robyn
-
Posts
3,574 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by robyn
-
-
Robyn, your photographs are exceptionally delightful and make me feel as if I had also been to this event! The descriptions you wrote completed the festivities! Many thanks for sharing these with us.
I'm not finished yet. Have to do all of Saturday's events. But I'm glued to the TV watching the Katrina reports. Seems like if the storm stays "as is" - the surge in the western panhandle of Florida will be even worse than what happened in Ivan <sigh>. That's not to belittle what may happen in Alabama - Mississippi - or Louisana. Only shows how huge this storm is. Robyn
-
After the competition (which by the way was called "On Your Mark! Get Set! Cook!) - there was a dinner which was billed as a "Lobster Feast". We had been told by dining reservations that it was basically a lobster bake - lobster - corn on the cob - etc. We were almost tempted to pass it up at $69/person (it wasn't included in our package) - but we're glad we didn't.
Yes - there were baked lobsters. And grilled steaks. And grilled pork chops. All cooked outside on huge grills. But there were lobsters with an oriental flavor steamed in huge bamboo baskets. A table groaning with vegetables and salads - including the most delicious heirloom tomatoes - baby beets and carrots - fat tasty asparagus. Another table with Asian specialities - including a wonderful shrimp curry.
And one of the visiting chefs who had time to rest during the earlier competition - Kai Lermen - born in Germany - who came to the Ritz in Palm Beach after years in 3 star French restaurants and a stint as the executive chef at the Ritz in Philadelphia (among other places) was put to work at his own station (I did a double-take when I read his jacket and saw that an executive chef was preparing each and every plate himself). He decided that baked and steamed lobsters weren't enough - so he - together with his sous chef from Palm Beach - did this:
The dessert "station" was no slouch either. At one end of the dining room - Viking had set up a basic "dream kitchen". And every nook and cranny of that kitchen was filled with something delectable. I suspect that Chef Laurent Lhuillier (executive pastry chef from Orlando) and Chef Sheldon Millett (executive pastry chef from Amelia Island) (more on both in later messages) - had a hand in this wonderful display - but there was no sign giving them credit.
This was a terrific meal - and - as you can tell - I spent more time eating than taking pictures
. Regarding pictures - I have to tell you one interesting thing about this weekend. At every turn - just about every visiting chef - home chef - and all of the kitchen staff - was out there taking pictures of food - other chefs - etc. - etc. This was truly a festive event by chefs - for chefs. Robyn -
The event started out in a relatively light-hearted way. Each chef got an "assistant" from the audience. Here are 2 of the "assistants":
As an aside - in case you couldn't tell looking at the assistants - Viking was a major sponsor of the event. I don't have anything to do with Viking. But thanks to Viking for helping to make the event possible.
The "surprise ingredient" was announced - lobster (the subject of a theme dinner later that evening).
And everyone went to get the ingredients needed to make the dishes:
After spending a few minutes teaching the "assistants" what they had to do - the chefs got down to business. And they were dead serious about their business:
The sweat wasn't only from the lights. It was from the pots! This is Chef Khoo's lobster cake.
And then there were 5 minutes left:
There was a very official panel of regional (southern) professional foodies - who - after due deliberation - announced the winner - Chef McFadden (I think - I had to run upstairs for 10 minutes to shower and change for dinner!).
A fun event. But really my least favorite of the weekend (although it was the easiest to photograph). More to come. Robyn
-
OK - I hope this got your attention
.Last month I mentioned in the Florida forum that the Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island was holding something called Cooking Classic 2005. I had no idea exactly what the event was - but the price was right ($580 for 2 nights at the hotel - breakfast - valet parking - an Iron Chef type of competition - a bunch of seminars - and an eating event called Cooking Classic). We just got back from the weekend event - and I can tell you that not only was the event a bargain - it was terrific (and at times spectacular).
