Using the Wok Ring for Heat Diffusion

Posted & filed under Tips & Tricks.

Lacanche ranges feature powerful BTU gas burners, which makes cooking quite enjoyable! There are times when your recipe calls for a very low simmer. In those cases, we recommend using different implements to control heat diffusion and distribution. If you have the Traditional plate option, you can use the removable center plug as a diffuser, as it is solid cast iron. Additionally it can be coupled with the Wok Ring for added diffusion or when smaller pots are being used. Please see the photos below for reference. 

Traditional plate.

Removing the center disk to use as a diffuser on another burner.

Place the center disk over your wok ring for even more heat diffusion.

Et Voila! Heat diffusion.

Ackerman Heritage House

Posted & filed under Lifestyle, Owners' Stories.

The absolutely stunning Ackerman Heritage House in the Napa Valley was built in 1888 in downtown Napa by famous Bay Area Architect Luther Turton. After a history of being owned and occupied by multiple families, this 130-year-old Victorian mansion was purchased by Lauren Ackerman, who also owns Ackerman Family Vineyards, in 2010. You can read more about the home’s history here.

As many of our clients have undergone a major remodel or renovation to produce their dream kitchen, our story begins here. Bringing the Heritage House back to its intended beauty, utilizing period-correct pieces, took five long years, but what she has created is a gorgeous place for the Napa community and visitors to the area to enjoy.

Lauren describes the lengthy process, and how her range became the center of the kitchen remodel, below.

Lauren’s experience in wine, food and hospitality makes the use of her Burgundy Red Sully 1800 Lacanche particularly interesting! The house is used for all sorts of events and several amazing chefs from the area have cooked in the kitchen – including, Ken Frank of La Toque, Victor Scargle of Bardessono, Sarah Scott, Michael Ginor of Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Mark Dommen of One Market, Private Chef Kelly Mac Donald (Exec. Sous Chef for two US Presidents), Tony Gemignani (author of The Pizza Bible), and many others. Coming up next: Chef Charlie Palmer!

I asked Lauren to answer a few questions about how she chose her Lacanche range and how it is being used today.

Q: How did you choose your Lacanche range?

LA: I purchased the Lacanche as the best alternative to the La Cornue brand, which I was very familiar with. In looking at what would best suit my project at Ackerman Heritage House, I felt the look, style, capabilities and access to service were better suited to my needs. Plus, the pricing was also more approachable for my budget!

Q: Where there any features that really attracted you?

LA: The feature that attracted me the most was the ability to have up to eight burners plus a built-in grill. Also, having two ovens along with the warming area was a big plus. Ease of keeping it clean was also a feature. And finally, the whole “old world” look of the range/stovetop was perfect for the look and feel of my 1888 Victorian kitchen restoration.

Q: How often do you cook on the range?

LA: We use the range several times weekly for various wine and food lunch and dinner events. It’s a really big hit with visitors who “oooh” and “ahhh” over it each time they are in for a tour of the house! We use it frequently for a variety of events and it is always commented on as to its size, beauty and capability by everyone who sees it. We’ve had over 6,000 visitors to the house since we opened in September of 2015 – the kitchen, and specifically the Lacanche range, is always a big hit! Everyone comments on how they would love to cook on it!

Q: Anything else you would like to share?

LA: The Lacanche range has been the heart and soul of this 5-year restoration process and is the centerpiece for the kitchen, the biggest renovation of all within the house. When I got the house, there were four rooms in the kitchen area: two dilapidated pantries, a kitchen area with only a built-in sink – no appliances or cabinets, and a step-down sunporch that was in such bad condition, we had to completely rebuild it. We took out all the walls and made one large kitchen area, reminiscent of the Victorian area, but a thoroughly modern and professional kitchen for today’s chefs. The Lacanche range is the star in this kitchen and one that everyone wishes they could cook on or own themselves. It has been the focus of numerous photos taken by visitors since our opening in 2015. It was also the reason Ackerman Heritage House was chosen to be the premiere property for the popular  “Kitchen in the Vineyards” tour in 2016 when over 800 people attended the property in one day just to see this kitchen! All in all, it has been a pleasure to own and use this remarkable piece of culinary equipment and I know it will serve us well for years to come. Even my family, most notably my 21-year-old son, has cooked on this range. He prefers to cook on it over our range back at our vineyard property!

