Valrhona Week

Fri, 22 May 2009 10:20:35 -0700

The kitchen was humming, with a series of events brought together for the community of local chefs, by the French chocolate company, Valrhona. Eighty chefs gathered for a four-hour demo, followed by a two-day intensive seminar attended by pastry chefs from top restaurants and confectionaries--Aqua, Boulevard, Emporio Rulli, Highland’s Inn, Michael Minna, One Market, Quince, Reschetti Confections, Slanted Door, Tartine, Chef Philippe Givre, Valrhona’s French Pastry Chef, Chef Derek Poirier, Valrhona’s Americas Pastry Chef, and the marvelous co-sponsors, European Imports, packed the house and brought it down with gorgeous and innovative creations, and inspiring new products.

Goat Master Class

Wed, 4 Feb 2009 08:17:53 -0800

Monday night members of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs gathered in the kitchen for a special class. Jeanie McCormack and Al Medvitz, goat ranchers from Solano County, brought us two goats, and Marsha McBride of Cafe Rouge, along with restaurant butcher Scott Brennan, ran the show. We all learned how to break down a goat, albeit without the help of a band saw, common in serious butchery (but the hack saw did work). We made marinated goat rib chops, crepinette sausages, merguez, and also dined on tartar, and a delicious slow baked goat shoulder dish, with fennel and potatoes.

These were meat goats, different from milk goats, and world-wide, a very important food source. Like milk goats, they are industrious eaters, and not picky. They keep the pasture and hillsides healthy and brush free. They were harvested at the perfect moment, (about 8 months old), and the meat was tender, sweet and not gamy in the least. The chefs in attendance were thrilled by the accessibility of this animal--small enough (about 50 pounds dressed weight) to take a whole one and portion it in the restaurant kitchen, or even to spit-roast whole for a special occasion like a lamb.

Goat is not yet common in the butcher shops, but Cafe Rouge will sometimes have some in theirs, on 4th St. It’s worth seeking out--create more of a demand, and the ranchers will be better supported.

Humble Vegetable

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:24:38 -0800

Consider me hooked on rutabagas. I had forgotten how wonderful this lowly relative of the turnip is, until I saw some in the farmers market Saturday. Maturing right at this time of year, this inexpensive root could be the surprise hero of your next dinner. Peel it thickly, cut into eighths, cook like you’re boiling potatoes, until tender. Drain well, and puree in the food processor (or with a potato masher, but I like the smooth texture the processor gives this veggie) with a knob of butter, some salt & pepper, a little cream. Add a grating of nutmeg if you want. Voila, a delicate looking, apricot colored, smooth and delicately flavored but distinctive side dish, which we personally enjoyed with some very luscious meatloaf for dinner last night. Good nutrition too, by the way--lots of vitamins and minerals, low in calories (if you don’t count the butter and cream, and you CAN puree with a bit of olive oil if you prefer, or just with some stock). They’re also a good stew vegetable, and can be eaten raw.

Something Sweet

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 08:36:01 -0800

Shameless advertising above. People always tell me “I wish I knew” so here you go. Now you do! Our cookie event is GREAT fun. Why not get a group together and play?

Flowers

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:32:23 -0700

Tracy, my daughter, often arranges flowers for our events. Here’s a bouquet she made for a birthday party. The party was fun--the guests made the hors d’oeuvres, and then we served them a nice dinner. Tracy made the tables look beautiful too, with low plant-and-flower centerpieces. Each guest got to take home a plant, all of which were edible.

One of the hors d’oeuvres we made was a new dish, a walnut, olive and orange topping for polenta crisps, that we then finished with a little roasted Gypsy pepper and some micro arugula. It was delicious and beautiful too!

Crabby Chef Competition

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:15:47 -0700

Yesterday was the 8th annual Crabby Chef Competition, a 20-minute Iron Chef for charity, in this case, Cal Rec’s program for underprivileged youth. Tracy and I competed, and won! We have the coveted trophy for a year. We made crab, artichoke (the secret ingredient) and summer squash soup, topped with tarragon we’d microwave-dried from the herb garden (the rules said we could only bring dry spices and equipment), chili-sumac crab, and the crabmeat stacked with artichoke, sweet corn, jicama and avocado, with snow peas, asparagus and artichoke garnish.

Cooking in the hot sun, with 13 other competitor groups and a very fast-paced and pressured atmosphere, we were amazed at the quality of the entries, including our own. It was a great challenge, and an honor to win it--we unseated a three-year champ.

Winner!

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:48:30 -0700

Last week, we had a group for the first “Culinary Olympiad” of the fall season. 49 members of a corporate team, competing in groups of seven. We started with a Top Chef type quick-fire challenge, where the teams competed relay-style to complete prep tasks, and then the groups each worked with a chef and a market basket of ingredients, planning and preparing small-plate dishes.

The winning team made a chorizo torte with pear chutney, a luscious butternut squash and cauliflower soup, and a green salad. I judged, along with our seven chefs for the evening and our assistant. There was an amazingly diverse variety of good food, and the group all ate well--and Francisco made pear frangipane tarts to end the meal in style.

Hail Leftovers!

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:40:18 -0700

Last week, i catered a wedding. Made Maine lobster, Fisherman’s Daughter shrimp and home-made ricotta ravioli, flavored with fresh tarragon from the garden, and served them in a sauce made from reduced lobster shell stock. After we’d made all the raviolis, there was a good cup of filling left. So, I took some of the extra lobster stock and a couple of tomatoes and made a soup, and poached quenelles made from the filling. Not a bad dinner for leftovers! All it needed was a vegetable, and I had some great Romano beans from the farmers market, which I cooked with my pickled chili peppers and some garlic.