Why You Should Celebrate Bastille Day in a Restaurant

July 14 is Bastille Day or “La Fête Nationale” as it is known in la belle France. There will be fireworks, street dances and, of course, parades.

But hidden within the history of this great celebration of freedom is the little-known story of how restaurants first came to be.

Before the French Revolution (which started with the storming of the hated royal prison of Bastille in Paris), dining was largely restricted to the grand estates of the French nobles or around the far more humble hearths of France’s working poor.

Indeed, even the right to cater was an exclusive affair, granted solely to the “Traiteur” Guilds by the King. These select chefs prepared only certain dishes by royal license, serving them only within their own kitchens at a fixed time with a preset menu.

So what was the average diner to do when it came to dining when one wanted to, regardless of time or appetit?

Enter Monsieur Boulanger, who in 1765 opened a “restaurer” or soup shop. He offered a choice of restorative soups (hence the name in French), along with bread and wine to the weary wishing to rest and restore their strength no matter the hour.

As one might expect, the effected Traiteur Guild saw his activities as a threat to their exclusive culinary rights within the capital. Soon Monsieur Boulanger found himself called before a royal judge for violating a royal grant of culinary privilege.

But to everyone's surprise, he was acquitted because the judge, who was a lover of fine food, ruled that the Guild was chartered to serve only ragout, and as he pointed out from the bench, anyone who loved fine food should know that a rich thick ragout is NOT ever a thin restorative broth!

Boulanger’s crowd pleasing shop/restaurant was saved! Soon he opened additional restorative soup shops across Paris. There the average man (and woman) could gather, choose what THEY wished to eat AND so empowered, discuss how the royal government seemed to serve only the wealthy and not the needs of the people, who were the true soul of France.

The final result of such conversations was revolution! And the world would never be the same again, thanks in part to soup and the new social institution it helped to create – Restaurants.

Still to this day, people around the world gather in restaurants to freely discuss life, meaning and the whether their governments serve them well. Once again, we should all raise our glasses and toast France for both the courage to claim the right of individual expression and the innovative ability to create something as beneficial to humanity as restaurants!

Post Note, July 13, 2012: If you still have any doubts about celebrating Bastille Day in a restaurant, just consider a much enjoyed tradition within the Culinary Industry, the Waiters' Race, now run in over 53 countries by the very best with a tray! 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012

Macarons are THE Chic New Wedding Trend

Every once in a while a new wedding trend appears that captures the heart of brides everywhere.

One such trend now sweeping the wedding world is macarons, yes, macaron cookies – but as you've never seen them before.

But first a little history to put things in perspective. Catherine de Medici brought the ancestor of the macaron from Italy to France in 1533 when she arrived (with Italian chefs in tow) to marry France's King Henry II.

She also brought forks and napkins – and medieval table manners improved greatly, to say the least. For the several centuries that followed, sweet delights such as macarons were enjoyed only by members of the upper class.

Indeed by the time the French Revolution occurred in 1789, the mobs of Paris were more than ready to believe that the French Queen Marie Antoinette had answered their cries for food with the indifferent remark, “Let them eat cake". She never said any such thing. The revolutionary pamphleteers made up the statement merely to further their cause.

As the French State spun into a mad frenzy of bloodletting, thanks to "Madame Guillotine", Napoleon appeared and with a strong military arm re-established order. Once in control, he began to redesign French life, starting with the removal of many privileges enjoyed by the elite upper-class.

One such action taken by Napoleon was to close the monasteries and convents in France, which had long been allied with the privileged monarchy. Thousands of monks and nuns were suddenly without home or work. Some chose to fight the Dissolution Order and went to their deaths instead.

Others adapted to secular life yet privately continued their spiritual practice. The Carmelite Sisters in Nancy, France chose to live rather than die. Kindly offered lodging by the convent’s former doctor, Monsieur Gormand, Sisters Marguerite and Marie–Elizabeth left their black and white habits behind in 1792 and dressed in the clothes of the day. 

