[Plan] Samuelsson, Crayfish

[rlibkind]

The Philadelphia chapter of the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a tasting menu with Marcus Samuelsson and a crayfish festival next week.

The Samuelsson event will be held Tuesday at International House. It's a promotion for his forthcoming cookbook, "The New American Table" (he'll give a cooking demonstration of some items from it); copies of "The Soul of a New Cuisine" will be available for purchase and signing. The bill of fare, from the new book:

Hors D’oeuvres

Spicy Dill Popcorn, Salmon Ceviche with Soy Jelly, Vegetable Fritters with Chili Mayo, Boiled New Potatoes with Salmon Roe Vinaigrette, Chorizo-Style Meatballs with Tomatilla-Avocado Salsa

Appetizer

Corn Pancakes with Chili-Covered Gravlax

Entree

Lemon-Poached Venison Loin with Caramelized Salsify + Carrots

Dessert

Red Berry Cobbler with Curry Sabayon

Tickets for the general public are $80 for singles, $150 for a ducat, plus ticketing fee. Friday, Sept. 11, is the last day to purchase via the Chamber's website. Although the website doesn't make mention of imbibables, Absolut is one of the sponsors. Akavit, however, would be more appropriate.

The crayfish fest will be held Friday at Ikea on Columbus Boulevard. (It's about two-months later than when Swedes normally hold their crayfish bashes, but that's of no consequence since these critters are the farm-raised Chinese variety you can buy frozen at Ikea. The $20 fee includes beer and vodka. If you don't like crayfish, there are Ikea's meatballs. Cheeses, breads and dessert, too. Cash bar if you want wine. More info here.

HOST'S NOTE: This is an member-organized event and not an official eGullet Society event. Click here for the terms under which this event is listed in eG Forums. CA

Edited September 11, 2009 by Chris Amirault (log)

[rlibkind]

Samuelsson's tasting/cooking demo was a hit. I'm a bit biased, of course, since after cooking his meatball dish he handed me one of the four servings he cooked in the demo (which was better than what came out of the caterer's kitchen).

The open-jawed moment for me was his salmon ceviche with soy jelly. It's just what it sounds like: he prepared a gelatin flavored with soy sauce, used that as the base in the individual serving glasses, then topped it with a straightforward (and yummy) salmon ceviche adorned with little sprigs of dill.

The meatballs that came from the caterer (Samuelsson's recipe and supervision) were very good, too, but the more loosely-packed, slightly larger and misshapen balls he cooked in the demo (it was lamb-pork, no bread, just chorizo-liked seasonings) were superior. Pairing the meatballs with a salsa of acidic tomatillos and rich avocados was another stroke of genius, though he apologized for the avocado not being as ripe and creamy as he would have liked to add another texture contrast.

While he cooked Samuelsson talked about his upbringing in Gothenburg, Sweden, how the cooking of his working-mother, while good, paled besides that of his retired grandmother, his training in France and aboard cruise ships, how he uses texture contrasts, and lots more. As one woman remarked as we lined up for dessert (a spicey, liquer-laden red berry cobbler topped with a curry sabayon), she didn't realize how good a speaker he would be.

I won't offer a critique of the entire tasting menu, suffice it to say that everything was as described, the texture contrasts exciting, the quality high.

Oh, as an opener to his demo, he talked about visiting the Reading Terminal Market earlier in the day, where he picked up some of the provisions for his demo, including the salmon. He stopped by Dinic's for a pork and greens sandwich. Details about that here.

Edited September 16, 2009 by rlibkind (log)