California Adventure Continues Part 2

California Adventure Continues Part 2

The last post ended with the Irvine Ranch Farmers Market. While still at the Irvine Ranch Farmers Market I was recruited to become part of the opening team of the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach, California. I took on the project with glee.

Me & a colleague at the employee opening party,
Four Seasons Hotel, Newport Beach, CA

My part in that venture was training the banquet personal in French service. This was not an easy task -most hotels or restaurants do not go with that venue. The Four Seasons Hotel did and, I presume still does. Of course a lot of grumbling went on and on. I had the service personnel train with raw eggs, (want to guess how many dozens of eggs ended up on the floor?) Yikes! In the end they managed the task.

I also took charge of the banquets themselves which was not one of my favorite parts of the Food & Beverage Catering Department. However, I knew I had to do it if I wanted to move up at the Four Season Hotel Company. It was hair-raising at times. I decided I needed to get out of banquets and move either into catering sales or take on one of the Restaurants. The F&B was a woman and she was on top of things; people always thought of me as a drill sergeant but Nicky beat me by a mile. We had to wear suits and heels which, of course, I always did anyway. But, one evening the sub-banquet kitchen floor on the eighth floor was wet and I slipped straight onto my back. Oh boy. That was when I decided I needed to move out of being in charge of banquets.

My friend, the General Manager for the Meridian Hotel, offered me a job in outside catering. Like a fool I went back to the Four Seasons right then and there and resigned, which was another bad choice on my part. The job offer from the Meridian had to be approved by corporate in France since it was to be a new division at the Meridian. Well you guessed it. Corporate did decline the creation of the division. To make a long story short there I was with no job, a condo I had leased with the option to buy and could not, and I had to move with Heidi and Kurt. We relocated to Costa Mesa, Heidi and Kurt rented their own apartment and I rented a one bedroom for myself. To supplement income I did some private catering.

It was not a happy time and I ridiculed myself. How could I have been so stupid to quit the job at the Four Season Hotel before I had a contract in hand from the Meridian? My advice to anyone contemplating changing jobs: never quit your job until you actually have a new one.

After dwelling in my misery for a while I had to snap out of it. My son Rodmond in Santa Cruz suggested that I move to Santa Cruz which I ultimately did. It was a good move for me.

 Heidi and Kurt opted to stay in Orange County. Heidi was in College and had a job. Kurt also was employed.

After a few days in Santa Cruz I went job hunting and landed the job as Food & Beverage Director for the Dream Inn Hotel. I was so happy you can imagine. I will write more about Northern California in my next blog.

In response to requests for my“Eintopf” (Meal in a Pot) recipes I will add my Lamb Pot. It is so good this time of the year.

Lamb Pot

1 pound lamb (stew meat is fine)

   Pepper and salt to taste

2 tablespoons dried basil (fresh basil is better)

1 tablespoon curry powder

3 tablespoons olive oil (vegetable oil can be used)

2 quarts of beef stock (bouillon cubes can be substituted)

   salt to taste (do use salt sparingly if you use beef bouillon cubes)

1 pound carrots (peeled and sliced)

1 pound celery root (peeled and sliced)

4 leeks (cleaned and sliced, do not use the end of the leeks)

Cut lamb into cubes, (if you do not use stew meat). Season with pepper, curry powder and basil. Make sure meat is covered well with the spices. In a heavy saucepan heat the oil, add the meat and brown on all sides. Add the beef stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Correct seasoning. Add the carrots, celery root and simmer 20 more minutes. Add the leeks and simmer 10 more minutes. Finish of with fresh ground pepper and fresh or dried basil.

NOTE: Fresh farm bread or any fresh sour dough bread is great with this dish. Can be frozen up to three month. This is a great party dish.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Moving On ----Thanksgiving 2012

Table Setting, Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving 2012 was a real family affair; four of my six children including Rodmond’s daughter Larissa came and participated in the creating of the day. Heidi prepped the Turkey with my direction. Paul and Rod took over the kitchen and produced a wonderful meal and did a lot of the clean up work as well.

Bill and Heidi had invited Bill’s sister Ginger and, as has happened the last 9 years, my neighbor Hazel joined us. Hazel will be 91 years old next week; she still maintains our courtyard and keeps moving around to stay limber. More power to her.

My son Steven called from London and wished he could have been here. Walter and family also could not join us. All in all we had a great Thanksgiving and were so grateful for our time together.