But how to support themselves? Once funds from the Crown had provided for the necessities of life. But no more. It was then that the Sisters remembered the Order’s recipe for macarons that had delighted so many visitors to their Convent in better days.

Soon the Sisters’ tasty brown macarons, made from ground almonds, egg whites and sugar, began to make the city of Nancy a leading culinary destination. Indeed, the Sisters became so famous they came to be referred to simply as "les Soeurs Macarons” or “the Macaron Sisters”. (Their shop still operates in Nancy to this day).

It wasn't long before the Sisters’ fame and culinary creations were noted in Paris. But sweetly humble has never been Paris' style. Pastry Master Louis Ernest Laduree converted the Convent treat into a stunning dessert available in a seemingly endless array of colors.

Today creative brides around the world are using macarons to create weddings with an elegant French flair. Whether it's a modified croquembouche tower replacing the traditional tiered wedding cakes or as stunning guest favors, macarons are now enjoyed everywhere. Look how lovely (and how inexpensive - $3.20 per serving vrs $5.00 per traditional cake slice)! Nice, nice, nice!

 Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012

Post Note, July 5, 2012: "Macaron" with only one "o" is the correct spelling for this French culinary treasure. "Macaroons" with two "o's" referes to a different pastry containing shredded coconut that often appears within Jewish cuisine.

Macarons are smooth; macaroons resemble small peaked mountains. There IS a difference but both are perfect for celebrating Bastille Day (or La Fête Nationale) on July 14th. Viva la France!

The French Connection and Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Tomatoes

Although the Aztecs and Incas of the Americas had cultivated tomatoes since 700 C.E., their acceptance in Europe took centuries longer.

First discovered by the Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortez in 1521 as he smashed the Aztec capitol of Tenochtitlan (later renamed Mexico City) into submission, it took another century for the tomato to appear in coastal Spain.

At first this culinary treasure from the New World was rejected by Europe’s chefs as it was erroneously associated with the dreaded mandrake and nightshade plants. Both plants were considered favorites of witches and poisoners. Ouch!

But sometimes beauty wins out as it did in this case.  A bright red, orange and green, tomatoes became a sought after accent for the centerpieces of the French aristocrats. But only for décor, not as part of la cuisine noble.

But there are always those, both rich and poor, who make their own decisions whether political or culinary. In the southern French region of Provence, country chefs and cooks slowly discovered from the Spanish and Italians how exquisite the tomato actually tasted. And no one died!

Searching for a sauce name, these regional chefs remembered that the tomato seeds had arrived from the Americas via boat so it seemed appropriate to title the new creation a “mainara sauce” from the Italian language meaning “of the sea”. 

Meanwhile in Paris there was an amazing man, a true gentleman of the Enlightment Era – the American Thomas Jefferson. 

A true renaissance man whose interested seemed to have no bounds, he was fascinated by all matters culinary and agricultural.

We know that on returning to his newly born nation, he grew tomatoes at his much loved Monticello estate. His beloved daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph, included many tomato recipes in her personal cookbook, including the soup recipe listed below. Sadly at the same time, disorder and terror gripped France as a violent class war tore through the nation.

As blood began run in the streets of Paris until it was a torrent, the new ruling class now wore red "Phrygian" liberty caps as a symbol of their loyalty to change, violent or otherwise.

France’s skilled professional chefs, who once worked largely for the nobility, were at this time seeking not only new employment, but also how to keep their heads while others were losing their's.  What better way to appear patriotic then to echo the revolution’s favorite red color in cuisine?

And what was redder than a fresh red tomato! Soon the tomato was the darling of Paris chefs – saving many a sauce and an equal number of talented chefs! And the rest, as they say, is culinary history. Bon appetit!

Jefferson’s Truly Revolutionary French Tomato Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
28 ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes
28 ounces fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne or to taste
8 cloves roasted garlic 

2 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1 or 2 tablespoons sugar 

4 tablespoons plain yogurt

Sauté onion and celery in olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. When onion is translucent, add the tomatoes, broth, oregano, basil, and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.