It was pretty apparent from the start on Friday that this really wasn't an event put on primarily for people like me and my husband. Instead - this was a gathering of executive chefs (and some of their sous chefs) from the Ritz Carltons in Florida (Orlando/Naples/South Beach/Palm Beach/Coconut Grove/Amelia Island). The point was for the chefs to create - cook - compete - and - in the end - compare notes and brainstorm with one another about the results of their efforts. Those of us who attended were merely the lucky recipients of the fruits of this chefs' mini-convention.
A lot went on over the course of 2 days - so I'll break up my report into several messages.
The first event of the weekend was an "Iron Chef" type competition before dinner. Four chefs competed. Lawrence McFadden - who is from Washington. He's responsible for directing and developing the culinary programs for the Ritz Carlton Company. He is a "Certified Master Chef" from the American Culinary Federation. For those of you familiar with the certification - and the TV show about it - rumor has it that he was the person who wanted his identity withheld during filming (although he wound up passing the exam).
Then there was Roy Khoo - originally from Malaysia - who is the Executive Chef at Naples. Thomas Connell - the executive Chef at South Beach (via Liguna Nigel and the Hotel Arts in Barcelona) and Stefan Kauth - originally from Germany - now the Executive Chef at Coconut Grove. [to be continued]
-
I assume that this is in Atlanta - midtown - yes? Is there a website (we'll be in Atlanta - staying in midtown - in a few weeks)? Robyn
-
Convenience! The key word is brought to light! (I have been accused on more than one occasion of being a slave to this word).
I'm with you on the fact that it's irritating as hell that we're too lazy to cook these days, but on the flip side (forgive me for playing a little bit of the devil's advocate) with it taking two incomes to take care of most families these days, and spare time becoming more and more scarce, it's becoming much easier to rely on conveniece foods rather than home cooked meals.
But "convenient" food doesn't have to be bad for you. My husband has at best a nodding acquaintance with things like stoves. And I've been too busy to cook a lot lately. So we go to the supermarket - and buy a whole lot of fruits - and cottage cheese. He cuts up the fruit - and arranges it (very artistically) on plates with some cottage cheese (and usually a muffin - you can afford the calories in one muffin if the rest of your dinner is fruit). I guarantee that if you eat like this every night during the summer fruit season - you will probably lose weight.
As for the government telling people what to do/not do (mentioned in other messages) because their personal bad habits (whether it's eating too much - smoking - not wearing seatbelts or motocycle helmets - etc.) cost all of us more (in terms of things like insurance premiums) - that is indeed a slippery slope. And one worth thinking about. Should the government do anything - and - if so - what? One of the areas I think about a lot these days is genetic diseases. Certain genetic diseases could disappear (or almost disappear) in a generation or so if some people with certain genes weren't allowed to breed with other people with similar genes. So where do we draw the line in terms of having government rules about what we can/can't do? Robyn
-
Did you have any problems with reservations - being seated on time - anything like that (what I guess I would define as service issues)? We've made some reservations for our trip to San Francisco in a couple of weeks - but our dance card isn't full yet
. Robyn -
And please don't forget salmonella's hunchbacked, stepsister campylobacter Campylobacter Q&As Years ago I learned of the sudden onset of severe illness by the son of one of the business owners at the company I worked for at the time. Coincidentally, or not, he was a chef in his twenties. First presented with flu-like symptoms that quickly progressed to paralysis, systemic organ failure, and a coma. The strain he contracted probably would have one praying for salmonella instead. Thank God he was young and pulled through. Diagnosis: campylobacter from undercooked chicken.
Like Robyn, though vicariously from his experience, that was enough for me and let's face it, the likelihood of me eating Afghani raised chicken in the near future is nil. So I think I'll pass on the chicken sashimi or chicken tartare. After all, Southern fried chicken is really the only way to go!
I am a "she" - but otherwise agree 100% with your message - especially the southern fried chicken
. Robyn -
robyn, i'm right with ya about doing what i want, for my purposes--in fact, if it were up to me, i'd figure out how to do a cooktop/wall oven combo, but i suspect that's not possible in my space, while maintaining the amount of storage for all the other shit i've picked up over the years.
i think it's just the timing that's wrong right now. so i'm sticking it out for the moment.