This Thanksgiving was not without sadness however; my brother Manfred died on November 14, 2012 in Germany. Unfortunately I could not fly to Germany to attend his funeral. I am the only sibling left and I am so grateful for all my children and that I have nieces and a nephew as well as Manfred’s wife Mia to reminisce about Manfred when needed.

Now we are heading toward Christmas, the biggest Holiday of the year. Our Christmas will be here in Healdsburg as well. I do not like traveling during the Holiday season. I love staying home and having friends and family come to visit.

I made my Advent wreath yesterday since December 2 is the first of Advent. I will have a small Brunch on Sunday for some of my neighbors. In the next few weeks I will attend a couple of Christmas parties. I also will do some spotter work in the next four weeks. It is a fun job except when it comes to writing the reports, ha, ha.

Missing my son Kurt and husband Marcus becomes acute this time of the year. It is hard to believe Kurt died 13 years ago and Marc made me a widow 36 years ago. He was a great Father and Husband. All these years I could not bring myself to get married again even though I did have a couple very serious long term relationships, my answer was always no. These days I wish at times that I had married again. Having seven children was a big factor in my saying no!!

Our children made it through their grieving and time of being difficult. All grew up to be self-reliant. They have families and keep in touch with me, some more than others.

Needed to keep you posted on the now. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The California Adventure Continues! 1982 to 1994

Summer 2012 in Healdsburg is as beautiful as the summers were on Balboa Island. The Island is surrounded by water; Healdsburg is surrounded by fields of grapes, both are beautiful.

Moving to Balboa Island where Heidi, Kurt and I found a new home. We really enjoyed living on the Island. Our second home was a waterfront home and we liked watching the sailboats passing through the channel into the pacific. Boat parades were colorful during the holidays, and we were having chili party's while watching the parade with family and friends.

Heidi and Kurt adjusted to the Southern California life style and made friends.  Since Heidi always liked to bake, she ended up working in a little bakery on Balboa Island called Dad's. She could walk to work. Two years later the owners offered her the little apartment upstairs from the bakery for the summer. Heidi was elated.

My son Neal decided to move to California and moved in with us for several months, but he was not a happy camper there. He did have a good job but he became a hermit for a time. (It saddened us all).

It was on Balboa Island that I finally accepted that my daughter Heidi was not always the angel I believed her to be. That was a sad day for me because, until her teens, she had not gotten into any notable trouble (details may unfold in a later blog). Kurt was busy redeeming himself as a sort of undercover spy for Corona del Mar High School.

I was recruited to help set up a company called COOK LINE after leaving Le Premier Restaurant. This company was short lived but a great idea. It gave Chefs all over the country directions when they got stuck on how to prepare a dish. Most of the clients came from the Midwest. I counseled Chefs from Montana, Ohio, and Iowa and so on, all via phone and slow mail. Boy, now all you have to do is go online and get all the answers you need.

I remember when I was getting ready to fly to New York City to meet with the Conde Nast Brass about plugging the company, but it never happened - Sandy pulled the plug on the company.  She said that it was not cost affective. She was right.

My next venture became the opening of the Irvine Ranch Market in Newport Beach at the Newport Center. My title was Assistant Director of Food services. This was a great job. I trained cooks and sales service personnel. I was responsible for the creative development of recipes and displays in six stores.

One of the stores was not doing so well - as they say, “location, location.” I was put in charge to do a turn around, which was not easy to do. But, we did it with promo and a change of venue to meet what the customer in the Laguna Beach area wanted.

I worked with Irvine Ranch Farmers Market for about 3 years. During that time my Boss John and I flew to New York. John wanted to see the products at the very famous delicatessen Zabers in New York City and others. We dined in various Restaurants I had picked out from my time living in the city. It was an interesting trip and no, no romance!

That trip helped to upgrade the older stores and made them all very profitable. The Newport Store is still going strong and the LA store as well. I kind of lost track with what happened to the smaller stores.  

John’s concept is used now by various companies but, he was the pioneer, and I am proud to have been part of the development of Irvine Ranch Farmers Market.

Of course, after I left I had to return my company car which I loved since it was a two-seater sports model. I used to drive an average of 150 miles a day from store to store. I still have my uniform which was/is a white butcher coat hanging in all six stores.

