TN: Manresa/Frisson dinner at Beard House in NYC

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Great posting. Can you elaborate a bit on what constituted the above? I just can't imagine them.

Thanks

pavane

Pavane, these were the size and shape of chocolate truffles. Foie gras in a light crust (I'm guessing baked, as I didn't get any fried flavors). There was a dusting on ...nuts? cocoa? Something nutty and delicious. I'm afraid in a dim garden I just popped in my mouth, and wished I had studied more carefully when I really liked! Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

I'll chime in on the truffles... In my opinion, they were really a manipulation on the many textures that Foie Gras could achieve. To put it simply; prepare the Foie Gras however you want (i.e., confit, marinate, cure, or raw), process it into a paste by passing it through a type of sieve or pureeing, and let it come to a temperature that you can roll it into a ball between your hands. Chill again, give it a coating, and sereve it somewhat cool. The coating in this case is what gives the sense on an exterior crust on the "truffle" and makes for easier handling. In this example I detected hazelnuts with a little bit of cinnamon, and maybe some sugar which made the interior all the more savory and delicious. A more complicated hot truffle with a molten center could also be achieved, but that isn't really an appropriate discussion for a wine board :) The truffles were stunning, as was the rest of the evening. Dale nailed the wines on the head. The 2000 Produttori del Barbaresco was the standout wine and the others being fully enjoyable though a bit peculiar in some cases. Certainly two great chefs and good company (which happens often at The Bread House) was a real treat.

Thanks to all involved.

thanks Jason for the clarification. My memory was vague, I was assuming baked just from the crusty texture.

Indeed 2 great chefs! Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

I had a similar dish at L"Esperence a few years ago. It was called "Cromesqui" (sp) and was cubes of foie gras filled with port wine and deep fried. Incredible! Bi!!

Thank you both for the recollections; perhaps now a little project for the upcoming holiday season...while we can still obtain Foie Gras, of course.

pavane

"RV WRLee" in news: snipped-for-privacy@mb-m25.aol.com...

I also enjoyed the appetizer that Dale mentioned, and I compared it at the time, in appearance, to a tiny version of the nut-crusted cheese balls that were a fixture in US casual entertaining for some recent decades. (Popularized possibly by _Gourmet_ magazine in the 1940s, but this is unconfirmed.) It was made mostly of cold coked foie-gras.

The Cromesqui is a more elaborate preparation, a deep-fried sealed cube with multiple liquid centers that combine when bitten, in a raw explosion of flavor. (Ask me in person about comments overheard on this specialty.) A stunning "appetizer" and signature of Marc Meneau's L'Espérance in Burgundy, which Bi!! cited. (Named I believe for a Polish aristocrat, sometimes spelled Kromeski outside of French). Its simpler cousin, filled with sweet-corn purée, was served at the NYC dinner.

One of the two chefs at that dinner, Kinch, worked at L'Espérance in the past and has served Cromesquis at his own restaurants. He likes to feature modern appetizers from other chefs, with enthusiastic credit honoring the source, for anyone interested.

(Some diners are uninterested in the origins of an appetizer, it turns out. Not only that, but some people hear of these "quoted" appetizers, even without visiting the restaurant, and don't bother to hear also about the credit to the sources. One such person, without checking, actually accused the chef, on a food forum, of passing off these creations as his own! Another then chimed in and charged him further with plagiarizing a typeface on his menu, until informed that it was an industry standard for the purpose. A lesson to us all.)

-- Max

I ordered the Oysters in Sea Water Aspic (excellant) and my wife ordered the Cromesqui. Madam Meneau came to our table and explained that ladies do not usually order Cromsequi since the entire "ball" of foie gras must be popped into the mouth and it's not the lady-like thing to do. My wife was taken aback but laughingly told her that she could handle the proper eating technique. We were then moved from the garden where we were enjoying a Kir into a back corner of the dining room behind a planting so that she could eat them without being seen by the other diners. I politely objected and we were moved but we recieved the "ice" treatment for the rest of the evening. I commented on this treatment to Marc Meneau as he made his rounds and he became enraged at his wife, paid for our dinner, and presented her with a gift basket from their Boutique when we left. Shortly thereafter, L"Esperance regained it's 3rd star! Bi!!