens in a soup or boil the broccoli for an hour. I also think people over-rely on butter and cream to make soups thick and “creamy.” You can achieve that consistency with squash, for instance. I think a common misconception is that soup has to be cooked forever and ever for great flavor. Usually it does take a while for the flavors to marinate, but at some point everything begins to disintegrate too. Also, use homemade stock as a starting stock and salt as you cook the soup. Homemade stock is key, as is flavoring as you go. Timothy Dugan, executive chef, Restaurant Bornholm, Brooklyn I add all the stems from the herbs I will use, in the beginning. Remove them when the soup is almost done, then add the picked herbs at the end, giving it a nice bright flavor. A common mistake is adding salt at the start of the soup. As the soup reduces, it becomes more salty. There’s an easy fix for it, though: Just add some potatoes. The starch will suck up the salt and things will even out. I think most chefs agree that using homemade stock makes a world of difference. Storebought stock often has a sickening amount of sodium. Michael Lee, executive chef, Centrale Italian Kitchen & Bar, Yorktown Heights, NY You must season throughout the cooking process in an effort to extract all flavors and incorporate along the way. Never season only at the end. Matthew Robinson, food scientist, chef, and author of “Knickerbocker Glory: A Chef’s Guide to Innovation in the Kitchen and Beyond” The big difference between a good soup and a great soup is the stock. A homemade stock will be a better foundation than anything store bought. Other secret ingredients are those that add a bit of umami—Worcestershire sauce, mushroom, cured meat, spinach, or celery. The addition of fresh herbs just before serving is a great trick to add flavor. Ken Immer, president and chief culinary officer, Culinary Health Solutions You might imagine that my first suggestion of a “secret” ingredient would be a well-made stock. Honestly, it’s almost a requirement when we are talking about 99 percent of cooked soups. Once we do have a great stock to build a soup upon, there are a few ingredients that I think are key to really making a soup “pop.” A shot of an acid (lemon or lime juice, vinegar, wine) at the end of cooking can really perk up a soup that may have been overcooked in order to get all the beans or meat to really be tender. Fresh herbs are also best added both at the beginning and the end of the soup. If you’re using fresh herbs, even if the recipe only says at the beginning or at the end, be sure to do both. Umeboshi plum paste. This is a bit of an
Recipe from Patsy’s Italian Restaurant.
obscure ingredient, but you’ll be happy to note that Whole Foods, or almost any healthy grocery store, carries it these days. This ingredient has a very complex flavor profile that includes all the tastes: salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and that flavor we call umami that is almost magic. [It’s] especially important in vegan soups, [in] which it can be hard to develop richness. Bones of the animal. Using a bone-in piece of the meat that you are making the soup out of (or simply adding them while the soup is simmering and then removing before serving) is a great way of adding even more flavor and can be great when stock is just not available. Soy sauce. It isn’t only for Asian-style soups! Any soup that calls for red wine and/or tomato paste and is a “dark-colored” soup can benefit from a splash of soy sauce added at the beginning of the process along with that red wine or tomato paste. Caryn O’Sullivan, health and nutrition coach, author of “Soups! By the Season” As a nutrition coach, I believe soup is the gateway to health. Soup is the opportunity for meganutrition packed into a simple to digest and soothing meal. For bean-based soups, add kombu to make the beans more digestible and reduce the gassy effect of beans, as well as add a boost of iodine and other essential minerals to the soup. Adding one or two potatoes to a traditionally creamy soup, like cauliflower soup, will add a creamy element, so you can omit the dairy. Simply blend up and serve. The potatoes will add a boost of lysine as well, an amino acid that helps to fight viral infections and boost immunity. When making broth, add in fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, and oregano to pump up the nutritional value and add a subtle herbaceous background. Coconut milk creates a delectable soup without the added dairy and complements sweet vegetables like sweet potato, squash, and potato, as well as curry-based soups. For me, it is essential to use a broth that is well-flavored and not overpowering, especially when looking for a vegetable broth.
