|
|
Special to the Alexandria Times
Jordan Wright
November 6, 2010
 Oklahoma! Illustration by Douglas Fraser Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater’s choice of Oklahoma! as its inaugural show for its glamorous new theatre complex has been questioned around town for weeks. I’ve heard comments ranging from, “I can’t imagine why they would do that old show for their first big spectacle!” to “It’s been staged in every high school in America!” Well, all that is true and irrelevant too.
Oklahoma! set on the Great Plains of the Midwest, is certainly one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s quintessential American musicals and it is only fitting that Arena Stage would choose such a theme to reflect their American Theater nomenclature. With its sweeping score and themes of land rushes and pioneer settlements (who doesn’t know its theme song “where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plains”), this production seeks to reflect those times with a multi-racial cast that is, as the playbill instructs us, more in keeping with early frontier demographics.
At the Fichandler Stage, a theatre-in-the-round built to accommodate 683 seats, there is no waiting for the curtain to rise. The view to the stage is both immediate and intimate. This is both good and bad for the performers, sets, and props, as every glitch is magnified. As well actors must execute four turns during their lines and numbers in order to play to the 360 degree audience, and there is much east, west, south and north-ing in order to achieve this style of presentation. But as no seat is more than eight feet from the stage the audience’s response is visceral.
The incomparable and multi-award-winning performer E. Faye Butler brings her soaring voice and powerful stage presence to the character of the country-wise, no-nonsense Aunt Eller who’s both gentle as a mother lamb and mean as a snake when crossed. Though we meet her on the steps of her porch churning butter, believe me, you would not want to be in her sights when she’s toting a gun.
 The company of the Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! October 22-December 26, 2010. Photo by Carol Rosegg. And while there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Eleasha Gamble has one of the most tender and beautiful voices around, a perfectly modulated honey-toned sound that could challenge a nightingale, I found her portrayal of Laurey to be one-dimensional and without subtlety. She lacks the coy factor necessary for us to believe she gives a hoot about Curly. (In all fairness she jumped into this role with two day’s notice.) Yet her voice shines in the duets “Surrey with the Fringe On Top” and “People Will Say We’re in Love”.
But much of the strength of this production’s success comes from the supporting cast. Nicholas Rodriguez as Curly was vocally outshone by secondary cast members, Aaron Ramey as Jud Fry and Cody Williams as Will Parker, whose voice was resonant and expressive. Williams, slim as a minute, ripped up the stage with back flips, leaps, high kicks and soft shoe along with the cast’s other crack dancers. This reviewer thought he and local high school junior June Schreiner, who plays Ado Annie like a fierce and adorable little minx, were captivating together.
Aaron Ramey’s Jud, the dark and brooding farmhand, showed both depth of emotion and breadth of vocal range. Another standout was Nehal Joshi’s comic relief as Ali Hakim, the Persian peddler and ladies’ man.
There are no sets in this version of Oklahoma! leaving it to the audience’s imagination, a tall order for the seasoned theatergoer who has seen spectacular sets designed “as high as an elephant’s eye”. Yet gratefully, this production embodies vitality and high energy, including breathtaking choreography, thanks to Parker Esse and David Leong’s brilliantly executed fight scene.
Special to the Alexandria Times
Jordan Wright
November 9, 2010
 The actors in the first photo are, left to right, Diane Linton Sams, James McDaniel and David James. Photo by Ari McSherry. My memories of the Academy Award-winning Kurosawa epic film of the same name, gave me pause that this could be pulled off as a one-act play on a stage whose size looked more like an afterthought. What could the theatregoer divine from a stark black backdrop ornamented by a smattering of floor to ceiling stalks of bamboo? I meant not to prejudge but to pack a suitcase full of curiosity.
In this pared down production James McDaniel, David James and Diane Linton Sams seamlessly portray nine characters. McDaniels as priest, deputy, husband and mother; James as woodcutter and bandit; and Sams as wigmaker, wife and shaman weave an intricate tale full of truths, half-truths and outright lies in this powerful story reminiscent of Japanese Noh theatre.