Sigrid’s Chili

½ cup olive oil

 6 onions (chopped)

 5 green peppers

 3 jalapeno peppers

 1 pound mushrooms (halved)

 5 teaspoons oregano

 3 bay leaves

 8 tablespoons chili powder

 5 tablespoons cumin powder

    red pepper flakes to taste

 5 pounds lean ground beef

 2 large cans tomato puree

 3 large cans chopped tomatoes

 4 quarts beef stock (bouillon can be used)

 

 4 pounds kidney beans

    water to cover beans

    salt to taste

 2 large bouillon cubes

In a large pot bring cleaned beans and water to a boil. Cook beans for 10 minutes and drain. Put beans back in pot and cover with fresh water. Add bouillon cubes salt to taste. Bring back to boil lower heat and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. While beans cook heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot. Add onions, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic and mushrooms stirring frequently until onions are lightly colored. Add meat stir, add all seasoning and keep stirring until all is incorporated, about 15 minutes. Add stock, tomato puree and chopped tomatoes with the liquid. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 2 hours. Add the drained cooked beans. Cook for at least another 30 minutes on low heat. Stirring occasionally. If your chili should start to burn, remove and pour into a clean pot. If needed, add more beef stock.

Makes 48 servings:

Moving to California

Moving to California

It was the year 1981 when I was recruited to become Food & Beverage Director for the Newporter in Newport Beach, California. Which is a Hyatt Hotel now? We decided it would be a good move. Living in New York City and Connecticut lost its appeal... My two youngest children, Kurt and Heidi, and I packed up the belongings we wanted to take. Most of my furniture I had sold and the items the other kids wanted they moved into their home. The rest went into storage.

I rented a limo to take us from my son’s Neal, Paul and Rodmond’s home in New Haven, Connecticut to Kennedy Airport. We landed in Los Angeles where my sister-in-law and brother-in-law picked us up from the Airport. We stayed with Carroll and Russ the first few weeks. The drive to Newport Beach was a long one. I commuted every day with the children. I enrolled them in the school in Newport Beach for the fall. Yes it was summer when we moved to California.

I started to look for housing, which I found on Balboa Island. A cottage style house with very shabby furniture. The house was a summer rental so we could not move in until September.

My new job was to start on September 5, right after Labor Day. We moved on Sept. 2^nd to Balboa Island. All three of us loved that little Island. Heidi and Kurt started school and I started my new job. Here comes the kicker! My second day on the job, the General Manager called a meeting with all of the top management to introduce me. As we were in the meeting I was called to the phone and had been informed that Heidi and Kurt did not show up in class even though I had dropped them off. I felt I had to excuse myself from the meeting to go looking for my children. The General Manager was annoyed and said quote, “Woman do not belong in top manager position.” I for one am a very reactionary person and turned around and said, “You can take your job and shove it.”

I knew he and I would never work well together, the Food & Beverage Director being the number two person in any Hotel. You see, I was recruited in New York City by the Seagram’s Company which owned the Newporter at the time. The General Manager never met me until I moved. He was not pleased that I was hired without his input. I actually can understand that now. At the time I thought, “What an arrogant SOB.”

I went hunting for Kurt and Heidi and found them at the famous Newport mall. Now, here I was with no job, a rental to pay for and living expenses. It was a good thing that I had some limited income for the children from SS.

The next day I picked myself up and went job hunting. I knew I would not have a hard time finding a job, which I didn’t. I took on a spotter job for an upscale Mexican Restaurant.

Of course that was not a steady income but it helped us over the hump. One evening as I was sitting at the bar observing the servers and Bartender (who was working into his own pocket), across from me was a couple a beautiful young woman with a man not to my liking. I kept thinking, "What is she doing with that guy??" We started talking, introducing ourselves and so my friendship with Nancy began. Nancy to this day tells people I picked her up in a Bar, and I respond with, “You picked me up.” Nancy gave me her business card which I tossed in a drawer at home.

As I said before, the house had very shabby furniture so, after a couple of days, I went out and bought some dark green sheets with roses for color, some plants and candles and redecorated our home. I will never forget when my son Kurt came home from school with a friend. He said to his friend, “My Mom can make a dump look elegant.” What a compliment from a 15 year old. Both Heidi and Kurt started to settle in and make friends.

