We spice it up this week and venture beyond LCB kitchen staples of cayenne, nutmeg, quatre-épice, espelette and saffron. We forego the typical French recipe and spice up a John Dory (St. Pierre) filet with Satay and Tandoori spices.

During our chef demonstration, our chef generously dredges one side of his filets in the spice mix. At least that’s what he did, but what did he actually say to do with the filets? I don’t know since I’m still at the speaking stage of “Sorry for mangling your beautiful French language” (“Désolé je parle français comme un enfant de 5 ans). And my listening skills require that I can say 5 different versions of “What, again?” involving the words “Désolé, répétez, encore, de quoi and huh?”. For example, I keep hearing the chef say a word that sounds like “terrorists” (tearwarweest to my ears) and as I try to figure out what he’s referring to I become more distracted as he “assassinates” (it’s what I hear anyhow) the fish. So did the chef use any of the following verbs to describe how to spice the filets?

• Assaisonner--not to assassinate but to season, dress with herbs, salt or pepper
• Saupoudre—Spinkle with such as sprinkle with grated cheese or bread crumbs
• Napper—to coat or cover something with a substance, typically liquid

The English description of the chef’s technique would have been dredged or coated for a thick layer of spice. In the kitchen, I mimic the demonstration chef and dredge one side of my fish. I also use this technique because the aromatics in the spice blend are stimulating me or at least my limbic system where the brain processes scents. Unfortunately, I am denied my spice high as our kitchen chef of the day tells me to just lightly sprinkle the spice mix on the filets. He explains that the delicate flavor of John Dory would be overwhelmed by too much of this spice.

He is correct in his comment regarding John Dory. Careful spicing applies to other mild flavored fish such as cod, flounder, haddock, pollock, skate, sole and hake, but really, sometimes you need to kick it up a notch. In my healthy cooking classes, I demonstrate several spice rubs for meats and fish because they add simple, fast flavors, limit salt and produce a lovely browned crusty layer. Generally I use fish such as cod, tilapia, trout and salmon because of availability and low cost. Here’s some spice rub suggestions and info on the satay and tandoori spices used.

Satay Spice: Typically Satay recipes focus on the satay style of preparing dishes instead of a specific recipe for the spice mix. According to our chef, the LCB blend included chilies, garlic, dried shrimp and peanuts. Other sources I’ve used indicate satay spice can also includes these ingredients plus sesame seeds and 5-spice (star anise, cinnamon, peppercorns, fennel and ground cloves).

Tandoori: Includes a wide variety of spices but typically ginger, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, salt, cayenne. I’ve seen recipes indicating 1 teaspoon of each for a balanced mix.

My favorite quick fish Spice (for non-delicately flavored fish): for four filets, 1 Tablespoon each of cumin, chili powder (not New Mexican), paprika (Californian or Hungarian because Spanish smoked is a bit strong).

Here's the finished dish:

Wild rice with tropical fruit over garlic-scented spinach with mango, papaya and lime scented sauce. Or Effeuilleé de Saint-Pierre aux épices rouges, riz sauvage aux fruits exotiques.

Foreign Baguette Invades Paris

Bread was on my mind and in my luggage as I headed to Paris for my last semester at Le Cordon Bleu. I must be the only person ever to bring a baguette into Paris.

As my plane landed I wondered if airport officials would confiscate my baguette to protect the purity of French bread. After all, San Francisco sourdough yeast is showing up in French breads just like the invading English words peppering French TV and radio. But then I remembered that once again Parisians were on a grève (strike), so I just needed to worry if the airport was functioning.

The traveling bread was a French sourdough baguette hand-made by my husband who wanted to ensure I had good bread for my first few days in Paris. Finding a good baguette in Paris is random luck or local “know-how” for those with discerning palates.

I understand there was a time when consistent high-quality bread was more common in Paris. But with the proliferation of commercial and industrial bread making and distribution, bread offerings and standards have changed. I’ve experienced a regretful meltdown of my stereotype of gorgeous savory breads pouring from every shop in Paris.

Each time I’ve lived in Paris, I’ve worked hard to find consistent good bread; I’m not a bread snob, but I know bread making is an art and a science requiring quality ingredients. I’ve studied the science behind bread making and watched my husband labor for nearly two years to perfect different breads. And yes, hubby’s sourdough baguette is the best I’ve eaten, but I will keep eating more Paris bread to make sure and keep him on his baker’s toes.

Next post: how to spot a good baguette and boulangerie in Paris

Picture of husband Kerry's Sourdough baguettes and Pain de Compagne