 April 9th, 2010 Is It Better Corked? John Jung
As a wine steward, I spend a lot of time presenting, opening, and serving all types of wine. One thing I've noticed among some guests, friends, and colleagues is a bit of dismay when it comes to wines bottled with screw caps. I have friends who won't buy a wine if it's a screw cap, usually because they have the impression that the wine will be of a lower quality than one bottled with a cork. I'll be the first one to admit I prefer corks. I love the process of removing the cork. I enjoy the tradition and aesthetic of it. I like having the option of keeping the cork, as a memento for a special wine or evening. It can also be useful to remember the name of the wine in case I want to get it again. I haven't had the urge yet to keep the cap to any of the wines I've had with a screw top.
While I prefer corks, I don't have any problems with screw caps. A screw cap, or Stelvin closure, as they are also known, eliminates the risk of 2.4.6. Trichloroanisole (TCA), the number one cause of a flawed wine. Commonly referred to as "corked", it's that musty, wet cardboard smell that comes from a tainted cork. Screw caps are a lot cheaper for the winemaker than corks. Every time a "corked" wine is returned, they take the loss. If the wine is from another country, those shipping charges can add up quick. The money being saved there, can go into producing a higher quality wine (or the winemaker's pocket).
Another difference is bottle maturation. The wine will age a bit faster in a bottle of wine closed with a cork. This can make a screw cap nice if you find a crisp, white wine you forgot you had that's better when drunk young. There's no danger of a screw cap drying out and oxidizing the wine if the bottle isn't stored on it's side. You will also find less bottle variation in a Stelvin closed bottle too, especially with older vintages. We're seeing more and more wineries switching from corks to screw caps. Some top chateau's are now bottling their wines half cork, half Stelvin, to see how well they age. Screw cap wines were first used in France in the early 1950's. Since then, tests on screw capped wines meant for aging have shown quite well 30 years after they were bottled.
One thing you can't do with a screw cap is inspect it when it's opened to judge the wine's quality. However, you can't do that with a cork either. I'm sure you've seen people on tv, or in movies squeezing, smelling, or inspecting the cork after the bottle is opened. Inspecting the cork to judge a wine's quality is one of the biggest myths in the wine world. Presenting the cork to the wine drinker dates back to the 1700's. That's when winemakers began branding the names of their wines on their corks. It was a guarantee of a wine's authenticity. This was done to combat dishonest restaurateur's that would fill empty bottles of top quality wines with a low quality wine, then resell the spurious wine to another guest. The look and smell of a cork is no guarantee of the wine's quality. A dry cork, or a damp moldy one doesn't mean that the wine itself is contaminated. Neither does a moist cork prove the wine is sound. Screw caps are not fault free however. They are still subject to the myriad of faults a wine can receive from harvest to bottling. Stelvin closed wines can also become oxidized before they are bottled, and/or maderized during shipping or storage.
So while I prefer corks to screw caps, it'll never be a deciding factor when I buy a bottle of wine as of now. Years down the road, when there is more data available on the aging of Stelvin closures, I may opt for them over corks when buying an older wine. Plus with screw cap wines on the rise, it's at least nice to know they're taking the number one flaw found in wines out of the equation. January 22, 2010
France's Lost Wine
Guest Diary by John Jung
We're sure you've heard of red and white wine, even rose. But have you ever heard of yellow wine? How about the grape savagnin or the wine region of Jura?
Vin jaune (yellow wine), is France's, if not the world's, rarest, most unique, and most unusual wine. It is only found in the tiny region of Jura, east of Burgundy's Cote D'Or district, near the Swiss border. Being a rare varietal from a tiny, unknown region isn't just what makes this wine special, it's how it's made.
First, the savagnin grapes are picked at very low yields in late October and fermented. After fermentation, the wine is aged by law for 6 years and 3 months in old 60 gallon French oak. But the barrels aren't filled to the top. Normally this would lead to a wine's rapid oxidation. Yet here in Jura, special strains of yeast indigenous only to the winemaker's cellars and barrels quickly multiply. This yeast forms a powdery voile, or veil, over the surface of the wine. This veil is similar to a fino sherry in some respects, but unlike sherry, the wine isn't fortified. Over the 6 year aging period, the wine is exposed to slight levels of controlled oxidation, while the yeasts impart a very special and distinctive aroma and taste profile. A nutty, toffee bouquet lead's to a pronounced nutty almond, spicy flavor, rich in extract, balanced by a tangy character and stimulating acidity. The yeast also gives the wine its bright gold to dark yellow color for which it's known.