In the ancient city of Kyoto a trial is underway for the murder of a Samurai warrior and the rape of his wife. Suspicion hangs over the bandit, the Samurai and his wife in this elegant and stark thriller. Motives are debated and self-serving explanations are rampant. Events flow backward and forward in time while each character explains their version. Yet there is only one real witness, the bandit. And his version of the events, along with the real or imagined tales from the other participants, is in question.
The wigmaker, priest and woodcutter devise their individual theories on the murder and rape based on their egotistical and self-serving views of life. In “The Films of Akira Kurosawa” by Donald Richie, the great director once said of his film version of Rashomon, “Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves. They cannot talk about themselves without embellishing.” The sentiment is echoed by the Holy Man, “A man doesn’t look for his soul in a mirror.”
An exchange between the Wigmaker and the Woodcutter informs the audience.
Wigmaker: Which one of these stories do you believe?
The Woodcutter: None makes any sense.
The Wigmaker : Don’t worry about it. It isn’t as if men were reasonable.
 The Actors, from left to right, David James, Diane Linton Sams and James McDaniel. Photo by Ari McSherry This small but tightly acted play is further enhanced by two Hayashi musicians, played by Randy Sena and Jung Weil who sit cross-legged on opposite sides of the stage paralleling the shifting roles with a series of percussive sounds. Sena and Weil use a collection of instruments to dramatic effect, among them a Cuban drum, a gavel, a recorder, a child’s lyre, Japanese wooden clappers and a copper gong as spotlighting and kimono costume changes cue the audience to the changing characters.
Rashomon was adapted for the Broadway stage by husband-and-wife collaborators Faye and Michael Kanin in 1961. Michael was the brother of Garson Kanin and worked with Ring Lardner Jr. After a long career writing screenplays, Faye went on to be president of the Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. At 93 years young she lives in Baltimore, MD.
Rashomon is a compelling production that explores the mysteries and foibles of human interaction and its subsequent interpretation. Perfectly cast and dramatically directed and costumed by Howard Vincent Kurtz, it is highly recommended.
Weekends through November 21st at The Lab at Convergence, 1801 North Quaker Lane, Alexandria, VA 22302. For tickets and information call 703 838-2880 or visit www.PortCityPlayhouse.com.
Special for Alexandria Times
Jordan Wright
November 2010
 Andrew Long, Holly Twyford and Jeff McCarthy. Photo by Chris Mueller. If you’ve never hit a golf ball, picked up a club and have no plans to…this play’s for you. Whether your membership to a posh country club, where “A Fox on the Fairway” is set, has expired or you neglected to send in your application, you will love this crazy, frothy, throwback to early Hollywood comic cinema. In an everything-old-is-new-again vein, playwright Ken Ludwig has mined the funny bone in this screwball comedy reminiscent of the days of the Marx Brothers; Cary Grant and Claudette Colbert; and Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn all rolled into one.
When we meet Richard, the urbane manager of Quail Valley Country Club, the mood is dire. Quail Valley has never won the annual golf tournament against rival Crouching Squirrel Club. But the debonair Bingham, as expertly played by Jeff McCarthy, has plans for a reversal of fortune with the entry of a new member with an ace handicap. His counterpart and nemesis from Crouching Squirrel, Dickie, has a surprise of his own and the old archenemies bet the farm on the outcome.
 The Cast of Ken Ludwig's A Fox on the Fairway. Photo credit Scott Suchman. Andrew Long plays Dickie, a veritable Mr. Malaprop who sports appliquéd golf attire and mixes metaphors with aplomb. Holly Twyford as the champagne-swilling, “I would drink water but there’s so much fish in it.” much-married Pamela, slinks through her role so seamlessly and with such universal appeal that we feel we know her. She is sharp, witty and charmingly snide. In a swipe at her ex-husband, Dickie, she tells him, “Never use box tops to buy wearing apparel.”
