Matters of Taste

Cook-For-A-Day at the C.I.A.

The Culinary Institute of America, the prestigious non-profit culinary academy that opened in Hyde Park, New York in 1946, is renowned for turning out such superstar chefs as Todd English, Charlie Palmer, Grant Achatz, Rocco DiSpirito and Anthony Bourdain.

So it was with a sense of wonder and “what-the-heck-are-we-doing-here?” bemusement that my mother, my sister and I arrived at the Napa Valley branch on a recent sunny Saturday for a hands-on “Tastes of the Napa Valley” cooking class. (The school now has campuses in St. Helena, CA, San Antonio, TX and Singapore in addition to the Hyde Park property.)

We arrived mid-morning and joined seven other adventurers in one of the CIA’s massive professional kitchens. After listening to chef Sandy Dominguez explain the drill–- everyone works with a partner, wears a toque, grabs hot pan handles with a dishtowel, and cleans up as he goes -- we set to work. 

The personable Chef Sandy circulated among all the students, offering encouragement and sharing tips. (She showed how to easily remove the seeds from a messy pomegranate by submergin them in water and scooping seeds out with fingertips; and demonstrated a cool way of cleaning a hot grill with an old facecloth rolled and tied with string and dipped in vegetable oil.)  But, for the most part (and much to my amazement) she turned us loose with a stack of ambitious recipes, including Quinoa Croquettes; Mussels Steamed in White Wine with Romesco Sauce and Grilled Bread; Curried Sweet Potato Skewers with Curried Onion Dipping Sauce; and Lavender Shortbread. And she reiterated our goal: All dishes on the buffet table in 1 ½ hours.

And again to my amazement, the “students” performed impressively. No one in the group --- a  mother-son combo, a mother-daughter combo, a newly married couple, a mother of a CIA professional student, and my mother, sister and me --- had any training to speak of. I was probably the most proficient cook in the bunch, having covered cooking classes and restaurants for the San Diego Union-Tribune for 25 years. But even I felt challenged by the thought of whipping up Grilled Lamp Loin with Pomegranate Syrah Sauce (with toasted and ground coriander seeds, and bruised mint!) and Jeweled Couscous in a strange kitchen in under 2 hours. And my poor sister, Marcia, pictured right with chef Sandy Dominquez, had to create Olive Oil Crackers from scratch, and had her first run-in with a massive, man-eating Robot-Coupe in the process.

But, sure enough, the buffet table (pictured below) was laden and lovely at the appointed hour; the food was fabulous; and the cooks-for-a-day were giddy with the excitement of their accomplishments. 

Though cooking and learning at the C.I.A is a very serious business, the school does offer occasional classes for what they call “enthusiasts,” that being, euphemistically, someone with more enthusiasm than talent or commitment.

There are all-day classes, five-day “Boot Camp” adventures, two-day specialties such as BBQ Boot Camp, two-hour demonstration classes, and two-hour hands-on “food explorations” that end with a buffet of all the dishes cooked. I think it’s an ideal way to round-out a visit to California’s wine country; it’s also a great holiday gift idea.

Here are a couple recipes from our “Tastes of the Napa Valley” class to whet your appetite for a hand-on adventure of your own.

 JEWELED COUSCOUS

Serves 8

1 cup dried couscous

1 ½ cups water

½ cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 teaspoons kosher salt

¼ cup black currants

1 red pepper, seeded and diced

3 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias

¼ cup golden raisins

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, minced

Place the couscous in a large bowl. In a small sauce pan bring the water, salt and butter to a boil, then  pour the mixture over the couscous and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, add the orange juice, orange zest, currants, red pepper, and golden raisins, and let them soak until plump.

Uncover the couscous and add the raisin mixture and fluff it with a fork, making sure to blend out the lumps.

To serve, place on a large platter and garnish with the scallions and minced parsley.