Look at splurge of the decade European cabinets. I have a relatively small kitchen - 11X14 - and I have fit more storage in that area with Poggenpohl cabinets than I had in the house I was renting when I built this house (it had a 20x25 kind of kitchen with normal cabinets). Those full depth pull out bottom cabinets - specialty cabinets like cutting board cabinets - etc. maximize every square inch of available space. I went to Ikea for the first time a while back - and was surprised to see how sophisticated its kitchen storage was given the price. So that's a lower priced alternative to the high priced spread.
Also - can you stick a pantry in a closet somewhere (I'm kind of obsessive about storage space so I built a walk in pantry near the kitchen - but any full height closet near the kitchen will give you tons more visible/accessible storage than most kitchen cabinets). Robyn
-
interesting, thanks--i've checked the specs and a 1/2" gas line is all that's required, in addition to a dedicated grounded circuit. neither of those is a problem.
i guess one of the thing that's made me hesitant to go ahead with it is the lack of dealers in my area, which makes me wonder about service. i mean, of course a sales guy is going to be all 'oh yeah, we'll come fix anything if it breaks' but what does that really mean?
i mean, it's one thing to do research and decide what's the best product; it's another to figure out what's best for your situation...
I agree with the person who said basically "do it for yourself". But be honest with yourself when you answer the questions about what you really want.
For example - I hate bending down to use my ovens. I wouldn't take a Viking with ovens under the stove if you paid me. I hate cleaning stoves. So I had to have a glass top unit (love cleaning off the burnt stuff with a razor blade knife). I hated the idea of putting a propane tank in my yard for a gas stove (we don't have gas lines) - so I went electric. And more than anything else - I wanted things that are dependable - and - when they broke - I wanted fast easy service (was convinced of that after having to remove a wall to repair an expensive leaky European shower faucet ). Your mileage may of course vary. But you'll be using the stuff often - and for a long time. So get what *you* want. Robyn
-
I can't remember which Art Culinaire it was, but one of the chefs prepared some chicken sashimi... I remember thinking it was weird. The problem with chicken is that, yes, you have to assume it has salmonella, which can be deadly and there's no other way to get rid of it than cooking the meat all the way through.
I'm not sure how the inmune system of the afghans reacts to these bacterias or how salmonella-free are their chickens, but I can say that I still make mayo with my regular egg yolks without fear.
Still, I have a pretty strong stomach, being from south america and all. I think that if they're eating it without getting ill, I would too.
Salmonella is something you can get from raw or undercooked chicken. Period. See this for example. And the way to avoid it is by cooking the chicken. That's why you won't find raw or rare chicken in the annals of Kosher food (which goes back several thousand years before modern chicken production methods).
It is most often reported in first world countries because first world countries report things like this - and third world countries don't. Heck - it was hard enough to find reports of mass starvation in a country like Niger until the western press "found" the story recently. So you think you'll be able to find reports of 1000 cases of food poisoning in Niger on Google news?
As for deaths - I have never died from food (I am a reasonably healthy adult - I'm not a child - or elderly - or frail). But I have had enough cases of food-induced illnesses (in the US - and outside of the US) to know that not dying seems like scant consolation at times.
I'm going to Japan soon. Should I eat the chicken sashimi - and risk spending a couple of days/nights on the bathroom floor? Don't think so (been there - done that - life - and particularly vacations - are too short to spend any time on the bathroom floor). Not to mention that when you have problems in distant countries - it's pretty hard to find medical providers with whom you can communicate (we expected problems in Egypt - and found them - but were surprised to have to use our limited Italian - and a big dictionary - because none of the medical people we dealt with in Italy spoke English). But if you take any of these trips - or similar trips - or choose simply to experiment at home - it is - of course - your choice. Robyn
-
Here's a recent story about salmonella in Spain arising out of some type of chicken that wasn't prepared properly.