Swirling around the breakneck action are our young romantics. The fragile, neurotic waitress Louise, played fetchingly by the adorable Meg Steedle, and her hapless (also neurotic) beau, Justin played with puppy dog pathos by Aubrey Deeker. Their on-again off-again engagement keeps them in a dither as their breakups mount and the club’s chances for the cup dwindle.
Enter Bingham’s wife Muriel, full of frustration and cool anger. Valerie Leonard has a firm grip on the character’s hot-and-cold personality. In fact the entire cast performs with such unanimity and slick precision it will take your breath away.
Signature Theatre is blessed to have the world premiere of “A Fox on the Fairway”. Here internationally-acclaimed playwright Ken Ludwig, in a production more in line with his long-running Broadway play “Lend Me a Tenor”, revives the art of the sophisticated farce full of high anxiety. It’s madcap mayhem replete with high jinks and snappy repartee.
Tony award-winning director John Rando, who worked with Ludwig on “Be My Baby”, carves up a dazzling choreography full of leaps and bounds and canoodling and cavorting worthy of a New Yorker cartoon.
Take this under advisement: Make sure your belt is buckled and your buttons are sewn on tight, this riotous romp will split your sides in two! And do not, I repeat, do not under any circumstances leave the theatre before the cast takes their bows. I will not play the spoiler, but believe me it is a delicious surprise full of theatrical brilliance.
For tickets and information visit www.signature-theatre.org or call 703 820-9771. The play runs until November 14th.
Special to the Washington Examiner
By: Jordan Wright
October 26, 2010
 Mixed Olives By all accounts the health benefits of the mono-unsaturated extra virgin olive oil are well documented. As the foundation of the much-lauded Mediterranean Diet, research has shown its high levels of anti-oxidants, good fats and phenols to be necessary to maintain a healthy diet. Okay, we are all in agreement with that.
But scientific testing at the University of California Davis has revealed that a number of the better-known olives oils, labeled “extra virgin” are anything but. Some are diluted and quite a few erroneously labeled as to country of origin. Not only are they compromised by the addition of seed or nut oils or even “pomace” the detritus from olives, but also they also come from countries other than those printed on their labels.
So how can you be sure you’re getting the health benefits from the extra virgin olive oil you purchase? Recently I’ve noticed that the olive oil I’ve purchased in my local market has not been up to snuff. Supermarket store brands labeled extra virgin olive oil have slight flavor variances but the overall quality is lackluster and I want more depth of flavor, more authenticity. I began to wonder why on trips abroad and to olive growing areas like California, the food was so superior to the same dishes that are often replicated and served in restaurants or homes. I began to think about it…perhaps obsess would describe the feeling better…and to seek out explanations.
It began at Agora earlier this summer, a new Dupont Circle Turkish restaurant in Washington, DC, where I found a world of flavor unfolding on my plate. The olive oil they used had a nutty pungent olive essence that was fruity and rich tasting and brightened the traditional mezes. Creamy spreads like htipiti made with roasted peppers, feta and thyme and labneh, a simple dish of Turkish yogurt they serve with diced apples and walnuts came alive with a more robust flavor. Both dishes were drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, but why was there such a dramatic difference in these oft-served Mediterranean dishes?
In a call to Agora’s owner Latif Guler, I discovered the source of the aromatic and flavorful oil that he uses. “It comes from our family olive groves in Foca near Izmir on the west coast of Turkey. These are our own trees and I know the quality,” he informed me. “It was my goal to use this first press oil even before we opened. I told my father who owns a restaurant and hotel in our small village that I had to have it for my restaurant too!”
He explained that it is commonplace throughout the Mediterranean for families to cart olives from their small private groves to local mills, dividing the precious oil among close family members. This short hop from grower to miller insures the quality, origin and purity of the resulting product. And since olive oil is the only oil that can be consumed freshly pressed from the fruit without further processing, like wine, it has its own distinct characteristics.