“The most delicious soup that I’ve ever had is our own Hot and Sour soup that we serve at La Thai,” said Diana Chauvin Gallé, the executive chef and owner of La Thai in New Orleans. “It’s my mom’s recipe. I’ve been eating it since I was 7 years old, and it’s still my absolute favorite.” Her mother, Punnee, affectionately known to all as Mama, introduced Thai food to the New Orleans dining scene in the 1970s, when she moved there from Bangkok.
• • • • • • • • • • • •
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/4 cup hot bean sauce 4 cups chicken stock 1 tablespoon shaoxing jiu (Chinese rice wine) 1/4 teaspoon sugar 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper Pinch of salt 1 chicken breast, steamed then chopped into small pieces (fat included) 1/4 pound silken tofu, julienned 1/2 cup drained canned bamboo shoots, julienned 1/2 ounce dried wood ear mushrooms (about 2 medium or 1 large), soaked in water for 1 hour, rinsed and julienned 6 small dried shiitake mushrooms,
Italian cooks know how to stretch their money. I was told that this wonderful bean and macaroni soup uses short pasta because the broken bits of the long varieties were sold at bargain prices. Everyone knows this by its name in Neapolitan dialect, pronounced “pasta faz-ool.” Years ago, a couple of regular customers returned from a trip to Italy and were excited to tell us about a great soup they had eaten called “pahs-tah fah-gee-oh-lee,” which is the textbook pronunciation. Nobody knew what the heck they were talking about until we wrote it down on paper. • 8 ounces small pasta shells or any small pasta for soup • 1/4 cup olive oil • 1 cup coarsely chopped yellow onions • 1 garlic clove, minced • 3 cups tomato sauce • 2 cups chicken stock or reducedsodium chicken broth • One 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley • Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water
to a boil over high heat. Add the shells and cook according to the package directions until tender. Drain and set aside. 2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. 3. Stir in the tomato sauce, stock, and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 4 minutes. 4. Stir in the cooked pasta and parsley and cook just until the pasta is heated through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot. This recipe can be found on page 34 of my new cookbook “Patsy’s Italian Family Cookbook.” A big, warm, beautiful Italian cookbook with full color throughout, Patsy’s Italian Family Cookbook is a great book for those who know the restaurant and love classic Italian dishes.
✁
RANDY SCHMIDT
Servings: 4
Makes 6 servings
NANETTE WONG
RECIPE HOT AND SOUR SOUP
PASTA FAGIOLI
Culinary consultant Jenny Dorsey says she uses fish sauce to boost the flavor of soups.
Our only location 236 W. 56th St. 212-247-3491 www.patsys.com
soaked in water for 30 minutes, julienned • 2 tablespoons cornstarch • 2 to 3 tablespoons chinkiang vinegar (Chinese black rice vinegar) • 6 sprigs cilantro, for garnish • 1/2 scallion, finely chopped, for garnish
DIRECTIONS Heat a large, flat-bottomed wok over high until hot. Add oil, then bean sauce, and cook until fragrant, about 5 seconds. Add stock, wine, sugar, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil. Add chicken, tofu, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms, and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover, and simmer for 3 minutes. In a bowl, stir cornstarch together with 3 tablespoons water. Uncover wok and return soup to a boil. Stirring constantly, add in the cornstarch mixture and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Take off heat and stir in the vinegar. Ladle soup into 4 bowls. Garnish with cilantro and scallions. Recipe courtesy of Diana Chauvin Gallé, owner and executive chef at La Thai, New Orleans
We, at Hatsuhana, realize that it is rare to find a “no gimmicks, no frills” approach to sushi. Sushi is a conceptually simple cuisine. Ironically, its simplicity also makes it complicated. Hatsuhana salutes the centuries-old methods used by prominent sushi restaurants and chefs in Japan. P H O T O S : E DWA R D D A I
Obsessive Attention to Detail T
he single inspiration that lead to the establishment of Hatsuhana was nothing more than the desire to introduce unsurpassed sushi and sashimi to New Yorkers. Since the first day we opened our doors in 1976, we have been a sushi specialty restaurant. This has helped us maintain our focus exclusively on sushi cuisine.