 

WILD MUSHROOM PATE

Makes enough to fill a 3-cup mold or dish

5 tablespoons butter

½ cup chopped shallots or green onions (white part only)

1 ¼ pounds thickly sliced fresh wild or cultivated mushrooms

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

2 teaspoons curry powder, or to taste

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup toasted cashews, preferably unsalted

2 tablespoons toasted nut oil, such as walnut oil, or olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped mixed herbs such as parsley, chives and/or basil

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

 

Heat the butter in a large saute pan over moderately high heat. Add the shallots, mushrooms, garlic, curry and cumin, and saute until mixture is just beginning to brown and all liquid has evaporated.

While mushrooms are cooking, add the cashews to a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add oil and continue to process to make a paste or butter. Add the mushroom mixture and process until smooth. Stir in the herbs and zest and season  with salt and pepper. Place in a 3-cup mold or other ceramic dish. Can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to return to room temperature before serving.

 

Raves for Bottega Ristorante

How do I love Bottega Ristorante? Well, I need both hands to count the ways.

For starters, this three-year-old Michael Chiarello restaurant, in the heart of the Napa Valley hamlet of Yountville, is a totally captivating scene. The rooms are stylish, with lots of space, high ceilings, flattering lighting and a bustling open kitchen. From the instant you step inside the door, there’s an energy and joy that’s palpable. The staff is lively, attractive and adroit; Chiarello himself seems to be everywhere, meeting and greeting his guests; and the sophisticated, well-dressed crowd knows how to have a great time.

Then there’s Bottega’s food – it’s fabulous. There’s simply no other word to describe the single potato dough raviolo I enjoyed recently. The delicate pasta package was filled with spinach and ricotta cheese and topped with an organic, soft-cooked egg that mingled its vivid yolk with a brown butter sauce flecked with fresh sage. The perfect package was showered with fresh black truffles.

Fabulous would also describe the unique caramelle pasta that was filled with tiny dice of caramelized butternut squash and Bosc pears, and finished with brown butter, pecorino cheese and deep-fried sage leaves. The final flurry of poppy seeds and crushed Amaretti was fascinating. (The caramelle pasta shape was a new one to me; it’s a small, homemade tube pasta that gets twisted on each end and looks like a piece of salt water taffy.)

Our shared appetizers were also something to rave about: a perfect bite-size specimen of sushi-quality   tuna teamed with one paper-thin slice of crisped garlic and one fragrant basil leaf; and heavenly burrata with walnut pesto bruschetta, peppercress and a truffle vinaigrette infused with orange essence.

Brussels sprouts are the darling of wine country menus this season. We ate them at Bouchon in Yountville (with smoky bacon lardons); at Grace’s Table in Napa, where they were creamed with bacon and potatoes; and at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena where a simple salt-pepper-butter version paired well with seared chicken breast.

But the shaved, caramelized sprouts at Bottega ended up stealing the show in a stylish salad (pictured here) that also included toasted Marcona almonds, wisps of prosciutto, citrus segments and an aged balsamic vinaigrette.

Bottega’s wine list is heavy on local, small-production wines which you’ll rarely see anyplace outside of the wine country. (There’s also an admirable roster of Italian wines but I can’t pass up a great wine made locally for a great wine that’s been schlepped 6,000 or more miles.)

And Bottega’s service is nothing short of superlative. Our server was a charming, professional young guy with joie de vivre to spare and no shortage of opinions. Another server (who joked that he was the oldest guy in the place) was equally endearing, appearing out of nowhere when my sister’s Black Pepper Bucatini alla Carbonara arrived at the table. He swooped in and picked up her knife and fork, eagerly tossing the hot noodles, broccolini and crisp guaciale with the barely cooked egg on top. “You don’t want the egg to cool before it’s mixed with the pasta,” was his basic message, delivered with a joy that was contagious.

Though we loved everything about our dining experience, the icing on the cake was just that --- icing on the cake. Or, more accurately, creme anglaise on the cake. Chef Chiarello graciously surprised us with the house signature dessert -- a luscious chocolate souffle cake, with molten chocolate center, hazelnut creme anglaise and candied hazelnut brittle -- to celebrate my mother’s 89th birthday. (The dessert requires 20 minutes to cook...plan ahead.)

Located in the atmospheric Marketplace 1870, a development of eateries and shops in a 140-year-old winery estate, Bottega Ristorante offers great options for an after-dinner walk. Stroll the V Estates or browse the windows in Yountville before heading home to bed.