If you find yourself in the Napa Valley, be sure to check out the Ackerman Heritage House. They provide a few different options for tasting appointments at “The Aviary” on the same property. More information here. And be sure to view Lauren’s Burgundy Red Sully 1800 while you are there!

Copper Cookware

Posted & filed under Lifestyle, Tips & Tricks.

Duparquet handcrafts heirloom-quality copper cookware that beautifully complements the handmade bespoke quality of the Lacanche Range. We have found these copper pans to be as gorgeous as they are exceptional in cooking performance. For an even and quick heat, nothing beats copper! For each piece, Duparquet spins the copper, rivets the handles, tins the cooking surface, and polishes each piece, preparing it for each cook in their kitchen.

At Art Culinaire, we are partnering with the folks at Duparquet to provide top-level copper cookware for Lacanche owners. For more information, please contact your sales representative.

We also offer handmade copper diffusers that will provide the heat distribution of copper to your favorite cookware. You may purchase them here.

 

An Afternoon with Amy Cupp

Posted & filed under Lifestyle, Oven Sizes, Recipes.

Join us for an afternoon of cooking at Artist and Designer Amy Cupp’s lovely Connecticut home, as we prepare a meal using the various features of the Lacanche Sully 2200.

Lacanche goes pop!

Posted & filed under Events, Feature, Lifestyle.

CLUNY FAIENCE | Brass GOOP Mrkt

It is our delight and true honor to collaborate with goop, the powerhouse e-commerce company, as they set up shop in NYC with goop market.  Inside the premier Shops at Columbus Circle at the Time Warner Center, #goopmrkt brings the unique lifestyle brand from online to on Broadway, inviting NYC’s global audience to experience its curated content offline.  

Designed and Custom-Furnished in Collaboration with Celebrated New York Design Firm Roman and Williams, goop mrkt joins The Shops at Columbus Circle at the Time Warner Center through December 24.

Sophia Loren

Posted & filed under Lifestyle.

“Sophia Loren”

We are delighted to announce the grand debut of the new Lacanche Sully 1800 range that has made it into Frank Prisinzano‘s restaurant Sauce in lower Manhattan.  The “Griotte” red Sully is quite the stunner in the window of Tiberio Custom Meat’s, Prisinzano’s studio adjoining restaurant Sauce.  Tiberio Custom Meats is butcher by day, private dining by night where it transforms into a single-table restaurant seating a quaint 10.

sophia loren

The back of Frank’s Sully 1800 facing the private dining room. Photo credit: Thrillist.com

 

Lacanche and Prisinzano share many of the same strong-rooted philosophies about food, creating a seamless fusion for collaborative work.  While Art Culinaire’s mission is to bring your family back to the table with meals prepared with local organic produce, Prisinzano works exclusively with 100% sustainable products sourced locally.   Additionally, all of their animals are fed a complete vegetarian diet free of growth hormones and antibiotics.

Frank has named his new beauty Sophia Loren after the renowned Italian actress. Take a look at quick video featuring Frank Prisizano and his thoughts about Lacanche:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgU9FiCDnjE

 

Glad we could resolve our French vs. Italian rivalries and create a beautiful union together.

Gearing up for the holidays

Posted & filed under Events, Lifestyle, Recipes.

Turkey with Brown-Sugar Glaze

Print recipe
Turkey with Brown-Sugar Glaze
Serves 8-10
Prep time 40 minutes
Cook time 2 hours, 45 minutes
Total time 3 hours, 25 minutes
Meal type Main Dish
Occasion Thanksgiving

Ingredients

  • 1 Whole Turkey (about 12 pounds) (thawed if frozen, rinsed, and patted dry (neck and giblets chopped into 2-inch pieces; liver discarded))
  • 2 Medium Carrots (Roughly Chopped)
  • 2 Celery Sticks (Roughly Chopped)
  • 1 Large Yellow Onion (Roughly Chopped)
  • 1 Nonstick Cooking Spray
  • 1/4 cup or 1/2 stick Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
  • 1 pinch Corse Salt and Ground Pepper
  • 2/3 cups Packed Dark-Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Grated Orange Zest (plus two tablespoons of orange juice)

