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Hello, everyone.

The federal Food and Drug Administration is considering cracking down on unpasteurized cheese made in the United States, and Chef Paul is worried not only about his ability to get good cheeses, but also about the small artisanal cheese makers in New York, Vermont and Massachusetts who provide many of the wonderful specimens on our cheeseboard.

Federal law requires cheese made from unpasteurized milk sold in the U.S. to be aged for at least 60 days at 35 degrees Fahrenheit or above, by which time the cheese gets pretty hard. It takes real commitment for a small farmer who milks his own cows and makes his own cheese the old-fashioned way to wait at least 60 days before taking his product to market. It's even harder to scare up the capital to afford the expensive machines required to either pasteurize milk or test for listeria. Recently, the FDA conducted new tests that found pathogens surviving in aged cheese, prompting some cheesemakers to worry that the FDA might throw out the 60-day rule and ban all raw milk cheeses, aged or not.

According to Richard Koby, an attorney for the Cheese Importers Association of America, a new FDA working group is developing a risk profile for cheeses of various types. Another group is looking specifically at the risk of listeria in bloomy-rind cheese.

Purists say heat-treating milk before the cheesemaking process begins compromises the taste of the cheese because it kills some of the bacteria and destroys some of the aromatic esters that give subtlety to the cheese. Others say it prevents the ''off'' flavors sometimes found in raw-milk cheese and yields a more consistent product.
Pasteurization, which requires an even higher temperature, destroys all bacteria and esters, leaving the cheese one-dimensional.

For three millennia in France, Italy, Switzerland and other parts of
Europe, delicious cheeses have been made with unpasteurized milk.
Raw milk cheeses such as Brie, Camembert, Epoisses, Swiss, Cheddar, Manchego, Raclette and St. Paulin develop flavor sooner than cheeses made from pasteurized milk. They retain a regional character that embodies the special qualities of the land where the dairy animals grow and feed. Pasteurization cooks this character right out of the milk.

So far, the streets of Europe have not been littered with the bodies of people felled by the dangerous microbes in these tasty cheeses. In fact, according to the American Association of Medical Milk Commissions, (a raw milk advocate) raw milk is rich in enzymes that help the body break down proteins and digest foods, contains all 22 of the essential amino acids and is a rich source of vitamins and minerals, especially for those who don't eat meat.

It took a Frenchman to invent pasteurization, but it took the ingenuity of the U.S. government to mandate a process that basically robs the flavor of some of world's best young cheeses. Since the early 1940s, it has been illegal to sell raw milk cheeses in the United States unless they have been aged 60 or more days. (It's illegal to import or sell them, but not to buy them.) Mandatory pasteurization began in the early days of World War II when large quantities of cheese were mass produced quickly for the war effort.
Several epidemics of sickness broke out, and the federal government decreed that all cheese aged less than 60 days before sale must be made from milk heated to not less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 30 minutes.

If raw milk cheesemaking is banned, small artisanal dairies that sell aged raw milk cheeses in the U.S. may have to close or face considerable changes in the quality of their cheeses. Imports of aged raw milk cheeses from Europe may also be banned: Italian Parmigiano- Reggiano, French Roquefort, Swiss Gruyere, English farmhouse Cheddar and countless other cheeses may no longer be available on the American market.

The danger of drinking raw milk and eating raw-milk cheese is similar to that of eating raw oysters and raw steak, yet selling shellfish and raw meat in the United States is legal. When Cheryl was pregnant with Nico, she avoided all three because she didn't want to take chances with microbes that could be transmitted to the womb. Before and after the pregnancy, she enjoyed them with no ill effects. When she was pregnant with Léo, three years later, she cheated a little, gleefully downing one oyster on New Year's Eve when she was nearly nine months pregnant and eating a small bite of fabulous raw miljkcheese on New Year's Day. Léo was born 19 days later, completely intact.

This is clearly not scientific evidence. But we do hope the government thinks very carefully before shutting down raw milk cheesemaking in the United States. Cheese expert and writer Steven Jenkins calls pasteurization "the death of milk and therefore the death of cheese.'' He once told the New York Times: ''It's going to wipe out one of the most beautiful and romantic links between human beings and the earth that we will ever know, and we are going to be the lesser for it.''

