Gourmet April – Pippa Mattei
A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
The Paris cookbook Fair March 3-6 2011
Having reached the semi-finals by November 2010 in two categories, BEST
ENTERTAINING and BEST MEDITERRANEN, I received an e-mail this January
congratulating me on becoming one of the finalists in the ENTERTAINING
category of the 16th GOURMAND AWARDS FOR THE BEST COOKBOOKS IN THE
WORLD! It was then my husband John and I decided to go to Paris for the
award ceremony and to attend the Paris cookbook fair.
We arrived at Charles de Gaulle and parked our bags at a central Parisian hotel.
Sniffed out a Brasserie round the corner and had our first French meal (Veau
Cassoulet followed by tarte aux poires) .After that we unpacked at the hotel,
and in the early evening took a taxi to LE CENT 104 QUATRE, ESTABLISSMENT
ARTISTIQUE DE VILLE DE PARIS which is an exhibition Centre in the North of
Paris.
This was the cookbook Fair’s opening night and expectations were high,
everybody was here to make new friends and meet people from all over the
world, all of whom had the same interest and enthusiasm in the World of
FOOD!
Italy hosted the first night and we were offered an assortment of pastas,
pannacotta s and espressos. Meanwhile at the main bar champagne was
flowing accompanied by the most delicious foie gras mi cuit! All the finalist
books were displayed around the hall and it was great seeing my book ’FESTA’
up among them!
Next day we made our way to the 104 this time on the metro, and the fair was
in full swing. Every hour there was a different food demo by different well
known International chefs. At the same time, there was ongoing demos in the
‘French’ kitchen. On the International stage, we watched a Malaysian chef
making fish balls with galangal and shrimp paste and lemongrass. He also
made a glass noodle salad with sweet and sour mangoes, lemongrass and
lime. After the demo we were ushered next door where we were hosted by
the Malaysians with a spread of food and some Malay dancers! Having
satisfied our appetites with the Asian food we moved on to a ‘Conference’
(Also hourly). The ‘theme’ of the talk was ‘Restaurant Business in China’. Chef
du Guang Bei was to discuss how the Peking Duck conquered the World!
This is one of my favourite dishes, Chef Guang Bei spoke in Chinese and had a
translater. We heard how the ducks were reared and then how they were
steamed in a special cookers heated with coal. We were pleased to hear our
way of cooking and serving duck was fairly accurate!
The Peking Duck
Some of the most famous Chinese dishes have been created around the
distinctive flavour of duck. This Peking duck is perfect for entertaining. It was
first served commercially 130 years ago.
Roast the duck, make or buy the doilies, cut up the vegetables and make the
sauce.
Serve the duck cut up between two guests. Give them a salad side dish with
strips of cucumber and spring onions. Each guest has a little bowl of the Peking
duck sauce.
Eat the roast duck wrapped in a warm (warm by steaming) pancake (doily)
which first of all is brushed with the sauce and then sprinkled liberally with the
spring onions and cucumber.
What is particularly appealing about eating roast duck in this manner is that for
every bite and mouthful you will enjoy the aromatic texture of the crackling
duck skin, the savoury tenderness of the duck meat, the plummy fragrancy of
the sauce and the fresh crunchiness of the vegetables!
The recipe:
2 ducks for 4 persons
4 tablespoons honey
1 ½ cups water
Wash ducks in hot water. Dry inside and outside. Hang up with a butchers
meat hook where the ducks get lots of air (but the cat cannot get at them!) so
as to dry thoroughly (place a dish underneath as the ducks will drip blood).
Dissolve honey in water and brush skins until completely saturated with the
honey mixture. Leave like this for about 6 hours until the skins are dry and
slightly hardened by the honey.
Now separate the duck skins from the flesh by inserting a straw immediately
underneath the skin. Now blow through the straw, so the skin ‘puffs’ up and
you can see it separating from the flesh. Continue like this until most of the
breast area has been ‘puffed’.
When ready to cook the duck, place on a rack inserted into a baking pan half
filled with water.
Roast in hot oven for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until the ducks are brown and crisp. (Try
not to open the door before the duck is cooked.
Meanwhile, make the Peking Duck Sauce.
PEKING DUCK SAUCE
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 tablespoons yellow bean sauce
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Heat oil in a small saucepan. Add the yellow bean sauce and stir over low heat
for a few minutes. Add the sugar and sesame oil and cook stirring for another 2
minutes. Leave to cool.
Now prepare cucumber and spring onions, peeling them and cutting them into
equal lengths. Set aside.
