|
While things change so fast in this world, there are still places where
time stands still. The face of Paris changes faster every year that I
visit and not always for the better. There are more and more fast food
chains, pasta restaurants, pizza sellers and Asian takeaway because
everyone wants to eat quickly and run somewhere...
At L'Ami Jean time
has stopped, it is old fashioned, handcrafted French/Basque cuisine. The
restaurant has an aged yellowed patina with acorn fed Spanish hams
hanging from the rafter with an inviting glow that welcomes you. The
menu changes daily and the ingredients could not be better sourced or
fresher! Whatever they make is always breathtaking!
Stephane Jego
the chef/owner holds court from his extremely busy kitchen filled with
six assistants that move around at blurring speed. One of
the starters the night we were there, last week, included the freshest
poached mackerel topped with a dollop of brandade served in the center
of a curry rosemary vegetable laden broth. Curry and rosemary an
unlikely combination that really worked!
I had a roasted duck breast cut
into two large pieces that was flavorful and rare, served with
roasted Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips and house made sun-dried
tomatoes with a glistening red wine pan sauce drizzled gracefully over
the top. All the components worked as one, it was pure magic.
Stephane's
eyes always follow his plates to our table as he waits for a wink and a
smile of delight. We look forward to our annual visits the last
three years and all the great food that awaits us.
The hardest part
about eating here is having enough room to have their famous rice
pudding otherwise known as Riz au Lait. It always arrives on a long
rectangular wooden board or plancha, the pudding is in a vintage
handleless cafe au lait bowl with an antique well worn wooden serving
spoon standing almost upright in the very thick billowing mix for you
to serve yourself. The color is a pearly white with the Spanish Bomba
rice grains suspended in the thickest Normandy cream with specks of
the freshest Madagascar vanilla. On the side, is a small cup of milk
jam and in our dessert bowls there are chopped praline pieces and
gently toasted pistachios waiting ready to receive the pudding.
Everyone has a technique, a small
amount of pudding, a dollop of milk jam and more pudding on top is my
technique. However you chose to do it , it will be something you dream
about for the rest of your eating years. Stephane cooks from the heart
with his Grandmother watching from heaven! May it always be
there.... Stephane you are my hero!
C hez L'Ami Jean, 27 Rue Malar, Seventh Arr., Paris, 33-1/47-05-86-89
Riz au Lait
4 ¼ cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup bomba or aborio rice
1 vanilla bean, scrape the seeds out of pod
1 ½ tsp. good quality vanilla extract
4 ¼ cup heavy cream, not ultra pasterizided
In a large size pot bring milk and vanilla pod to a boil, add rice and stir well. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid. Cook the milk-rice mixture for 30 to 40 minutes till the rice is soft and to your liking. Add sugar, vanilla seeds and vanilla extract,
Stir well and cook 10 more minutes till sugar dissolves. Let cool, put a piece of plastic or parchment paper on the surface and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve whip all the heavy cream till it forms soft peaks than fold the cream gently into the rice pudding base and serve.
The better the quality of cream the better the Riz au Lait.
Brenda Athanus runs a small gourmet food shop in Belgrade Lakes, Maine with her sister Tanya called the Green Spot.
The Green Spot
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
207.465.2921
 |
Stories 
