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Best-selling cookbook writer and kitchen companion to celebrity chefs, Dorie Greenspan serves up her secret culinary short list.
These days, gourmet travelers are hard-pressed to decide between Paris and New York for the best city dining experience, which is why Dorie Greenspan, the award-winning author of eight cookbooks, and a special correspondent for 'Bon Appétit' magazine, divides her time between both culinary hot spots. Whether at home on the Left Bank in Paris or in New York, this dessert diva collaborates with a galaxy of star chefs including Pierre Hermé, Alain Ducasse, Daniel Boulud and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Hot in the kitchen gearing up for the Fall 2006 release of her new tome, 'Baking: From My Home to Yours', Greenspan serves up a special culinary short list to get your taste buds flowing.
Where did you have your most memorable meal? Why was it so memorable?
Two places jump to mind. First, there was a dinner in 1986 at the then just-opened Restaurant Lafayette in New York. Jean-Georges Vongerichten, just 29, was making his New York debut and his wildly talented cuisine was obvious from the first bite. After meeting Jean-Georges that night, I ended up working in the kitchen with him for six months, during which time I was witness to his creating a new culinary vocabulary, one that included infused oils, vegetable juices and reductions and a blend of French and Asian techniques and ingredients that we now call "fusion." All this happened just as I was beginning my career as a food writer and, because of it, I took a new path¬–I began collaborating with chefs, working with them in their kitchens and "translating" their recipes for home cooks.
The second place was a little corner of food heaven: The Louis XV in Monte Carlo. At that time, the brilliant chef, Alain Ducasse, was shooting for his third star, an honor we would have given him immediately after dinner. My husband and I had the tasting menu and were each served nine different dishes–before dessert. If I had black truffles for one course–as I did, oodles of them, in fact–my husband had white truffles. When the next course arrived, I had the white truffles and he had the black. It was a tour-de-force.
What is your favorite kitchen gadget and why?
Because I'm a baker, I couldn't live without my KitchenAid mixer, which
I consider more a tool than a gadget. I've got five among my three homes. There is nothing like it for mixing a fragile batter or beating heavy dough, like the one for brioche. On a smaller scale, I have a bunch of laser-sharp graters made by Microplane that I would miss terribly if they weren't at hand. The graters, which come in models that can grate Parmesan as fine as powder or turn carrots into ribbons, were originally designed as woodworking tools. The company-owner's wife took the gadget from her husband's workshop and used it in the kitchen.
What are your favorite cookbooks?
There are four cookbooks that have meant a lot to me in my career:
The 'New York Times Cookbook', by Craig Claiborne. I got this book when I was first married–and when I had never even boiled an egg–and I learned to cook following the recipes. It became my bible and, although I haven't turned to it in many, many years, it holds a place in my heart.
Gaston Lenôtre's 'Desserts and Pastries'. I devoured the book when it first came out in the 1970s and just worked my way through it from start to finish. At the time of its publication, I had not taken any pastry courses or worked with any pastry chefs, so, in a sense, this was first my serious lesson in desserts. I still turn to the book when I want to review the classics.
Maida Heatter's 'Book of Great Desserts'. If Gaston Lenôtre was my guide to the world of French pastry, so Maida Heatter took me into the world of American baking. I love the way she writes recipes–the instructions are always crystal-clear and her voice is so reassuring.
'Secrets Gourmands', by Pierre Hermé. I think this is one of the most beautiful cookbooks ever published. I knew Pierre Hermé before this book came out, but the book helped me to understand the artist and his work even more. It also gave me an even stronger desire to get to know him better and to work with him.
Name your favorite markets and food shops.
In New York City it is Union Square Greenmarket, the city's largest farmers' market. This is where the best chefs shop, so when the guy next to you is buying salsify and you ask him what he does with it, the chances are good you'll go home with a great recipe. Citarella on The Upper West Side. The store started as a small, neighborhood fish market and has since grown to be a luxe supermarket with a spectacular butcher, a fish stand that stretches the entire width of the store (it's mind-boggling), shelves and shelves of fine oils and vinegars, condiments and ready-to-use products, a bakery and, best of all, really good service.
In Paris: Marché Bio on Boulevard Raspail. The market, at which only organically grown or produced foods are sold, is so popular that it takes almost as much time to wind your way down the narrow center aisle as it does to do your shopping. Still, it's a Sunday ritual I would never abandon. La Grande Epicerie. I am attached to it because I know that no matter what I'm cooking or baking, whether it's a Chinese dish, something American, an Italian specialty or a French classic, the ingredients I need will be there.