When the wine has finished aging, only 62% of the original wine in barrel will remain. The missing 38% is known as part des anges, the "angel's share", the amount of wine that evaporated while maturing. The wines are then bottled in 620ml bottles called clavelin's to reflect the remaining 62%. This is the only wine in the world put in that size bottle! Vin jaune is available in Jura from any one of four appellations. Our vin jaune is from the Chateau-Chalon appellation, the only appellation reserved solely for this rare wine, and no other. Covering a total of merely 124 acres, this appellation is issued only to the highest quality vin jaune's, and only in top vintages. Lesser vintages, or vin jaune's that don't pass the Chateau-Chalon's committee's standards of grape ripeness, conditions before harvesting, yields, and overall quality are delegated to a lower appellation. Vin jaune is very rare, not just outside the U.S., but anywhere outside Jura, France. There is only 2 producer's vin jaune's shipped to the entire state of Maryland. Caves Jean Bourdy is the only one of those two granted the Chateau-Chalon appellation, and only 5 of those bottles were shipped to our entire state!
Vin jaune is practically ageless and those from Caves Jean Bourdy are no exception. A recent tasting found their 1865 vintage still drinking great! But why wait? After all, vin jaune is very versatile when pairing with food. It's wonderful as an aperitif, and great with shellfish. Its excellent with rich duck liver, chicken, or white meats, and goes great with cheeses and even spicy dishes. Truly a wine for the wine lover, especially for those who love trying new and unique things. Enjoy!
October 11h, 2009
We promised recipes and we did not deliver. For that we are truly sorry, so here they are . We hope you enjoy! The kitchen is all about having fun and experimenting, we are happy to help you along.
Some items we will have available include:
FIGS, Rhubarb, Raspberries, Baby Artichoke, Baby Carrots, Baby Maroon Carrots, Baby Turnips, Salsify Root, White Asparagus, Beets, Gooseberries, Oyster Mushrooms, Black Olives and Potatoes
I broke into Chef Michel’s Recipe stash and pulled out some goodies. Enjoy!
October 10th, 2009
New Menu Is Coming. Second Sunday Market Ideas
Man the weather just got colder in a hurry! Not only is this football weather, it’s times to do some menu changes. Some of our favorites are leaving but some of our old favorites are coming back and hopefully some new favorites will be discovered. The socca crepe every body enjoyed so much before has returned with a few tweaks. Yes the tart tatin has returned, but as an appetizer with blue cheese and arugula; the new veal tenderloin dish is to die for with house made gnocchi and lemon shallot reduction; remember all the magazine covers, kind of like a beautiful model, the scallops with beet risotto and passion fruit vinaigrette is back so get your camera ready (yes, Charlie did serve it with a spoon so you could finish all the passion fruit). Another old favorite Tournedos Rossini Ma Façon is also back and modified, so foie gras protesters stay away (however we do offer the best vegetables in town vegan or not all treated with respect and many cooking techniques)—yes we are using house made duck liver pate, but we are making it with regular duck livers not fatten ones. And another famous French food item is joining our menu – frog legs, I could almost jumpppppp for joy, there will be a couple of other surprises
I would like to apologize for not getting recipe ideas up for last months 2nd Sunday market. Here are some ideas for what we had available.
Lychees-- peel and eat is the best thing you can do with these- other wise they would make a nice addition to mojitos, margaritas, sangrias or any cocktails you can think of
Figs—again great to eat raw, ¼ and serve raw in a salad or with cheese is a favorite;
pan sear with fresh brown butter and fresh thyme and tossed in a freshly cooked pasta; grilled with duck, game meat or lamb; made into a dessert tossed with some reduced balsamic vinegar served over ice cream.