212.355.3345 www.hatsuhana.com 17 East 48th St, New York (btwn. Madison & Fifth Ave.)
Nearly four decades later, our mission remains unchanged. Obsessive attention to detail should be the norm for sushi restaurants, not something to strive for. The complexity associated with creating the ideal sushi rice. The fragrance of freshly ground wasabi. The freshest fish from around the globe. Please come by for lunch or dinner and let us show you what real sushi is like!
D6
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January 6–12, 2017 www.EpochTaste.com CHANNALY PHILIPP/EPOCH TIMES
COURTESY OF DESERT ADVENTURES
T R AV E LS
Visitors on Desert Adventures San Andreas Fault tour. The pancakes at The Café at Shields Date Garden, with a sprinkling of Deglet Noor dates on top.
Shields Date Garden.
Palm Springs An Oasis in the Desert
By Channaly Philipp | Epoch Times Staff
P
ALM SPRINGS, Calif.—In Hollywood’s golden days, actors were bound by the so-called “two-hour rule.” Rather than being their own free agents, actors had to sign up with a particular studio, and they were always on call. If summoned, they’d have to be back in Hollywood within two hours. They’d have to forget about getting away to Vegas or Mexico, but Palm Springs was within bounds. It became their retreat from the hectic hustle and bustle of show business. By virtue of its early glamorous association and its current favor among Hollywood A-listers, the greater Palm Springs area is unlike any other desert region. There’s also another, much older reason: Palm Springs, though surrounded by dust and sand, sits on top of an aquifer. It is both figuratively and literally a glittering, green oasis. The Palm Springs area, which encompasses nine cities with palm-lined boulevards and avenues, is easy to get around. The days are warm and sunny, with more than 350 days of sunshine a year. In wintertime, its temperatures are a dreamy respite for those hailing from cold, wintry places. Discovering Nature Hollywood stars of course weren’t the first to discover Palm Springs. For at least 5,000 years, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians (who prefer to be called Indians, not Native Americans) dwelt in its canyons, which provided access to springs and shade from the blistering sun. It’s this side of Palm Springs—its canyons, palm trees, cacti, and big-horned sheep clambering impossibly on vertical rock faces—that visitors often forget about. If you can muster the will to leave your hotel pool, there is a richly rewarding landscape, full of lore, that awaits. Joshua Tree National Park is about an hour away, but even at the edge of town, just beyond the celebrity homes that perch on the surrounding hills, there are fascinating canyons to visit. Bob Gross, one of the tour guides with Desert Adventures Red Jeep Tours, picked me up in a bright red jeep, regaling me with some stories and scandals of a bygone time and facts about
Palm Springs, though surrounded by dust and sand, sits on top of an aquifer.
JetBlue flies direct this winter from JFK to Palm Springs.
COURTESY OF DESERT ADVENTURES
the local geology (their San Andreas Fault tour is one of their most popular). We zoomed across town, dry, hot air against our faces, towards the Tahquitz Canyon—a spot of green, from the tall palm trees inside the oasis, against the gray rock faces. Their age is impossible to tell accurately. Unlike trees, whose rings betray their age, palm trees are monocots, in the same family as grasses. It’s a harsh landscape, but the few plants that met the eye had many uses to the Agua Caliente. Gross pointed to the mesquite tree as an example. The pods were ground into a paste and cooked to make flatbread. Chewing on a pod, I found it nutty, fruity. The sap was used to make dye and, when boiled, glue. Its flexible branches were used to make bows. And then there was a humble-looking plant, the creosote bush, that can draw out toxins from wounds and was also used as a contraceptive. How such a barren landscape could support plants with so many uses was mind-boggling. Another way to take in the nature is through hiking. Tallgrass Hiking and Tours is a good option if you don’t want to go on your own. Here, too, it’s enriching to have a guide to explain, for example, how a broken cactus ended up at the bottom of the river bed: It was head-butted by a thirsty bighorn sheep looking for something hydrating to eat. Spa Time After some hiking (or not), it’s time for some pampering, one of the prime pastimes in Palm Springs. The J.W. Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa is the largest spa on the West Coast, at 38,000 square feet, with 48 treatment rooms. It makes use of local ingredients in its treatments, such as citrus and dates. The resort’s setting itself is relaxing, with Venetianinspired waterways and gondolas ferrying guests around the property. In the city of Desert Hot Springs, natural hot spring pools are a major attraction at many hotels. They vary from spas like Two Bunch Palms, where an outdoor pool allows you to relax under the stars at night while guardian white owls look on nearby, to the lush setting inside El Morocco Inn & Spa. Many of the spas offer day passes. This trip was arranged by Visit California. CHANNALY PHILIPP/EPOCH TIMES
The shop at Shields Date Garden offers a bewildering variety of dates for sampling and buying.
