Culinary Artistry

Jimmy Schmidt

THE RATTLESNAKE C LU B
DetrOIt , M ichLgan

This was a real seasonal menu that really captured all the first mgredients of

spring-the asparagus, the wild mushrooms, the scallops and oysters. There

was a real seasonal-regional approach, although obviously not all of the ingre_

dients come out of Michigan. The sauces were really attuned to the Wines.
That's what really made the dinner something special. The flavors in the

dishes tended to enhance the wines by cancelling any of their tougher char.

acteritlc and allowing the real fruit and balance in the wine to Come for-

\\ard. Food and wine harmom' is not all ju t trying to pair ingredient togeth-

er, but to match cerram t1a\'or m the wme-whether herbaceous or earthy

or flmty-with _Iffillar characten tiC m the fo d, derendmg on which )'OU

want to be more pred rom nt. Y u - n u ~ d (md wme pamng to reinforce
f1avor~ that ou \\ or to a centuat r hi hit ht, a w II as cancel out things

that )OU \\ nt to et n f.

Thl p ret ul r pr p rau n mv lye running the potato

thrall h m n 1m rh t mak4;!s cappellim ( t)pe Jf pa ta n -
1m n c cwally h h d hor e·
dIe), nd ppm th 1m n
rt r t m WI pped. It' uteed
r dl h nd th r m
n. hI h m th pot to vet) en p)
nrh 10
ur . It gl\ It the run hyexte·
It th 1m n come thr u hand

no m·......4r..

Th h r II the c mbm (I n I w

er In t"...,1 .. nut me nd kmd (pI Yfl v r f

th h r than nut per The

pi erwh tmmg-I[ kmd f u

he m whll ert 10 n hn of I wn

I th I t red wme with chocdare The

pear Uflno> "VI'" real I roeethc:r-iOI1:.t fruiu are little ~ U\

me which wh I the P* which filled with

roosted and then ftlIed, and then covered wiIh cbx:olatt
me ~~
the OUtslide. realIvcnmch

then more inlkle."fhe

ind



--- -------

Alice Waters

C H EZ PAN 1SSE
Berkeley, CalIfornia

This menu was composed to ce lebrate the arri val of the 1971 vintage f t he
. ..
.. 0
Domaine Templer wmes. The look of the Wild flce wIth the tiny green e

tha~was a wonderful acco mpaniment to the quail. It was at this meal :'

decided that creme fWlche is ideally suited for serving with stewed figs. e

The Bandol Wine Dinner

Fresh DelicaCies from the Sea

•••

A Bouillabaise of Salt Cod made u,lth Garlic, White Wine , Tomatoes, Omons

Potatues, Fresh Basil, Orang-e Rind, Oln'e Oil and Fish Broth '

1973 Bandol. Domame Tempier

•••

Fre h QUail Roasted Protellfal Styl~ u Ith Branches of Fresh Thyme and
Ollle Oil 'ened ulth \'CllJ Rice and Fresh Peas
197 I Bandol, Domwne Tem/)ier

•••

G [ (he t: from rh ollth of France

1974 B rulol D mam Templer

•••

ked ulth H 11 and Band I Wme en d uith Creme Frdlche

In dd,u n t ~ me, hread I flen the only con tant wtthm an

Bread nttre me II. H we\er, I d n't hke the way bread I treated In

m t Am n n re t ur Of , Ahce Waters. "When you get ned a bl

pile bre d ~ lth pi te f butter the mmute y< u are seated 10 a re tau n

It talc a~ th ppetlte And people u e It t) de n up the plate I thmk f,

th m t p " we n ed t get b ck t It ht b guette belOg sen ed With

me 1 And I d I v thm Itke t n n br ds Ned With Indl n dm'~

wh re th pi an lOt I r I

II t the br er
Idn t h",.,..
irh"'rd

h lUnd If --~.--

the gap in meals, and American.

dl,nCf:'., 'some ot whom have the
atrentlon spans of three-year-
'
01d5, need something to ,fill the
. B It I'm never qUIte stuhre
gaps.
l
't belongs. To eat with e
IV here To sop up the meat
I

cheese.7 that's why I
J"Uices.7 Ma"be forget

I

I, t, " Lindsey Shere beIieves

that bread is an important accompaniment to a meal. She observes that

"large flavors often need a background to hold them in place. And I happen

to like the flavor of flour and yeast. I don't have a lot of interest in things like

cheese bread, because I don't think they work well with dinner menus."

In Shere's definition, a perfect bread is "the levain bread at Acme

Bread," she says. "It's got a gutsy flavor, and is good with cheese, butter---or

nothing!" Even leftover bread excites Shere. "I think a delicious crouton can

add a really special touch to a dish," she says. Alice Waters echoes this: "A

lot of our food is served with croutons, whether it's a garlic crouton with a fish

soup, or a crouton topped with grilled leeks served as part of an antipasto."
Shere believes butter or olive oil i~ the perfect accompaniment to good

bread. To heighten the expenence of enjoying La Brea Bakery's wonderful

breads, at Campanile Mark Peel and 1ancy Silverton offer customers an

opportumty to order one-ounce pOrtions of variou, extraordinary olive oils,

ranging from $1 to $2.50 per ounce, to clccompany them.
Silverton believes that there ~hould he a progre~5ion of flavors 10 bread

throughout the course d a meal. "White ~ourdoughs are appropriate for start-

ing out, to be followed by header bread, like rYb," she qyS,

Silverton also gives careful thought to pair10g bread With other cours-

es. She once had to come up With a bread to pair with a fote gras dish by Jean-

Louis Palladm at an e\'ent. "1 selected a fruit amI nut bread, which will work

With the dish If It\ sliced very, very thinly," ,he ,ay . "Duck i~ great With sour

dried cherrie.., pecans, candied orange, and the,e flavors abo work well with

[ole gras," SImilarly, she's teamed a mu,hroom brea...i made of farro with a

nsotto With chantereltes. and palred a i lormandy rye made wlth fermented
arl'le Cloer with hearr~ f()()d, like cabba~e, Whde Silverton th10b that few
foods can hold up to the strength dnd the ~ourne"s of a pumpernickel, she

ftnds both o'jsten, and moke 1h- h e jual to the ta~k.
Even ,nd\l.lche can be <.:nhanced by the ~electlon of the right, com-

rlemental) hread "I thmk a ceded ourdoll!.!h goe~ well with turkey, an I a
Frenc.h h guette I deI!CIOUS With pro ciutto .Indubtte"r, ~'II verton 3. )' , "A nd