Paul is looking forward to serving a veal kidneys a new way this weekend - roasted, rather than sautéed and flambéed, flavored with Calvados, cream and fresh thyme. Veal kidneys are paler and more tender and delicate than beef kidneys and are a great source of protein, iron, phosphorus, vitamin A, thiamine and riboflavin. The membrane around the lobes give a slight resistance to the teeth and then pops gently to reveal a smooth, almost pâté-like texture. An aside on veal - we've had several people tell us that they "don't believe in veal." Cheryl usually politely tells them to simply have something else, but Paul always threatens to come out of the kitchen and ask them if they ever eat milk, cream, butter or ice cream. His point, you see, is that veal calves are a by-product of the dairy industry. In order to make a dairy cow, you have to breed cattle.
Some of those cattle are male, and therefore cannot produce milk.
This is where veal comes from. Grazing a steer over the full year it takes to reach adulthood and become beef - the way it is done commercially - places such a strain on the land. It is actually more environmentally sensitive to harvest the animals when they are young.

Paul, who is addicted to tinkering with Long Island duck breast now that we have broken the taboo of never changing Sophie's original recipe, has been experimenting with a new duck preparation which he calls "buttered chai."
"Is that not going to be too rich with duck?" Cheryl asked.
"No, it's fabulous," Paul promised. "I make a stock, infused with Russian Caravan tea, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, grains of paradise, lemongrass, ginger and Szechuan peppercorns. It's very subtle and not at all overwhelming, but very nice."

The Pink Plate Special this coming week is what Paul plans to call "pasta-squid-tomato-squid." He's hoping to use a new squid ink pasta from Rustichella d'Abruzza if the order arrives in time. The pasta, which is made with durum semolina and squid ink, will be served with a fast-sautéed squid bodies, with deep-fried tentacles and fresh tomato sauce. If he can't get the squid-ink pasta, he plans to use a non-inky pasta from the same company.
Rustichella d'Abruzzo is a family pasta company that started in Penne
in 1924 under the name Gaetano Sergiacomo. What makes its products
special is the quality of the wheat, the clean mountain water from the Vestine Hills, the slow drying times (40-60 hours) which help preserve the nutritional value and flavor of the wheat, and special bronze molds that give the pastas a coarse surface (it helps the sauce stick.)

The Pink Plate is a weekly prix fixe special we offer on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. For $32 per person, you get your choice of soup or salad, the featured entree, two selections from our cheese board or one of a couple of featured desserts and coffee, tea or espresso.

On Friday and Saturday night, we will be offering a special prix fixe menu in honor of the students and their visiting families from Skidmore and Union Colleges. This prix fixe format is the way that Sophie and Joseph operated Chez Sophie before we became a year-round concern. We do it on special event weekends, such as visiting weekends and graduations for the local colleges, and people love it.
Not only does it make it easier for us to figure out how much fresh, quality produce we should order from our farmers, it also takes that pressure off that some people feel to choose their food by price - everything is the same price and all courses are included.)

This weekend's four-course extravaganza includes your choice of wide range of appetizers, soup or salad, your choice of a wide range of entrees, and your choice of wide range of desserts and coffee, tea or espresso. The new duck will be on the menu, as well as the veal kidneys, the New York Strip Steak, a veal chop, a spectacular vegetarian sampler, black cod and/or fluke for the fish, pork loin with curried pumpkin, and some other things that Paul and Souschef Mark D. Graham are dreaming up.
The price per person is $70 per person, plus tax and gratuity, which is a discount from the average cost of a four-course Chez Sophie feast with coffee. We will not be offering an à la carte menu at all on Friday and Saturday night. We are very tightly booked on Saturday night, except for early and late tables, but there are still good tables available on Friday.

