B and I celebrated a friend’s 80th birthday last weekend. We had lunch at Le Central, a French bistro located on Bush Street literally steps from the Dragon Gate that marks the southern boundary of San Francisco’s Chinatown.
The pictures came out really well and when you view them, perhaps you’ll understand why I prefer to practice my food photography using natural light as much as possible.
Onion soup gratinée.
Seared scallops, butternut squash purée, fennel.
Grand Marnier chocolate flourless cake, chocolate rum sauce, candied orange, whipped crème fraîche.
Roast chicken, with parsnip chips, bacon-lemon brussels sprouts.
Pan-roasted salmon, winter root vegetables, saffron fumet.
Butter lettuce salad, with apple, cherries and preserved lemon vinaigrette.
Pommes frites.
Lillet blanc, St. Germain, honey, lemon and champagne.
Filet mignon au poivre, haricot verts, mushrooms.
Roasted bone marrow, fig jam, bread.
Coffee.
Pâté de Campagne, with cornichons and mustard.
Banyuls.
Strawberry rhubarb crumble, vanilla ice cream.
French bread.
To this day I long to learn how to cook a decent onion soup. I swoon in restaurants when I find some; most of the time I am disappointed.
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Well, maybe you’ll get your wish sometime soon. I might do the version in Julia’s cookbook for an upcoming gathering.
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I promise you if you do I will be the first to download it and try to make it.
Making a proper opion soup is on my bucket list of life. I would be honored to know not only did I do it but it was from you my remarkable friend.
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