Pro?sident and Co-founder
Tht' Acme Bread Company

Bt'rkeley, Cahforma

A., a ru,hl\' and cook at Che: Panbse in the mid-1970s, self-descnbed bread fanatiC teven ulhvan
,tarted baking head for the restaurant. His ll1spiratlon? "The book English Bread and Yeast Cooke h

" who went on to open Acme in 1983. Acme has sut"plied Ba, Y. TYAreYa

2) Theatre-both in the brea.d itself, and within the restaurant context

.;; dli\'an has enjoyed expenmentmg with different shape, of bread. "If bread is d'Ifferent .In one way.
" '
_l

;1 -u,wl11er \I'd I pay more attention to all of Its characteristics" he argues "And 't' entl'c.mg to he I
.•. ,.
l IS

able to .qy 'We baked It ourselves -espeCially when I was a busboy at Chez Panisse and could t II

customers, '1 made this.' It's theatrically effective." e

3) Heart and soul-what the baker brings to the bread

"You can tell when someone brings an energy and exuberance to bread. In fact, sometimes a funky
bread can work If there IS enough theatre and soulm the bread to overcome less-than-perfect tech-
O,lque. "

With regard to pairing bread with food. Sullivan cites a few of his favorite combinations. "We
sen'ed rye bread with oysters in the Cafe [at Chez Panisse], which is a traditional combination," he says.
"I like peanut butter on toasted whole wheat bread, and toasted cheese sandwiches on levain bread.

And I like walnut bread with goat cheese. I don't know if that's a traditional combination or not, but
on our honeymoon my wife Susie and 1 really enjoyed it." Does Sullivan prefer hutter or olive oil on
his bread! "I think both are really, really good ways to get your USRDA of fat," he deadpans. "I rec-

ommend both heartily."
Does Acme bake the best bread in the world? At first. Sullivan humbly dodges the question by

usmg It as an opportunity to relate how Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones was once asked to name
the best rock-and-roll band m the world, and Richards' rerlv that lln any r<lrticular night, anywhere in
the world, at some bar, you can find the be't rock-Clnd-roll hand tn the wmld.

But after further proddmg, ullivan fmally ddmn . ", nmetimes the hre<ld we hake is awfully good."

to help the diner feel happy that they'rl' therl'," agrces The hors-d'oeuvre IS the first magisterial move-
Joachim Splichal. "The fiN bite shoulJ ~e amumg, hke ment of a culinary symphony that continues to

a com blini With marmateJ salmon and caviar [an amuse the very end WIthout a false note Just when
you've reached the ultImate WIth a particular
Sphchal ,enJs out to Patina's special cu~tomcr J. Canar course another follows to surpass It

IS not cheap. '><.) It's a nice surpri~e to welcome the !!Ue~t

to the restaurant and say hello." -Fer'1and Po.iII

Jeremiah Tower's preferred way of welcomml:! a gue~t is with !>omethmg

,altv. and champagne. W h'Ieh together sen'e to cleanse the 1'aIate. "I t can he

ca.Vlar' but I't u,)Oe.,n'thave to he-ham. pork, or air-cured heef can a II he deI1-

CIOIUS' I Jon't Ik to serve anythmg with butter, because it d u IIs t I
I'C
1C

pa ate.... But I w()ullln 't t urn down hi m'"l with cavi.ar.I"

In Sume ca.,e , the fir"t cour,e .en'cd i a oup. "Even if people only
want a few COllrse, I aIways give them ,oup," says Jean-LouL Palladm.

\I, I?ut (,f re pect for 1exican tradltton, Rick Baylb> feel the 'arne. "You
au '1 never have a mea m ~ lexlcoiwhere oup "wa' not erved. he expIam.,.

c "p , I g a Me 247

A particular favorite at his restaurants is one of fresh com anJ r():\ ted

poblanos, WI"th a handful each of epazote (a fragrant, amse-flavored ' h"...ht.
herb which "gives the soup a light mouthfeel") and raw masa (the dough
gusreedenfor I"ts creamm"es)s . "ThI"Ssoup .
torti ll as, which gives the soup tangy and
IS

tart, light and crunchy," says Bayless. "These ar~, s~ul-satisfying flavor,."

On the other hand, A lice Waters argues, I m a soup-as-mam-di,h ptr.

son. Soup is too filling, and I find it h ard to fit into a menu, unless it's a COn.

somme,. "

Nancy Silverton knows exactly what sh e likes in terms of

Cheese cheese after a meal. "Always a blue ch eese," she says, "and

always a goat cheese. If the blue cheese is Stilton or gorgonzola, then a fresh
goat cheese. If it's a mild blue, then I like an aged goat cheese. And I alway,

like a strong-tasting cheese-even a Parmesan."

If only serving one bread with cheese, Silverton would like to see It be

a white bread, such as aourdough batard, while Lindsey Shere might opt for

a whole wheat/walnut bread offering. "It's so good with cheese," Shere says.
And wme I~ a mu -t to properly enjoy cheese, according to Charles

Palmer. "I don't under-rand when people don't drink wine with cheese," he

says. "It's hard to intrude on -omellne ,md mk m'lkmg them feel stupid in the
re~t3urant b} n t urdenng It. But )metllne- I'll send over a little glass of port
If I ee people e ung chee e \\ Ithout reu w1I1e or port."

