SIMPLE FRENCH FOOD

The next cookbook for our perusal is a very old book, initially published in 1974 but is a staple in many gourmet kitchens, Simple French Food by Richard Olney, a modern renaissance man who was an American painter, cook, food writer, editor, and memoirist, best known for his books of French country cooking. Olney passed away in 1999 but his cookbooks and wine books live on, sharing his immense knowledge of French cooking and wines. Alice Waters, of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California, and Kermit Lynch, the well-known Berkeley wine writer and retailer, were both disciples (from Wikipedia). According to Jeffrey, it’s a book that begs to be read. I looked into the table of contents and found articles such as “Thoughts upon Improvisation” and “Miscellaneous Thoughts” [about] oven temperatures, butter, Moulí- juliennes, and more. It’s Jeffrey’s “go to” book and is a dog eared staple in his kitchen. It's so used up that he has just purchased the paperback edition for our dinner. He hopes it will become your "go to" book as well.

The book is now out in paperback and only $12 plus shipping from Amazon.com and can be found in your local libraries for free. I’ve ordered my book and can hardly wait to start reading! Jeffrey stated that it's a good read, not just a book of recipes. Hope you enjoy this cookbook...I know that some of you already have the book and your favorite recipes already.

Our next dinner will be July 19th, a Sunday, at Jeffrey’s second winery, Domaine Eden, in Saratoga. We will be start at 3 p.m. and have a tour of the winery and then Bill and Jeffrey will put together a wine tasting event for you. This cookbook, winery tour & tasting and dinner will be our “field trip” this year. After much research of various restaurants, the group decided that our cooking rivals many (certainly not ALL, David Kinch, but many) restaurants. Because we’ve had a “field trip” before eating at a restaurant, we will have a tour of Jeffrey’s winery and have a varietal wine tasting event for our enlightenment from his and Bill’s cellar before we have dinner. I will be sending directions via email to the Crowing Coq Club members. Carpooling would be wise...but then carpooling is ALWAYS wise, right?

Sandi W. and I had lunch today at Gochi in Cupertino...another slant (no pun intended) on tapas. Japanese tapas are culinary adventures. I had a rice dish that had flaked cooked salmon, sashimi salmon, salmon roe, nori (dried seaweed), pickled ginger and wasabi. She ordered another rice dish with BBQ pork, an egg, preserved seaweed as well as nori. She didn't like this dish as well as the salmon one. We also shared a dish of beef tongue made with miso (a salty Japanese seasoning) that was encrusted with a panko batter and deep fried. We both thought this dish was fabulous...and if I hadn't told you, you would not have guessed you were eating tongue. The meat was rich and had the texture of braised short ribs...yum.

And if you are looking for the quintessential Chinese restaurant, since I'm on a restaurant roll here, try Pai Tao Restaurant on Wolf Road and Homestead. We went there with Mary and Glenn to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Their Seafood Chow Fun with Black Bean sauce is the best I've ever tried, anywhere! Every dish was delicious...I don't think I've ever ordered anything there that I haven't liked.

On a separate note, 7 of us are taking a trip to the City to eat at one of the "Dine About Town" restaurants, Andalu (Spanish Tapas) and then see the filming of “Fresh, New Thinking About What We Are Eating” at the nearby Victoria Theater. It will change how we view the foods we eat, I am sure. More on that later after we’ve seen the film on June 12th. Stay tuned!

Bon appétit!