Where to Eat Wilma & Frieda Go shopping at Palm Desert’s shopping complex El Paseo, and then refuel at Wilma & Frieda. (Be warned, it closes at 2 p.m.!) Choose your egg dish size according to your hunger level, from the Eeny to the Meany to the Miney, and yes, you guessed it, to the Mo’. A favorite is the Marion Blackberry Vanilla Custard French Toast that’s more bread pudding than French toast, with a perfect balance of blackberry glaze and fresh blackberries. If it’s lunch time, you can’t go wrong with the BLT & Avocado. Palm Desert. WilmaFrieda.com CHANNALY PHILIPP/EPOCH TIMES
Marion Blackberry Vanilla Custard French Toast. So.pa A testament to the warm weather, the restaurant So.pa— attached to the world-class L’Horizon Resort and Spa—is completely outdoors. Located in an intimate courtyard among mimosa trees, So.pa has dramatic accents provided by the elements—fire pits, fountains, and the nighttime wind. On a scale of zero to 10, this restaurant scores a 10 for its romantic vibe. Executive chef Jason Niederkorn, who hails from a very different climate—he previously worked at Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Colorado—isn’t shy with his use of ingredients from all over the world: from pomegranate molasses to kaffir lime to smoked sweet paprika. Palm Springs. LHorizonPalmSprings.com/SOPA-Restaurant Workshop Kitchen and Bar Once a 90-year-old movie theater, Workshop Kitchen and Bar won a James Beard Award for restaurant design. Located in the Uptown Design District, Workshop shows off American fare, using ingredients from farms within an hour of Palm Springs. Think local citrus in the Jidori Chicken Diavolo, or local corn in the Market Veggie Enchiladas. Palm Springs. WorkshopPalmSprings.com AUDREY MA
Workshop Kitchen and Bar offers farm-to-table fare. The dining at So.pa is entirely outdoors.
A fun way of exploring the nature surrounding Palm Springs is with a Desert Adventures red jeep tour.
So.pa’s Red Quinoa salad. PHOTOS IN CIRCLES BY CHANNALY PHILIPP/EPOCH TIMES
Shields Date Garden Dates are big business in the Coachella Valley, and Shields Date Garden highlights the fruit with a store that carries an incredible variety of them. Just be forewarned: These dates are so huge, sweet, and filling, there are only so many you can have at one time before you become entirely sated. An entertaining retro film, “The Romance and Sex Life of the Date,” which details the history of Shields Date Garden and the date industry in the Coachella Valley, plays inside the store. The cafe portion of the store serves, among other items, pancakes with date butter, topped with Deglet Noor dates. Indio. ShieldsDateGarden.com For more information, see VisitGreaterPalmSprings.com
D7
@EpochTaste
January 6–12, 2017 www.EpochTaste.com SARAH CROWDER VIA AP
RECIPE CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE STIR-FRY WITH GINGER AND OYSTER SAUCE Prep & Cooking Time: 35 minutes Servings: 4
A Comforting Stir-Fry on the
Lighter Side
the salt, the pepper, and the cornstarch until the chicken is well coated. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the oyster sauce, sesame oil, and sugar.
A quick, simple weeknight recipe.
