An Intimate Meal

I must apoligize at the inconsistency, I have been ridiculously busy!

A Sensory Feast: An Intimate and Sensual Autumn Meal
By: Regina M. Levy

A how-to guide to creating an intimate meal for two.



Creating a romantic meal paired with cheeses and wine involves all five senses. The genesaic sense which is commonly known as lust is considered the sixth. By augmenting sensory stimulation a couple can subtly create an easy and passionate setting.
For decades food lovers have been following the meditations of France's notorious 18 th century gastronome Jean Brillat-Savarin. His concepts and ideology on food and preparation are quite romantic and sensual. Although his process of preparing a meal, along with all the rules and etiquettes is quite rigid, for our purpose is not necessary. We will simply stick to his base principal of the six senses.
To begin the preparation it is necessary to choose ingredients that are seasonal as well as sensual in texture, taste and appearance. For our romantic meal I have chosen a sample variety of autumn ingredients, such as: Duck, Porto wine, Fiddleheads, Lavender, figs and a selection of Quebec cheeses. All these ingredients symbolize, summer's end, autumn's birth.
The second step after choosing your ingredients is the demonstration of the feelings you'd like to experience. In our meal I chose rich ingredients: dark in color, which are very three-dimensional. How the eye perceives the colors is important as vision is one of the strongest and most imposing of the senses. If your eyes are pleased than you are more amenable to tasting.
After you have chosen your ingredients and the emotions you would like to portray, the next step is wine and cheese. Our meal is intimate, amorous
and comfortable, our wine and cheese should echo these qualities.
Red or white? A standard question when deciding what wine will be served with a meal. Every person has a favourite or an opinion of what to drink with what food. This usually turns choosing a wine into a chore with terms dictated by experts. For our meal, assuming that you have a rudimentary knowledge of your own tastes: likes and dislikes, I will provide a selection of my favourites. These red wines best compliment the taste and color of the ingredients I have chosen: Isabel Estate Marlborough Pinot Noir 2000 (New Zealand, 48.95$) or Shiraz Fleur Du Cap coastal region 2005(South Africa, 15.90$). The Pinot noir would be the best choice for this meal, as it is a very bold wine. The fruit and spiced taste will compliment the gamy taste of the duck, as well as enhance the autumn colors of our menu.
Now that you have picked out your wine, it is time to tackle the cheese selection. Choosing a cheese seems scientific, with all the classifications that categorize: rind, color, texture, taste, a type of milk (cow, goat and Brebis). I decided to consult a fellow food lover, Annah Michaud a cheese enthusiast, who is also a trained in culinary arts and management. I asked Annah to give me a selection of her five favourite Quebec cheeses. Why, Quebec cheeses? A seasonal meal should support and consist of local produce. Another quite simple reason would be that: Quebec has been recognized as a quality producer by International critics.
Annah’s selection consisted mainly of cow-milk cheeses: Pied-de-Vent, Riopelle, Oka, La Tomme and finally a goat and cow milk variation, Gris Bleu (see Cheese Box).
A cheese plate is a great way to start a conversation about the senses. You can talk about tastes, textures and smells. Fast forward to when your guest arrives. Your cheese plate can be served before the meal or as dessert. In our meal, I would recommend serving the cheese plate while you are both in the kitchen about to start cooking. This way you can start the evening off with conversation based on your sensory reactions. This is an easy trick to add more intimacy to your setting.
Following the cheese and wine selection, it is best to prepare your main components. The preparation of these aspects is an absolute necessity! The duck breast needs to be prepped. This includes scoring the skin (fat), marinating the duck for a few hours and finally stuffing it with the diced figs. This can be done early in the day, so as you won’t have to worry about it after your guest has arrived. All the ‘heavy’ work should be included at this time, such as: the crème brulee and blood orange sorbet. You can leave your fiddleheads to when your guest is helping you in the final stages. The reasoning behind why all these components should be prepared is two-fold: one, it is not aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The second, you shouldn’t have to worry about the right way to score a duck breast when you have your guest as company. You should be more focused on the guest, not the scoring and stuffing techniques.
Depending on where you plan to eat, the table-setting can be done as your first step or after cooking the remaining aspects with your guest.
Choose a cozy and relatively small area to have your dinner. Sitting down to eat at a twelve person banquet table is not intimate or cozy. If you have a bar-counter set up in your kitchen with high-chairs, this would be ideal. The kitchen is usually a place of bonding and comfort, which again will contribute to intimacy.
When setting a table, there is only one rule you should always adhere to: simplicity. A table cloth is not necessary if you have a bar counter or if you have a nice wood surface table. Place mats, made of cloth are a very good idea, as they will frame your plating presentation. Match your table with your plating. For example, burgundy reds or deep jewel tones will compliment with port sauce and glaze on the duck. Think autumn! By keeping your meal in the kitchen you allow your guest to appreciate the atmosphere you have subtly created, for their enjoyment.
Flowers are not necessary but a nice touch. Again, I must emphasize, simplicity is key. One stem flowers, try to stay away from roses as they are necessarily unique. A stem of orchids or something of that class would suit quite nicely--perhaps a few small-cut Pussy Willow branches. Use your instinct, when choosing table decorations.
Around half an hour before your guest will arrive you should open your bottle of wine to breath. Fifteen minutes before your guest arrives: take a deep breath and relax. After you complete that simple task prepare your cheese board allowing it to settle to the right temperature. Once your guest arrives and you are both comfortably situated in the kitchen it is time to finish up the last ingredients.
Working together in the kitchen in some instances equals disaster. At this point most of the trying work as already been completed. You've already stuffed your duck breast, made your crème brulee, organized your cheese plate and your blood orange sorbet is in the freezer. All you have left is to sear your duck, fiddleheads and make your Porto reduction.
This is officially the greatest moment of your evening. You and your guest will be working side by side, to create your own perfect meal. Cooking side by side is a very intimate affair, as you see how the other person works with their hands. Are they agile and relaxed or jerky and tense? Hopefully by this stage you will have relaxed enough to just follow the aromas and colors. I can not give you any firm instructions for this step as it varies not just from person to person, but from moment to moment.
Finally, after you have finished preparing the meal, it is time to eat. Pour the wine, relax into your chair, enjoy your guest’s spectacular coming, because it will only be smooth sailing from here. Cheers and bon appetite!