But for those of us without our own personal olive groves, how can we know what we are buying and how fresh it is?
I started asking around and kicked up a lot of dust. I discovered every chef had a fierce loyalty to particular brands they swore by to enhance and complement the flavor profile of their dishes.
American Chef Marc Collins Shares His Favorite EVOO
Let’s begin in the South with American chef Marc Collins of Charleston, South Carolina’s Circa 1886 Restaurant, whose food is on the posh edgy side. Collins has a predilection for molecular gastronomy and plays with complex techniques to re-interpret regional favorites. He prefers West Coast Products’ brand of extra virgin olive oil, a California company that has been processing locally grown olives since 1937. Lately Collins’ is serving a heart-healthy whipped olive oil “butter” using this oil.
Executive Chef Marc Collins’ Recipe for Olive Oil Butter
65grams (or 2.29 ounces) of Texturas Glice
700ml (or 23.7 fluid ounces) of good EVOO
300ml (or 1.27 cups) of good canola oil
1 tsp sea salt.
Place the glice and all of the oil into a pot and heat to 140˚ F. Remove from the heat source and cool overnight.
The next day take half of the oil mixture and put it into a blender. Grind the salt to a powder and place half of it into the blender as well. Blend on high until creamy and pour into a container. Do this with the other half as well. Chill overnight. Place this mixture into a mixer fitted with a whip attachment and whip on high until double in volume. Check the seasoning. Place in a pastry bag with a star tip and pipe rosettes.
 Top grade olive oil from Spain - photo by Jordan Wright You can order Texturas Glice from: www.tienda.com/food/products
Collin’s favorite EVOO comes from: www.westcoastproducts.net
French Chef Eric Ripert On What Complements His Cuisine
French culinary giant Eric Ripert, the three Michelin-starred owner of New York’s Le Bernardin and star of the PBS series “Avec Eric”, likes to conduct blind tastings every few months along with his sous chefs. They put out the ones they have been cooking with alongside a few other high-end olive oils. He acknowledges that they keep returning to the same two brands, but he has noticed that the flavor can vary with the seasons and changes in the climate in the country of origin. “Even though we are always checking to see if there is a better olive oil for us, we find Sitia which is Greek and Frantoia which is Italian, are the most compatible with our cuisine.”
José Andrés Gives a Spanish Olive Oil Primer
Since Spain produces the most olive oil in the world, my inquiries took me to the most acclaimed Spanish chef in the country for his sage advice. José Andrés, who is currently lecturing at Harvard University told me, “People tend to think about olive oil in what you could almost say is a one dimensional way…as a medium for cooking or frying or for use in salads…but it is so much more. It adds flavor, body or silkiness to the texture of dishes. Beyond that people need to recognize that there is not just one olive oil…but many. There are so many varieties of olives suitable for making oil, each with unique characteristics.”
He further explained, “It helps to think of olive oil the way you think about wine. You would never expect a bottle of Barolo from Italy to taste like a California Chardonnay would you? Why then would you have the same expectation of olive oil? Just like when you are talking about wine, the region, the climate, the conditions, the soil, the topography, all these things impact the oil that winds up in the bottle. Olive oils from Andalucia will be different than an olive oil produced in Navarra.”
I was beginning to see the light when Andrés in full throttle expounded on the resultant differences in flavor from particular olives. “The most important factor is the variety of olive used. Some olives, like Picual from Andalucia, are robust and have a pleasant bitter and peppery edge that tickle in the back of the throat. That makes it preferred for salad or gazpacho, dishes where you want an assertive olive oil flavor. Another variety produced in Andalucia, the Hojiblanca, is slightly sweet and very smooth while still retaining a hint of bitterness. It’s good for desserts and salads. Others like Arbequina, produced in Catalunya, or Empeltre, from Aragon, are softer and more delicate with an almost almond flavor. In general the more golden oils tend to be softer and sweeter and the greener ones more fruity and peppery. Some like Lechin from Andalucia and Cornicabra from the region around Toledo and Ciudad Real are wonderful but a pain to harvest so the production is not as high. Or perhaps the yield is low. Still others have little flavor but have great body and thus are used to beef up blends of olive oil.”