Shitake, oyster, chanterelle, lobster mushrooms--- simple cut or tear into smaller pieces- then sauté in butter or olive oil with a little shallots and fresh tarragon or thyme—serve on Nathan’s wonderful bread baked into crostinis; serve with any protein you can think of (chicken, lamb, beef pork, etc) or vegetable like white asparagus or just get a fork and eat them
Celery root—peel with paring knife—then your options are limitless--- cut some onions, potatoes, celery and celery roots equal parts cover with h2o or chicken stock , salt and pepper boil till tender, puree and a touch of butter you got a soup. Dice and roast with olive oil and serve – dice poach in water till tender then cool—all you got to do to reheat is sauté and serve—grate raw add mayonnaise lemon juice , shallots with Dijon mustard you have a classic French dish celery root remoulade
Cape goose berries—the best way is again to just eat raw-- otherwise dip in chocolate, cameral, and nutts; you can also use in salads
Salsify—Yes this one is a little intimidating, just the look of it—the best way to prep is to peel it and put it in lemon water right away(it will discolor other wise) then when all peeled put in a pot with cold water and bring to a simmer cook till tender – then gently pull out and cool in refrigerator, that’s the hard part—now you can roast them, fry them, sauté them, any thing you can think of the are ready—I like them breaded and fried best they have a nutty potatoes taste and feel to them
Jerusalem artichokes—same prep as salsify and same results only my favorite way to eat these is either cold after they are prepped or raw with tangy vinaigrette in both cases.
September 15th, 2009
This and That
For those who have not seen us in a while, we just got a face-lift. Basically over the last 2 years we have been redoing most of our dining rooms including the Tower, the Wine, the main entrance and the inside foyer of the restaurant and now the bathrooms are finished . It is still a work in progress and with an old building like ours, it always will be, however, the most important part is definitely the outside. I think now more than ever every thing from service to food to décor are beginning to get on even par. I would like to thank Dominic and his fiancé for doing the bathrooms and Jose and his wonderful staff for the outside of the building. It makes not only coming to eat here special, but also coming to work here special too. Many thanks - Michel
Also, for those who know my long time sous chef - best man – right hand man Petr please say hello if you stop by and congratulate him! He and his girlfriend, Kate, are expecting. Baby Lucas will have a new friend.
Speaking of Lucas he is over 25 pounds and comes regularly to work with my wife Angie. They are both the loves of my life. With all the hours I work it really helps to be able to see them. And watch Lucas grow up.
Don’t forget it is almost football season—too bad I am surrounded by Steeler and Redskin fans there only so much burgundy, gold, and black a chef can take. Sunday, October 11th I will be tailgating at M&T Bank and look forward to seeing you there.
August 17th, 2009 I know I have mentioned one of our waiters, John “Jay” Jung before with helping us out with our wine list. Jay’s goal on life is to become a master sommelier. On Sunday and Monday he started his journey by attending his first professional sommelier class. This is the first test (taste) to getting that certification. Jay has been intensely studying for the past 6 months wines from all over the world - how to serve, choose, buy and sell, etc. Jay went to class on Sunday and felt nervous yet prepared, kind of like the big game you have been preparing for. He said afterwards that he felt very comfortable with the class and also with the test. When it came time to announce who passed they gathered all the students (92 of them) in the ballroom of the Mandarin Hotel, everybody had a glass of champagne and they announced one by one who passed , Jay said probably 60 people passed. It got to the end and Jay still had not received his passing grade , The Master sommelier said some one is probably wondering why they had not passed—he explained they save the last one so that they could honor that person , Jay had the highest score.. Bravo Jay from the Tersiguel staff and family-- this is the first step of four to being a master sommelier. So when you come in the restaurant and you want to ask a question about wine give Jay a call, I am sure he can of assistance. It won’t be before long that I am confident that he will be one of the 100 or so master sommeliers in the United States. July 11th, 2009 “Oh no, my waffle iron blew up!!”
Here are some of the more fun, crazy, and well not-so-fun things that I have witnessed in my restaurant career.
10. Prep cook puts hand in buffalo chopper. It has that name for a reason. They only that save him is my loud mouth screaming across the kitchen, “NOOOOOOOOO!”
9. Busboy trying to hold mixing bowl still, as he did not set bowl in correctly, while machine, 30 quart mixer with lots of horse power, is still running. He looked like he had a hula hoop around his hips moving with the bowl on the lowest speed. Now, think back to prep cook in item 10, same guy has decided he will help by turning it off, only he turns it up. This is a no go, can someone say broken leg? Thankfully, all the kitchen cords were near my Chef’s table, so I pulled all eight out.
