Vadouvan Spice

About every 6 months, there seems to be a trendy use of one particular ingredient by cooks everywhere. Lets call  the  affliction Cocoa-Nib Syndrome or Fennel Pollenitis. Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the next candidate, Vadouvan. I first encountered Vadouvan in London at the worlds most absurdly decorated and overpriced restaurant which also manages to have the most annoying website. If not for the food,you must at least see the bathrooms, each bathroom is a room full of gigantic eggs like the movie Alien 3.
Take a look here .

The food wasnt bad though but it wasnt worth $500 per person. Navigate to the "Lecture Room and Library". See for yourselves Here. Vadouvan is...........

...A french interpretation of "Curry". So far I have sourced 3 different versions with significant variations in flavor. The version served at Sketch is the same as what you get from Paris .
You can also call Fany , the spice girl of Santa Monica. The third version was from Joel .
Here I have two dishes I have played with.

Scottish Red Leg Partridge
Vadouvan Spice
Mushroom "Pain Perdu"

Veal
Braised Cheek
Vadouvan Scented Loin
Sweetbread Torchon.

Comments

[ChuckEats]

I first encountered it at Bastide 2 years ago. From a friendship w/ Ludo, Kinch @ Manresa began using it in his grilled spot prawns - mmmmm....

[Shola Olunloyo]

Indeed Sir Chuck, I remember Ludovic's food being too unorthordox for LA.
My Gagnaire Sketch experience was 1.5 years ago. Leibrandt used it at Gilt too.
It is marvelous with shellfish, In all seriousness I imagine the quality of Santa Barbara Spot Prawns Kinch gets is delicious simply with salt and olive oil.
I hope to eat at Manresa later this year.

[Ed]

Wow, I'm not sure how I missed the web site for sketch...it is seriously bizzare. I remember it being referenced on Gagnaire's site but it never linked up correctly.

On the trendiness of spices...vadouvan has been around for a good while, cocoa nibs were a little trendy for a few days in 1998, fennel pollen mades its 1st splash about the same time of memory serves. Same is true with grains of paradise...the interesting thing is that they tend to come and go in cycles. I find it curious that, despite these ingredients clear virtues, they sort of fall off the radar for a few years and become new again. It seems ras el hanut is going down this road too, but it is pretty ancient really. The longer I am in the business the more I see how much we have in common with the Fashion industry...recycling the old and making it new again.

[Shola Olunloyo]

Ed.
Dont forget Tonka Beans.
It isnt really us cooks I blame, it's the magazines that come up with silly "lists" of what's in and what's not. A lot of this stuff is based on tradition, Ras el hanout, Garam masala, Urfa Biber, Sumac. It is just humorous how menu's sometimes seem to make you think everyone is reading the same magazine.

[Ed]

We are, aren't we?

[Shola Olunloyo]

Indeed but it seems more like we are reading the same menu.

[John Sconzo]

Some trends that I have seen a lot of recently include forest and flower with pine and rose leading the way. Edible flowers seemed to be everywhere in eastern Spain this spring.

[shola olunloyo]

Everything seems to make a 180 degree turn.
Great El Bulli experience Doc !
Think you can get me in next year ?

[William J. Slater]

My wife and I were in Paris at Fauchon about 10 years ago and found Vadouvan there. We have now run out but loved the flavors of it. I particularly love it with a simple roasted chicken. Only a pinch is needed so it does last a long time.

I've never seen it used in a restaurant but haven't frequented $500 a plate ones either.... ;^D

I ran across your site while looking for more of it. Very interesting!