HUNGRY GERALD

NY Times Travel section had a nice piece by Ann Mah about eating French regional specialties in the places where they originated. Like Mah, HG has found the Paris versions pallid. For the real stuff, Mah traveled to Lyon for Quenelle de Brochet; to Alsace for Choucroute Garnie; to Cassis on Provence’s Mediterranean coast for Bouillabaisse; to Brittany for Galettes and Crepes; to Languedoc, Roussilon and Midi-Pyrenees for Cassoulet. The writer devoured a lot of mouth watering stuff on her countrywide jaunt. HG has never found the need to run all over France for these specialties. BSK makes a very lush Choucroute using Bubbie’s sauerkraut (stewed with the BSK mixture of onions, apples and caraway seeds) and adorned with Schaller & Weber pork products (available online). BSK makes her own version of Boulilabaisse when at the HG/BSK seafront house on Prince Edward Island (BSK uses freshly caught and harvested haddock, cod, clams and mussels plus mineral rich PEI potatoes and tangy fish broth). HG makes a fiery, hot pepper laden mayonnaise to smear on slices of toasted baguette to accompany the dish. HG/BSK never construct a Cassoulet. The best in culinary history was served to HG/BSK at the Port Washington, L.I., home of HG cousin Wini Freund. Useless to compete with that masterpiece. HG/BSK don’t do Galettes (reliable sources say that true Breton galettes can now be found in the Marais neighborhood of Paris at Cafe Breizh). Top flight crepes are made by Gifted Daughter Lesley R. in her sunny Rhode Island waterfront kitchen. She tops them with creme fraiche and Alaskan red salmon caviar. HG can easily knock off a dozen with a few (or more, alas) glasses of icy vodka. BSK and Lesley R. once made Quenelles in Nantucket using bluefish that had just been pulled from the sea. HG was absent but both women attest to their excellence. However, curiously, they have never made them again. Best Quenelles HG ever consumed were at the venerable Veau D’Or bistro in New York many years ago. In order to duplicate that experience, HG will have to get over to Lyon. Unlikely. HG will have to live with his delicious memories.

Lucky, lucky HG. The Hungry One loves crepes, omelets, pancakes and all the other goodies that involve eggs, flour, a hot pan and deft hands. HG is fortunate in relishing these good things in his family’s kitchens. SJ makes potato latkes that top the product of any Jewish grandmother or Bavarian sauerbraten specialist. Daughter Lesley is Queen of Crepes. At the family Christmas Eve festivities these are topped with a choice of salmon caviar, smoked salmon, sturgeon or sable. Daughter in law Exquisite Maiko makes lush scallop pancakes and the very thinnest all-egg crepes she slices into salads and wraps into summer rolls. BSK makes the best, classic omelets filled with cheese, peppers and onions, ham, mushrooms or whatever good thing is available. With a baguette, red wine and a tossed green salad. A nice French oriented dinner.

As for HG: Nobody in the family tops his corn pancakes, buckwheat pancakes and a new discovery — The Egg Foo Young pancake. There’s information on these triumphs in previous posts.