CIA Executive Chef, U.S. Marine, Gentleman and Le Chocolatier Marcel Desaulniers

Marcel ~ Le Chocolatier 

In my life experiences, I find every once in a while, rarely, you come across someone who is at once talented, amusing, entrepreneurial, and a person you enjoy being around. Somebody in the food industry one time told me that I am infatuated with the food industry. I believe that's true.

  

Equally, I was infatuated with the Executive Chef/Owner of The Trellis restaurant, Marcel Desaulniers. I think of Marcel as being from the town that I like to say I hail from, Williamsburg, Virginia, where he resided  for many years as he honed his craft. I always thought of him as a French Canadian or a Frenchman. But his biography tells more about him. He was very proud to be a Marine. He told me his nickname in the U. S.  Marine Corp was "Frenchie", and he was quite proud of that.

If you read the bio of Marcel, and he has a lot of them going around since his passing – the New York Times, the Internet, probably Food and Wine magazine, to name a few - you learn of his career, his wife and family, the U. S. Marine Corp, his books, TV cooking programs, oh, and that famous “Death By Chocolate” dessert.

Residing in the same town as he, along with his wife, Connie, I was able to witness his greater than life expansion on the TV with The Julia. His persona was always understated, whether in person at his restaurant or at parties with him. Through his TV series, he educated my girlfriend and me about many cooking techniques, for example, not overcooking string beans! Maybe I should go into that a little bit more, as he was quite emphatic about it.

Marcel was an author and very talented one, with a sophisticated taste in the design of the menu, the bar, and of his foods. Clearly, the “Death by Chocolate” cake exemplified his sophistication. If you haven't experienced his Death By Chocolate cake, then it's hard to describe what I'm talking about. At a cocktail party the other day, we were talking about it, and someone said that it was so huge, she needed to share it with the rest of her table. It was absolutely delicious! And quite a masterpiece! As the New York Times described, people would stop talking and gawk when a waiter would walk across the dining room floor with a slice of the Death By Chocolate cake.

Marcel was a very hospitable man and the epitome of hospitality. It seems to me it's likely he got that from his mother, of whom he seemed to be very proud. In our conversations from time to time, the mention of her name would be spoken fondly. Following a party one night, the next morning I looked up and there was Marcel walking down the pathway with a couple of books under his arm. I had mentioned to him the night before that we had taken a cookbook of his to the French guide that we hired for a visit to Verdun, France. She was much pleased to have this treasure. Unknown to me, he had some books translated into French, which he brought for my next trip to France to give out as gifts. Who does that? What kind of man is so thoughtful? And remember, I mentioned he is a Marine. Not just a Marine, but a Marine who served in Vietnam. If I recall correctly, one time he talked to me about firing from the opening of a Huey helicopter. A man's man. Someone who let it known quietly,  "yes, I'm carrying". You gotta know what that means.

I came to know a few of the staff who worked with Marcel both in the back of the house and the front of the house. Marcel was verifiably much loved and admired for what he taught these young people, some of whom were at the College of William & Mary. Those skills they brought with them later in life. He seemed to attract people with similar tastes as his – friendly, hospitable, hard-working, and skilled. The one name that comes to mind is Stephanie, who worked at the bar. (I still have the bar ticket where she went to the length to not use the table number, but said "Dino". That's the kind of professional that you want to have in your establishment, who goes to the length to recognize the customer.) Stephanie exemplified the quality and character of the people who Marcel brought with him in life. 

So, I hope I'm doing honor to him in speaking of all of his talents, not just his epic. Which is most well-known. 

I know I mentioned the Trellis, but did I mention MAD About  Chocolate? Exquisite little patisserie café. It was artistically designed by Connie and Marcel from floor to ceiling, tables and banquette customized ~ even the toilette artistically designed. They opened it together, and it was very successful. He in the back of the house, supported by some fine staff and she, winsome in the front of the house – polished, exquisite in her taste in clothing and her personality and her greetings to you. She made you feel that you were the only one in the cafe’ when she greeted you. That experience was quite an event. Hosted just a few blocks from the original Trellis. Mais oui, Connie was the artist/designer at “MAD”. 