Andrés maintains that there is nothing wrong with a blend of varieties. “In fact much of the olive oils that come from Spain are not single varieties. Play with them and see what works best for you,” he suggests.
At his well-known Washington, DC restaurant, Jaleo, he uses a product by Crismona, which is a blend of Andalusian varieties. At minibar by josé andrés they prefer monovarietals.
Here’s his expert primer on Spanish olive oils.
From the Arbequina olive:
Unio and Castillo de Canena both produce good delicate and fruity Arbequina oils.
From the Hojiblanca olive:
Columela
From the Picual olive:
Castillo de Canena also produces a peppery and robust Picual.
Blended Oils
Nunyez de Prado is a nice blend of Picual, Picudo and Hojiblanca, very Andalusian and from Baena near Cordoba. [Author’s note: I have to say that this is my everyday favorite EVOO]. Marquez de Valdueza is another nice blend that uses Arbequina as well as Picual and Hojiblanca and features the Morisca olive grown in Extremadura.
Italian Chef Bryan Moscatello Looks to the Italian Alps
At this point I needed to find out what an Italian chef would choose and I went to Washington, DC Executive Chef Bryan Moscatello of Potenza who sources his favorite olive oil from the Apennine Mountains of Umbria.
“I like Trevi olive oil,” he asserts. “It has fresh grass and citrus undertones with a nice sharp bite on the finish. It is a small producer and scarce. We have made some great olive oil emulsions lately… an olive oil “sponge” for our tomatoes that is delicious in our cantaloupe soup and wonderful in olive oil madeleines! At Potenza we use it to finish the orecchiette with spicy fennel sausage and broccoli rabe.”
No matter the cuisine, French, Italian, American, Turkish or Spanish, chefs are very particular about how the flavor and freshness of extra virgin olive oil can enhance or detract from the success of their dishes. No tasting panel or scientific testing can improve upon their highly developed and discriminating palates.
So what do we the consumers need to look for when buying olive oil?
Notes From a California Producer
Dan Vecere of West Coast Products, whose groves are located east of the Mendocino National Forest, sells the olive oil preferred by, and best suited to, Chef Collins’ cuisine. The EVOO they sell is produced from Arbequina olives all grown locally in Northern California. The olives are harvested and pressed within 24 hours producing a fresh tasting, high quality extra virgin olive oil. I’ve used this artisanal product, and found it has the perfect balance for American Modern cuisine.
The Scientific Revelations
Twenty years ago the FDA began to find problems with extra virgin olive oil. But it wasn’t until last year that the California State Senate passed a bill mandating the purity of state-produced olive oils, which are also under strict guidelines by the FDA and the California State authority.
Last month in a study by the University of California, Davis Olive Oil Chemistry Lab and the Australian Oils Research Lab, a third party analysis was conducted on olive oils labeled as extra virgin. Using international standards put these oils through eleven different chemical and sensory tests to evaluate everything from oleic acid values to peroxide value, UV absorption and fatty acid profile. These tests are indicators of oil quality, purity, oxidation and whether or not an oil has been adulterated or refined. Sensory evaluation by a “blind” taste panel confirmed that the failed samples had defective flavors, such as rancid, fusty and musty.
Certified tasters, using cobalt blue tasting glasses so as not to be influenced by the color of the oil, evaluated the positive attributes of fruitiness, bitterness and pungency as well as identified defective oils by their flavors.
They found that 69% of the imported oils and 10% of the California oils labeled extra virgin olive oil did not meet the International Olive Council (IOC) and US Department of Agriculture’s taste, smell and chemical makeup standards for extra virgin olive oil.