"I thmk thClt ch<.::e e like drieu J,LLk, lJruy re, emJ harJ sheep' -milk

chee e .Ire the be t to he encd With wme," ay~ Jeremiah Tuwer. "Triple-

creme He much t tT ng ~ r red \\ II1 ."
E\ en Palm r, .... ho I ,I partner 111 a dalr" admits th,1t "cheese i~ often

Cheese IS like the apotheOSIS of a good meal too much for 100 t penple. It' too much t~)r me half

-C y the time' At Chantcrelle lin New York Cltyl, they

h'IVc ,m mcreulhle chee e ui pldY. But
after that, de ert hCl.:ome ,In ,llter-

th ught."
ervmg chee e With '1 meal u u-

ally call for a imple de ert, like a
herbet, according to LmJ e~ hen:

Or m Altce Water' case, "I like chec e
In tead of de ert maybe with a little
candy at the very end. 1 love h e

nd frUIt. Or che e nd ala \. )r

chee by It elf with f, w nut IOJ

drIed frull . But I rcall Ilk h

h

Roquefort + aprles I
Parmesan + dates
I
Fontina + rears
j
---

Terrance Brennan admits that until he visited three-star

Dessert restaurants in France, "I was not much of a dessert person. But

m(hiellree-.feJtlilaleil"' how sublime it could be." Brennan fell in love with "the perfect
and other desserts he was served, which he found the perfect

finaJe to a great meal. ''Too often before that time, I was disappointed with

dessertS. But now 1believe that a great meal should end with a great dessert,"

sayS Brennan. "It also inspired me to make sure I worked every station during

my swges-including pastry."
One of the best desserts Brennan ever had was at Le Bacon, an all-

seafood restaurant in France famom for Its houillabab~e where the windows
opened out onto the Mediterranean. "I wa~ .,en·ed a perfect jraise de bOIS

(Wild mawr-erry) tart. It was just sahle , a Itght, cmpy, airy 'iugar crust-and
a little pamy cream, and fraises des bois ," Brennan rememher~. "It was sub-

lIme. "
The key to a great dessert? "FLnllr. The marrtage of perfect ingredients.

Getting the best chocolate you can buv and the hest fruit you can huy," says

Brennan. "Not having too man\' Jiffaent thing on the plate. Preparing the

dessert a !a minute as much a pl)."lhle,.,p It\ a' tre,h a, po."ihle. And it

,houlJ be focused: it ha.., to make en e."
"De sen should he an equal pan of the meaL" ..,ays Ch,nles Palmer.

"And It ~houlJ he built around craving. . People tenJ tl) have definite feelings

about de sen. Even If I told a customer, 'Thi de"ert i., perfect With what

you're haying,' I'd \\orry about disappOlnt1l1g them! Sometimes you feel like

eattng a specific thing for de'sert."
de"~"rt- alwa\'~
"I'll De plte ItS nopularit\J in ,.J...... oJ, cravinos 1fe not 1 for chocolate.
L 1""0' .
t' 1

go through phase when I don't tat chocolate," says Palmer. "In the wm-
~. n thtng \\11I taste a~ good as a c.lramdi:ed appil: de~'iert." On the other
nd, ~~\ent\-fl\e percent of Cll,romers love chocolate," says Dieter

L h rner. "And they \!tIll be di appomted If there\ not a chocolate de"ert on

tile menu."

249

aM

A pastry chef has the unique chal-
lenge of making desserts that complement
a chef's creations. Lindsey Shere has
faced that challenge under a long line of
chefs at Chez Panisse, from Jeremiah
Tower to the restaurant's current chef,
Jean-Pierre Moulle. "I still create based
on my own inspirations, but I also try to
keep up with them and to understand
where they're coming from," sh e says.
"Jean-Pierre is the most classic ch ef we've
had in a while , probably since Jeremiah .
His interest is more French-oriented , and
since he started out in pastry, it's great because h e knows the kinds of things
he'd like to see with a particular menu as dessert, whether it's a cake or pas-

try or sherbet. That's a big help !"
Shere contrasts h is style \-vith that of former Chez Panisse chef Paul

Bertolli: "Paul was more interested in Italian cuisine and simple desserts. But

he liked fireworks-he once came back from New York City, where he'd

eaten at Le C irque, and was talk in g about a dessert he'd had with planets and
swirlmg "auce,. He loved that. A nJ 1J o think that Je~~ert is the one place

where you can have fun and occa ionall y do.1whimsical garnish that i illy."

Too often, dessert IS a sugar fiX rathar than a h ere u e choLolate when the chef sugge t that

little touch of sweetness as a change from the It' appropri lte. "J e~m-Pierre knows the richness of his

savory, the salty or the piquant men u-,'· . y .... here. Getting the green light recently

-A ce W m plred her to erve a trio of chocolate desserts: a

£lourie,s ch ala te cake, a chocobte-orange herber. and chocolate-almond
bark. "~ome pe pIe like chocol te nv time," he admit, "but after some-

thing n ch, [ prefer clean and hght f1av r . A tangerine sherbet with liqueur
poured over It can be the be t . emu herbet and pear herbets are desserts
[alwa) ltke. And they're alway served here With accompamments hke

cookie ."

While here thmks it "impos Ible" to name the be t de sert he' ever

had, one particular dessert doe rand out in her memory. "Timbales EI',Ysks-

a de sert with a cookie cup, a scoop of ice cream, berrie , and sauce an a

caramel cage," he say . "It is such a wonderful combmation of textures and

fla\ or ."

