Trotters Friendship Luncheon at CVI for Adria

[fambrough]

I thought I would share some pictures from a luncheon hosted at the Culinary Vegetable Institute at the Chef's Garden in Huron, Ohio. This luncheon took place a while ago, Thursday, March 2nd, 2006. Please forgive the fact that my post is not the most timely. I was extremely lucky to have been invited by Lee Jones to assist in the preparation of this food. Trotter flew out three of his culinary team including Mathias and Della. We worked from very early morning into the afternoon when Trotter arrived with his guests Isabella and Ferran Adria. The menu was themed to have each course feature a different method of preparation and make use of offal (exclusive of dessert courses).

POACHED: Celery, Granny Smith Apple, Wasabi and Monkfish liver

SOUS VIDE: French Breakfast Radishes, Horseradish, Grains of Paradise and Veal Heart

JUICED: Dragon Carrots, Cilantro, Tagarashi and Crispy Poularde Skin

DEHYDRATED: Kohlrabi, Anise Seed, Cider Vinegar and Lamb's Tongue

SAUTEED: Cauliflower, Cumin, Saffron-Sherry Vinaigrette and Veal Sweetbreads

GRILLED: Turnips, Red Wine Reduction and Rabbit Kidneys

STEAMED: Garlic, Garlic Shoots, Bitter Chocolate and Duck Liver

ROASTED: Bull's Blood Beets, Candy-Striped Beets, Veal Reduction and Veal Brains

BRAISED: Fingerling Potatoes, Shallots, Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Tripe

FROZEN: Fennel Bulb with Pollen

BAKED: Celery Root and Celery Root Cream

FRIED: Okinawa Sweet Potatoes with Milk Chocolate

I absolutely love the incorporation of traditionally savory items into desserts. Della was terrific. I spent at least about a third of my day assisting her. The other third I assisted one of Trotters staff who is no longer at the restaurant; the final third, plating and a la minute cooking. Mathias directed plating and made rounds. Fire away with questions or comments. I will try to remember as much as I can.

Cheers.

[Peter the eater]

Wow! I hope they all taste as good as they look. I'll ask a few:

Was there any discussion regarding offal in a desert?

Are those Arkansas rabbit kidneys by any chance?

Did you get a shot of Charlie and Ferran enjoying your hard work?

[docsconz]

Did Trotter eat the duck liver? Was it foie gras or simply plain old duck liver?

Nice pics. Thanks for sharing. Looks like it was a great meal.

[fambrough]

Wow! I hope they all taste as good as they look. I'll ask a few:

Was there any discussion regarding offal in a desert?

Are those Arkansas rabbit kidneys by any chance?

Did you get a shot of Charlie and Ferran enjoying your hard work?

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Great questions, Peter! There was no discussion of including offal in the dessert. I believe that Mathias was largely responsible for the menu (except dessert, that was Della), although I could be mistaken. He was going over his hand written notes about each plate very carefully. I remember on funny thing. Trotter was watching us get ready to plate the celery root dessert course and was admonishing Della, "Cut it [the cake] the size *you* think it should be...then cut it in half!"

Couldn't tell you where the rabbit kidneys were from. I can tell you they were one of my favorite things, second only to the monkfish liver. Sweetbreads are always good IMHO, but these were nothing mind-blowing. The other item/ingredient that I have become totally enamoured with after this luncheon: grains of paradise, a fantastic substitute for black pepper with two distinct dimensions.

I didn't get a shot of the boys eating, but I do have one of the line-up with Trotter and Ferran. I'm in the front row on Trotter's left (to the right of him in the photograph).

[Peter the eater]

Awesome!

CT and FA have got to be two of the greatest food visionaries of our time, I am a big fan of both.

CT's "Sessions" show on PBS is what truly awoke the inner chef in me I didn't know I had, all those years ago. I have been to CT's once but he wasn't there - the girl at the front must have sensed how sad I was - she gave us one of his books and a bunch of Trotters To Go samples! And we got a signed menu in the mail 2 weeks later! Here I am in his wine cellar with said girl.

I just watched "Anthony Bourdain Decoding FA" not 20 minutes ago, wow. Doesn't look like I'll ever get to El Bulli, guess I'll just have to do it all at home!

Back to your food - I love the idea of a menu sequence that focuses on different cooking techniques while celebrating offal. When so much creativity and respect is given to things like livers and hearts you can win over less adventurous eaters. Check out this thread in case you missed it, similar but different I think you'll find.