Directions

Step 1
Let turkey sit at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Place neck, giblets, carrots, celery, and onion in a heavy-bottomed metal roasting pan. Set a roasting rack over vegetables and coat with cooking spray.
Step 2
Tuck wing tips underneath body of turkey. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Rub turkey all over with 2 tablespoons butter; season with salt and pepper. Place turkey on rack in pan; roast on bottom oven rack until golden brown, 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Add 2 cups water to pan; roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh reads 125 degrees, about 1 hour.
Step 3
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring vinegar, brown sugar, and orange juice to a boil over high, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons butter and orange zest.
Step 4
When thermometer reads 125 degrees, brush turkey with glaze. Rotate pan and roast, brushing turkey with remaining glaze every 15 minutes, until thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh reads 165 degrees, 30 to 45 minutes (tent turkey with foil if browning too quickly). Transfer turkey to a platter. Loosely tent with foil and let rest 30 minutes before carving. Reserve pan with drippings for Pan Gravy.

Happy November!

As the holidays near, we thought you might enjoy this!

Check out this video featuring a 26-lb turkey being cooked in our in-house Lacanche Cluny:

 

Also, here is a delicious recipe featured on Martha Stewart’s website for inspiration for Thanksgiving next week.  Our mouths’ are already watering!  We are thankful to be able to share this with you. What are you thankful for this year?

an afternoon in the hamptons

Posted & filed under Lifestyle, Oven Sizes.

Elisa and I took a sunny winter day to visit and cook in the beautiful home of one of our clients in Quogue, New York.

The cabinetry of the house was recently custom designed with Lacanche drawer pulls, oven knobs and towel bars to match their Sully 1800. The finished results were inspiring after sending out boxes full of our brass knobs from headquarters months before!

On the menu:
– Gourmet mac and cheese with Savignon Blanc and Cougar Gold aged cheddar
– Beet salad with vinagarette dressing
– Roasted chicken with mushrooms
– Apple tartin

Our culinary choices allowed us to use the magnitude of features on the Sully 1800; we baked the pie crust in the electric oven, roasted the veggies with the gas oven, simmered the cheese sauce on the french plate, and got the big pot of pasta boiling over the set of 15,000 btu burners. The range has the added bonus of allowing us both use the oven at the same time without any space sharing issues – this is truly the cooking duo’s dream range.

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the cluny turkey

Posted & filed under Lifestyle, Recipes, Tips & Tricks.

Classic Herb Turkey with Orange-Tea-Bourbon Brine

Print recipe
Classic Herb Turkey with Orange-Tea-Bourbon Brine

Ingredients

  • 1 Turkey (Fresh or Frozen)
  • Zestand juice of 5 oranges (wide strips)
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 12 Black Tea Bags
  • 4 Bay Leaves
  • 6 Cloves
  • 12 Peppercorns
  • 1 cup Burbon
  • 4 sticks Unsalted Butter (softened)
  • Parsley
  • Dried Thyme and Sage
  • 1 pinch Paprika
  • Ground Gloves

Directions

Step 1
Fill a large pot with 2 quarts water; add the orange zest, orange juice, 2 cups kosher salt, the sugar, black tea bags, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and bourbon. Bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes. Add 4 quarts cold water and let cool. Submerge the turkey in the brine, adding water to cover, if necessary. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
Step 2
Remove the turkey from the brine; rinse and pat dry. Mix 2 sticks softened butter, 2 tablespoons parsley, 1 tablespoon dried sage and thyme, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 tablespoon paprika. and 1/8 tablespoon ground cloves.
Step 3
Put the oven rack in the lowest position; preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the turkey breast-side up on a rack in a large roasting pan, tucking the wing tips under. Tie the drumsticks together with twine. Roast until the skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 15 minutes per pound. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before carving.

One of the most frequently asked questions here at Art Culinaire: Can you fit the big Thanksgiving turkey in the Cluny oven? The answer: YES!

I went shopping for the biggest turkey I could find, bringing a 20 pounder into the showroom for the Cluny experiment; the record from our staff is 26 pounds! With plenty of room to spare, I brined the turkey with lots of love and sugar, using a recipe from the Thanksgiving issue of the Food Network Magazine. After the overnight brine and a 3 hour roast in the compact gas oven, my bird and came out as crispy, juicy evidence that the Cluny is truly a wonder when it comes to preparing the holiday meal.