I for one went on a job hunt and after a few days was hired by the owners of Ambrosia and Le Premier Restaurants. I was hired as a troubleshooter and trainer and recipe taster for Le Premier Restaurant which was a very new venture. Le Premier had a Swiss Chef whose cooking was more tuned to catering big functions instead of cooking on the line. His sauces were the worst I ever tasted, all flour and paste, yikes! One day I went into the kitchen and put a spoon into his sauces and the Chef went berserk. He threw a Chef knife at me yelling about what gave me the right to taste his sauces. I have to say here that Gerald the owner and his Brother Gustav never told him that I was hired to do just that. Gerald was not happy with the food in general. I told Gerald that his Chef is a banquet Chef and he needs to let him go. I than went on the hunt to find him a banquet Chef Position, which I found in Las Vegas. He was happy to move on and, after a few weeks even called to thank me.

Le Premier and Ambrosia Kitchen

We hired a new Chef with expertise in California and Danish Cuisine. Gerald and Gustav came from Denmark to the States. Le Premier became a very successful Restaurant and I had fun working with everybody

Ambrosia was already very famous throughout the country. I stayed with the restaurant for 2 years.

I will add a photo. Next the California adventure continuous!

Trying to buy Petit La Femme

Saturday was the wedding of the year in Sonoma County. It was a very special event with an Irish theme. My friend Josie got married to Kim with whom she fell in love at the Sundance Film Festival almost three years ago. Kim is Irish hence the Irish theme.

All the excitement and the wonderful setting with great food brings me back to New York City and some of the weddings I planned, cooked for and executed. One wedding really stands out, the theme was Gatsby. It was a wonderful and very special wedding. It took place in East Hampton, New York.

The wedding party was dressed in Gatsby Era designs. As you can see New York City, Hampton, New York and Connecticut was a very big part of my career and our family life.

While doing the occasional catering and doing turn arounds for restaurants I also had this fantasy of buying a small restaurant. The restaurant was called Petit La Femme. It was in the Village and a favored of mine as well as Koch, the mayor at the time of New York,  along with a few film and television stars. The restaurant had only 6 tables; the kitchen was so minute one had to really be organized. I wanted that restaurant in the worst way.

I pounded the pavement to secure financing which took me about 4 weeks. I had two investors, rearing to go. The day before my Attorney and I were going to sign the purchase of the restaurant, I went down to look at it one more time; I believe Heidi went with me. The restaurant had a lock on it and some IRS notification at the door. I called my attorney and told him what was happening and he advised me to drop the idea of buying this little gem. It would give me problems, especially since the owner had a big debt to the IRS and the City. As they say, one dream down the drain.

The restaurant business is one of the toughest to maintain; anyone who is familiar with restaurants knows that. Opening night can make or break you and if you do not have operating capitol for at least one year don’t even bother to open a restaurant.

The upside is it is like going on stage - it can be fun but, never loose sight that it is a lot of work. Never open a restaurant if you are not a people person. I have seen more Restaurateurs/Chefs fail because they do not want to handle the public. Networking besides having a great product and a well-trained staff is a must. Staff can also harm the success of your business. Owners need to be aware that servers and bartenders have to be treated with respect and be well trained. My father used to say, “Do not expect your staff to do something you will not want to do yourself. You are only as good on the top as with the staff you surround yourself with, never any better.”

In my fifty years plus in the hospitality industry I never forgot that and used it as a training tool. To this day I have former staff write or call me and tell me I was a tough task master but it served them well, even if they chose a different path in their career. Some opened their own businesses, others climbed the corporate ladder in the Hotel Industry. If you put yourself out there, the rewards and recognition are rewarding.

Next we move to California with my two youngest children.

The recipe I like to share is a true French recipe:

Set oven at 350*

Tomates farcies a’ la Provencale.

4 large tomatoes, halved

1 cup good bread crumbs

2 to 4 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed

1 cup chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Wash the tomatoes, dry, remove stem and cut in half. Lightly squeeze the seeds and some of the juice out. Do not remove the meaty part. Set aside.

Mix bread crumbs with the parsley and garlic. Fill the tomato halves with the mixture and set on a baking sheet treated with olive oil or vegetable oil.

Top the tomatoes with some olive oil and bake for about 6 to 8 minutes.

Place on a serving dish and serve as a side dish with fish or chicken. Beef is also an option. The tomatoes also make a great lunch dish on a bed of lettuce with grated cheese and chopped eggs on top.

Serves 4

Moving on to 1980/1981

Moving on to 1980/1981

How and where to start? Perhaps I should start with my son Rodmond who turned 50 on May 20, 2012. We had a cookout here in Healdsburg with some family and friends. It was a fun evening. Oh boy, no wonder I am getting up in years. Rodmond is my son #4. He is thoughtful and very caring about his family.