Giving Thanks…..for Yummy New Things to Eat and Drink

The last champagne glass has been washed. The last return flight to the East Coast has landed. And the turkey soup is bubbling away on the stove. It’s time to give thanks for all the delicious things that friends and relatives brought to our Turkey Day feast --- new foods, wines and ideas that I’ll incorporate into the feasts of the future.

A Pumpkin By Any Other Name  

Forget the traditional apple and mincemeat pies. I am now totally hooked on Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.  These luscious treats incorporate all the flavors and aromas of Thanksgiving --- canned pumpkin, cloves, nutmeg, brown sugar and cinnamon. But, at the same time, they offer a touch of whimsy (and they’re great for breakfast the next day too).  

Our holiday Whoopie Pies came from a recipe on the captivating BrownEyedBaker Website. It calls for the soft, cake-like sandwich cookies to be filled with a fluffy mixture of butter, cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar and real maple syrup. (There are many versions of Whoopie Pies on-line, including the lovely creation, pictured here, from Bon Appetit magazine which uses marshmallow crème and maple extract in the filling.)

The pumpkin poufs were a huge hit at our turkey day dinner, even though they were going head-to-head with a “Cookies and Cream” cheesecake from Brooklyn Cheesecake and Dessert Company (one of our guests bought it on RueLaLa)  and my mother’s chocolate ice box cake (a "log" of Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers and whipped cream) that’s been part of our family’s holiday for more than 60 years.

The 24 sated souls at our table also made room for the fabulous homemade toffee from Cups & Cakes, a boutique sweet shop in Rumson. NJ. Both the Almond and Chocolate-Pecan versions are amazing, with multiple layers of first-rate milk and dark chocolate and a buttery toffee with the perfect crunch (not too soft or too hard). The shop also does show-stopping “celebration” cakes and lovely gift baskets.

Calling All Coffee Connoisseurs  

I’m not about to trade La Jolla for Portland, Oregon any time soon, but  I sure would love for one of that city’s beloved coffee purveyors to open a shop close to me! Stumptown Coffee is the darling of coffee connoisseurs these days, with a handful of shops in Portland, two in Seattle and one in New York City (in the Ace Hotel).

Our Thanksgiving weekend breakfasts were happy times, indeed, thanks to the two Stumptown specials brought by a Seattle friend.  The Hair Bender, said to be the best blend for espresso, was a heady brew, full-bodied, yet with elegant layers of flavor. The cute little business card tucked into the bag told the story about this “complex sweet and savory blend” and promised flavors of milk chocolate, caramel, jasmine, Meyer lemon, apricot and pineapple. I got the milk chocolate and caramel flavors loud and clear, and loved them.  The other, Guatemala Finca el Injerto (Bourbon), was also  intriguing with its notes of roasted nuts and earthy chocolate.  I’m not a big fan of regular brewed coffee, but that’s how I prepared this coffee and it was fantastic with a double dose of half-and-half.  

The other beverages of note at our festivities were gifts of our Walla Walla WA friends -- four distinctive, delicious wines from the wineries of that up-and-coming area. My favorite, the Garrison Creek 2005 Syrah, was lip-smacking good. This wine had the heft to stand up to a rich turkey dinner with all the trimmings, but also an elegance that made us sit back and say "wow." The requisite Syrah black pepper notes were there, but also an abundance of lovely fruit.  We also drank a lush Leonetti Cabernet  Sauvignon. From Walla Walla's first winery, this is a sophisticated wine, with ripe fruits, spice and dried herbs dominating the flavor profile, and an impressively smooth mouth feel.

Piqueing the Palate 

Choosing the right hors d’oeuvre for Thanksgiving Day is a challenge. It has to be something unusual for this once-a-year extravaganza, it has to be satisfying; but at the same time it has to be light enough to leave us hungry for the main event. One of our guests brought a platter of crisp endive leaves stuffed with goat cheese, green onion, walnuts and mandarin orange bits. It was colorful, elegant, and delicious. You can find the recipe, which was adapted from an original “Cooking Light” recipe, at NaturalNoshing.com.