La Colombe

Around a week ago I was asked if I wanted to try to the restaurant La Colombe in the Plateau. Colombe is french for a type of little bird, which oddly I still can not figure out why they called the restaurant that. After heading into the SAQ to pick up two bottles of red wine, the names escape me at the moment, we headed to the BYOB on Duluth.

The reviews call this restaurant "North African cuisine du marche", more like very french. The menu is created in Table D'hote style: two choices of appetizers, and about 5 different main courses.

We started with a Quebec cheese plate, which was not bad....yet very little. I am not a big fan of cheese but I absolutely loved the blue cheese. Next was the potage which was, a cream of cauliflower soup, very soft and creamy. Although it could have used a little more pepper.

Next I had the terrine of duck which was AMAZING, it was a little minty and the perfect texture. My main course was contre filet du bison with a poivrade sauce and a side of a Bulgar type risotto. The bison was saignant, extremely tender. The only complaint I always have with french cuisine is that there is too little food of the plate. As presentation is very important and what not.
A. had the white fish in mango basil sauce
M. had the duck....

For dessert I had a spice cake over spiced pineapples, finally something of north African descent... Dessert is my favorite part of any meal, yet I was horribly disappointed.

The bill : 60$....before tip. Plus the wine we bought at the SAQ. I found it overpriced for the quantity and quality of both the food and service. I would recommend trying the restaurant...I'd give it 3.5 stars. Yet I highly recommend if you are a vegetarian that you find another restaurant to go to.

Spinach and Roast Red Pepper Gratin

Instead of the kitchen zen post I was planning, which is not quite done yet I've decided an easy recipe for a gratin was in order....It's summer you know and crustless quiche is always nice served cold or hot. This gratin is best served with cold salads, such as a beetroot and parsley salad, a cold cucumber and perhaps a mixed baby greens with toasted almonds and dried cranberries.

SPINACH AND ROASTED RED PEPPER GRATIN
4 10-ounce bags fresh spinach leaves
3 red bell peppers
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
1 large shallot, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup whipping cream
4 large eggs
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat large deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches (about 10 cups at a time), sauté fresh spinach in dry skillet until bright green and wilted, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer spinach to strainer. Squeeze spinach dry; roll in kitchen towel to remove excess water.

Char peppers directly over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and slice peppers into 1/4-inch-wide strips.

Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, shallot, and garlic; cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk cream and eggs in large bowl to blend. Whisk in all cheeses, salt, and pepper. Stir in spinach, leek mixture, and 2/3 of roasted red peppers (reserve 1/3 of peppers for topping). (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Transfer spinach mixture to prepared dish. Bake gratin until knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Arrange remaining red pepper strips decoratively atop gratin and serve.

Makes 8 servings.

** something I noticed about this gratin is that it needs to cook for more like 60 minutes.


Vinaigrette for mixed salad:
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
2 tsp lemon juice
Pinch of Ground Pepper
Pinch of Paprika

Makes around 1 cup
Vinegar and Oil measure by eye. Shake or vigorously stir ingredients.

This is my personal Vinaigrette recipe and since I love garlic....I put 2-3 cloves.

Salutations

You can't go wrong with food; a simple but true statement. Everyday your body needs to be nourished with vitamins and minerals, proteins and carbohydrates....this routine for most is just that, the exchange of nutrients from food to stomach. Yet for some of us, this exchange is a transaction between mind and body.

There are six senses in which we appreciate food: taste, smell, hearing, sight, touch and finally the genesiac sense, which can be coined as attraction. These six senses are directly related to the mind and have a significant role in our enjoyment of a meal.


Tomorrow: Kitchen Zen