But an extraordmary dessert can also be qUIte Imple. Ahce Wa-

recall, "One of my favonte, favome dessert ever was after a kalSeki meal III

K),oto. We had had seventeen fam tiC cour ,wIth ten peopl In

'h cooking for five people at the counter. It was Very rich desserts should follow only the simplest
kIte en.ing experience. And at the very end, we were of meals; on most menus, something light and
(w.alnfnfegarmeethnJa,en.aepleJ'iurtftielcecetgttlhaeasmst pwoefarsatthuneroetm. toAosont dcsowyledoeutorajuntsodtoddwrealiancrkiomuits-,
playful in spirit IS best. Lots of air, in the form of a
souffle or a mousse, is usually apprecIated, ices
are refreshing,

Just hat was it. It was ,theend'-and J.ust so ni.ce to be -Richard Olney
aabnlde
t punctuate the ~ea1pr~per Iy. " .. ,

to

In Susanna Foo s opmlOn, tradmonal Chmese desserts "aren't very

They're typically either very heavy, based on pureed walnuts or red
gbaOekOaendss.,so0mr Je'uslitbferretsihesfrfuroitm. Etvraedn.mth,oenreW, 'WIthehsteerrnd-esstsyelretsb, askuecrhieassasreerpvoinpgulpaor.a"cFhoeod

pt ears flavored with star anise and.ginger, or creme m-u!ee flavored with ginger.
If he chooses to serve multtple desserts to end a meal, Franc;:ois Payard

might start out with a small fruit soup-"just two or three bites," he says-

before serving a tiny fruit dessert, perhaps followed by a chocolate dessert. "I

don't make smaller chocolate desserts, because they're a lot of work,"

explains Payard. "And dessert is like food-you have to take the time to

appreC,Iate .It."

Charles Palmer enjoys presenting a table of six with a combination of

desserts. "I'll send twO, two, and twO of three different desserts. People love

passing them back and forth, trading tastes-it becomes party time!" says

Palmer. "Dessert is the time to festively finishing things off in a mea!."

Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken agree. They recall a $250-a-head

dinner for which they were asked to provIde the des en. "We erved ice
cream sandwiches made with mocha chip Ice cream." ~1tlliken remember

WIth amusement.
Some chefs make a pomt of extending the pleasure at the end of an elab-

orate meal through petit fours and chocolates. "I love petit fours ," ay' Terrance
Brennan. "In the European style, e~preS50 -hould be ~en'ed after dessert, and

it's mce to have a sweet to go WIth your espresso. I sen'e a plate of petit fours

\\'l[h the coffee. followed by a plate of chocolates to end you on your way."

Franc;:ois Payard believes there 5hould even be an order to the .ervice of

the chocolate" "They should be con.umed from the ltghtest to darke. t. Just

like wme," he .av, ,

Coffee, Tea? Joachim Splichal. whoe restaurant Patina already

offers chamomIle and thyme-lemongra,s "infu~ions"
after a meal,I now expen.mentl,Og WIth c.tate coffee~. to he -erved '10 10d'1-

VIdual plunger- tyle coffeepot, Our coffee L a blend of four different type

t c.. ffee we came up with "IX year ago after trYlOg more than fift) different

t

rr .. he says ' "and we've learned that now people kgunyowwhthoeoirpecn(flft~h.~
Cill,e9, on the importance of the
~alet ~arkm. g .
Coffee has taken

door for the customer- it can be a customer la t Impre slon of a re taurant "

Dieter Schomer recalls the standard for tea at one of the ftne.t
sreervtaeudrawnitsth where he once worked. "There was never granulated
it--only brown sugar cubes or cry tal s.ugar. The tea UPr

fl aVor

C ome out better with raw sugar, as oppo ed to pulven zed, bleached ugar,"

says Schomer.

Writing a Restaurant Menu A opposed tc wntmg a set
menu for a ingle meal, WrItIng

a re taurant menu i all about giving one' customers choices on that are

likely to please them, and one that the restaurant will be able to fulfill, In

most case , for an entire season.
It' mostly the latter constramt that promp Daniel Boulud to ~

"If It were up to me, I would not havana fa ctII'te menu. I would Just cook

every day whatever I could buy, and ha a hmated menu rna four appe-

tizers, four mam courses, and four ha them change II the

time." The varied 1

tare a much lorIaoer mer.... wl'lMft'l

tty," Boulud adnUtl.



, t" g together a menu, we'll make a roster of sauces fir t
1) fWLWixi keehedew.nmoYworksoetuvrr'veeereyptuagdutoertIfanl'tnnotisthe, lawyveefrhopamovuetlhttrheye,sasyuoocrute'voaefspgtrhooette.mst otacrhatai.tnvegg'eopfnOise.hisntpd. risehttey
'
2)
well
and

3) staceans and that kind of stuff.

~ew days after we've come up with that, we'll sit down and talk about

the way we're going to put it on the plate. That usually will dictate or

give rise to a number of idea for accompaniments and garnishes and

that sort of thing.
4) After we've got that sort of ketched out, we'll live with that for a few

days, and then we'll come back and really fine-tune it. We're just get-

ting ready to make a menu change at Topolobampo next week. We'd

gone through thi whole proce and last night I wa doing the final re-
write on the menu, and I realized that we had too many things coming

from one tation. We'd been thinking more in term of all the flavor,

in the di hes, but we didn't get it right in term of the logi tics on our

line, so we had to go back and re-vamp me thing this morning.

And the t Clng proce hould be thorough. "Before you put something

on a menu, you houldn't JU t ta te it with your finger," 'ay Jean-George

Vongerichten. "You mu t eat a whole plate of it fir t."

"I could write a menu an an afternoon," ay Lydia hire. "But to do

It right, we pend week developang and te ting idea , reading, tJlklnb,

researchmg angredien ,and ma)ung ure each di h i great. We cllulJ JU t
put a curry d h on the menu and leave tt at that. But in tead, we go to the
Indian market and get me edtble tlv r leaf to put on the plate. And u Ie

[RegL5, Shtre' second-tn-command at Blba] wtll develop a poem-a puffed
Indtan bread to serve WIth tt. ow he make the be t poon in the

orld!"

WnClng a

restaurant menu

II a pm::ell that ladq typically undertake Ie8lO11lally-<>r even m< re

frequendy. e Uchanae the menu a tn order to tncorpor te

inpedlel\ at their peak m the e a r l y " y Daniel

Bo.,hwl

Oil cook IeMOM .. Terran Sr nn

·118-. wir11ter•• alona tth a lor m Ie I

r; cooking and rustic cooking. It lightens
up in the spring, and in the summer it
goes really light-more geared toward
fish and lighter preparations."