8. Same mixer as above, different busboy. We used to whip butter in the mixer to serve with bread. More often then not, the butter would be very cold, so the bussers would whip it on high speed. This busboy left the chef knife above the mixer. As you can imagine, he turns the mixer on and the knife falls into the mixer, shoots out of the mixer, hits the stainless steel refrigerator, imagine the nice big dents, breaks into pieces that I later found in a rubber mat 15 yards away. I have filled many accident reports, I always wondered why “death” was a category. Now I understand.
7. One of my cooks decides to roast chicken bones on a sheet tray. One of the big chefs he trained under said that way there was better caramelizing; I concur, but what happens to the fat that pours from the chicken into the oven? Well, it catches on fire after the cook leaves for the evening, leaving with me with burnt eyebrows, a receding hairline that has never really recovered, three empty fire extinguishers, and the Larkspur CAFD applauding us. FYI, the now chef that started this fire has become very popular in Napa. Hopefully, his kitchen won’t catch on fire.
6. I have worked with a lot of prep cooks in my day, but starting out in California, I didn’t hire the staff, Chef did. It was our new prep cook’s first day, and I realized something was just not right about him. He and I were both in the walk-in, I had just had someone bring in a 5 gallon bucket of chicken stock; instead of walking around the bucket, he tried to walk over it and stepped right into it. I have heard of chicken foot stock, but never tennis shoe stock. It’s nice to be able to look back and laugh about it.
5. When I was working in New York, I worked in a really fancy new place called La Prunelle; it was right off of 5th Avenue. The dining room had something like two million dollars invested in the décor. You can imagine the food, décor and service had to be perfect all the time. The kitchen had at least ten people per shift cooking, so I really learned a lot as an apprentice. One of my most prominent memories was of a captain who would always change whatever we had on the menu to a la Provencal (tomato sauce). The cooks got really tired of it. One day for family meal, they put a bunch of slop on a plate and garnished it Provencal style. Not really a big deal, right? Well, we still had tables in for service and a four top was going out, the food runner, mistakenly took the wrong plate. Can you imagine having slop Provencal presented to you with a silver cover being pulled off? This is the first time I have ever seen a chef strangle the food runner; I have seen it since. We actually have a picture of that food runner hanging in the Memory Room. He was a customer of my father’s at his bar in the 1960s. I hope this was the only time he was choked.
4. I remember once telling a dishwasher to throw the frozen duck in the walk-in. I didn’t realize at the time I was giving instructions to Peyton Manning. The next thing I hear, frozen duck hitting the walk-in wall.
3. Once I told a cook to strain 5 gallons of demy-glace into the sink, so that we could cool it. As a general rule, when straining in an industrial kitchen, you place a large pot in the sink and surround it with ice, then you place the strainer on top and pour your liquid. Oh no, this guys poured all five gallons into a strainer and right down the drain. I think he became a rocket scientist.
2. Another favorite of mine was when one of my cooks mistakenly thought mayonnaise was PASTRY CREAM. He made soufflé with it and they where beautiful, until they came of the oven and started making a hissing noise and deflated into the flattest pancakes I had ever seen.
1. We celebrate Nouveau Beaujolais every year. We bring the wine now in a limousine, but in the past we have used a helicopter, fire engine, police car, and last but not least, horse drawn carriage. Well with the horse drawn carriage many years ago, we had a friend who was just starting a business down town. She had a few Clyde’s dale type horses that we used. We loaded up the carriage with the wine and some Can Can girls and began making the journey down Fayette Street to the restaurant. Our MC for the evening, Mr. Hughes had a huge bell he was ringing, along with a large crowd of our guests cheering for the wine. Well, at one point, you would have thought one of the horses thought that he was at the Preakness and he took off and the others followed suit. I remember the Can Can girl flying about and flipping around. Thankfully, the lead horse was blind and managed to drive the carriage right into a telephone pole. We were lucky, he could have just kept on going right up I-83.
May 31st, 2009 Bread! Doesn’t get anymore comforting than that. We just started making our own bread about two months ago. We were all worried if we had the right equipment, the right technique, the right recipe. Thankfully, so far, so good. We have actually received more compliments on our own bread, than the bread we used to purchase. Traditionally, all French restaurants purchase their bread. In France, even the bread bakers or boulangers and pastry chefs are kept separate. In the boulangerie you will get a large variety of breads, Danishes, simple tarts and cookies, sometimes éclairs and special event cakes, etc. So, you can imagine when we decided to make our own bread, we were climbing over an invisible fence, at least in my head. We all could not be happier with our guests response, the only downside, we have noticed people eating so much bread that they don’t want dessert.
