Simplicity in the Classics
Posted on January 9, 2008 - Filed Under Food and Drink |
Most of the great classic French dishes came not from the mind of some 3-star chef. But rather, these dishes came from the small, rural farms where the daily montra was “Waste nothing”.
On this trip a simple request: I wanted to try the great classic French Dish “tete de veau”. Some of my culinary books have made mention of this dish and those that have tried it simply love it. Unfortunately trying to find the main ingredient for this dish is not as easy as walking into your local grocery store and saying “I would like jello pudding pops”.
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The dish itself takes between 4 and 5 hours to prepare. Not due to complexity, I assure you. Rather it is charbroiled and the dense packing makes for slow cooking. Good things come to those who wait. |
I stood in the kitchen, watching as the chef prepared the meal. Before I knew it the Chef started barking orders. It was then that moment of magic arrived that every gourmand, every “home style chef” can appreciate. That moment when the hierarchy of the kitchen takes place. Forget country-style. We were now working at some 3 star restaurant. With that I found myself cutting, chopping, mixing, whipping and shouting “Oui chef” at every command.
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The Chef decided two sauces were in order, a cold and a hot. One was based on shallots, vinegar, mustard and other spices. The cold was simply mustard, eggs, olive oil and cornichons (little French pickles). |
| The dish itself was astounding. The simplicity of the dish preparation vanished and was replaced with the diversity of all these great flavors blending together yet standing apart. With either the cold or the hot sauce (or the two!) the entire spectrum of the experience was quickly altered. |  |
I certainly am glad I was able to try this dish. I’m unsure if I’ll be able to try it again. But I’m sure that as long as I don’t lose my ability to speak french, and I can find a butcher in a small country town, that this dish will appear once again.
For the uninitiated: tete de veau is literally ‘Cow Face’. Butchers peel the face off a cow skull, wrapping the skin around it’s ears and tongue. As a bonus, the chef was nice enough to prepare some bone marrow. This flavor was very delicate, almost imperceptible. But something I will have again.
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3 Responses to “Simplicity in the Classics”
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It sounded so good until you revealed what it was. I don’t think I would be brave enough.
Wow!
That looks awesome. Since you posted pictures, then you should credit the chef…or at least the small town restaurant.
Steph, the more I get into food the more I realize the best parts are often neglected. But in the end it does boil down to personal preferences.
Mr Watts, I can tell you that it wasn’t a small town restaurant where I had the tete de veau. I saw the Chef shortly thereafter but forgot to ask if I could post a picture of her. I’ll see if I can at least get permission to do that.