~ Brennan points out that it's pro-
duce that changes the most from season
to season. So while he has certain non-
seasonal dishes, such as risotto with
wild mushrooms, that are always on the
menu, he'll change the garnish with the
seasons. "The same risotto dish I serve

with a pumpkin garnish in the fall

might be served with a squash garnish

in the winter, an asparagus-and-fava-bean garnish in the spring, and a corn

garnish in the summer," he says.
The startIng point? Daniel Boulud says he gathers books, prior restau-

rant menus from the same season, and a list of previously-run specials from

the same season in order to come up with a "repertoire" of ingredients for that

season.

"The most important thing here IS to focus on the products I know and
the quality and reliability of the supplier~ I use to get them in. When there
are ingredients that I can only get in ~poradlcally, I'll feature them as dally

specials instead of putting them on the menu," ~ay~ Boullid. "Thmg, like frog

legs, which I can only get in on Monday~ or ThurdaY'-lf I'm gomg to put a
dish on my menu, then I have to l">e certc1m thrtt the supply and quality I can

get is consistent."
Johanne Killeen says that seasonabty is probably the most Important

thing when commg up with a menu. "In the summer, (Jur menu is just loaded

with com and tomatoes. In the fall, we go into 'quashes. In the wlllter, cab-

bage. and sweet potatoes and a lot of pumpkin, and now [in the spring] we're
beginnmg to see some green again," ~he -ay . "But going to the market IS a

big influence. We market every day, and when we vi it our wholesaler occa-

sionally we come l">ack loaded with tuff to experiment with."

Variety Once the basic menu has been established, chefs J~lIb,~e-check

to ensure that their offerings mclude enough diverSity. I hke to

gIve my cu tomer a broad varlet\'," ,a\'s Joachim Splichal. "You have to have

it'sh:ef, chICken, and veal on the menu; expected at a place like thiS. About

four ~ear agO, \\.e addedveget'anan and eafood offeri.ngs to t he mAenu. dn
a couple of year' ago we added the category of 'Odd Things,'" whIch include~

rhchal' beloved offal.

c rn p M 255

With one week's advance notice, Restaurant Dan iel offer peciai ta tlng

menu and classic dishes that can be ordered for the entire tabie.

These include:

US Menus sur un Theme
New York State Apple Menu

Black and White Truffle Menu

North Atlantic Seafood Menu
Wild Mushroom Menu
Wild Game Menu



CHEZPA 1 E

~ CAJ;fomia

'Remember that dish we had
" Can you imagme if AI

3t.·· .

Forno took gnlled piz:a off their
menU·1 I v,Jould cry. When I go to
A.I Forno, I'm having grilled pizza.
; have tWO pizzas, and it's great and
that'S part of the identity of the
restaurant. But you can be sure
that George has got to be a little
tired of making those PI.ZZas.I"

. ht "The best compliment you can get is when a cus-
When It's Rig
tamer is leaving the restaurant after a several-course

meal and says, 'I feel so good!'" says Hubert Keller. "The food doesn't lie."

As we've seen, how chefs accomplish that feat is through applying

basic principles of menu composition to achieve their desired affect on a

customer, just as great composers and playwrights can hit the right buttons

that they know will make us laugh or cry.

Joyce Goldstein believes that as a chef, you must design the way a menu

will affect the customer. "You have to figure out, with finger food and a three-

course meal plus dessert, how many orgasm do you have in a meal? You don't

want to have four! Nothing Will have any meamng, because they'll all be the

same," she says. "So it's, How do you want to play It? Do you start quiet and

build to the second course, and then lay l(m and build to the third? Do you

start quiet, quiet, quiet, and build? Do you hit them the first time, and let

them recover? You have to choose where you think your big gun is, or the one

that's going to cause silence at the table. And you can't do it at every course.

So you Just have to plot your attack. Which dish is the killer? WhICh is nice?

WhICh is another little crescendo? And where's the surpnse?"

Norman Van Aken sa'-'s "Durina a wine dinner there's an Inherent
J , "'

probability of gomg from light to rich, interposing It occasionally WIth a lit-

tle preview of a little bit of richness before you get down to the very rich,

and then a relief somewhere In the mIddle.
"1 think of composing a menu a a lot like putting together a four-act

play," Van Aken ays, before providing examples of the roles various ingredl-
e~ts and di he, can enact. "Every now and then, the villain's got to jump out

ot the do et and scare the -hit out of everybody. The 'villains' are only m the

Wording, in the 'Co,tumlng.' I might de,cnhe ~omethlng 'chile-rubbed and

rO~ted brea t of squab on a habanero sal~a'-but when it's eaten, It's not

gOing to be VillainOUS. And at the end, the little girl comes out with a flower

In her hand. he's afe, we're all safe-we've had chocolate!"

mp •n Mr 259

. ,.

COMMON ACCOMPANIMENTS TO ENTREES

O ver time, certa in accompaniments h ave become familiar companion to
various entrees-liver and onions, meat and potatoes, pork chops and apple_
sauce, turkey and stuffing. This list includes other combin ations that, while
perhaps not as well known, are similarly time-tested matches.

Given that toda y vegetables are co mmonly incorporated as part of a
dish itself rather than simply served as a side dish , there is some ambiguity as
to whether the match should be included under "C omposing a Dish" or here.
Readers may wish to refer to both lists, whether co mposing a dish or a menu,
for different inspirations.