Name your top three restaurants in the world. Why do you like them and what dishes do you order?
In Paris, I love going to Le Dôme. The only thing more impeccable than the fish at this restaurant is the gracious service under the direction of Monsieur Jacques. When oysters are in season, they're my starter of choice; when not, I choose frogs' legs. As for a main course, I find the sole meunière irresistible. No place does it better.
In New York, my all-time favorite restaurant is Daniel, the motherhouse of Daniel Boulud's empire. When the taxi stops in front of the restaurant's porte-cochere I always feel a little shiver of excitement because I know I'm about to have a wonderful night. I never order at Daniel–I always let the chef plan the menu and I've never ever been disappointed. Daniel is a master at blending the art and soul of French cuisine with American culinary playfulness.
My canteen in New York is the Lenox Room. Tony Fortuna, once called New York's greatest maitre d' by the 'New York Times', owns it. Needless to say, Fortuna knows a lot about making people comfortable, which is why I'm not the only one to go to his restaurant a couple of times a week–no matter when we go, we see familiar faces. I love the way they do a romaine salad–the dressing, like a Caesar dressing, is great; their tuna tartare is my favorite–the diced tuna is mixed with sesame oil and ginger; and their roast chicken is perfect.
What is your favorite wine?
I'm a great fan of Condrieu, the rich, highly aromatic white wine from the Côtes du Rhône region of France. It's got an apricot nose that puts a smile on my face as soon as I catch the first whiff.
Tell us about your forthcoming book, 'Baking: From My Home To Yours', due out this fall.
It's a collection of my favorite dessert recipes, the ones I've baked at home for family and friends over the past 30 years. There are lots of stories in the book–including the one about how I got fired from my first restaurant job for "creative insubordination"–as well as everything I've learned about baking from the great chefs I've worked with. It's a big book– there are 300 recipes and 100 photographs!
Dorie Greenspan's Short List to Culinary Heaven
Kitchen Tools:
Microplane Original Series Zester
Buy It Online: http://www.microplane.com/40001.shtml
KitchenAid 5-Quart Mixer
Buy It Online: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005UP2P/qid=1142959385/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-2668636-9523121?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=284507
Dining Out:
Lenox Room
1278 Third Ave
NY, NY 10021
http://www.lenoxroom.com/
Daniel
60 East 65th Street
NY, NY 10021
http://danielnyc.com/
Le Louis XV
Place du Casino
MC 98 000 Monaco
http://www.alain-ducasse.com/public_us/louis_xv/fr_atmosphere.htm
Le Dôme
108 Boulevard Montparnasse
75014 Paris
Fine Food Markets:
La Grand Epicerie Paris
38 Rue de Sèvres
75007 Paris
http://www.lagrandepicerie.fr
Citarella
2135 Broadway
NY, NY 10023
http://www.citarella.com
Marché Bio
Rue de Rennes through Sèvres Babylone
75006 Paris
Sundays from 8:30am-1:30pm
Greenmarket at Union Square
East 17th and Broadway
NY, NY 10011
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays from 8am-6pm
Favorite Cookbooks:
The New York Times Cookbook, by Craig Claiborne
Buy It Online: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060160101/sr=8-1/qid=1142960706/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-2668636-9523121?%5Fencoding=UTF8
Lenôtre's Desserts and Pastries, by Gaston Lenôtre
Buy It Online: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812051378/qid=1142960756/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-2668636-9523121?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
Book of Great Desserts, Maida Heatter
Buy It Online: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0836278615/qid=1142961019/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-2668636-9523121?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
Secrets Gourmands, by Pierre Hermé
Buy It Online: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/2911606469/qid=1142961088/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/104-2668636-9523121?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
Paris Sweets: Great Desserts From the City's Best Pastry Shops, by Dorie Greenspan
Buy It Online:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767906810/sr=8-1/qid=1143131121/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-6592409-1968755?%5Fencoding=UTF8
Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme, by Dorie Greenspan
Buy It Online:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316357413/sr=8-4/qid=1143131121/ref=pd_bbs_4/104-6592409-1968755?%5Fencoding=UTF8
Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook : French-American Recipes for the Home Cook, by Dorie Greenspan
Buy It Online:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/068486343X/sr=8-9/qid=1143131121/ref=sr_1_9/104-6592409-1968755?%5Fencoding=UTF8