Dan Flynn, executive Director of UC Davis’s Olive Center, which is part of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, warns, “The market now has been flooded with olive oil that has been diluted, blended, and/or not stored properly.”
He acknowledges that California olive oil is more expensive but feels that the one million gallons of EVOO California produces each year is a superior product, “It is like the difference between Dom Perignon or sparkling wine.” He adds, “We feel the California olive oil industry is parallel to the early days of our wine industry here.
Here are some helpful terms he gave me to describe olive oil:
Positive descriptors can be grassy, floral, tropical, nutty buttery or minty with artichoke, green tea, peach, apple or banana notes. Negative descriptors can be earthy, fusty, moldy, rancid, grubby (from olive fly larvae), muddy, woody (from olives that have not been irrigated), or what they refer to as winey-vinegary.
Flynn also let me know that the term “cold pressed” is an archaic term. Preferable appellations are “cold extraction” or “first extraction”.
Here is his advice as to how to select the best olive oil.
1) Look for a dark bottle.
2) Look for a harvest date. Most olive oil should be consumed within a year to 18 months of harvest.
3) Look for the company’s reputation. The US has not had standards in the past. All that will change Oct. 25th when the USDA’s new standards go into effect, though they will be voluntary standards.
4) Typically green oil denotes an early harvest and is more aggressive in flavor. A more golden hue was made later in the season and should taste nutty or buttery.
5) One way is to look for the CA Olive Oil Council’s seal. They are more stringent even than the international standard.
6) The best way is to taste different oils to see which one appeals to you.
That final snippet echoes the advice from our top chefs. And as for buying guidance you can do no better than to follow the wise words of Turkish-born Latif Guler. For pairing olive oil with the cuisine of the country he says, “What grows together goes together.”
Special for Alexandria Times
Jordan Wright
Monday, October 25th 2010
 Lloyd Bittinger (Conductor, background), Erik Harrison (Husband), Margaret Bush (Claire), Bernard Engel (Mayor, behind Margaret), James Ginther (Priest), Robert King (Teacher) Photography: Doug Olmsted “The Visit” opens on a scene remarkable for its drabness. The decaying town of Gullen, German for “manure”, is awash in Dickensian poverty. Buildings are crumbling and its coffers are empty. The entire town is on the dole…its starving citizenry collectively points the finger of blame at everything from communism to a freemason’s plot.
Yet they soon unite around an impending visit from a beautiful yet imperious billionairess known for her largesse. Enter Claire Zachanassian, commandingly played with stunning vitriol by Margaret Bush, who continues to endear local audiences with her stellar performances. As the story unfolds Claire is returning to her childhood home on a quite different mission…to seek revenge. And it is a dish best served cold…very, very cold.
The village, with the mayor at its helm, appoints her childhood sweetheart, Anton Schill, to coax the grande dame into parting with some of her loot. Bernard Engel plays the manipulative mayor with great aplomb, corralling its townsfolk with promises of a prosperous life through Claire’s generosity. Conversely, Anton, slated to become the town’s next mayor, is an altruistic gentleman who runs the local general store. His popularity among his customers is notable and enhanced by allowing them their purchases on credit.
 Left to Right (Balcony) Megan Murphy (Announcer), Erik Harrison (Announcer), Kristi Faye (Reporter) Left to Right; Back to Front (stage) Bernard Engel (Mayor), Rebecca Fischler (Doctor), Lori Brooks (Person of Gullen), Bret Alexander (Person of Gullen), Kea Allis (Person of Gullen), Robert King (Teacher) Photography: Doug Olmsted The maudlin and very married Anton is portrayed by Steve Lada, who serves as the perfect foil for Claire’s chilling vixen. He regales Claire with hazy remembrances of their youthful romancing, but she sets him straight and the bizarre plot twists and turns with a collection of characters that would give Charles Addams a run for his money. But Director William Parker keeps the interactions on track in this complex play riddled with the ghosts of the past.