Make (see below) or buy Peking doilies or pancakes.
PEKING DUCK DOILIES
This recipe will make 15 – 20 doilies. Serve 5 doilies per person, so these will be
enough for 4 persons.
1 ¼ cups / 310 ml water
2 cups /250g sifted flour
Oil/sesame oil
You will need a large plate and a damp tea towel.
In a pan bring the water to the boil. Add flour all at once and stir very quickly
with a wooden spoon to combine. Remove from pan and knead mixture on a
floured board until smooth (about 10 minutes). Form the dough into a long roll
3 cm in diameter. Cut into 1 cm thick slices. Flatten to 6mm thickness and
brush one side of half the rounds with a little oil. Place one un-oiled round on
top of the oiled side of another round. Dust each pair with flour and roll out
into very thin pancakes about 10-12 cm in diameter. Roll from the centre,
turning the pancake a little after each roll to ensure a perfect circle of even
thickness.
Heat an ungreased frying pan (with a heavy base) over low to medium heat.
Cook one pancake at a time for about 1 minute on each side or until lightly
coloured with brown spots. (pancakes will puff and bubble). Transfer to a plate
and separate the two halves. Keep these doilies covered with a kitchen towel
until all pancakes are ready.
Peking doilies can be made in advance, kept in the fridge and reheated by
steaming for 8-10 minutes.
You can serve some large crispy lettuce leaves besides doilies.
Serve lots of Jasmine tea. Also don’t forget fingerbowls or hot towels!
After this we headed back to the demo room, to watch Virginia Willis from the
US demonstrate how to cook cornmeal and then chicken breasts with basil
and country ham, rolling them in flour and frying them in butter with a dash of
white wine. She then demonstrated how to make American biscuits
(scones).Virginia gave us a good tip: when re-rolling dough do not squeeze it all
together, but put the left over pieces on top of each other and THEN roll again.
AMERICAN BISCUITS (scones)
200g (8oz) plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 level teaspoons cream of tartar
40g (20z) butter
Water or milk to mix (approx ½ cup)
Milk or beaten egg for glazing
Pre-heat oven to 230˚C/ 450˚F mark 8
Sieve all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add fat and rub into breadcrumb
consistency. Add enough water or milk to make a soft dough. Turn onto a
floured board and lightly roll out to about 3cm (1in) thickness. Cut into rounds
with a sharp cutter. Place on a floured baking sheet and brush with either milk
or a beaten egg. Bake scones near the top of a hot oven till just turning golden
(about 10 minutes)
Serve warm with butter and strawberry jam – and maybe some fresh whipped
cream, or crème fraîche!
To make mixed fruit (raisins sultanas etc) or blueberry scones, follow the
above recipe, adding 50g (2oz) of fruit and 25g (1oz) sugar after you have
mixed the fat and flour to breadcrumb consistency.
Serve alone or with some butter.
To make cheddar scones, add 75g (3oz) grated cheddar cheese plus a pinch of
pepper and a pinch of dry English mustard to the breadcrumb consistent mix.
Also, add a little extra grated cheese on top of each scone before they go into
the oven. Serve warm with butter.
After her demo, Virginia gave a talk about the US culinary book market which
was very interesting.
After this we made our way back to the hotel to get ready for the night aheadthe award ceremony at the Folies Bergère.
The doors opened at 9pm and we all filed in and found our places. The
ceremony was opened by a French poet. The world cookbook awards were
Founded by Edouard Cointreau in 1995 and its aim is to revere and honour
those who ‘cook with words’. This year 154 countries participated for
cookbooks and 61 for wine books.
Now came the time for the winners to be announced. First came the Hall of
Fame, the professionals, the TV celebrity chefs (Nigella Lawson’s Nigellas
Kitchen came 3rd).Then came the ENTERTAINING category..finalists Belgium,
Netherlands, Malta and UK.. and the winner is...’’a country that has not
participated before, ... MALTA with PIPPA’S FESTA – A CELEBRATION OF FOOD
IN MALTA’’ I jumped out of my seat and went up onto the stage, the stage
where Edith Piaf and Frank Sinatra had been in times gone by, and made my
acceptance speech to the 1.200 guests there! What a night, what an honour
for Malta. My award was followed by other categories, and at 11.30pm we
went out for champagne and congratulations all round. Needless to say my
mobile was sending SMSs to family and friends, the book’s photographer Kurt
Arrigo, the book’s designer Mark Thomson and of course the publishers Tony
and Eddie Aquilina of MIRANDA. John and I then went back to the hotel tired
but elated.
