Voluminous meals

The 20th edition of the highly successful culinary event known as the KitchenAid Book and the Cook wrapped up March 21. My taste buds were taken on a tour of the world, sampling scrumptious foods and wines from Italy, France and California. I cheated on my diet, savoring delicious desserts every day.

South Philadelphia chefs played a prominent role in the Book and the Cook this year.

First up was dinner at Pompeii, 1113 Walnut St., where executive chef Frank Chiavaroli welcomed author and master teacher Giuliano Bugialli. The men assembled a seven-course feast with five Italian wines. Escarole and bean soup Naples-style was brimming with fresh vegetables and immediately warmed me up.

A cool roasted red pepper and fresh mozzarella salad was tasty with a glass of Tinazzi prosecco, a sparkling wine from Italy that is very popular with Americans at the moment. I then tucked into an antipasto of peppers stuffed with eggplant and enhanced by a light tomato sauce. Vigne Sparse Gavi di Gavi, a medium-bodied white wine, went well with this dish.

Gnocchi came next, along with a glass of Sole di Puglia Sangiovese. Guests received strawberry sorbet as an intermezzo. My entr�e was breast of veal stuffed with many tasty ingredients, including sweetbreads. A glass of Villa Calcinaia Chianti Classico married well with the veal. Homemade Neapolitan rum cake and dreamy cannoli arrived with a glass of not-at-all-sweet Marco Maci Duca della Spina moscato.

Sunday brunch at the National Constitution Center was a rare treat. Chef Max Hansen, owner of Max & Me Catering in Doylestown, is the official caterer of the National Constitution Center. He also is the author of Smoked Salmon: Delicious Innovative Recipes ($18.95, Chronicle Books, full-color photographs, paperback).

Brunch began with smoked salmon gazpacho with cilantro oil, which packed a delicious punch. An unusual eggs Benedict consisted of perfectly poached eggs set atop a flaky croissant, baked by chef Robert Bennett, owner of Miel’s Bakery in Center City. Rich, creamy hollandaise, enhanced by snips of fragrant fresh dill, was poured over the eggs. Slices of smoked salmon were placed on the plate. Yukon gold hash browns, prepared with pablano peppers and caramelized onions, were downright delicious. Brunch ended with bottomless cups of coffee and an assortment of Miel’s pastries.

During the 1988 edition of the Book and the Cook, I met wine maven Kevin Zraly, who was in charge of the wine program at Windows on the World in the World Trade Center. Zraly now manages the wine for the Smith & Wollensky chain. His wine-tasting dinner this year was unusual because all the selections came from America.

A cool platter of oysters, clams, shrimp and crabmeat was a fine start, along with a glass of Markham Sauvignon Blanc, Napa, 2002, and Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay, Alexander Valley, 2001. We tucked into a salad and then headed to the entr�es. I selected a filet mignon, which drank well with Wild Horse Pinot Noir, Central Coast, 2000, and Smith & Wollensky "Private Reserve" from the Napa Valley, 2000.

Steakhouse sides, such as creamed spinach, hash browns and broccoli, came with dinner. I especially enjoyed the profiteroles, filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce, for dessert.

My taste buds then traveled to France, specifically Provence, as I savored a fine meal at Bistro St. Tropez, 24th and Market streets. Chef Patrice Rames welcomed everyone to his sunny restaurant, which overlooks the Schuylkill River. He welcomed chef John Byrne, author of From the Cooking School of La Campagne ($16.95, Small Potatoes Press, paperback). If you have never been to La Campagne, a charming country-style French inn in Cherry Hill, N.J., book a table now. South Philadelphia chef Eric Hall will delight you with his sublime French cuisine. Since it is a BYOB, tote your best wine. You are in for a treat.

I asked Rames to select a wine for us. He chose Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, Chateau Revelette, 2000, which was a dream. Dinner began with an hors d’oeuvres selection of coriander-crusted tuna with grilled mango; diver scallop with orange glaze; and a cup of wild mushroom bisque with crispy leeks so outrageously delicious, I was determined to prepare it at home.

Few chefs offer escargot today, but Rames does, thank goodness. Escargot en croute with roasted fennel butter and a hint of saffron enhanced by a roasted garlic sauce took me straight back to Paris. A mache salad was presented with bits of apple and brie toasts, and drizzled with an aged balsamic vinaigrette. My rack of lamb arrived rare, as ordered, roasted with a lavender glaze. Slightly crisp haricots verts and a hearty root vegetable compote came with the lamb. Dessert was a classic frozen Grand Marnier souffl�.

South Philadelphia-born chef Chris Scarduzio gave me good news as he welcomed me into the kitchen at Brasserie Perrier, 1619 Walnut St.: He was recently made a partner in the restaurant.

As I watched the sous-chefs on the line, Scarduzio introduced me to his guest chef, Francois Payard, a third-generation French pastry chef whose New York restaurant, Payard, received accolades from the international press. "Try one," said Scarduzio, as he popped a vitello tomato bruschetta into my mouth." Half-joking, I told him to give me an apron and put me to work. Once I saw how busy the kitchen was becoming, I nixed the idea. Scarduzio and Payard were perfect conductors and I didn’t want to get in the way.

Tina, who lives in South Philly, took excellent care of me. She brought me the amuse bouche, which I tasted in the kitchen, and then served two Maine diver sea scallops wrapped in a crisp phyllo purse drizzled with leek fondue and black truffle sauce. She poured a glass of Mas de Daumas Gassac, Haute Vallee du Gassac, Herault, France, 2001. The wine married perfectly with the shellfish and sauce.

The fish course was a saut�ed daurade with a fricassee of baby artichokes, fragrant baby fennel, roasted red and yellow peppers and a scattering of black olives topped with an anchoiade dressing. I sipped an Anselmi, San Vincenzo, Italy, 2002, with this marvelous fish from the Mediterranean.

Meat requires a fine Bordeaux, so Tina poured a glass of Reignac, Bordeaux Superieur, 1999, which was marvelous with saut�ed hanger steak and short ribs braised in red wine and served with celery root puree, baby carrots and baby turnips.

Although Payard was helping in the kitchen, he baked the dessert. Oh, my goodness! This French gentleman took Brasserie Perrier patrons down to the American South with a warm pecan tart served with caramelized golden pineapple and vanilla ice cream with a dark rum sauce. Tina poured me a taste of Coteaux du Layon, Baumard Carte d’Orr, 1999, which was perfect with my sweet.

More than two years ago, chef Ron True arrived in Philadelphia from California to orchestrate the kitchen at Cadence in the Kimmel Center. He recently purchased a home in South Philly, as did Steven Bergquist, the general manager at Cadence. True welcomed author Anya von Bremzen, who attended the Juilliard School in New York.

I began my "musical" meal with a tasty spiced shrimp ceviche, packed with the right punch of jalape�o and a splash of lime juice. From South America, I traveled to Asia with an entr�e of miso-glazed black bass with soba noodles, a crisp vegetable spring roll and baby bok choy tossed in a miso emulsion. My dessert was pure France and one of my favorites: an apple tart tatin made with Golden Delicious apples and homemade cr�me fra�che ice cream topped with caramel sauce. I sipped a rich C�tes du Rhone with dinner.

The KitchenAid Book and the Cook is the culinary event of the year. Lunches, brunches and dinners sell out quickly. I was delighted to see so many patrons filling our restaurants, enjoying one-of-a-kind meals.