Teddy Gron in the role of Claire’s butler Boby, is remarkable for his ability to exhude Sturm und Drang and arched eyebrow at all the salient moments.
Erik Harrison, a veritable newcomer to the local theatre scene, plays Claire’s three latest husbands and segues seamlessly into his different identities.
And look for Robert King, playing it very close to the vest as the Teacher, who emerges from the morass of injustice by Gullen’s citizens to erupt in a sea of rectitude and emotion near the play’s end.
Written in 1956 playwright Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s “The Visit” was initially adapted for American audiences by Maurice Valency. It had its first Broadway incarnation in 1958 and was directed at that time by Peter Brook starring Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. The cautionary tale continues to enjoy popularity both in Germany and in the States.
At the Little Theatre of Alexandria from October 23rd till November 13th. For tickets and information call 703 683-0496 or go to www.LittleTheatre.com
Special to Washington Examiner
Up Close With Jordan Wright of Whisk and Quill
October 2010
 Eric Ripert - photo credit Angie Mosier Based on his popular eponymous PBS TV program “Avec Eric”, the book follows culinary superstar and top toque, Eric Ripert, as he explores the culture and tradition of select regions of Italy, the Cayman Islands, New York and California. In his quest to celebrate the bounty of the regions to he loves so well, “AVEC ERIC: A Culinary Journey with Eric Ripert, Featuring Over 100 Simple Recipes “(Wiley), mirrors the show’s sense of adventure and Ripert’s deep appreciation for local and seasonal ingredients.
Part travelogue, part cookbook compendium, it contains over 100 new recipes drawn from Ripert’s most recent journeys. It is filled with snapshots from the fields and waters he traversed, and the hunters and watermen he met and cooked with. Handwritten notes and hand-drawn illustrations give the book a uniquely personal feel reflecting his convivial spirit and the inspiration behind his approach to each dish.
His outpost in Washington, DC is West End Bistro by Eric Ripert.
Jordan Wright – I loved your latest book. Reading it I felt as though I had been on a wonderful trip.
Eric Ripert – It is like going on vacation but staying home. It’s a good reflection of what we have done in the last season.
JW – Your Zen approach to food, approaching it by its origin and terroir and visiting its source, heralds the next generation of chefs. How have your recent journeys informed what you do in the kitchen today?
ER – If you consider cooking an art, inspiration has to come from somewhere, from your surroundings as a chef. I am inspired by the products, the seasons and the people I interact with. It’s kind of a strange process but I digest the information and then, when I create, it comes out in a dish. It always works for me and it’s the same for a lot of chefs. I teach my cooks how to be aware and how to be inspired by where they are.
JW – Your previous book, “On The Line”, was an energetic minute-by-minute account of the running of Le Bernardin and its kitchens…a detailed primer for any high-end restaurant, owner or server. With your newest book, you take the reader with you on your culinary journey to share in your travels. What would you like to say about your latest book?
ER – Well, I loved it! I wanted to do a documentary on the life of our restaurant but in book form instead of filming with a camera. I wanted to pay homage to my team at Le Bernardin. The idea was to be inspirational to young people in our industry and to demonstrate what goes on behind-the-scenes.
JW – I understand you began your career at La Tour d’Argent in Paris. Was that under owner Claude Terrail? I knew his nephew, Patrick, in New York when he ran L’Etoile and in Beverly Hills when he owned Ma Maison.
ER – Yes, and Patrick is back in Paris now managing La Tour D’Argent.
JW – What unique products did you discover while writing this book that you now use?
ER – We discovered a lot of products during our experience – especially conch and black fin tuna in the Cayman Islands. [Ripert’s restaurant, Blue, is located on Grand Cayman Island in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel].
JW – Your remarks as a guest judge on “Bravo’s Top Chef” have been informative and useful to the contestants. What sage advice do you have for up and coming chefs? And would you hire any of the cooks from the show?