From The Associated Press
Heat a large skillet or wok, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in the pan, then add the ginger and garlic and give a brief stir. Add the chicken and stir fry until it turns white, about 2 minutes. Transfer the partially cooked chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon.
Recipe by Katie Workman
Tapas, Pinchos, Pintxos, and Montaditos By Manos Angelakis
A Short History There are many theories about how tapas and pinchos originated and came to be popular. Some say it was King Alfonso X, following a bout of illness during which he could only eat small amounts of food with wine, who decreed that wine must be served with food. Others say it was farmers who began eating small snacks along with wine throughout the day to give them much needed energy between meals. In the 17th and early 18th centuries, tapas (from the Spanish word tapar, meaning “to cover”) were pieces of bread large enough to cover the mouth of a glass. At the time, the average Spanish wine, especially sherry, was much sweeter, attracting fruit flies, bees, and other winged creatures. Tapas kept insects from getting into the wine glass. By the mid-18th century, some enterprising Andalusian tavern owner realized that if your tapa had a piece of salty cured meat or cheese on it, the salt would cause thirst, and therefore customers would consume more wine. Another possible explanation for using a cheese tapa is that the strong smell of a very ripe cheese would cover the poor smell of cheap wine. That is why tapas of salty meat or cheese were free.
There are many theories about how tapas and pinchos originated and came to be popular.
The wide world of tapas awaits in Spain.
ZARZAMORA/SHUTTERSTOCK
Tapas or Pinchos? Tapas may be cold, such as mixed olives, cheese wedges, and jamón, or they may be hot, such as albóndigas (small meatballs in tomato sauce) or gambas al ajillo (fresh prawns in sizzling olive oil with garlic and chili peppers). In most bars in Spain’s larger towns, tapas have evolved into a sophisticated regional cuisine. A pincho or pintxo is a snack served atop bread, with a toothpick speared through it. The toothpick is not only used to keep the snack from falling off the bread, but also to keep track of the number of pinchos the customer has eaten. In most bars of the city of Salamanca, for example, pinchos are almost always a piece of meat, cheese, or pickled fish—or nowadays, even something more elaborate—skewered with a toothpick and served on a piece of bread. Sometimes they might be offering for free along with each glass of wine you drink. Except in large cities, tapas and pinchos are avoided at lunch. They are more of a late afternoon or evening snack, shared with friends while having a glass of wine or beer. In the larger cities, such as Madrid, Zaragoza, or Seville, it’s generally acceptable to make a quick lunch of them. In the regions of Catalonia, Andalucía, Navarra, and the Basque, tapas are regarded as the underpinnings of local culture and social interaction. It is very common for a bar or small local restaurant to offer eight to 15 different excellent tapas at the bar.
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Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, then add the sugar snap peas and peppers and sauté for 1 minute. Then add the spinach by the handful and stir-fry until it wilts, adding more as the volume goes down, until all of the spinach is added and somewhat wilted. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add the oyster sauce mixture, and return the partially cooked chicken to the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally for another 2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over the hot rice or quinoa.
Katie Workman has written two cookbooks focused on easy, family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.”
The days of free bar snacks are almost completely over in Spain, unfortunately. Nowadays, the free tapas and pinchos I remember from my earlier Spanish forays have been mostly replaced by charcuterie slices or small cooked plates, and most cost money. There is confusion, even among Spaniards, about whether tapas should always be free. Conventional wisdom says they should be, while pinchos are always paid for. Either way, tapas should never cost much money unless they are served at a fancy gastronomic bistro. Costly tapas and pinchos, or pintxos as they are dubbed in the Basque country in northeastern Spain, are targeted toward tourists.
WE NOW DELIVER!
Tacos Huaraches Chile Relleno Chilaquile Rojos Made to order
DIRECTIONS In a large bowl, toss the chicken with about half of
By Katie Workman After the holidays, our appetites can go in a couple of different directions. On the one hand, after a steady diet of stuffed birds and figgy puddings, we seek something lighter, something that feels clean and simple. On the other hand, it’s cold out there, and we want food that’s satisfying to curl up with. What to do, what to do? What’s that I see? (Insert upbeat superhero music here.) A stir-fry on the horizon? (Insert hoofbeats.) Why, that’s just the thing. This dish is fast, simple, and immensely flavorful without being heavy.