Transfer half of the soup to the blender, add the roasted garlic, and purée until fairly smooth. If you'd like a chunky soup, add the blended half back to the pot. For a smoother soup, blend the rest of the soup and return it to the pot. Add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Taste the soup, and if too acidic, add sugar. Serve with a tablespoon of yogurt stirred into each bowl.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Meet the Mother of Champagne: Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin

It is often said that a great woman stands beside every great man, and that is also true of many of France’s greatest champagne houses.  Leading and legendary among this elite group of revered ladies is Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot.

Born into a time of turmoil and change, Madame Clicquot moved through the wake that followed the bloody chaos of the French Revolution with all the grace, courage and insight of a modern business woman.  She was, in short, a marvel and the mother of champagne.

Born Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, she was the daughter of Count Nicholas Ponsardin, a wealthy textile manufacturer, hotel owner and an astute observer of France’s turbulent political scene. Moving with the times, Count Ponsardin survived the French Revolution that cost so many French nobles their lives.

At age 21 Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin married Francois-Marie Clicquot, who was then 24 years old.  Due to ill health, he had only joined his father’s business in Rheims 18 months before becoming a groom.  One year later Francois-Marie and Barbe-Nicole were the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl named Clementine.

To support his new family, Francois-Marie agreed to travel as a sales representative for his father’s company opening new markets for champagne, banking services and wool.  Because his health had been poor since childhood, no one became concerned when six years after his marriage he developed a sudden fever.  Twelve days later he was dead!

Historians believe he died of typhoid, but whatever the cause, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot was now a widow at the young age of 27! Prior to the French Revolution only a few paths were open to a young widow: quickly remarry, join a convent or retire into spinsterhood.

But there was a new spirit of individualism abroad in the land as old class structures were swept away by the Revolution.  Noting that many other red and white wine firms were being run by the widows that the Revolution had created, she fought her father-in-law’s desire to simply close the firm.

Instead, she eliminated every product and service from her new company except champagne.  She chose to invest her own limited inheritance and begin to make culinary history.

Her first problem was the champagne itself.  The bubbles were often uncontrollable and large.  This caused breakage and an inconsistent product.

She solved this process by developing a process called “riddling”. Legend tells the tale that she turned her dining room table on its side and drilled holes through the top so that the corks in her champagne bottles lay at a declining angle towards the floor.

This enabled the sediment that had collected in the bottom of the bottle to be “burped” out the top when opened and then quickly resealed.  As a result, the pressure created by the bubbles was controlled and eventually refined, i.e., making smaller bubbles and more stable wine.

Now the Widow or Veuve Clicquot, as she was known in France, had a unique and valuable product. And she knew it.  She read the political atmosphere like an insightful broker on Wall Street.  She took chances extending credit to those she saw as the future power brokers of Europe as Napoleon’s powers begin to fail.

She cemented the position of champagne in czarist Russia through shrewd marketing and saw to it that her sales representatives taught the young nobles of the court how to saber a French champagne bottle.

Her marketing expertise created such a demand for champagne in England that the elite members of London’s dining clubs would simple order “the widow’s champagne” as they toasted Nelson’s and Wellington’s increasing victories.

Yet she was reported to have wept when her sales representatives wrote her letters describing the destruction that war caused.  She hated the loss of both life and commerce.  Like many of us today, she saw strife and economic disorder as wasteful and harmful and unnecessary.

Yet she always saw the future as well.  Writing late in life to one of her beloved grandchild, she advised that “the world is in perpetual motion, and we must invent the things of tomorrow. One must go before others, be determined and exacting, and let your intelligence direct your life. Act with audacity.”

Though she died in 1866 at the venerated age of 89, she left to all of us a lasting heritage of courage and style, all tied to a beautiful bottle of French champagne.  So lift a glass of the world’s finest true champagne (and that does mean a French champagne )and toast this very remarkable woman, the Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, who broke all the rules and made the world a better place one bottle at a time!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011