While this list provides suggested matches, a chef's poin t of view will
inspire how they will be applied (or whether they will be rein terp re ted or
ignored!). For example, the classic combination of meat and potatoes is open
to interpretatlon as:

• Pot-Roasted Beef Fillee tt'ieh ~fashed POtatoc8

-George Germon & ]ohanne Killeen

• Grilled Fillet of B.:ef u lth Cracked Black P.:J)pcr and Cognac Mustard Cream ,
send u-ith Shoestrmg Potatoes and Gla"eJ Carrots and Beets
-]o)ce ()old tem

• Brazsed hort Rib of B 4 . Leeks , and Potato l'-follssdine-Gray Kun:

• Unlled C A.B Rlh·Eye teak lmh Red age teak Satlce and Ttdce-Baked
Potato km -.1Jrk .1tller

• PaLma moked BeejTenJerlom «11th liar eradl h'(Jlazed Potatoes and
pmach Jo. chlln 'phchal

BASS endive po tar .

broccoli
e.cgpl mt

BEEF

elm"h Ike he. r morel ratatuull ie
bru eI prout mu,hroom, red cabbage
plll.lch
celet) mot r<trsm~
tomato~
e Lamie po tat oc
fennel

•

Many of Ihese combinations are claSSICS these are rndlcated In boldface typ

260

At

eEEF BRISKET parsnips potatoes
pasta sauerkraut
beetS
cJbbage potatoes, especially
mashed and roasted
SfEF SHANKS

l'0le nta

BRAINS tomatoes watercress

rice carrots potatoes
salad
omons potatoes. especially
BUFFALO parsmps
pureed
cabbage potatoes stuffing

CAPON tomatoes

celer\'. pureed egg~, hard-bOIled sour cream
cher"nuts. pureed lemon
mushrooms onions, raw vodka

CATFISH

cole slaw
hush puppie-

CAVIAR
blmi
bread, dark

Champagne

261

CHICKEN celery root parsnips
c rayfi sh peas
artichoke hearts dumplings potatoes
as pa rag us egg noodles rice
beans, {ava eggplant spinach
beans, gree n mushrooms turnips
beans, lima onions wild rice
broccoli orzo zucchini
brussels sprou ts
potatoes
carrotS tomatoes

COD escarole potatoe"
kale turnip,
beans, green
broccolI carrot" radicchio
eggplant ool\1n..,
potatoc
CORNED BEEF pea cr en
rhublTb
beets nee
cabbage rut, b19a

CRAB ~allcrkr.IU[

.1 raragll allion p mc h
cab age pact:lc
pmach
CRAYFISH ch rnut
corn IUd h. buttt:rnu[
wle la\\ enJ,,,e
"eet potatoe
DUCK e ar Ie
turnip, e ,Ill !-
apple fig wild ri e
apnc It
barIe} green
beam. fa\3 gnt
beans. \\ hlte. pureeJ lenni

be k cho~ mu broom
par nip
broccoli
brussel pr ut pa I n fruit
bulgur pears
cahba e pe
polcot
cabbage. reu

carr t

c I ry

c lery r t

ham sausage
potatoes toast

FiSH chips pasta
coleslaw ratatouille
~rrichokes cucumbers nce
endive spinach
~sp3raguS fennel
leeks sorrel
beans, (3\'a
broccoli potatoes toast
cabbage
cepes grapes
lentils
FISH, WHITE

cole slaw
parsnips

FOIEGRAS

cepes
compote

FROGS'LEGS mushrooms

celery root

GAME grapes rears
hommy rotatoes
apples lentib sweet rotames
cabbage parsnip:'
cabbage, red tlIrnir s
celery fOut, pureed
chestnuts, especially

pureed

GOOSE chestnuts, esrecially sauerkraut
rurceJ wild rice
arrles
brussels srrouts

cabhage, red

p g M, ' 263

GOULASH rice spaetzle
noodles

GUINEA HEN carrots risotto
apples lentils sausage
brussels sprouts potatoes
cabbage potatoes
cabbage spinach
HALIBUT eggplant
beans, green
broccoli corn pudding sauerkraut
gnocchi spinach, especially
HAM lentils
apples peas, especially pureed pureed
apricots potatoes, e,pecially spoon bread
beans sweet potatoes
biscuits creamed or pureed turnips
cabbage
carrot
chestnut

HARE porCini squash

che tnU
cranberne

HERRING leek potatoes

apple
cabbage

KIDNEYS mushr m pota toes
noodle
cepes al J

coleslaw

LAMB AND MUTTON bean , flageol ts/white bru eI pruu

aioli beans, green bulgur
beans, white c rr ( ,c pe I \I~
apnco
artlch k brocc )It r am d
aspara



MACKEREL gooseberries potatoes
nee
apples
eggplant wine, white and dry

OXTAILS parsnips rapp\e
potatoes
noodles pumpkm
onions uerkr ut
u h, peCI II l-u'
OYSTERS, FRIED potatoes
(ernut
coleslaw turnIp

OYSTERS, RAW toa t

ale, beer, or stout
bread. dark (e .g.•

pumpernickel, r)e,
wheat)

PARTRIDGE lent

endl\e nce
fritters u rkr ut
green
pasta

PHEASANT

apples gn 1

brusse prout h mm
lentil
cabbage muhrooms
noodl
cabbage. red omons

carr orzo

celery root. especially parsmps
peas
pureed polen

celery pota

c:batnu • tall

~

[Ole gras



PORK ce pes q UInces
ch estnuts, espec ially nce
apples salad
beans, fava pureed
beans, hma sauerkraut
broad beans lentils sn ow peas
brusse ls sprouts pears
cabbage po tatoes, especia lly sweet potatoes
cabbage, red turnips
mash ed

PORK CHOPS endive spinach
h o miny, espec ia llv fried
apples p,)tatoe, squa<;h , especiall\,
J-.eans, e peCla ll y pinto
nee mash ed .
and refried alad
'dllerkrdllt wa terc ress
heet'
eaJ-.ha~e, reJ
cole,l<lw

POT ROASTS pot toe , C P 1111\ r,)matoe,
turnip
CaITu • e peel Ilh rraJ ed b cd IT P IOcake

Jumplm lid
endl\'
(mon In h

POULTRY che tout e peel 11\ polent.1
P ltatoe
pplc pur ed r Hat Utile

be n f \ f, nn I poon bre d
bru cI pr ut
1
Glbb c
uhf! \\ r rapc~

QUAil n pear hread
weethread
aru ul IX I ora weer IX rar -.e

hea gr pcrtJe hard

brussc:~ls n

ch tn t

m h,f'OOIllI

RABBIT greens rice pilaf
noodles spinach
eb<aldbeh\1"ge• ",peCt"aIIYred pasta turnips
potatoes
c<~lef\' roor .