The next day Friday, with my mobile buzzing with messages from home, we
went back to the fair. The first demo was from Bob Blumer, USA/Canada,
showing recipes from his Surreal cookbook - chicken breasts seasoned and cut
into bite sized pieces, then rolled in flour with , 2 beaten eggs and panko (asian
breadcrumbs) and fried till crisp, then seasoned with thyme and parmesan
cheese. He then made salmon cupcakes (Yuk!).He told us the story of how he
set the studio on fire when giving his first TV demo! He then made wonton
surprises –wonton wraps filled with peanut butter, sliced bananas and one
rolo (caramel and chocolate sweet). Using water to seal, the little parcels are
folded well and then deep fried!
Next there was a workshop on media and Presentation skills for culinary
professionals with Lisa Ekus and Virgina Wilis.
Then John and I decided it was time to do some networking, leaving my card
and sometimes a copy of my book with interested publishers, booksellers etc
from all over the World.
Once back at the hotel John asked me to choose a restaurant for a celebration
dinner!
We walked to the restaurant as it was in our arrondisment (9th)– Au Petit
Riche, Rue Peletier. WHAT a meal – I started with Salade de Homard avec
petits legumes ( lobster salad with baby vegetables) and John had foie gras
with caramelised pears. This was followed by Turbot sauvage for me (fresh
Turbot fish) and Sole menieure for John, both accompanied by simple boiled
potatoes and fine beans. We then had an assortment of French cheeses
(wonderful) and finally crème brulee for John and crème caramel for me. A
carafe of vin de table. Simple, fresh and delicious a meal to remember.
Saturday, our last day at the fair. Opening with a demo by Benny the chef from
Italy who kept telling us to say ‘FORZA ITALIA’ we watched him make Gnocchi
di semolina. Just like mine, but he used goat’s milk instead of cow’s milk, and
drizzled them with honey once they were cooked.
GNOCCHI DI SEMOLINA
Makes about 48 gnocchi to serve 12 persons as a starter, or 6 persons as a main course
1 litre (2 pints) fresh milk
300 g (11 oz) semolina
100g (4 oz) butter
150 g (6 oz) parmesan, cheddar cheese mixed, grated
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon nutmeg, grated
2 eggs
Flour for dusting
Weigh semolina and cheese and set aside. Cut up butter into small pieces. Put the milk and butter in
a saucepan on a medium heat, and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
When boiling well, (sides `curling up’) quickly pour in the semolina, stirring all the time with a
wooden spoon. Then add the grated cheese.
Take off heat and mix vigorously to beat out any lumps. You should now have a mass of thick dough.
Set aside to cool.
When cool, add the raw unbeaten eggs to the mixture and mix very well. (A blender will do the
trick).
Flour a large surface and put the mixture (now a bit sticky) onto this. Knead several times, dusting
flour on it to make it less sticky. Roll out gently till the mixture is about 1.5 cm (½ inch) thick.
Now prepare an oven dish by greasing it well with butter, and cut out rounds of gnocchi with a
floured napkin ring or cookie cutter 4 cm/1 ½ inch in diameter.
Place gnocchi rounds carefully onto the prepared oven dish, making an overlapping line down the
dish. Continue until all your dough is used up, gathering mixture together and rolling it again as
required. When the dish is completed, dot with extra butter pieces and sprinkle with extra cheese.
They are now ready to be cooked or frozen.
To cook, put into a moderate oven 180 C (350 F), gas mark 4 and bake uncovered for 45 minutes
until gnocchi are ‘tinged’ with brown. Serve immediately either as they are, or with a prepared
tomato sauce or drizzle with honey!
We then stayed on for a demo by New Zealander Julie Biuso, who actually was the chef most
organized. She demonstrated two recipes from her bestselling barbecue cookbook –Julie Biuso’s
never ending summer – Fish kebabs on warm tomatoes, and grilled aubergine rolls stuffed with
feta.
While sitting there, I suddenly spied FT Bletsas Greece. One summer I had taken FT round the
Marsaxlokk market while being filmed for a Greek TV program. He remembered me and Malta well.
Our final call was to a German publishers stall who was organizing a Charity International Cookbook
with recipes from all the winners. The proceeds of which will go to the victims of the New Zealand’s
Christchurch earthquake. I was the first to apply, so my photograph was taken with the organizer
and toy KIWI!
On the way out, we watched chef Ramzi from Lebanon, but after this, we decided that we had got
the best out of the Fair, so we bought some foie gras and left 104 both agreeing that the whole
event had been a wonderful experience!