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have a column for comments, and mine range from “earthy” to “pear-y” to “flower-y.” I
probably don't have a huge future in restaurant reviewing. “Balsamic vinegar can be aged
six to twenty-five to fifty to a hundred years,” Van tells us. “It gets thicker and sweeter as
it ages. And more expensive.”
The first salad is what Van calls the Carr's Style Caesar Salad, “the best products off
the shelf at the supermarket, according to my recipe,” Van says, and calls for two volun-
teers. He gives each student a paring knife and peeled cloves of garlic and tells them to
“clip each clove three-quarters of the way through.” To the cloves is added a little olive
oil, and a paste of the two made with a fork, to which is added coarse-chopped anchovies.
Garlic, oil and anchovies are mashed against the bowl with the back of a wooden spoon.
“You're giving the flavors to the bowl,” Van says.
A coddled egg is added. I discover a coddled egg is one that has been dipped in boiling
water for thirty seconds and chilled immediately. “Make sure the egg is at room temperat-
ure before boiling,” Van tells us.
In goes the juice of a lemon. “The acid of the lemon juice cooks the egg,” Van tells us,
and holds up the bowl for us to observe the color and texture of the result. “Nice and thick
and crunchy, with a kind of velvety texture.” Olive oil is mixed in and then, according to
the recipe, half a teaspoon balsamic vinegar, produced by Van holding the bottle over the
bowl with his thumb over the mouth and then raising his thumb for a nanosecond. “Very
important, everybody, watch.”
“That was more than half a teaspoon!” someone shouts.
“No, it wasn't,” Van says. “Who's teaching this class?” He tosses in some Parmesan,
and then washed, dried romaine leaves. “Very dry, very important, water on the leaves
will loose all the flavors you've been working with.” The Marx Brothers dry their romaine
leaves for twenty-four hours prior to serving. “Coat the leaves in the dressing, don't
drench them.” Lastly the croutons, which “should pick up the flavor but not get soaked.”
The salad is served with a little parmesan on top.
“Remember,” Van says, “wine, salad, wine,” and we dig in. While we're sipping,
crunching and sipping, he tells us about the five wines in front of us, and we eat and drink
with one hand while scribbling notes down on the paper placemat under the wine glasses.
There are four whites and one red, three domestic, one German, one Australian. “You
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