I had the opportunity to speak with Dave Everett about his granting a pass to Marcel and Connie for their MAD café. He just smiled and said thanks. There's a certain honor between professionals in the restaurant world. And I'm sure that it was out of respect for Marcel’s talents and skills that Executive Chef Dave was encouraging in this new venture for Marcel and Connie.

  

           αιώνια του η μνήμη -  may his memory live forever.

                An Orthodox religious praise for someone deceased.  

Constantine

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Εύρηκα. Eureka. Truly clear ice cubes!

Ice v. 1.3

I'm getting ready to move. I've had an offer to house-sit in a very fashionable district of Paris.   Oui, les Marais. So I needed to get this posted on the blog to make up for the lapse of time while I've been trying to figure out how to get a job housesitting.

You wouldn't believe what you have to go through when you move. Particularly you know Europe and the rest of the world does not have the “humongous" homes that we have. So, you're downsizing your home. As well as trying to figure out what you can take or ship on the plane versus the boat.

But I depart from my main intent.

Eureka. Εύρηκα. 

As Socrates, or some older Greek said - I have found it. I have found the answer to my crystal clear large block ice cubes.  And it is fantastic easy to do. And it comes out beautiful. Sometimes when I don't need the large cube, I just cut it in half. I can't talk enough about it. The product is called  “TRUECUBES"  and here's a picture of the box.

Just so happens. That goes hand-in-hand with my new endeavor that is, hold on to your panties, non-alcoholic cocktail beverages. There's quite a few out there. Increasingly growing.

The one that I am most in sync with is a distilled "beverage” from Great Britain. There are three distinct different versions from the company called Seedlip. 

The one I find most comparable to gin is Grove 42 which apparently attempts to simulate gin on the herbal side. So I have used it in my Negroni and it's quite satisfactory. Sometimes  I must  to add a little bit, maybe a tablespoon a little bit more, the real liquor to balance the lightness of the non-alcoholic version.

The second one that I've been using lately is Seedlip’s Spice. I believe it is more attuned to a whiskey. So, I've used it as a base for some whiskey cocktails that I might, make for the princess that I live with. I've had success with making a Boulevardiers Cocktail, and it is satisfactory. Yes, I know Italian vermouth is alcoholic and so the Campari. 

Dr. Craig called me the other day from Portugal. He was sharing with me his exploration of Boulevardiers in Portugal. Most recently he was able to talk the Portuguese bartenders into the hotel's bars Boulevardier cocktail. He seemed to be with it. Or else he was really enjoying the effects of the Boulevardier. As you may recall. I think I have written about the Boulevadier before. It is simply a Negroni whiskey substitutes for gin.  So it's equal parts, whiskey, Campari, and Italian vermouth (sweet vermouth) and of course the obligatory slice of orange peel. Quite nice,  quite nice.

Ciao Bambino, salut. 

Cocktail

Boulevardier: 

Equal parts Campari, Italian vermouth, & rye whiskey. Garnish with an orange slice. 

Apéritif: Prosciutto on slice of tomatoe.

Music:  I like Sinatra, Frank. Fly Me To The Moon. 

a bientot

Constantine

Exploring the Little-Known Liquors Around the World

I'm out for a morning, early morning walk. I have a Cocktail Delivery Service. Yes, you heard that correctly, a Cocktail Delivery Service. This morning I am providing a martini (gin, Lillet Rouge with   lemon twist, and a little side splash of Quinaquina (quinine)) which used to be served in drinks back when Malaria was a problem in the world. 

 It is a nice morning out and I need to take advantage more of the mornings. I am a morning person. It's during that period that I am typically reading my emails, particularly the ones from 

 Guide or from Courney Magrini Editor of Seven Fifty Daily Dispatch. She was speaking of liqueurs the other day. 

