Gourmandism is an act of judgment, by which we prefer things which have a pleasant taste to those which lack this quality.” - Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Leap year day!
The yellow violet, Viola biflora, is today’s birthday flower. It symbolises rarity, worth and rural happiness. Astrologically, the violet is under the dominion of Venus and the sign of Aries. In the Middle Ages, together with the wallflower, the violet was considered a symbol of constancy. A golden violet was the prize awarded to the best versifier in competitions where the troubadours sang their ballads.
The intercalary day of February 29th is added every four years except in those century years that cannot be divided evenly by 400 (e.g. 1700, 1800, 1900). In those years February has 28 days. In the Roman calendar the intercalary day was added after February 23rd (i.e. VII Kalends March) and the leap day was called VI Kalends of March, the same as the day that followed it. In a leap Roman year therefore there were two days that were called VI Kalends of March and the year was known as a bissextile year (i.e. sixth twice year).
The Leap Year’s Day was regarded as an unlucky day and many ill omens were associated with it. This arises from the belief that it was the birthday of Biblical Job, which he blighted when he cursed the day he was born. The Lord, in His mercy only allowed it to occur once every four years. No new tasks were begun on this day and often candles were lit in churches so that the blight of the day would not influence the fate of the faithful.
The field forget-me-not, Myosotis arvensis, is a flower that was traditionally exchanged between friends on this day. If one began to travel on February 29th, it was customary to give them this bloom. It symbolises remembrance and true love.
Traditionally, in some countries, February 29th was the time when “ladies have full and absolute licence to propose marriage to single gentlemen. If the gentleman be so rude as to refuse, he is infallibly bound to give the spurned lady a present, which is usually a pair of new gloves on Easter Day.” In 1228 a law was passed in Scotland allowing women to propose marriage only in a leap year.
Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (1792–1868) was an Italian operatic composer. Of his many lively operas, The Barber of Seville (1816) is his comic masterpiece. After composing the opera William Tell (1829), he wrote only songs, piano pieces, and the Stabat Mater (1842). Some early works of his worth listening to are the String Sonatas 1-6 written at the age of twelve and anticipating the wit and lively nature of his mature music. My very first exposure to live Classical music played by a real orchestra was in my childhood and the fine piece that made me love the genre forever was a wonderful Rossini piece, “La Gazza Ladra” (Thieving Magpie) Overture. Here is Claudio Abbado with the Wiener Philharmoniker in the 1991 New Year’s Concert. Although the march that starts it is brash and showy, wait for the lovely and gentle lacework about two-and-a-half minutes into the work!
St Cassianus, whose feast day it is today, is considered by Greek heortology to be the patron saint of the lazy as his feast day falls only once every four years! He is often depicted holding keys, which the Greek people interpret as the “keys of laziness”.
And this being food Friday, let’s stay with birthday boy Rossini and talk about Tournedos Rossini!
By the time Rossini retired (at the grand old age of… 37!), he had made a fortune out of his very successful operas. He spent the next 40 years of his life enjoying himself, amusing friends with his short witty pieces for the piano (“Sins of Old Age”) and wining and dingin. Once, in a letter to a friend, he wrote that "I travel not so much for the sake of my music as for that of my stomach". He spent most his retirement in Aris and h became a well known habitué of such fine Parisian restaurants as the Tour d'Argent, Bonfinger, the Cafe des Anglais, Maison Dorée, Lucas and Marguery, where he would meet with his friends and mistresses.
In each of these restaurants he had a table that was reserved for his exclusive use. When he went into the restaurant, he used to shake the hands of the maitre d’ hotel, the wine steward and each of the waiters. He then went into the kitchen to personally greet the chef and only then would he take his place and order dinner.
Casimir Moisson, the greatest chef at Maison Dorée created and dedicated these two renowned dishes to Rossini.
Eggs à la Rossini
Ingredients
For the Brown Sauce:
1 and 1/2 tbsp. Madeira wine
3/4 tbsp. cornflour
1 and 1/4 cups veal stock
salt and pepper to taste
For the Eggs:
1/4 cup butter
250 gram foie gras (goose liver pâté), sliced
3 - 4 tinned truffles, drained and sliced
8 eggs
salt and pepper
Method
To make the brown sauce, mix in a small bowl the Madeira and cornflour to make a paste. Bring the stock to a boil and gradually whisk the paste into the hot stock. Return to the boil, whisking constantly, and then simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper and then strain through a fine cloth.
Makes about 1 and1/4 cups.
In a skillet melt 3 tbsp. of the butter and in this, sauté the foie gras. In a separate skillet, melt the remaining butter and toss the truffles in the hot butter. Poach the eggs and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place each egg on a slice of the foie gras, top with truffle slices and cover with the brown sauce. Serve at once.
(Serves 4 or 8).
Tournedos Rossini
Ingredients
6 tbsp. butter
4 slices foie gras (goose liver pâté)
4 slices white bread, without crusts and trimmed to the size of the tournedos
4 tournedos (fine bon fillets of beef, about 3 cm thick)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
about 1/2 cup brown sauce (see instructions in previous recipe)
2 truffles, sliced (optional)
Method
In a small skillet melt 2 tbsp. of the butter and in this gently sauté the foie gras slices. In a separate small skillet melt 2 tbsp. of butter and in this fry the white bread slices until nicely browned on both sides.
Season the tournedos with salt and pepper. In a skillet heat together 2 tbsp. of the butter and the olive oil and in this sauté the garlic just until it beings to brown. With a slotted spoon remove and discard the garlic. Place the tournedos in the skillet and cook over a high flame so that the meat is nicely browned on the exterior and pink on the inside. Place each tournedo on a toasted bread crouton.
In the skillet in which the meat was fried, briefly sauté the truffles. On each tournedo lay a slice of the foie gras and over these distribute the truffles. Heat the pan juices and then add the brown sauce, stirring together well. Pour a small amount of the sauce over the meat and serve immediately. Serve the remaining sauce separately. (Serves 4).
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