Chef Jacques' June Newsletter

Monday, June 01, 2009

Greetings,

This morning I received a delivery at the restaurant with some of the first local summer strawberries. Of course, these days you can get strawberries year round, but the large imported ones you can buy in the winter pale in comparison to the sweet local variety that are starting to come in.

Strawberries Romanov, a traditional French dessert, is an excellent way to enjoy fresh summer strawberries. There are just a few, simple ingredients in this sweet dish, but it is certainly a crowed pleaser. While there are many legends about how this dessert got its name, it was most likely developed by the legendary French chef Antonin Carême. Carême was the world's first celebrity chef. He cooked for Napoleon, George IV, the Rothschilds, and Tsar Alexander I. Carême’s time at the Romanov court was short (Tsar Alexander died soon after Carême arrived to take his post as Head Chef for the Russian Imperial Household), but it is said that he influenced Russian cooking by introducing Russian chefs to all types of cream sauces. The whipped cream in this recipe may have been one of the many sauces Carême introduced at the Russian court. Interestingly, when Carême returned to France, he brought with him the Russian tradition of decorating dining tables with flowers. The tables at grand dinners in France had traditionally been decorated with porcelain and fruit, never flowers.

Speaking of flowers, the terrace is open at L'Auberge Chez François and the garden is in full bloom. There is no need to reserve ahead for tables outside, so stop in one summer evening to have a meal outside. On weekdays you can also come and enjoy our new lunch service.

We are hosting several weddings in, June, and will resume cooking demonstrations in July. Enjoy the summer.

Love Begins in the Kitchen,

Chef Jacques Click here to view June's recipe of the month's, Stawberries Romanoff.