 

I was interested, more than interested, to read from Courney – the other day, that there is a resurgence and an interest in Pernod. Which leads me to the discussion of all sorts of Idio-centric liquors, that are on the market and available more in the United States then possibly they ever were. I speak of different Ouzos, Absinthe, Vermut, et al. 

Increasingly you may have noticed that there is a plethora of fruit liquors,  Amaro‘s from Italy and Spanish Vermut (vermouths). It’s like the universe has opened their bars to us here in the United States. I attribute it to that Americans have become, since the 50s and 60s, increasingly more worldly and have tried different things on their travels. I first learned of Campari, on a boat from Bari to Athens. And it’s quite an experience to become acquainted with all the different liqueurs there are in the world. 

If I were to offer a suggestion, it would be rather than going & investing in a bottle of something you may or may not like, the next time you go to your favorite bar say to the bartender you’d like for them to give you a sip of a liquor or make you a cocktail with a liquor in its base. This bartender is likely your best friend otherwise forgets it!  

As I began to say earlier, the “industry electronic newsletter that I get- from Courney “, spoke of a rising interest in Araq. And later there was an article on how people are using increasingly the French Pernod as a pre-dinner aperitif. These are drinks that take time to appreciate and develop a taste of. So do not run, out due to my comments, and buy yourself a bottle of Ricard, unless you like the taste of licorice. 

I had to reach back to one of my bar books, The Ultimate Guide to Spirits and Cocktails by Andre Dominae’.  The Ultimate Guide to Spirits and Cocktails - It's published by a German firm, H. F. Ulman. Without the cocktail recipes, the book measures 704 pages. It covers a lot of material throughout the entire world. So, the e-mail I recently received from Courney Magnini prompted me to think more about the exotic liquors that are from around the world. 20 - 30 plus years ago we would not have thought much about that unless we traveled quite a bit around the world. But since the advent of more open trade. And as we have traveled more, we, particularly the Americans, have learned more about some of the exotic drinks that are out there. It takes a concerted effort to get into this. Because we all get to our comfort zone. And we, in the absence of some other option to choose from,  we opt for what we know. So, it is not unusual that when we are traveling throughout the world, we go for a Scotch or an Irish. Or a gin. And then from there, we may explore a little bit more the cocktail. But I would encourage you the next time you have the opportunity. Speak to the bar man. Tell her what you like and do not like. I.E. If you don't like anise flavor, then do not order a Pernod. But there might be something else,  like Suze that the French make that might encourage you to try. So, I would implore you to explore a little bit. And you might find some things that shakes your world.  

Where to start? Well, my suggestion would be to, the next time you're at the liquor store. When you are browsing the liquor store, ask for the miniatures. Or the small bottles. Look to see what exotic Items they may have. Usually, a salesman will help you if you say I'm looking for something that has some sweetness to it, some flavors. Not the usual whiskeys or gins or vodkas. They will steer you in the right direction and you may come across a small bottle of Chartreuse. Another choice would be Elderflower, German Apfel (apple) schnapps. Any of these would get you started in the right direction of experimenting with some flavors, added to a gin or a vodka. And voila, before you know it, you are an “amateur” mixologist. And furthermore, you are learning a little bit about what other cultures drink in addition to their main staples wine, beer, and vodka. 

So, in the words of that. Speakeasy I found in Kyoto, Japan.  

“Bon Appetit” 

 

Cocktail. 

Pimm's No 19.  

Two centerliters of vodka.  

Two centerliters Pimm's.  
Two centerliters of Galliano. 

Ginger ale, to taste.  

And a cucumber for garnish. Pour the vodka, Pimm's and Galliano and a tumbler with ice cubes. Stir and top with the ginger ale. Garnish with cucumber.  

Appetizer - Cucumber sandwich. 

Music – Johnny Cash!