Eat.Sip.Chew. Cooks At Canele!
I’m not an expert, but I’ve heard the stories. Stories about Weddings – There’s all this preparation for that one, big, gratifying Lovefest and then in a flash it’s over. Nostalgia and reminiscing follow (Oh, Hunny, let’s look at the Photo Album again) and then the question is…”Well, What’s Next?!” Time for Baby?!
Instead of “Wedding,” just insert “Friends Cook At Canele,” and it’s my sentiments exactly. For weeks, I’d been honing recipes; Planning produce pickups from Farmers and Friends; Photo Shopping a Canele-esque looking Menu (Invite); Sending out “Invitations” and promoting the idea/essence of the night to LA Weekly/Eating LA/Eater [Also a big THANK YOU to Tony C. is in order for posting the menu on his site, Yelp and getting it into Grubstreet]; Still Kitchen-less; and have a job I’d like to keep. All for just one (1) day back in the Kitchen. It’s Crazy, Really. And it suited me perfectly.
It all started in July when my friend Anjali sent me an article about the Friends Cook Night featuring Amy Seidenwurm from Backwards Beekeepers. The subject of her email said, “I read this and thought of you.” I contemplated – then realized that she was right. All this jibber-jabber about working in a kitchen and missing it. All those nights of Jon or PT coming home and finding me (again) in the kitchen. It was no substitution…It was finally time to put my food in your mouths. Right where it (hopefully) belongs.
Then I panicked. I couldn’t find a way to email Corina Weibel (Canele owner). Canele’s website does not have an email address. So, I turned to the next, best, only semi-creepy thing. I turned to Facebook. The letter would have scared any sane person away. Because the letter…well, it was more of a Novel. I described the inspiration for a Super Locally Sourced Dinner – and delved into how in moving to Los Angeles a year ago, I’d become fascinated by the 92 Farmers Markets that occur in the LA area each week. When I lived in New York, the Farmer’s Markets became such sad events around November. Meat; Cabbage; Potatoes; Onions; Butternut Squash. I might as well have been in Mother Russia. Having such beautiful produce at our fingertips year round (and the extensive number of markets) is a privilege. And I wanted to celebrate it!
Lili Bih’s Mushroom 3-Pack!
Additionally, in visiting the markets and talking with the vendors, I’ve become captivated with a number of Farmers that have made it their life’s work to grow beautiful organic produce. Every week Lili Bih Shan is at the Long Beach and Cerritos Farmer’s Markets selling 3-types of Mushrooms she cultivates in Riverside. The price she charges is so reasonable I wonder how she makes a living. Finely Farms comes to the Culver and Hollywood Farmers Markets and their produce never fails to amaze me. It’s a young Husband and Wife operation and they grow over 50 varieties of produce – all 100% organic. These are the unsung heroes of any meal. And therefore, I wanted this dinner to honor local ingredients and the farmers/urban farmers that have dedicated themselves to their crafts.
Corina reveled in the Menu’s premise – and when we finally met in person I learned that the majority (if not all) of Canele’s produce comes from the 3 Farmer’s Markets that Canele visits a week. Who knew!? Fortunately, she loved the dishes proposed (I knew I was in the nook when I got the slight 2-inch chin nod when I confirmed I’d be making all the 2oz portions of Poppyseed Pappardelle) and an additional “This Will Be A Challenge” leer when she agreed to Made To Order Desserts (It would be a first at Canele). Our discussions quickly swirled around preparation and plating. We swiftly discovered that our cooking styles and aesthetics were spot on. It was a pretty exciting revelation let me tell you.
Food For Eggs!
Jump ahead to the weekend prior to the Friends Cook Night. There was a bit of produce pick-up (October 10th: Picked up Mushrooms from Lili Bih Shan/Preserved Meyer Lemons from the Griswalds/Eggs from Silverlake’s John Whitton and Erin Burrell) and by October 12th the Pumpkin Seed Brittle was crafted, then crushed, and Pasta Making Commenced in my PJs. I wasn’t trying to win style points.
Poppy Seed Pappardelle
October 13th, I took a 1am – 3am nap break. Then, back to pasta rolling until I packed my knives, pasta, produce, eggs, and body into my car, with Canele as the final destination. 2pm: Doors open – Straight to work. That Ragu; It needed to get into the oven immediately. With the smell of 10+ lbs of Lamb Shoulder browning on the stove, I turned my attention to the Chocolate Cakes and quickly realized that the only piping bag I brought (to pipe the mix into the Ramekins) had an open tip. Time was lost carefully adding the mixture into the ramekins.