Think the reporting from Afghanistan is so terrific we'll ever hear about food problems there? Robyn
-
I don't know anything about diabetes. What I do know is that Type 1 diabetes (formerly known as juvenile diabetes) is a very serious disease.
I have read 2 very interesting medical articles recently. The first is a front page article in today's New York Times (Sunday). Free painless registration is required. It's about how people spend endless hours trying to learn about serious diseases (frequently on the internet) and wind up with a lot of information they don't understand - can't assimilate. Plus - a lot of the "advice" they get is worthless. I seriously recommend reading that article tonight.
The second is an article from the December 6 issue of the New Yorker about the "bell curve" in medical practice. Even if you think your doctors are ok - the point of the article is that most practitioners are average - and only a few are best. Doesn't make much of a difference in most cases - but it can with serious diseases (the disease profiled in the article was cystic fibrosis - another disease of children - where the life expectancy of children in the best places was years - perhaps decades longer - than the life expectancy of children in good - but average places). I would be glad to send you a copy if you PM me with your address since it doesn't seem to be available on line. Robyn
-
<<Milkweed pod was one of those things where I was really appreciative for the opportunity to try it but I didn't particularly love it. It was very fresh -- dense and green-tasting. Actually the flavor wasn't bad or unpleasant but a little bland. It was similar in flavor and texture to a raw, mild brussel sprout. I was surprised because I really could not taste the green tea, salt or sugar even though I could see them on the pod itself. I gather this means that milkweed pods have a relatively strong flavor.>>
Is there some point at which you perhaps say that the emperor has no clothes?
I have tons of milkweed (I garden to attract butterflies and birds) - and various parts of milkweed - including the pods at times - can be poisonous unless well cooked. And even if they were well cooked - who would want to eat them - except as an extreme survival measure? If I saw a child in my garden trying to eat one - I'd grab the kid so fast it would make his head spin. Monarch butterflies have adapted to the plant's qualities - and - in fact - need milkweed to survive. But people? Robyn
-
I grew up with sulfur water. My parents have a well too. I was always told that it was good for me. My mother swears that the reason she's 60 and has never had a cavity is because she grew up with it as well. But I can't figure out how something that smells like rotten eggs, turns bathtubs black, and rots lead pipes can be good for you. You can definitely tell when you walk into someone's home if they have sulfur water or "city water". Is sulfur water just a Florida thing, or does it exist in other parts of the South? I've never given it much thought.
Thanks for the collard advice, Robyn. I'm on my own if I want collards now (very sad). But it's definitely not the time of year to start that venture.
Well I know that sulfur water doesn't stop at the Florida state line because we go to a BBQ place called the Georgia Pig in south Georgia - and it has the most horrible sulfur water I've ever smelled (I won't go near the bathroom unless it's an emergency).
You're right - much too early for collards now. There's usually a thread or two in December about traditional southern New Year's dishes. And if you don't see one - start one. I and a lot of other people will drag out all our recipes - and make sure that your collards are terrific. Will be an interesting holiday season this year - at least for me. I have a mixed marriage - and this year Chanukah starts really late - after Christmas! Will run through the New Year. Collards for Chanukah? Why not
! Robyn -
I don't think anyone has mentioned it - but some reasons to have an automatic service charge are: 1) to eliminate confusion when you have large numbers of customers who are not from the US; and 2) to make things easier when you are serving relatively large tables of diners. When I dine at finer restaurants in the world - it's not unusual to see "business" dinner parties of 6 or more - and frequently the people in those groups are from different countries.