Approaching the 1980's, I took on the Powder Ridge Ski Lodge in Connecticut, turning the short order Grill into a successful Soup and Meal in a Dish Restaurant. It became very popular with skiers and also with the locals. This was a seasonal operation for me and a lot of fun. Rodmond became a part time Bartender. In those days the legal drinking age in Connecticut was 18; I really do not know if that has changed over the years.

He also doubled as a spotter. I knew one of my bartenders was skimming from the top and of course that lowers your profit margin. Let me plug in that is one of the most common and annoying things that happens in the hospitality industry.

My children all had the privilege of skiing for free which, of course we took advantage of.  Heidi however, did not want to go and learn how to ski as she was worried that she would break her arm and could not play the piano which was/is her passion.

My commute to work was almost one hour each way which of course was hard on our home life. However, this was an operation I was proud of. The Bar on weekends was always packed with revelers. I hired a band at least 2 Saturdays a month and some nights the public got out of hand. On one of those Saturdays I went and stepped on a table with a whistle, blew the whistle and all went quiet. I told the guys and girls that if they did not behave I would shut everything down and no more music on Saturdays. Guess what? It worked. I hired a security guard as well. Mind you these were mostly 20 and 30-something guests.

After the season was over New York City beckoned again and I took on Chatfield’s Restaurant there to do a turn around. I hired a wonderful Chef named Christopher; I wonder where he is now! The restaurant became a favorite for models, media and stars. The restaurant was sold a couple of years later. During the first few months at Chatfield’s, Heidi ended up one evening doing the dishes for us since the evening dishwasher did not show. Heidi was all but 13 or 14. That evening the talent scout for the Ford Modeling agency had dinner in the restaurant. He noticed Heidi and wanted her to audition at the modeling agency. I declined because I felt she was too young. The agency found a similar type in Christie Brinkley. I wonder how different Heidi’s life would have been if I had permitted her to become a model.

This was also the year my Father came back to visit and while I worked in New York City, he stayed with my Children. He bought himself a car so he could chauffeur the kids around. I was so busy in New York that a friend offered me her apartment since she was going to live in India for a year. It was in one of those beautiful town houses of Madison Avenue. I stayed at the apartment 3 to 4 days a week depending on what went on in the restaurant.

My Father came to New York to stay with me a few days as he wanted to see more of the City. I took my Father and I believe Heidi, Kurt and I cannot recall who else to the New York symphony in Central Park. This was a highlight for my Father. You know it all is confusing now because the following year I moved with Heidi and Kurt to New York City living in a loft in Greenwich Village, which was another bad choice on my part.

However, I know that Heidi and Kurt both liked living in New York City. The problem was that, instead of sending them to public school I put them in a private school which ultimately I could not afford.

The choices we make hoping it all will come together are sometimes not the smartest. I call this learning the hard way.

The following recipe I introduced at Chatfield’s: I called it Hemmingway’s Shrimp. When I was on the Island of Majorca I met Ernest Hemmingway. He would come off his boat with his companion/wife; he would start the big grill on the end of the dock and grill those shrimp and we would peel them and eat them. Those shrimp were so good. Hence I put them on the restaurant menu. In the restaurant I made an orange dipping sauce.

I have to add that, after a few weeks, a lot of the restaurants in New York City put the shrimp on their menu.

Hemmingway Shrimp

6 large shrimp in shell per person

Put on the grill and grill for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Put on a plate or bowl if more than one person is at the table ordered the shrimp.

Orange dipping Sauce

1 cup orange marmalade

¼ th cup orange liquor

Bring orange marmalade to boil, add the liquor and on very low heat simmer for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Fourteen Years in Sonoma County

Where has the time gone? Sonoma County has been home for the last fourteen years. I am fortunate to be able to live in the beautiful town called Healdsburg. I like my apartment and I am surrounded by good neighbors and a very thoughtful landlady. The building I live in is an older building and Betty, the landlady, makes sure the grounds are kept clean; a little curb appeal is needed at this time of year.

This is far away from Bethany Connecticut. In 1979 I resigned from the Graduates Club and wanted to go back to catering exclusively. I rented a space with a large event room and kitchen. Mistake number one: the overhead was way over my budget. In retrospect, doing the catering out of our home would have been more productive. I closed the kitchen and decided to work with restaurants and do dinner parties for the rich and famous again.

