Chez Panisse Experience

The first couple of years I was at Berkeley, I had walked right past the Chez Panisse gate many times without seeing it. I always wondered where it was. It was THAT unassuming. Of course, I eventually found the place, and enjoyed a few meals there. Maybe it didn't quite live up to the hype, but my experiences were all pleasant.

The last few months, I have came across several references to recipes from the acclaimed Chez Panisse Vegetables in a number of blogs. So when I got my hands on a copy of Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook, I thought it was time for me to try a couple of recipes. All things start small, for my first attempt, I chose two simple recipes - Fresh Ricotta Baked with Herbs and Olive Oil, and Baked Scallops with Prosciutto. (OK, OK, I admit, I simplified by skipping the meyer lemon relish and lettuce for the scallop. Yes, I'm sure these components would enhance the flavor of the dishes. However, I also believe that "enhancement" is what you build on top of a solid foundation. If something was distasteful to start with, all the enhancements in the world aren't going to make it fabulous, only mediocre.)

The baking dish I used for the ricotta is only about 1 1/2 inches deep, even though Ms. Waters said to pack in 2 inches of cheese. I took the ricotta out of the oven when it was all puffed up just like a souffle. Unfortunately, before I could even grab the camera, it shrank down. *sigh* Even with only 1 1/2 inch of cheese, the bottom still didn't get all creamy smooth like what you'd expect of baked cheese. The taste? Well, let's just say that even if the puff didn't go poof, my excitement would still be gone by the time I had the first bite. It tasted just like slightly salted ricotta cheese. The baking process didn't seem to alter anything. I felt so cheated. I should have just made another ricotta cheesecake. =(

The scallops, on the other hand, were superb! The outside was slightly crusty, the inside perfectly tender. The natural sweetness of the scallops paired with the salty prosciutto, even without the lettuce and the lemon relish, it was still so scrumptious that I had to keep telling myself "cholesterol, cholesterol, cholesterol.." to stop eating. =) Next time, I will definitely make the complete dish with the relish and all. (I know, my plating looked a little funny. The recipe said to drape the prosciutto over and around the scallops. But the creativity-lacking-me really didn't know how to "drape" artistically.)

With such a successful scallop course, even the uninspiring ricotta could be forgiven. I can't wait to try more recipes from this book.