March 24, 2005
A Decadent Day-Long Brunch
Last Sunday was the first day of spring, a long awaited event after a rather long cold winter for Paris and Europe in general. It was also another birthday for me (actually, it was Monday, but never mind.)
Thanks to Toby, it was a marvelous day -- exactly the kind of leisurely, decadent all-day affair with good friends and food around me, not to mention copious amounts of champagne! As the visual evidence below attests, I think there is now a new "law of champagne": the number of bottles of champagne available will always be proportional to the consumption levels of the number of people there to consume them -- or something like that. It was indeed fun :)
Toby created a a virtuoso performance for the feast: a three course feat of eggs benny two-ways (a choice of either smoked salmon or prosciutto) and yummy lemon ricotta pancakes with Canadian maple syrop and a big fruit salad. And he did this for 12 people! The trick he discovered from Jacques Pepin (bien sur!) was to pre-poach the eggs in advance. You cook them a little (be careful not too much), and then plunge them in an ice water bath and store them in it until ready to serve. Just before serving, you just submerse them for a few seconds in boiling water in a strainer, and voila! This takes much of the stress out of doing poached eggs en masse. It worked beautifully.
I've included the pancake recipe (including the apples bit which we didn't use) because they are good and for nostalgia reasons. I snipped this recipe from a magazine almost 15 years ago when I first started entertaining myself after I moved to Victoria, BC. for my first job as a legislative intern. It was a big deal, but that's where I discovered the pleasure of cooking for people and creating community that way. Which brings me back to the present: not to get too sentimental, especially without the excuse of a champagne buzz unhappily absent this AM, but this event made us feel that we were building a real community here in Paris. Indeed, getting older is perfectly tolerable with occasions like these. I guess I knew something 15 years ago and have been building on this truth about the good life ever since. Thanks everyone.
LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES WITH SAUTEED APPLES
Gourmet, September 1991
For the sautéed apples
4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamonfresh lemon juice to taste
For the pancakes
4 large eggs, separated
1 1/3 cups ricotta
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 cup all-purpose flourmelted butter for brushing the griddle
Maple syrup as an accompaniment
Prepare the sautéed apples:
In a large heavy skillet sauté the apples in the butter over moderately highheat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until they are softened,sprinkle them with the sugar and the cinnamon, and cook them over moderateheat, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until they are tender.Stir in the lemon juice and keep the mixture warm.
Make the pancakes:
In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, the ricotta, the sugar, and thezest, add the flour, and stir the mixture until it is just combined. In abowl with an electric mixer beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt untilthey hold stiff peaks, whisk about one fourth of them into the ricottamixture, and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Heat agriddle over moderately high heat until it is hot enough to make drops ofwater scatter over its surface and brush it with some of the melted butter.Working in batches, pour the batter onto the griddle by 1/4-cup measures andcook the pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden,brushing the griddle with some of the melted butter as necessary. Transferthe pancakes as they are cooked to a heatproof platter and keep them warm ina preheated 200°F. oven.
Serve the pancakes with the sautéed apples and the maple syrup.
Makes about twelve 3- to 4-inch pancakes
Posted by nicole at March 24, 2005 10:32 AM