Text 8743, 143 rader
Skriven 2014-01-12 21:49:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: status cymbals 55
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I was amused by some happenings in the public image department
and would like to share them. For me, status on the airline or
in the hotel means late checkout, free booze and food, access
to quiet lounges with comfy chairs, seats with more legroom,
practical stuff. Only peripherally do I enjoy the status for
itself. I strive to perceive the quality of my experience by
the intrinsic quality rather than the label of what I am
experiencing..

Some time recently I noted 

 But for some the status is important, so let it be. Next week I
 am going to a fancy-schmancy wine dinner and will probably bring
 a bottle of a decent Vosne-Romanee, whereas I could get a much
 better bottle of Chambolle-Musigny premier cru for the same or
 less cost, but the Romanee name, people genuflect before that.

Well, that dinner happened, and most of the wines were destroyed
anyway by the menu of duck with hoisin, pork chops with salt and
pepper, and vegetables. I brought the Chambolle-Musigny anyway
just to see would happen, and as expected, the wine aficionados
thought it mediocre because of its relatively unknown appellation.
As far as I could tell, it was the best wine of the lot with the
food, aside from some sweetish German Rieslings. There were a
couple people who came up to me and expressed appreciation for my
choice, but the snobs, wow. (I admit that Oliver, whose palate I
do respect, said that the pairing I offered was the second best
with the duck; he thought his own choice, one of the Rieslings I
think, was #1).

The worst thing was that the most aficionadiste of the aficionados
brought a bottle of Vranken 99 Diamant Bleu Brut, a considerable
wine, as it is famous and great and expensive, but when it was
opened, I could smell the spoilage right away and mentioned the
peculiar nose, but nobody including me called the guy out on it,
though there were those who muttered privately. I am reminded of
the Rumpole story "The Blind Tasting," which often rings all too
true.

=

Anyhow. I was pleased to see United listing two of my favorite
bargain Champagnes - Didier Chopin and Nicolas Feuillatte - and
a couple interesting reds, such as Finca La Escondida Malbec; but
it turned out that none, as in zero, of the wines on the list
were available; all were replaced by bigger more expensive names
but no better wines. The Champagne on offer was Pommery, okay, it's
about the equal of the ones listed, but it costs 50% more, and
they must have loaded it in response to complaints that the stuff
the were offering wasn't classy enough. The reds that they were
pouring were Chateau Bonnet, which is fine but overpriced and
coasting on the Lurton name, and the amusing Tic Tok Shiraz, for
which I gave the airline full points.

Pan-roasted salmon with seared foie gras and sauce soubise
cat: hotel, fish, poultry, pretentious
Serves: 1

h - For the salmon
5 oz salmon fillet, trimmed
4 ts olive oil (to pan-roast the salmon)
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
h - For the crispy salmon skin
1 3.2 x 4" piece of salmon skin, scaled and cleaned
h - For the sauce soubise
7 oz white onion, peeled
3 1/2 Tb butter
h - For the foie gras
1 3/4 oz slice of foie gras per portion
4 ts olive oil (to pan-sear foie gras)
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
h - For the spiced balsamic and port sauce
1/2 c balsamic vinegar
1/2 c port wine
1/2 c beef jus
1/2 c olive oil
2 ts lemon grass
3 star anise seeds, whole
3 cardamom seeds, crushed
1/2 oz cinnamon stick
1 ds red chili
Salt to taste
h - For the garnish
4 asparagus spears, top part only, peeled and blanched
1 ts butter
1 1/2 oz slow-roasted white onion, sliced into circles
1 1/2 oz duck rillettes
3 sprigs fresh chervil
3 sprigs fresh chive
s, p

Season salmon fillet with salt and freshly ground white
pepper. Heat olive oil in a small iron saute pan over
medium heat. Place salmon into the pan. Sear and seal on
all sides. Place salmon fillet in preheated oven at
160C/325F and pan-roast for about 5 min until medium
rare to medium.


For the crispy salmon skin. Lightly oil and season the
salmon skin. Place it on a nonstick tray. Put another
tray on top of the skin to keep it flat and even during
the cooking process. Place the salmon skin under a
broiler and cook under medium to high heat until golden
brown and crispy.

For the sauce soubise. Place butter into a stainless
steel sauce pot and melt over low heat. Add diced onion
and cook over low heat for 1-2 hr, until very soft.
Remove onion. Strain off all the butter. Place cooked
onion in a blender and puree until smooth. Season with
salt and pepper.

For the foie gras. Lightly season foie gras with salt
and freshly ground white pepper. Heat olive oil in an
iron saute pan over high heat. Place foie gras into
the pan and sear both sides evenly. Reduce heat and
cook until medium.

For the spiced balsamic and port sauce. Place balsamic
vinegar and port wine in a stainless-steel pot together
with lemon grass, star anise, cardamom and cinnamon.
Reduce by half over medium heat. Add beef jus and
continue to reduce the mixture by two-thirds, until
consistency is slightly thick. Add olive oil and chili.
Strain the sauce and set aside. Before serving, froth
the sauce with a stick blender to enhance the
consistency and foamy appearance.

To assemble. In a saute pan, saute asparagus spears and
season. Spoon about 2 oz of onion soubise puree into the
center of a decorative plate. Arrange the roasted onion
circle, followed by the salmon fillet, on the soubise.
Position some duck confit on the salmon fillet followed
by the seared foie gras. Place the warm asparagus spears
on the foie gras. Dress the dish with spiced balsamic
and port sauce, then garnish with fresh chervil, chives
and salmon skin. Serve at once.

Michael Gremer, Shangri-La hotel, Kuala Lumpur
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