Recession Strategies

Suggestions. A recipe. And a bittersweet vintage menu.

The eighties. These days you hear a lot about them. As consumer prices rise, pundits keep talking about the recession of the eighties. And offering strategies for coping with inflation.

This made me look back to an article I wrote in 1980. As I said in the article below, when times get tough, the tough turn tactical. Some of this information is so dated as to be utterly useless and much of it is specific to the Bay Area. But I was surprised to see how much remains relevant.

I’d forgotten that you can rent art from museums. Although many institutions have abandoned the practice, some still do it. The Portland Museum of Art, for instance, has been renting art since the 1940s. Worth checking with your local institutions.

Day old bread continues to be a bargain at many bakeries. But today’s bread is so much better than it was forty years ago… This is definitely a deal worth exploring.

Sadly I can no longer suggest domestic caviar as an inexpensive alternative to imported sevruga, osetra or beluga. But I love both salmon roe and trout roe, and these days I’m finding it all over (even in some supermarkets). Here are two terrific sources. Zabar’s and Russ and Daughters.

Adopting rescue pets? Still a great idea. You know where to find them.

Libraries. Use them. Now that they’re online, they’re better than ever. (And if you haven’t read Susan Orleans’ The Library Book, you have a treat in store.)

One of the best ideas here, in my opinion, is the notion of eating lunch instead of dinner at the great restaurants of the world. If you’re looking to dine in three-star restaurants, consider the lunch option. It is often an incredible bargain.

Car rentals. I used Rent-a-Wreck in LA for years. Then one day my editor examined my expense account and said, “Ruth, don’t you think it’s time you rented a non-wreck? ” But I was happy with my wrecks and they were considerably cheaper than ordinary car rentals. The company is still in business, although it’s been a long time since I’ve used them. On my last trip to LA I rented from Kyte, a new service that brings the car to you. Kyte turned out to be less expensive than an ordinary rental, and they were remarkably flexible about changing the return date at the very last minute.

Two more things. I continue to be a huge fan of Kermit Lynch wines. Kermit ships his wines across the country - and shipping is free if you order by the case. Kermit’s newsletter is also free, beautifully written and filled with fantastic information. If you’re a wine lover you won’t want to miss it.

And finally… Xeres. Sherry, is one of the last great wine bargains. Actually, most Spanish wines offer excellent value, but Sherry still doesn’t get the respect it deserves. More about that down the road.

While we’re speaking of living well for less money…. This is one of the least expensive, most affordable ways to create an elegant appetizer. Because Americans have little appetite for offal the livers of most animals continue to be inexpensive. My guess is that will change, but until then….

Chicken Liver Mousse

This chicken liver mousse is extremely simple; you can whip it up for a party in under half an hour, and have leftover for the freezer (it freezes gorgeously). The secret is the addition of an apple, which marries beautifully with the livers, teasing out a sweet freshness and creating a mousse with a character all its own. I’ve been making this mousse since I was very small, and over the years I’ve discovered a few secrets.

1. Be sure to buy the livers of organically-raised chickens; the liver is the body’s filter, and if you use conventional livers you’ll be serving your guests all the junk those birds were fed.

2. Clean your livers well , cutting out any veins you see (they can be bitter).  Cut off the visible fat as well; it will ruin the texture of your mousse.

 3. Dry the livers well before cooking, or you will end up with soggy steamed livers.

4. Cook the livers hot and fast; you want to get the outside browned while keeping the inside rosy (which will give you a much prettier mousse).  Cook them for about a minute and a half on the first side, then turn them over and cook them until they’re slightly bouncy, about a minute more.  

5. Be sure and remove the pan from the fire before adding the Calvados; add it over the stove and the flames could leap up into the bottle, leaving you holding a blazing inferno. 

5. Allow the flames to burn off, or you’ll end up with a very boozy pate.

6. Process the livers really well for maximum smoothness.

Recipe

1 pound organic chicken livers, cleaned of veins, connective tissue and fat
2 shallots, minced (about 1/3 cup)
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 small apple, peeled and grated
3 tablespoons Calvados
1 tablespoon cream, optional

Pat the chicken livers dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Sauté the shallots in one tablespoon butter, add a sprinkling of salt, and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes until translucent and soft. Put them in a food processor. 

Melt two tablespoon of butter in the same pan and cook the apples until softened, 3 minutes. Add to the shallots. 

Melt three more tablespoons butter, turn the heat to high and cook the livers until they lose the pink on the outside. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the Calvados. Put the pan back on the heat, and when the Calvados is warm stand back and ignite the brandy with a long match. Enjoy the flames until all the alcohol has burned away.

Put the livers into the food processor with the shallots and apple, add 4 tablespoons cold butter cut into ½ inch pieces, and blend until smooth. Add the cream if you have it, and process again. Season to taste with salt and pepper, processing once more, and spoon into ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap, press it down onto the top of the mousse and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

If you want to gild this lily, cover the top of each little crock with clarified butter. Melt a half stick of butter in a small, heavy saucepan over low heat.  When it’s melted, remove from the heat and let the butter stand for about 5 minutes. Skim the froth off the top, and spoon the clarified butter underneath over the top of the mousse, completely covering its surface.

Here’s a menu from a 2004 dinner I remember with particular pleasure. The food was memorable and the wines were too. But when you consider what has happened to the restaurant, the chef and the sommelier, reminiscing becomes bittersweet. It speaks volumes about what is happening in the restaurant business.

San Francisco’s Fifth Floor restaurant is long gone. These days Laurent Gras, one of the country’s most talented chefs, seems to spend more time cycling than cooking. And Belinda Chang, the only bipoc woman to win a James Beard award in the drinks category, now runs a virtual production company.