We offer a fun and elegant à la carte brunch on both Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, our artist-in-residence, jazz pianist Cole Broderick, plays the baby grand piano from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. (The new CD he recorded with Cheryl singing standards arrived from the printer today and will go on sale this week. It's called Chez Sophie Jazz and 16 singles, 4 original piano jazz compositions and 12 vocal standards ranging from Nat King Cole's "Kee-Mo Ky-Mo" to Cole Porter's "Why Can't You Behave." We'll try to get a few sample cuts on the website as soon as Cole brings her the CDs.)

The brunch menu this Saturday and Sunday will feature a mixed grill with roasted garlic and herbed spaetzle ($15); strozzapretti with white clam sauce ($15); salmon has with poached eggs and cider sauce ($15); and grilled flatbread pizza with wild mushrooms and fontina ($14). Appetizer specials include cheese and charcuterie ($13); a salad of Sunset Hill Farm greens tossed in a red wine vinaigrette ($7); crabcake with lemon caper mayonnaise ($16) and soup of the day ($8).

The brunch specials run from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The complete menu,
offered from 7 to 2 p.m., includes a Continental assortment of
muffins, pastries, fruit, yogurt, frittata etcetera for $9;
omelettes ($10 to $12); pancakes du jour ($10); the All in One, which includes 2 eggs any style, homefries, toast and sausage or bacon ($10); waffles with sweet cream butter and local maple syrup ($10); and Irish steel- cut oatmeal ($8).

We will be doing our second-annual costume party for children on Halloween, October 31, in the private dining room with snacks and games and prizes and other activities. Parents can either come and hang with their kids at the party or have dinner in the dining room or the bar area adjacent to the party room. The kids get to play, and the parents get to have a cozy meal near the fireplace without feeling guilty about not making sure their kids are having a good time on Halloween. The party starts at 5 p.m. and will go on until everybody leaves. Admission for children is $6.

We would be delighted if those of our customers who are so inclined would consider joining our family for Thanksgiving at Chez Sophie. We will be serving Thanksgiving dinner from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, November 22. This was a huge and wonderful day for us last year, and we were surprised at how many people wanted to eat out at Chez Sophie on Thanksgiving, rather than cook at home. We'll be offering free-range turkey and all the trimmings, with fresh-baked pies for dessert for $40 per person, plus tax and gratuity. An à la carte dinner menu will also be available. Turkey dinner for children under 12 is $15.

We will also be offering a special five-course turkey tasting menu with four spectacular wine pairings for $100 a person, plus tax and gratuity, for those looking for an even more elegant and extraordinary repast. The cost for this special menu is $100 per person, plus tax and gratuity. A credit card is required to confirm reservations for Thanksgiving.

We've also started booking reservations for New Year's Eve 2007, on Monday, December 31, 2007.
This is our most elegant party of the year, with festive decorations and special menus to make the evening memorable. Our early seating, with tables available at 5, 5:30, 6 and 6:30 p.m., will feature a prix fixe five-course menu including options for three of the courses, with a glass of Champagne included for $80 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
The New Year's Eve all-night party starts at 8 p.m., with seatings available at 8, 8:30, 9 and 9:30 p.m. The 9-course menu will feature options for three of the courses, with a midnight Champagne toast included. Jazz Pianist Cole Broderick plans to start playing at 8 p.m. The cost is $130 per person, plus tax and gratuity Special prix fixe wine menu available as well as our full wine list and bar.
The Saratoga has agreed to make double and king rooms available to Chez Sophie customers for $219 per night. Book early, because the hotel is always sold out on New Year's Eve.
Reservations required with credit card confirmation, call 518.583.3538.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Night Dinner December 24 and 25 Details to be announced We will be serving options suitable for families and for gourmands wishing for a special holiday meal. Rooms will be available to Chez Sophie customers at The Saratoga at a steep discount. ($79 per night.)