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch dice • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 1 tablespoon cornstarch • 2 tablespoon oyster sauce • 1 teaspoon sesame oil • 1/2 teaspoon sugar • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided • 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger • 2 teaspoons minced garlic • 1/2 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed and de-stringed • 1 cup diced red bell pepper • 8 ounces baby spinach • 1/2 cup chicken broth • Hot cooked rice or quinoa to serve
SO FRESH!
Authentic & Delicious
And the Rest Piparras are a kind of pincho that consist of pickled items like olives, baby onions, cornichons, or chilies mounted together on a toothpick without bread. Sometimes they include a pickled white anchovy. In Murcia and Madrid, a pickled white sardine (boquerón) and a salt-cured dark anchovy (anchoa) on a piece of white bread are called matrimonio (meaning marriage), and you will find them served in many bars. In Seville and other parts of Andalusia, all small portions are called tapas. They are not free; neither are montaditos, the Catalan name for a tapa made of afilling in a small bread roll. The montadito is a tradition that predates even the sandwich, all the way back to the 15th century. In most cities, portions large enough to share with at least one or two other people are called ración. There is also a media ración, which is smaller than a ración but larger than just a tapa. Is it all clear now? Manos Angelakis is a wine and food writer in New York City. As the gastronomy critic for LuxuryWeb.com, he has spent many years traveling the world in search of culinary excellence.
Redefining Traditional Spanish Cuisine • Fine dining experience inspired by the distinctive culinary-rich regions of Spain. • Top-quality ingredients expanding on the rich, healthy profiles of the Mediterranean diet. • Seasonal menu reflecting the bounty of fresh, local ingredients. • Exciting selection of Spanish wines, cavas, and cocktails.
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CASTILIAN SPANISH CUISINE
at el Pote
Hearty, Wholesome Food from Old Spain
Chef’s Favorites Sweet Sangria Rich Paella Valenciana Fresh Lobster Bisque Juicy Lamb Chops
718 2nd Ave @ 38th St. www.elPote.com 212.889.6680
D8
@EpochTaste
January 6–12, 2017 www.EpochTaste.com ALL PHOTOS BY MELINDA MARTINEZ/CELEBRITY TASTE MAKERS
Bonjour Chef In this series, columnist Sibylle Eschapasse interviews some of France’s top chefs, the Maîtres Cuisiniers de France.
with Chef Hervé Malivert By Sibylle Eschapasse
Name: Hervé Malivert Hometown: Rhône-Alpes region Age: 48 Occupations: Director of culinary
technology and chef coordinator, International Culinary Center Years of experience with French cuisine:
Over 30 years
Sibylle Eschapasse: What does it mean to you to be a Maître Cuisinier de France, a most envied title? Hervé Malivert: It’s an honor, and it’s a great responsibility to share your knowledge and teach the new generation the foundation of French cuisine.
Experience Firsthand the Romance of the Korean Dynasty South Korean top chef Sunkyu Lee cooks authentic Korean royal court cuisine Totally different and distinctive cuisines and interior designs on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors.
Ms. Eschapasse: Why did you choose to become a chef? Mr. Malivert: It was evident by the time I was 12 that I had a passion for food and being in a kitchen. My father was a cheesemaker, and although I spent time with him making cheese, it was really when I would go with him on deliveries to restaurants and spend time with chefs and restaurant owners that I fell in love with cooking. Ms. Eschapasse: Who would you consider to be your greatest culinary influence? Mr. Malivert: So many, but I will say Paul Bocuse in France.