Our bread is currently being baked by Nathan Sowers, a cook of ours for the past three years. Nathan came to us looking for part-time work with no professional cooking experience; his former career was as an airline mechanic, but after 9-11, well, I don’t think I need to say anything more. He began working on cold side and worked his way up to the hot line, and then a few months, he began experimenting with different bread recipes. Interestingly enough, with out any “real” guidance, Nathan created a bread that truly reminded my father and I of the bread my grandmother would buy in France. She would buy seven loaves for the whole week; it would be stored in a breadbox next to the table that looked like a small upright coffin. My uncle or grandmother would take the monstrous loaf, that looked similar to an American football in shape, would press it up against their chest and saw it into pieces. The loaf would serve everyone for breakfast, lunch, mehviene or coffee break, and dinner. As we sat down, we always felt at home when the bread was being sliced. With that said, we hope you will always feel at home at Tersiguel’s, eating, what has become affectionately known as Nathan’s bread.
May 20th, 2009
First Friday Family Night Dinner - April 24th
This evening was a huge success and a lot of fun for our family and friends. A reminder to all, we will be offering this dinner once a month thru out the year. We hope you will join us soon. 
 
May 20th, 2009
About 15 years ago I traveled thru out Europe for 6 months. One off my most vivid memories was a restaurant I visited in Florence. Upon arrival, I went into the backdoor where they served family meal to the staff; it was a small dining room right next to the kitchen. (When I worked in France we had the same set up for staff meal). They served a set menu, one appetizer, followed by an entrée course, followed by dessert at a set price. Everybody ate the same and every body ate at the same time and everybody drank the same wine. Our waiter was a young waiter apprentice, This food was incredible , the first course was a polenta soup finished with a little grated parmesan ( best I have ever had), the entrée was cabbage cooked in squid ink which was unique and excellent, followed by a type of tiramisu dessert. The whole time I was being served I was catching glimpses of the beautiful kitchen and every now and then would see the door open and I could peek through and see the tuxedoed waiters serving silver pots of something in a beautiful dinning room with chandeliers (kind of like the movie the Titanic ). I felt a little jealous, and that same instant realized I had the same food with out all the extras.
With this inspiration I happy to announce that Tersiguel’s will begin its own Family Night. This dinner will take place once a month, I will cook regional French dishes like cassolet, bouef a la ficele, le grand aioli, and raclette night etc etc etc. Dinner will start promptly at 7:00 pm and everyone will be served a family style, three course meal with table wine for 30 dollars all inclusive per person. In these economic times I know it’s been harder for some of our guests to make it in as much as they like and I think this a great way for us to share our restaurant with out breaking the bank. I look forward to sharing this experience with you.
April 12th, 2009
Wishing all of our family and friends a Happy Easter! May this time continue to bless you all.
Michel and Angie and Lucas
  March 24th, 2009
I would like to take a moment to thank the Restaurant Association of Maryland for inducting Tersiguel's into the Hall of Honor. I think about all the hard work and sacrafices my parents made and this honor truly belongs to them. With their continued help, Angie and I are able to carry on their tradition. My father has always told our restaurant family to aim high because once you stop, you level off and someone, maybe everyone will surpass you. It is with this, I can say to the Hall of Honor, I will continue to aim high and carry on such wonderful tradition.
March 9th, 2009
New Spring Menu is Coming
I just wanted to take a moment to let you know about some new items you will be seeing on our menu in the next few weeks. They include a caviar appetizer, a crab salad, lobster risotto with pea coulis, a fricassee of free range chicken, a braised sweet bread appetizer (more European in style), and scallops with a corn sauce. I look forward to seeing so many of our guests and friends this spring.
Bon Appetit, Michel
March 9th, 2009
Howard County Restaurant Weeks Come To A Close For those that missed out on this oppurtunity, I say, "Don't fret." We offer a pre-fixe menu everyday of the year, at both lunch and dinner. Please join us anytime for this great meal.
January 20, 2009
Welcome Baby Lucas
 We would like to take a moment to thank you all for your unending love, support, encouragement and advice throught out our pregancy. We are excited to announce the arrival of Lucas Ferdinand Tersiguel and are looking forward to introducing him to all of you. With all our love,
Angie and Michel
As you can see... Lucas made has made is kitchen debut, however, Angie still would like for him to learn how to use the washing machine first.
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