New York City was a fertile ground and since I already had some notoriety it was not hard to reestablish myself. At times I tagged along with the food critic of the New York Times to various restaurants; it was a fun thing to do.

I met many high powered people in New York City, among them the then President of NBC. He invited me to his office and for lunch; I will never forget that day. I was wearing a beautiful white linen silk pant suit with a white hat; I have to say I looked smashing. While talking with him (I cannot recall his name), the producer of the soap opera “The Doctors” (now defunct) came into his office. He introduced himself and later in the day, as I was leaving, he asked if I would be interested in reading for him for a part in the soap. He needed a woman with an accent to play a visiting Doctor. Well, I was flattered and I did read and two days later got offered the part. A lot of thought on my part went into this decision but I had to turn it down, I could not afford all the time it took to stay in New York City away from my children. Talk about opportunity missed.

I became a consultant and food tester to restaurants and did cooking demonstrations in Department stores. From there I ventured to do turn a-rounds for troubled restaurant operations. That was the most challenging part of my work and also satisfying.

I did keep doing very special dinner parties especially around the Christmas holidays. One of my clients was Barbara Lewis; she was the distributor of Yves St. Laurent designs. The dinner was for Yves St. Laurent. Barbara wanted everything white, including the menu. Well, I balked at that. We settled on the entrée dish I call “Veal Tarragon” in a white wine sauce. The menu and a recipe are at the end of this post. Everything was decorated in white at her beautiful Park Avenue apartment.

The guests arrived and Yves St. Laurent came into the kitchen and said he wanted to eat right now because he had to leave. Air France was going on strike the next morning and he had to take the red eye out of New York because he needed to be in Paris the next evening.

Barbara, the hostess, was not pleased. I made a plate for Yves and he ate in the kitchen. He was dressed in jeans and an open color white shirt. I wish I had a camera, ha, ha, no cell phones yet.

The rest of the evening went smoothly and my food was praised and I got two new clients that evening. At the end of the evening Barbara took me into her bedroom and presented me with an original from Yves St. Laurent. It was a white long tunic with narrow white trousers. She said Yves wanted me to have the outfit and next time I cater a special dinner to wear it, which of course I did, many times over.

                                                   The Menu was

                                   Potted Shrimp with Pumpernickel Bread

                                       My mock liver pate with various

                                             Crackers and French bread

                                                        -----------------

                          

                                       Veal Tarragon in a white wine sauce 

                                                         Rice Pilaf

                                               Fresh Peas with Red Peppers

                                                   Sautéed with Shallots

                                                         --------------

                                   Salad Greens with Sigrid’s Secret Dressing

                                                         With Stilton Cheese

                                                                 -----------

                                              White chocolate mousse with

                                                      assorted cookies

I had to really convince Barbara that we needed some color - she agreed to the colorful vegetables. I was a happy camper.

The table settings at these high end dinners were/ are as important as the food. You always use a charger. The objective of a charger is; when you remove one course that you do not have an empty place in front of the guest. When I entertain guests for dinner I also try to use a charger. I do not like tablecloths so a charger makes the table look elegant.

 Here is the recipe for my Veal Tarragon:

                                   

Veal Tarragon

1 ½ pound lean veal stew meat cut into 1-inch cubes (pork can be used instead)

2 to 3 tablespoons of butter, more if needed

2 to 4 tablespoon fresh tarragon, or to taste, or 3 teaspoon dry tarragon

3 shallots chopped

2 tablespoons flour

salt and pepper to taste

½ cup to 1 cup of dry white wine

3 cups veal or chicken stock (broth)

1 tablespoon arrow root or cornstarch

1 cup heavy cream

Dust the veal lightly with flower and half of the tarragon, and salt and pepper; let sit for about 20 minutes.

In a heavy skillet on medium high heat melt the butter but do not brown. Add the veal and sauté stirring constantly, you can do that in two batches and add more butter if needed. The veal should just be very lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from skillet to a dish, cover and safe.

Clean the skillet, add more butter, and add the shallots cook for 1 minute, than deglaze the skillet with the wine and the rest of the tarragon, reducing the liquid by half. Skim the liquid as needed.

Add the stock, mix the arrow root with 1 table spoon of water and add to the skillet, using a whisk cook until sauce is slightly thickened about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream warmed with some of the liquid, whisk until incorporated, cook for about 5 minutes on low heat. Correct the seasoning.

Add the veal to the sauce and simmer on very low heat for about 10 minutes to not boil. Swirl in some more of the tarragon, stir and serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings