Lucky for
Francophiles Bastille Day, July 14th falls on a Saturday this year. So it’s really more of a Bastille
Weekend.
 |
| Chef Jean-George. Photo, Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for the NY Culinary Experience |
All the more
opportunity to enjoy all things French, including Petanque, Lillet and the
second Annual Dan’s Taste of Two Forks, whose host is the celebrated, award-winning
chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Chef Jean-George is an author, with five cookbooks in
his culinary library.
He owns and
operates six all-star restaurants in the United States, including Jean-George, The Mark Restaurant, Spice Market, Mercer Kitchen, Perry St., and JoJo.
And four restaurants worldwide in such far-flung locales as France, the
Bahamas, Bora Bora and Shanghai. Along
with co-host, Paris-trained fashion designer, Nicole Miller, recently named
food critic of "The Daily Dan."
Foodies from
across the region celebrated all things food and drink at The Taste of Two
Forks, held at Sayre Park, Bridgehampton, NY. (http://tasteoftwoforks.com)
Executive Chef
Gerry Hayden, who, along with his wife, Claudia Fleming, is co-owner of the
North Fork Table & Inn, was honored for “his dedication to the local
community and commitment to native Long Island produce and ingredients. Chef
Gerry has been nominated every year for the last two years to a James Beard
Award for Best Chef, Northeast.
All together, nearly
forty chefs from the East End of Long Island wowed attendees with their
culinary artistry.
Seven chefs
featured in my just –released “The Hamptons & Long Island
Homegrown Cookbook” demonstrated their farm-to-table gourmet
magic:
 |
| Chef Lia Fallon (R) Amarelle Restaurant at Andrews Farm |
·
Chef Robby Beaver - The Frisky Oyster, By popular
demand, Chef Robby was asked/lovingly “told” to make his peerless Oysters Friskafella--with garlic-scented spinach, chipotle and
parmigiano aioli. Do you need to ponder
why the emphatic request?? (www.thefriskyoyster.com/)
 |
| Chef Robby Beaver, with KK at The Farm |
 |
| Chef Keith Luce, Jedediah Hawkins Inn |
What to Sip while enjoying the Taste of the Two
Forks and chef Jean Georges? Playing Petanque and singing the La Marseillaise?
Maison Lillet, the
celebrated French aperitif producer in Bordeaux, recently previewed their first
new product in 50 years: Lillet Rosé.
This Examiner
was reignited with the unique, subtle taste of
Lillet’s lovely, perfect-for-summer aperitif.
For most
Americans, the mere concept of aperitif is off-putting.
Sounds funny?
Doesn’t fit the beer, wine, cocktail category slot?
Drink
adventurers recognize a jeweled discovery when they sip one.
Lillet has the
pedigree and the newness while capturing the mantel of being new and yet a
classic all at ten same time.
Lillet Rosé and
its sister, Lillet Blanc, are an embodiment of French savoir-faire and the
perfect drink for every occasion: a lazy summer afternoon, an icebreaker at a
casual get-together and the beginning of an elegant dinner.
Lillet Rosé has
already garnered top industry accolades notably the top-honor Chairman’s Trophy
at the 2011 Ultimate Beverage Challenge plus a 94/Excellent Rating and a Gold
Medal in the 2011 San Francisco Spirits Competition.
Lillet Rosé is
created from a blend of the classic red and white Grand Cru Bordeaux wine
varietals used to produce Lillet Blanc and Lillet Rouge. The careful
combination consists of Semillon grapes for structure and a long finish,
Sauvignon Blanc for fruitiness and aroma, and Muscatel for a floral bouquet and
elegance. The wine is then married with fine artisanal orange liqueurs crafted
from sweet orange peels from Spain and bitter orange peels from Haiti, and a
secret blend of fruit liqueurs sourced near and produced in Lillet’s distillery
in Podensac, a village in Southwestern France. A small amount of Peruvian
quinine is added to the final blend in the same time-honored manner since the
19th century. The beautiful rose color and taste profile is achieved by adding
additional red fruit liqueurs and a very small amount of Lillet Rouge, using a
traditional champagne blending method to ensure a consistent color throughout.
The result is a lush, fruity, elegant tonic wine with the taste of ripe summer
berries, wildflowers, melon and stone fruit, as well as the traditional sweet
and bitter citrus notes.
First created
in 1872, Lillet encapsulates the unique spirit of L’Apero, the French
traditional apéritif hour, and is widely regarded for its unique bittersweet
and refreshing character. Lillet is now available in three varieties—Blanc,
Rouge (launched in 1962) and Rosé—and is a blend of 85% Bordeaux grapes and 15%
citrus liqueurs.
As a classic
apéritif, Lillet is best served on the rocks and garnished with a fresh orange
slice, or in the case of Rosé, a grapefruit slice. It is also an essential
ingredient in many traditional and modern cocktails, including James Bond’s
Vesper Martini, and easily serves as a substitute for vermouth in many recipes.
Recipes
Blushing
Manhattan
2 parts Lillet
Rosé
1 part Hudson New York Corn Whiskey 1 bar spoon gum syrup
2 dashes
grapefruit bitters
Combine
ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with ice to chill and dilute. Strain
into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a fresh strip of grapefruit peel.
Rougissant
2 parts Lillet
Rosé
1 part Hendrick’s Gin
0.5 part true grenadine 0.25 part orgeat
0.5 part
fresh lemon juice 2 parts soda water
Short shake all
ingredients except the soda water with ice; Fine strain over fresh ice in a
tall glass. Add soda water and stir to combine. Garnish with a straw and
freshly spanked mint.
L’Elephant
Rosé
3 parts Lillet
Rosé
0.75 part peach liqueur
1.50 parts fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
Shake
ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish
Don’t Forget the
Cake!
“And don’t forget to eat cake this weekend,” admonishes
Karen Seiger of “Markets of New York.” Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/article/discover-artisanal-food-drink-treasures-bargains
Seiger has curated the best of New York’s food and
drink markets for a celebrated Bastille Day, most notably,
Saturday Only, July 14, 2012
•
Chelsea Bazaar and Bazement
•
Dekalb
Market Bastille Day Celebration with The Skint
•
Weeksville
Farmers Market
Saturday and
Sunday, July 14 & 15, 2012
•
Hell’s
Kitchen Flea Market & Third Ward’s Member Made
•
Super
Duper Market by Paper Magazine
•
Shout out
for the Long Beach Arts and Crafts Festival!
Sunday Only,
July 15th, 2012
•
Alliance
Française Bastille Day on 60th Street
For a full listing:
And Bastille Day is my wedding anniversary.
Amour Dinner Menu:
The celebration began with Lillet.
The dinner menu included an organic chicken from Whole Foods.
I stuffed the bird with a lemon and just-picked from our garden, rosemary.
I rubbed the chicken with Carter & Cavero Meyer Lemon extra virgin olive oil, rosemary and sea salt.
We tried out the rotisserie feature on our new gas grill to much success.
It was a very cool cooking process too. The cool, blue flame looked like a light show...
I marinated fresh, Jersey peaches in Carter & Cavero black cherry balsamic vinegar, then we grilled them on the BBQ.
A just-picked salad with our homegrown, Jersey tomatoes, baby sweet onions and savory, crunchy, salty, spicy-ish, nutty, garlic that I cannot stop eating!
The garlic is so delicious cut up in salads, smeared on Mother's homemade bread, and then dipped into the basil extra virgin olive oil every other bite or so...
I made garlic mayo too. Perfect on BLTs.
A cold, crisp French rose wine was a perfect summer complement to this make-it-up-as-we-go-along late night seasonal dinner.
Dessert was homemade vanilla ice cream, with the grilled peaches.
Dinner was an indulgent, languorous affair, where flavors and tastes mixed with laughs, a killer view and a new dining room. The memory will last until next year's wedding anniversary dinner....
Happy Bastille Weekend.
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