Maître Cuisinier de France since:
2013
Ms. Eschapasse: Tell us about the recipe you chose. Mr. Malivert: I have been in the Northeast [United States] for 20 years, and I love a classic lobster roll, something I didn’t know before moving here. In this recipe, I want to recreate the flavor of the classic lobster roll in a fine dining experience I can present to my guest. You can watch Hervé Malivert demonstrate the full recipe on “Celebrity Taste Makers” on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 6 p.m on Pix11. Sibylle Eschapasse is from Paris and lives in New York City. In addition to working at the United Nations, she contributes to various publications and is the host of “Sibylle’s Top French Chefs,” a series being aired on “Celebrity Taste Makers.” She may be reached at Sibylle.Eschapasse@gmail.com
RECIPE LOBSTER EN BRIOCHE Makes: 4 rolls For the Court Bouillon (Stock) • 4 gallons of water • 14 ounces leeks (white part only), diced • 14 ounces carrots, diced • 10 ounces onions, diced • 7 ounces fennel, diced • 1 bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, and bay leaves) • 1/2 ounce black peppercorns • 7 ounces dry white wine • 100 milliliters (3.5 ounces) of dry vermouth • 100 milliliters (3.5 ounces) white wine vinegar For the Lobster Roll • 4 lobsters, each weighing 1 1/2 pounds • 4 thin slices of brioche • 2 egg whites • Few sprigs of Affilla cress (living microgreen) • Butter, for searing For the Pea Purée • 18 ounces peas • 4 1/2 ounces shallots • 1 ounce rice vinegar • 3 to 7 ounces vegetable stock For the Orange Jam • 18 ounces orange • 4 1/2 ounces sugar (or 25 percent of sugar of the weight of the orange) • 1 ounce corn oil For the Garnish • 4 pearl onions • 1 Persian cucumber • Few sprigs of micro tangerine lace • Few sprigs of micro celery
4. To make each roll, brush a slice of brioche with the egg white and place on a sheet of plastic wrap. Sprinkled with a pinch of the Affilla cress. Place a piece of tail meat on one edge of the brioche and sprinkle with more cress. Roll up the brioche so the lobster is wrapped in the middle. Wrap in plastic. Repeat with remaining brioche and lobster. 5. Let rolls set in fridge for 3 hours. For the Pea Purée 1. Remove peas from shells and save a few nice shells for garnish. 2. Steam the peas. 3. Peel and slice the shallots. In a pan over medium heat, sweat the shallots in oil until slightly golden brown, then deglaze the pan with the rice vinegar. 4. Transfer the peas and shallots to a blender (Vita Prep is my preference). Blend at high speed while slowly adding the vegetable stock until desired consistency is reache, and taste for seasoning. For the Jam 1. Wash the orange under warm water. Weigh the orange to determine its exact weight. You will need to add sugar equivalent to 25 percent of the weight of the orange. 2. Cut the orange into slices, and combine with sugar. 3. Place orange and sugar in a closed mason jar. Cook submerged in water in a pressure cooker for 2 hours. 4. Blend and add the oil.
DIRECTIONS For the Court Bouillon 1. Combine all the ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. For the Lobster Rolls
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1. Using string, tie each lobster’s tail to keep it straight. In a large pot, bring the court bouillon to a boil and add the lobsters. Boil for 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat and let the lobsters stand in the liquid for 10 minutes. Remove the lobsters and let cool for 15 minutes, then chill. (If you cannot fit all of the lobsters in the pot at one time, boil in batches.) 2. Over a bowl, separate each lobster tail from the body. Remove the shell, reserving the tail meat and claws in complete pieces. 3. Cut each piece of tail meat in half lengthwise.
To Finish and Assemble 1. Peel the pearl onion and cut it in half lengthwise. In a very hot pan (cast iron recommended), char onions lightly. 2. Clean the Persian cucumber. Slice it on a mandoline, sprinkle with salt, and let disgorge for 3 minutes. 3. To finish the lobster rolls, heat butter over medium-high heat and sear each roll until brioche is golden brown and lobster is just warmed through. 4. To assemble, place the roll on a plate. Place the slices of cucumber on the plate and lay the claw meat on top. Arrange the pearl onions, a smear of pea purée, and dollops of jam around the plate. Garnish with microgreens. Et voilà! Recipe courtesy of Hervé Malivert