Live Piano Jazz
Jazz pianist Cole Broderick plays the baby grand Tuesday and Friday night, and during Sunday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
(barring special events that preclude live music.)
Cost: No cover charge

Tasting menus
Chef's Choice seven-course tasting menu available each night. The
menus are designed based on the best and most creative dishes Chef Paul K. Parker is serving each evening. We will pair wines for you at an additional charge or you can order from our extensive wine list.
Cost: $80 to $200 per person for seven courses, plus tax and tip.
Everyone at the table must partake in the tasting menu.
If you're feeling less impromptu, you can call ahead to arrange a
special tasting menu with the number of courses and wine pairings
designed to suit your capacity, dietary restrictions and budget.
Tasting menus arranged in advance will be printed on commemorative vellum scrolls personalized with the name of the host or the reason for the event.
Cost: Depends on the number of courses and the wines selected; available for two to 75 guests. Call Cheryl to make arrangements at
518.583.3538

The Pink Plate Special
offered Monday, October 15, Tuesday, October 16, Wednesday, October 17, and Thursday, October 18.

$32 per person
includes your choice of soup or salad, a special entree, selected desserts or a cheese course and coffee, tea or espresso.

This week's special entree:
pasta-squid-tomato-squid

Notes on Nico and Léo:
Nico has learned an unfortunate habit from his baby sister of whining first, and asking questions later. Every time he wants something, he'll start to wail. Cheryl and Paul have explained repeatedly that they are not clairvoyant, and if he doesn't verbalize his request, we have no way of knowing what he wants. Last night, he started a fake little cry, and his mother said testily: "Nico, if you want something, ask for it politely. You're not going to get anything from me by whining."
"Mommy, I'd like a cup of cocoa milk, please," he said quickly and clearly, without a trace of crocodile tears or angst. Cheryl went into the kitchen, made two sippy cups of milk - one for Nico and a smaller one for Léo, and put them in the refrigerator, because by the time she was finished, he'd become distracted by the puzzle he was working on. About 20 minutes later, after all the counters were wiped down and the floors were swept, she sat down on the bed with Léo and started to read her a book.
"Waaaugh," Nico keened.
"What, Nico?" his mom said with a sigh.
"But I asked you nicely!" he wailed, with all the anguished disillusionment a 4-year-old can muster.
"Your milk is in the refrigerator, Nico," Cheryl said. "I was keeping it there until you were ready for it."
He said thank-you and trotted off happily to retrieve the cup. He downed the six ounces in a couple of minutes. Then he reappeared holding his sister's sippy cup to his lips.
"Nico, that's not yours," his Mom said. "I made one for you and one for Léo."
He studied the cup in his hand, cocked his head and said: "But if I had chosen this one first, then this one would be mine."

Léo has started stringing a couple of words together, almost into sentences, but usually never more than two or three at a time. On Tuesday, however, an emergency potty stop for Nico at a fast-food restaurant inspired a six-word string, one that Mom is not particularly proud of. Spying a cartoon character on a poster, Léo asked quite clearly and distinctly: "Scooby Scooby Doo Where Are You?"

When Nico was born, he was a peanut, barely registering on the growth percentile charts at all, and never topping more than 5th percentile for weight and 10th percentile for height (which means that 90 to 95 percent of American boys his age were taller or heavier.) We took both kids to the pediatrician for checkups Monday and our suspicions were confirmed: Nico is now strapping 94th percentile for height and 88th for weight, lean like a dancer, fabulously muscular and tough as nails. No more "small for his age." Léo, who has always been a little more towards the center of the growth chart for girls, is 75th percentile for height and 70th for weight. She too, appears perfectly proportioned in our eyes, and sturdy as a little pugilist. Must be all the farmers' market produce.

The Parker family
at Chez Sophie
518.583.3538

Chez Sophie was founded in 1969 by sculptor Joseph Parker and his French-born wife, the late Sophie. The business moved to a vintage stainless steel diner in Malta Ridge, New York, in 1995. It is owned today by Sophie and Joseph's son, Paul Parker, and his wife, Cheryl Clark. In June of 2006, they moved the restaurant into their current location in The Saratoga Hotel on Broadway..

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P.S. Each month we draw a name at random from our database of customers and send them a $50 gift certificate to Chez Sophie. If you would like to be added to this promotions database, which is owned by Chez Sophie, please send us an email with your name, address, telephone number, birthday and anniversary. People on the list will also receive a gift certificate by mail or email for a free glass of champagne or dessert on their birthdays or anniversaries. (You only need to enter once to be eligible every month.)

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