ER – Sure, if they are looking for a job and we have some openings! My advice is if you are coming into our industry you need to make sure you have the passion for cooking, and not for becoming famous. You have to work hard, be humble and be open-minded.
JW – I saw you in May at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC with your cohort, Anthony Bourdain, who wrote the forward to this book. It was a fabulous evening – totally sold out. The audience couldn’t get enough of the live Q and A. I learned that night that you have been waiting to get drunk with The Rolling Stones! Has that happened yet?
ER – Not yet. One can only hope.
JW – What international cuisine would you next like to experience in your travels?
ER – I love Japanese cuisine and would love to spend more time in Japan, Thailand and Vietnam.
JW – In what direction do you think in-home cooking is going?
ER – I think it has been lost a little bit in the past decade, but is coming back strongly because of the recession. People are more inclined to cook at home now because of the influence of cooking shows and celebrity chefs. Today we see more and more people looking for sustainable ingredients, good quality ingredients, and being more concerned about their source.
JW – What can we expect in Season 2 of Avec Eric?
ER – You’ll see more inspiration, more cooking and more fun. We shot in the Caribbean, in Virginia and Upstate New York and Italy too. In Virginia we went to Urbanna to see the soft-shell crabs and visited Wallace Edwards and Sons in Surry for the hams. Later we shot an episode with Patrick O’Connell at The Inn at Little Washington.
JW – What would you prepare to seduce a beautiful woman?
ER – First of all I would try to find out if she has allergies! Then I would prepare something savory, flavorful, light and refined, of course.
JW – What historical person would you most like to dine with? And why?
ER – The Dalai Lama.
JW – Didn’t you just cook for him on his recent visit to New York?
ER – Yes, but I didn’t eat with him!
JW – What did you serve?
ER – I gave him wild salmon served in a light broth infused with a lot of herbs and spices and with summer vegetables. And he ate it all!
JW – You had a bit of a mishap during one of your visits in Italy. What are your new and improved plans the next time you run into a wild boar?
ER – To have a gun with me! Though, no, no, no, maybe not, I’m not a hunter. But I’d like to be close to a big tree that I could climb up in.
This interview was conducted, edited and condensed by Jordan Wright.
Recipe for Spice-Crusted Duck Breast by Eric Ripert for “Avec Eric”
SPICE-CRUSTED DUCK BREAST WITH ORANGE-HONEY GLAZE AND CUMIN-SCENTED CARROTS
 Spice-Crusted Duck Breast with Orange-Honey Glaze and Cumin-Scented Carrots My visit to a bee sanctuary in Sonoma, California inspired me to start cooking more with honey. It is a versatile ingredient that adds a nice, fl oral sweetness.
SERVES 4
CUMIN-SCENTED CARROTS
1 ½ pounds baby carrots, peeled
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon honey
1/3 cup water, approx.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ lemon
SPICED DUCK BREAST
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground star anise
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless duck breast halves, trimmed
fine sea salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Place the carrots in a large skillet with the butter, honey, and about cup of water. Heat over medium-high heat and season the carrots with cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are lightly caramelized and tender, about 20 minutes. Finish the carrots with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Stir together the coriander, cumin, star anise, white pepper and cayenne pepper in a small bowl to blend. Season the duck breasts on both sides with salt, then coat the skin side of the duck breasts with the spice mixture, forming a crust.
Divide the canola oil between 2 sauté pans and heat over medium heat. When the pans are hot, gently place 2 duck breasts, skin sides down, in each pan. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the skin is golden brown and crispy, 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the duck breasts over and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer the duck breasts to a cutting board to rest. Return the pans to the stove.
Divide the shallots between the pans and cook over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the orange juice, lemon juice and honey, dividing equally. Simmer to reduce by half, about 8 minutes. Finish the pan sauce by whisking in the butter and seasoning to taste with salt. Combine the sauce into one pan.
Thinly slice the duck breasts crosswise and place the duck slices on 4 plates. Spoon some of the sauce over the duck and serve with the roasted carrots.
|