Someone up thread also mentioned bad service at a golf club with an automatic service charge. The place where I play golf frequently has large convention/meeting/tourist groups - and many of the people aren't from the US. There's an automatic 18% service charge - and the service is terrific. So I don't think service necessarily suffers if it is "compris". Robyn
-
With all due respect, and without trying to be argumentative, Miami's Design District is NOT in the 'inner city'! It is not even close! That's like saying NYC's Chelsea or DC's Adams Morgan is in the inner city. There are lots of great new places here, and in neighboring Wynwood as well. Your description was WAY off. I was in the Design District/Wynwood last night, and there were plenty of people out and about having fun-drinking wine, eating tapas, listening to music. This is where it's all happening in Miami-the no-stress alternative to South Beach.
As for Doug Rodriguez, I'll let him defend himself.
"Inner city" was perhaps too loose a term. Actually - it's in Little Haiti according to this City of Miami map.
I don't doubt that there are a lot of people around the clubs and restaurants on Friday and Saturday and art walk nights - but - like I said - on the Sunday when I dined there - the streets were almost empty. Also - like I said - the restaurant I dined at - Sheba - was quite good. Robyn
-
Perhaps this is something that makes it easier for the restaurant to deal with the IRS. See this for example.. If so - makes sense from the owners' point of view. Who wants to spend hours - days - weeks - messing around with the IRS while it tries to reconstruct who got what?
BTW - I have zero problem with the 20% add-on. I am a 20% (pre-tax) person unless I get lousy service. And - if I get lousy service - I'm going to complain long before the bill arrives. Robyn
-
As someone who is not in the industry - I'd approach the issue this way. Either you pay the money and go to one of the very top places (e.g., CIA - Johnson & Wales) - the Harvards and Yales of the group - or you look for the places where you can get the best possible training for the least amount of money.
When my husband was looking for cooking courses (as a hobby) - we looked at the culinary program at FCCJ (Florida Community College at Jacksonville). A big deal operation. Very impressive kitchens. Even trains Navy people to cook for thousands on aircraft carriers (they have Hobart mixers bigger than I am!). It's a degree program and costs about $4,000 a year. I'm sure it's not unique.
It was a little too professional for my husband (I think classes started at about 6:30 am - just like the real world).
But I don't see why it wouldn't be a good place to start learning (perhaps it isn't a good place - but I'd certainly explore it in depth from a professional point of view before striking it off my list). And - after starting in a place like this - one can always polish one's craft somewhere else if desired. Robyn
-
You don't like animals. You like animals as long as they don't bother you.
In most parts of suburbia - exurbia - and ruralia - the animals were there long before the people. And I figure if someone doesn't like - or can't coexist with - the animals that live where they're planning to live - they ought to live somewhere else. The only rule I have where I live (and we have lots and lots of critters) is they will be killed or relocated (whichever is more practical) if they decide to move into the house. Otherwise - I leave them alone. Robyn
-
I'd add the Brick to that list (Avondale) as well as The Aqua Grill (Ponte Vedra). Pastiche and Crush are still on my list to visit. The Bonefish Grill in Mandarin I would not recommend at all. For sushi, my favorite is Yoshi's Japanese in Baymeadows - traditional sushi, real crab, and a tatami room. For fun, Tijuana Flats in Baymeadows right around the corner from Yoshi's. Good blackened chicken burritos, fresh salsa, and a wall of hot sauce.
I can't second the Aqua Grill. It is ok for a plain grilled fish if you eat outside on a nice night (the patio is pleasant) and have a 2 for 1 coupon. In our experience - any fish that isn't plain grilled is "gloppy". I wish it was better - because it's a 2 minute drive from where I live and I like fish. The fish special at the TPC (lunch only) is almost always about 100 times better.
In the last couple of weeks - we've tried 2 relatively new places at the Beaches - Eleven South and Mundo Grill. Eleven South is very polished - CIA chef - spent lots of $$$ (for Jax Beach) on decorating. Worth a try. Wish the lunch menu wasn't so limited - and a bunch of our dinner dishes were very oversalted. Still - for Jax Beach - it's a welcome addition. Mundo Grill also showed promise. Would have been nice if they took part of the huge space for an outside dining area. Also - the lunch menu was a bit pricey for Jax Beach (and a little lacking in terms of the math - the ravioli of the day was $8 for 3 in an appetizer portion and $16 for 5 in a dinner portion - duh). We were told that there will be a new lunch menu very soon - and we're looking forward to trying it.
