38 FT.COM/MAGAZINE APRIL 4/ 52020
I
have very rapidlycome to the conclusion that
an obsessivefoodnerd has one important
advantage inacrisis.It’snot thatyouhave
secretreservesinyour cupboards–no
foodieworthy of the titlewould panic buy or
stockpile–orthatyouknowarcanerecipes
for fermentation thatcan turn old tennis
shoesintoapalatable jam.No,it’sthe way
youcan wander intoahalf-empty grocery
storeandfind in the shelvesachallengetobe
savoured,thatyou can feel genuineexcitement
about theoddest of ingredients.
So when,onthe last nightbeforethe lockdown,
Ifoundone tired,plastic-packedsteakand a
carton ofwhipping cream in the corner shop,my
interest was piqued; and whenIspottedalonely
tin of mushrooms,myheart soared.
Paris has alwaysbeenfamous for its
mushrooms.The cityis largelybuilt from stone
quarriedfrombeneathitsownstreets,leaving
ahugenetwork of underground caverns and
tunnels.Itis said that the first mushroomsgrew
down thereinthe manureofthe quarrymen’s
horses–anice originmyth. The myth continues
that it wasLouis XIV whose particular
predilection for mushrooms encouragedthe
industry to grow.(Why is it alwaysLouis XIV
in these stories?)Whateverthe historical
truth,ChampignonsdeParisbecameakind ofBunkerFood
TimHayward
prototypicalluxury brand and when canning,
anotherFrench innovation,became widespread,
it wasasimple matter to pack the mushrooms
into tins andexport them allovertheworld.
Steak Diane isalittlepiece of dininghistory,
oneofthe dishesthat usedtobepreparedat
thetableside inrestaurantsand hotels.There’s
somethingwonderfully,cheesilyold-fashioned
about it,something simultaneouslyironic and
romantic thatmight just makeitperfectfor a
fullyisolateddate night.
Whatalso makessteak Diane my bunker
choiceisthatitonlyhasasketchyrecipe,so
substitutions arepossible and, asa“tableside”
dish,youcan makeitonacamping stoveif the
lightsgoout.Cooking it also teachesavital
survival skill–the“deglaze”sauce.Cookyour
main proteininahot pan, lift the crusty deposits
off the pan base withalcohol–thisisdeglazing
–thenreduce the liquidwith cream or butter.
Deglazing producesthe fastest,easiest and,
usually,thebestsauce forany meatorfish.
As any waiter will tellyou, theone thing that’s
going to guaranteeyou thebig tipsisaproper
tableside show–and thatrequirespreparation.
Start withasteak.Arestaurantwould usuallyuse
asirloinbecause it’sboneless,easytocut and has
adecent mark-up.You could useany cutyou’d
usuallypan fry...Yea!Evenuntoporkorlamb‘Steak Dianeissimultaneously
ironic andromantic–perfectfor
afully isolateddate night’