chestnuts. ",peClally

pureed

RED SNAPPER eggplant zucchini
fennel
broccoli
cabbage com, especially creamed potatoes
salsify
ROASTS grits shallots
onions turnips
broccoli parsnips
brussels sproutS
carrots onions turnips, mashed
celery root peas Yorkshire pudding
potatoes
ROAST BEEF
cucumber, GOlan,
bean. green peas
brussels sprouts eggplant potatoes
cabbage Jeru~akm arrichoke, ljumoa
,pinach
SALMON lentils
mushrooms
asparagus
beans, fava che,tout pmaroe,;, e,peclally
cabbage, red fennel
com leeks mashed
couscous lenni, nee
union, sauerkraut
SAUSAGES rea, [Omatoe" e'rectally
polema
apples fried
bean,
brus,el, ~rrout'
cabbge
cabbage, red
Cllul1f1o\\er
cdery

69

SCALLOPS radi cc h io wat e rc res<,
rice potatoes. especially new
escarole
kale
potatoes. especially

mas h ed

SEA BASS fennel
beans. black. fava. and

white

SHANKS

noodles rice
root vegetahles. e~pe ­
polenta .
clally pureed
potatoes. espeCIally

mashed or wasted

SHELLFISH pea rhuharb

fennel

grdin~

SHORT RIBS 01 1.1\\ P t, toes
bean • pureed lee flee
beer noodle ~ uerkraut
broccoli tomat Ie
bru I prout pa r
cabbage pc ne

SHRIMP pea greeru alad
gram radlCchl

pasta

SKATE eggplnr weer pc. t we

bean. e peclally whne t[

SMOKED SALMON rye br

bhnJ

A



























L)dia Shire and Chef de Cui ine Daniele Bali.lni

PlGNOLl
B",wn . Massac htl ,~tt\

WvvI'Ithth I'~ menu , we didn't look a t a r artlCular regio n of Italy so much a~ We
tned to do thing~ that were bo th s~asona l and based on traditional fooJ,

served during the winter in Italy, U smg claSS IC m gredlents more than actual

recires , we came up With our own dishes and mterpretatlons of them that
were roo ted 10 tradition-WIth a little tWist ,

The Antlra,to Giuliano was a combination of about a dozen plate, f

0

all sorts of marinated vegetables and calamari-typical Venetian gnlled

seafood and marinated vegetable ',

i 'ext, we en'ed a mini-pancttonc (Italian Christmas brioche bread)

filled With cl po t ItO ' o ur laced with oxtail and beef marrow. The soft and nCh

marnm JU t melt J mto the our and ',1\ e added richness to the soup, as the

po t.l roe' \\ere Jll t a de H ,md imrle ha e. It's \ ery Italian to serve douhle
't.lrche It~e th bre.ld mJ p )[,1£0 here. In faLt, a lot of the rasta course, In

It,ll -e peCll1l 10 Tu m}-fcature I )lIhle tcHches like rasta with chick-

pea or hean ( r I nul. That' \ eI) urnm In, a wally.

• orm II 10 hI , hac ala r air od, I \\ hlpred With pl)tatoe , the way

the Fren h d Rut 10 dll hilled md heed It pclper-thm,

I , nd r. it[ Hth 1 he t lad md heer \ lOaigrette. Beet are

11th th the baccala.

u 11 h red til lind 10 Emtlia-Romagna, "hilI..' trae-

I I (h rhl I p ut IOto hee _The ea urchm

th It It n 10 well a what' local and

pn tm tr m r \1."0,''''''':

hlO t t the fl h m t c mmon

I COllSIO r red pper The Ide was to p Ir th t With

rd frulSPI(:Y.•y .....,... r J t that th 're
preserved 10 mustaro

and th m tard £nut re W

lance With the bran

h were stuffed 1m the

ltk

":e,wet the dish a sort of re~al ~ouch., ~is dish keeps to our theme of

pe whole animal, because In hIgh CUISine a lot of the time we tend to

us~ thoee lower-caste cuts, which actually have a lot of flavor. For the
d' _ did a classic rabbit jus with port and !oie gras melted in at the end.

IsatufUcen.~k served it wiptrhiessotm's esftrireadnpgolleen~tea., typically served in Italy right

Lent. They're litde pastry dough tied In the form of a knot or a noose

befofrreied. The Italians call them "priest's stranglers" because typically in Italy,

and urch is known to eat very well, so there's always a bit of a sarcasm and
the ch coward the fact that people of the cloth are supposedly living a life

resenanene' xistenee, and yet they're known as having the best meals and the

ci hU:";rau,d palates. In Italy, there are a number of dishes like that
~ • san;IIItically to the Oturch. We warated to pair the pastry with a
which and rich flOzen mousse, which serves as something to dip the hot fried

::::YintO- I believe we served it with a little blackberry sauce.

Ioc:"VIe did a work on this menu, preparing it for more than 100 guests.

But they told US that it was one " the better Ouaine dinners that they'd had.

La Coat,&ie de Ia a..i. des R6tiueun

Bamia. de Bolton

February 5, 1995

o ••• in RoeI,_ BteGd

7d. . Mra,uw ~
III 8 lUI, -r.. Vi&M MbiI,· Marsala Supewriot-!
••

-.'_)MA_

1992

a.99J. '







. painter cue 0 well known for their
SllOlC

(haraereristiC ,tyles that e,'en the occasion- .•e-n
..eum-goer can iJentify a Picasso or a

aI tull.

Mondrian. imilarly, certain writers, such as

the poet e.e. cummings or the novelist John =
Irving. have unique style which dl tingui-h
c:
their writing from that of other writer. But
•

do chef have recogni:able 19nature t 'le

of their own?