Finely Farms Cavolo Nero Salad with Windsor Farms Fingerling Potatoes and Griswald’s Preserved Meyer Lemons
Back to the kitchen, the Ragu made its way to the oven, but the salad components needed to be prepped (Roast Potatoes /thinly cut Kale/Radish Sliced and sitting in h20/Meyer Lemons ready). Like an album’s first song, which is most likely one of the best on the album, I felt that the salad had to have a similar effect: “Hello. You Taste That? It’s good, right?! Get ready for a Culinary Ride, Buddy.”
At the same time, making a Kale-centric introductory dish was daring for sure. For one, there is something called “Bitter Blindness” – Genetically, there are people called “Tasters” and these “Tasters” are predisposed to HATE Kale. Then there’s others who just don’t like it. I’ve always fallen for the things others don’t tend to enjoy (Perhaps that explains my fascination with Curling…) and so Kale Salad you ate.
Yours Truly.
With (most) of the salad prepped and the cakes ready (But not tested) It was a mad-dash to the 5:30pm. 3 Parties of 2 immediately entered and ordered Friends Meals. These amazing Friends turned into the Guinea Pigs for the night…and they are surprisingly still talking to me. Ellen. Adam. Will. Louise. John. Kelly. Thank you for eating Salads with perhaps a tinge too much Preserved Meyer Lemon; Ragu that had just finished braising; and withstanding the wait for dessert as we figured out the best way to approach firing and baking the Chocolate Cakes.
Handmade Poppy Seed Pappardelle with a Neiman Ranch Lamb Ragu made with Ballast Point Porter
The rest of the night…wow. It. Was. Incredible. Before I knew it, the kitchen was in fluid motion at full steam ahead. The dining room was absolutely packed. It seemed like everyone was having a good time…and enjoying their food, no? A line formed out the door, and then I got wind of an hour-long wait. At some point (thanks to a great, nameless group of friends) a Chant of “Jessica” erupted and I even saw Jane of Canele screaming. David, the chef next to me, said, “Hey, what about me?!” And he was right…I couldn’t have done it without him. I couldn’t have done it without all of them…Megan, Greg, David and I were a band, orchestrating the food for the evening – with a tasty creshendo of Pappardelle Ragu and Warm Cakes sounding the dinner tables. They’re bad-asses and it was a great team effort by all. And just think, they do this almost every night. So, thank you. Those chants were for all of us.
Burrell and Whitton Eggs used in the Valhrona 66% Dark Torino with Vanilla Bean Thyme Ice Cream and Pumpkin Seed Brittle
At 11pm I finally sat wearily next to some of my good friends. Almost 100 meals, 63 Friends Pre-Fix Orders. That makes it one of (if not) the busiest nights after the honorable Nancy Silverton. Pretty satisfying. And then I took my first bit of the evening. The Kale Salad – it was really good. “Take my Tastebuds for a ride,” I said out loud. No one seemed to mind…
And Finally…Lessons Learned:
1. TIME. TIME. TIME.
If you think the dish will take 3 hours to finish – give yourself 4…or 5. It’s easy to forgot all the intricacies that go into making a dish. In the case of the Ragu (Will post recipe), the meat had to brown, the veggies had to soften, the liquids had to be added/reduce, the whole dish had to braise for 2.5 hours, once removed the meat had to be fork shredded, then the entire dish had to go back on the stove to reduce further. All PRIOR to serving. By the end of the night, the consistency of the ragu was right where it was supposed to be.
2. Ovens Have Their Own Personalities
The Dark Chocolate Torino is a recipe handed down from Carla Tomasko, the amazingly talented chef at Bacchanalia. When we made this cake at the restaurant, it took 5 minutes to cook in a convection oven at 366degrees. However, The Ovens at Canele read like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears – one oven was way too hot, the other was too cold – and finally we got one to be Juuust right. But, we had to tack on an additional 5 minutes to the cooking time.
3. Work With What You Have
When you forget your tools (my offset or close tipped pipping bags) get creative. Use a Butter knife. Make your own piping bag out of Parchment Paper. ‘Make It Work.’
4. Taste Test As Much As You Can
It can be challenging, but it really helps to taste test a bit of the food prior to sending it out. That way you know if it needs more salt – or if you need to work to bring the salt down (more difficult).
5. Use the palm of your hand when using a Mandoline
You save your precious fingers that way!
6. Design A Meal That Speaks To Who You Are
Was I nervous? Of course! But when you create a meal (or anything for that matter) that speaks to who you are as an individual and as a Chef, it seems much easier to work the line and produce good food. And I believe I accomplished that. I am a walking, breathing Poppy Seed Pappardelle. And I couldn’t be happier.
Wow! That sounds like quite an evening and a menu. You are a pretty amazing woman Jessica.