Yesterday we went fishing - and - dressed in fishing clothes - we tried one of the old beach shack places - Beachside Seafood. Looked so tumbledown we thought it had to be good - but it was - frankly - disgusting. If you're going to have an open kitchen - don't have serve me the bits and pieces of fries that were sitting in the fryer in below temperature oil when I placed my order 15 minutes ago. I contrasted this with the fryers at Ted's (the place that serves bison at the St. Johns Center). High tech state of the art. Everything that goes into them comes out perfect. Robyn
-
As for Whole Foods = Whole Pay Check (mentioned in another message) - we don't have one in our area - but I've shopped there. Some of the prices are silly - but if you look - there are some real bargains (e.g., the Whole Foods "House Truffles" at about $6 for a half pound). Robyn
What I love about Whole Foods is that while they may charge a lot, they give you some service with it. I did a cooking demo at the Whole Foods in Toronto that was open to the public at no charge. They also offer their teaching kitchen up for use for community meetings and events at no charge. Our national chain of grocery stores (Superstore) may charge less for foods, but they charged $30 for my cooking demo. They don't carry the same products, they don't have the same helpful staff and they charge shoppers .04 per bag! I hate that.
If you live in a city with other good gourmet or high-end foods, then maybe a place like Whole Foods isn't all that. If you live in a town without any of these places, seeing a Whole Foods going up would bring joy and happiness to your life
Well I would be happy if a Whole Foods opened here. This week - there was a big article in the business section in the local paper about Whole Foods' possible plans to expand in Florida. I hadn't realized that it only has 7 stores in the whole state of Florida - only 1 in the Miami area (about an hour away from where I used to live in Miami). So the possible expansion in the state would be on the order of dozens of stores (we're now the 4th largest state in the country - and all areas of the state are getting more and more people with money - even the area where I live). Will be interesting to see what happens. Robyn
-
How do they measure stomach capacity, robyn? I am curious. . .
I am also curious about what drew these people towards this. . .activity. . .or "sport" in the first place. Just something arbitrary? A love of food? The idea of a contest where money might be won? Bravado? It is interesting, as I simply can not imagine wanting to do this, myself. . .
On the website there is a sentence stating that competitive eating is one of the oldest of "sports". I am wondering what references there have been to it in antiquity, that would allow the "federation" (which seems to me more of a public relations organization than anything else) to say this.
There is certainly more to this thing than I ever would have imagined. . .it always seemed to me to be something mostly done at County Fairs that was more along the lines of winning a stuffed animal for one's girlfriend than the big professional thing it appears to be!
I don't know how they measure stomach capacity. Perhaps they can't (I just saw a reference to it when I was reading about Sonya Thomas).
As for the "oldest of sports" - again - I don't know. Although there is some historical evidence that the Romans sometimes ate to excess at their "orgies" (see this for example) - it doesn't seem to have been the norm. In any event - I'm not a scholar of ancient Roman eating habits
.I suspect people go into it for the money - and the "fame". Heard that Kobayashi made in excess of $500,000 last year (I suspect he gets a lot of "show up" money). And how else could a subway worker like Badlands Booker or a Burger King employee like Sonya Thomas attract national attention? And people wouldn't be able to make money or get national attention unless there were sponsors with deep pockets. As long as companies like Nathan's and Alka Seltzer sponsor competitions - there will be world class competitors.