MIt would be imere ting to hlmd 01 i

ten food crm and a k them to tel te the

cl ten leadmg chef: t 1 ee it the'

idermfv the chef." y Daniel BouluJ.

I the c uld? "Ye . I

think so, if th e dishes were ones they'd tasted before," he says. "The CfltlCS
would have to know the traditional dish es of th e chefs."

Boulud cites as examples his own dishes of scallops, pea soup, anu tuna
tartare with radish and curry as ones that would likely be recognIzable to
experienced criticS as his and his alone. "And they'd know Jean-Georges

Vongerichten's shrimp in carrot juice at Jo jo, or Gray Kunz's braised short nbs

at Lespinasse. In order to recognize the dish , it would h ave to be a very dIs-
tinct dish-not a complex dish with a lot of fried stuff on top. Sometimes the

most memorable dishes are the simplest.
"I believe you can recognize the subtle nuances in other chefs' COoking.

Some cook with more acidity, others with more saltiness, and others with
more sweetness. You get to know these styles after a while," says Boulud.

Jasper White also belIeves that cntics could pass the test. "But I think
you'd have to let themee the dishes, because I thmk the look of the plate
has somethmg to do with rer onal style as well," he says. "In my own per onal
style. I like food to ta~te great, and I like textures. The entire focus is nn ta~te

and textures, not on looks. The look that I want happens naturally. I don't

want fooJ to look artihciall . beautlful; I want It to look like it tastes good.
That'., my pomt of view. Ho\\ loe' It look ltke it tastes good? It has little

'peck ' of repper and h rped herb 1< nd kinLI of ,I rustic st') Ie to it. It's ,ome-
thmg rh t I k like the \\ holl f, aU' \\ In Ikmg s Hnething that taste, real-

Iv good. I

Thr ugh the myriad

What Distinguishes a Chef's Style? dcu,lOn .I chef

mak '. mcluJm th related t the c( mr Itt n of tla\fH~ and dl he~ and

menu I a per n 1 p) Ie e.. oh e • reflectmg I chef' particular romt of VICW.

My c s ne S not nte ect a t 1 rk Mill r dl tillgUI he between two proml-
ore so sat sty ng em a s
nent h >1 He \, "J 1I t a th re ar \\, flter \\ ho
ess
u e w rd \ cry cr 1tl\ I~ nd re rna ter of lan-

es U ee. nd ther \\,Tlt r \\'h are hetter at tellLO 1 t -
fie , I thmk there re hef who are rna ter of th
DJnMlIlns

Ian uage f fla\ r nd ther chef: \\, ho c n tell 're t

t fie .

"I \\, )Old y that the te hmcal pe pie. th n
\\, h) tm e ~ r dr mati ,are rnetlme the one who under land the\\' r
and the u f the w r Th chef wh th10k hout m nu and Irf) m

ItI n re m re mtere ted 10 the lOt rpl y betw n the \\, r th

nd th erall feelm f t f) r. th r th n IU t th t) h

r ul h r u f rm t I nd m nm t

mn

"C('rt.11!1 chef, h,we a

eH " (\ "Ie' kremi a h [Tower].
rc [\'X.later~). Joachim
[..1~,"IILIpI-'IhLal)' Charlie _Trotter-
[h-ey" II have a lot at personal
"
c 1.
,(yIe In their tood. Sometlmes a
c"I11.'( 'ho has a lot of style seen
IS
\\

as a" m'')re unportant chef.
aL[,et1caairu."-ePehre~odnoaelslv.d,isIhwesoutlhda t have
r ather

eat RI'ck Bay. less's food. He

understands and can interpret the culture, in a way, through the tech-

nique-and he also creates something in his own right. Rick creates
Mexican meals, and hl~ restaurant is a reflecnon of Mexican hospitality and

the way he thl!1ks about life-his artwork is in the room. He represents to

me an mtegnty in food."

As for Bayless, he agrees that a chef's cUisine tastes of more than its raw

IOgredients. "Fla\'or, commltment--customer ta~te all of thi~ in the food,"

says Barless. "They're tasting the fact the t I pent year- 10 Mexico learning

from really great cooL how to do all of rhi', and that I Web ahle to pull it

tOgether mto rhe C<lokmg rhat we do here. I thmk rhey ta"re culture and his-

tory. basically, 111 dl,hes the r have been refme -whICh I don't mean 10 a

negative 'eme, hut in a good.en,e---o\'er generation. TheH', the ftn-or that

I thmk IS on our plate. here."

o v. hat IS It that (Teate~ a hef' ,t) 1 ? "Chei,' A chef should be free to express hIS own

cUisine) are a re,ult f rhelr hve'," expl,lln' Cary md,vldualJty
Danko. "And It'.; imponanr fm che to be han t WIth -tdo...3rd ~ gnor
themsel\'e~.lf you're h 'ne~t \\ ith your elf, there will be reW, led to you a pilth

in hfe, and cooklO~ happen, to b my mantfe ration of rhb ltfe. I de,crihe a

ryramlJ that repre ent, the heare, mmd. an~l hand of cooktn~. The heart

need, to be the ba)e emotion-then you need the mmd to cancel\ e the JI"h

anti the hand to execute it. It\ that p)T3mlJ that I try to reflect m my food.

and my Coukmg i a dIrect r(,~ltlt oi m~ life.

"That' why It' '0 critical for che , to tTavei , nJ tu ,tud) hiswry, art,

and culture," ay [}emko. "The re~ult i rhi Journey IS ,ometlmCS the le",1n

that hfe i really 0 unple, and that 'Ilnple rhm~'-\O co\)km~. 'Imple tho

vors--can be vcry rewardmg "

Gra) 'un! ,lgree . He en"ourar:e chd ro un 1 r,rand theIr 0\\ n per·
nal "food c.onte t" "HO\\ ')ou\ e been e.ltll1r: ,[ home all y ur !tIe Will

::aunt y U In V )ur lIfe ,chef," he 1\ '. "r u'll h,1\·<: Ima~e and (eehn!!

ullt tn trom 11 ur experlenc.e ."

1