As for county fairs - we did see Kobayashi and Badlands Booker at the Jacksonville Agricultural Fair last year. But it was the regional finals of the Krystal hamburger eating competition (to get into the national finals - you had to qualify at a regional final - and they chose Jacksonville as the place to do it). Not exactly the same as the local pie eating contest. Robyn
-
If you're really serious about keeping birds off stuff - you need some "bird netting" (available through many gardening stores/catalogues/web sites/etc.). Also - a bird feeder will attract birds to your yard. Once they're there - they're not very picky about what they eat. Whatever looks good is fair game (even tomatoes - which birds don't really seem to like - they'll just poke holes in all of them to see if there's one they like). So I'd recommend getting the netting - and getting rid of the feeders.
I gave up keeping the birds away a long time ago (I'm too lazy to use netting) - and now garden to attract birds and butterflies. Have - at last count - observed 24 species of birds in the yard - and I've never counted the species of butterflies/moths.
BTW - your attempt at a "cat solution" wouldn't be appreciated by most people who are interested in the environment (including me). Cats (domestic and feral) are one of the major threats to birds - and bird diversity - in our environment. Robyn
Ritz Carlton Cooking Classic
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
Chefs often don’t get much sleep – and neither did we Friday night. A full day of classes started promptly at 9 Saturday morning. Before classes started - we received a nice handout detailing all of the recipes for the day's dishes so we could try to make them ourselves when we got home. Then we settled into the comfortable stadium style seating and set our sights on trying to learn some new kitchen skills.
The first session was a pastry class with Chef Martha Foose - Viking Chef, bakery owner, and first class baker. Her background includes stints in France (where – contrary to her family’s opinions – she learned to do things other than smoke and drink
) and La Brea Bakery. She is from Mississippi – and I hope she and her family are doing ok as Katrina passes.
Chef Foose started out the morning right with breakfast pastries. She showed us how to make Almond Breakfast Tortes with Fig Preserves – Sweet and Savory Scones – and Banana Cocoa Muffins. We got some delicious samples of each. And I got a hint about how to avoid hockey puck biscuits next time I try to practice my baking skills.
Next up was Chef Thomas Toxldorf – Executive Chef from the Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island (via Germany and Singapore) - with a brief primer on Asian cooking. He promptly went to work cooking a Thai Style Curry Shrimp – the kind of dish he cooks at home (he even brought Thai basil from his garden to throw in the pot).
While the smells of garlic and lemon grass from the huge simmering wok filled the room – Chef Toxldorf showed us how to prepare which could be a starter for the curry – Japanese Seared Tuna with a Sesame Crust and Wasabi Yogurt Sauce. It was a bit early in the morning for curry and wasabi – so I passed on the samples.
The next instructor was Chef Tom Gray from Bistro Aix – one of the top restaurants in Jacksonville (and one of my favorites). He did two of the restaurant’s signature dishes: Seared Tuna with Napa Cabbage, Shallots, Bacon and Spicy Harissa and Mussels Steamed in White Wine, Herbs and Garlic with Saffron Aioli. When I saw Chef Gray mincing herbs – I realized that I’ve been mangling them for a long time. Note to self – no need to chop herbs into total submission before throwing into pot.
We skipped out before the samples were passed to grab a bowl of soup for lunch – and returned in the middle of the next class – a wine tasting seminar. I don’t drink wine – but the presentation looked excellent. The participants were seated at large tables. Each was given 4 glasses of pinot noir to sample – and the teacher (whose name I forgot to write down) – gave a lot of detailed information about how to judge the wines.
I couldn’t miss any of the next class – Classic Chocolate – taught by Chef Sheldon Millett – Executive Pastry Chef from the Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island. He took us from the relatively easy – Grand Marnier Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles and Chocolate Crème Brulee to the more complicated – Chocolate Eclairs (which he usually makes 300 at a time at the hotel!). This was one class where I never thought of passing on the samples.
The last class was Mixology – how to make those fancy drinks you find on menus for $10 or $12. I think this seminar was sponsored by Absolut Vodka - since every drink contained a liberal amount of Absolut
. Again – ample tastings. But I passed on them. Didn’t want to fall asleep before dinner. And – as you’ll see in the next message – I’m glad I didn’t fall asleep or dull my appetite. Robyn