Lovin' Aspen Food & Wine Classic 2014

Tim Love draws a loyal crowd of fans at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, and it is easy to see why.  Apart from being insanely entertaining, this Top Chef and Top Chef Masters alum has a laundry list a mile long of culinary achievements and appearances, the most recent of which includes co-hosting alongside restauranteur Joe Bastianich Restaurant Kick Start on CNBC Tuesday evenings (once we move into the casa nueva it will be on my TiVo list for sure).

So because of his large fan base, I knew I had to wait in line for good seats, and I was DETERMINED to be in the front row, come hell or high water.  My small fan base (three girlfriends from Phoenix) certainly thought I was nuts, but Chef Love did not disappoint and easily won over three new fans from the great state of AZ.

His class was called Cast Iron Cooking, but he was quick to point out that he wanted to call it the Art of Burning Food.  Why?  “Simple.  Because when you drink as much as I do you don’t want it to get complicated.”  See why I adore this man?  First thing you need is a cast iron skillet.  In cooking school (and Love and Samuelsson both mentioned this as well), most chefs would tell you that the best place to buy a cast iron skillet is at a garage sale.  Check.  The next biggest question:  How do you clean it?  Easy peasy.  Wipe it with oil, pour kosher salt in the skillet and turn the grill on high.  Smoke the salt, add a dash more oil, then wipe it all out.

And what burned dishes did he make for us?  Beet Home Fries, Summer Squash Salad, Honey Drizzled Carrots and Rib-Eye Steak with Love-Style Rub.  For the first dish, wash the beets and place them whole in boiling water for 45 minutes, or until fork tender.  Next, place them on a cutting board and smash with towel, skins on!  The skins will crisp up in the pan.  Literally burn both sides.  Plate with some goat cheese and chili flakes, splash of lemon juice, and olive oil.  Simple, and from what I could smell, delicious. 

Next, Summer Squash Salad.  To burn food, he explained, you need two things:  oil and lots of patience.  Use fat in a pan (in this case peanut oil) as an equalizer to help sear completely and evenly.  It takes time to burn food properly, so sit back and cool your heals.  Sear each side of the yellow squash.  Remove from the heat and place in a bowl to cool.  Add minced shallots, lemon juice, fresh herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper and toss.

He explained that every food has its own sugar.  The browning of sugar is also called carmelization: carmelization adds texture (crispiness) which can only come from a burn.  "You want to taste the burnt sugar in food."  He took some carrots, cut them in half, and after browning split-side down in a pan, flipped them and broiled them in the oven.  To finish off the plate, he drizzled the carrots with honey, lemon juice and salt.

Lastly, the pièce de resistance, a juicy rib-eye steak.  He made a quick rub with what he had on hand: minced garlic, guajillo chili powder, chili flakes, brown sugar, rosemary, salt and pepper.  After perfectly searing the steak in the skillet, he removed it to cool, and deglazed the pan with some white wine.  He added a touch of butter and poured in a wonderfully hot mess over the steak.  He also poured some on the squash salad.  “I do vegetarian dishes…they just have meat in them.”

Few get through the class without some sort or ribbing from Chef Love, and we four ladies on the front row were no exception.  My friend Fernanda, born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, was asked to join Love on stage so he could share her notes with the class.  She was a wonderful sport and took in all in stride...  

"Boil the beets"

"Boil them good"

He usually asks participants to join him in a shot of tequila, and with Fernanda being from Mexico, he offered her a particularly generous portion.  Although most shoot it down in one gulp, Fernanda, much to Love's dismay, wisely opted to sip her tequila while enjoying the rest of the class.  Asked afterwards why she wouldn't shoot a glass of tequila, she replied, "I was not going to shoot tequila like some gringa on spring break in Cancún."  She's spot on...that brings back some super ugly memories...

Hasta pronto, Chef Love

We joined Chef Love afterwards for a photo op and a "sip" of tequila in these great shot glasses from his signature restaurant, the Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, located in the Fort Worth Stockyards (he also owns Queenie's Steakhouse in Denton, Woodshed Smokehouse, Love Shack and White Elephant Saloon all in the Fort Worth Stockyards).  

As a side note, he enjoys Herradura Reposado tequila under his personalized label.  A few of you will remember my visit to Casa Herradura from my post A Little Salt and Lime http://texaztaste.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-little-salt-and-lime.html.  During our visit to Casa Herradura, we learned about their Buy-The-Barrel program, where one can order their own Herradura Double Barrel Reposado with personalized labels.  Each barrel includes approximately 240 personalized bottles of tequila aged for an extra month in a hand picked barrel.  After bottling, the barrel is branded and shipped to its owner with a framed certificate of ownership.

Signed barrels of the Buy-the-Barrel program at Casa Herradura

Cheers to Aspen next summer, and making it to the Fort Worth Stockyards to sample some of Tim Love's dishes!

xo M

All photos by Marci Symington for www.texaztaste.blogspot.com.  

Zimmern, Nicholas and Ming, Oh My!

Ming Tsai signing autographs

I return from the Aspen Food&Wine classic with a renewed inspiration for cooking.  More than anything, it helps me think outside of the box and try new things.  This couldn't be more true for three of the classes that I attended taught by Andrew Zimmern, Ming Tsai, and Top Chef 2011 Winner Nicholas Elmi. 

Andrew Zimmern – Bitter is the New Black

Andrew Zimmern, the unmistakable host of Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods series, blew me away last year at the Food & Wine Classic Cook-Off, and I was looking forward to seeing him again this year.  He gave an enlightening discourse on what he feels is the least appreciated and understood of the five flavors: bitterness (the other four being sweetness, sourness, saltiness and umami).  As the hottest trend in mixology today is the Negroni cocktail, with a bitter flavor derived from Campari liquer, Zimmern would like to see this same type of trend happen in the food world.  Although bitterness historically has served mankind as a warning sign of poisons, I was willing to lend him an ear.

Zimmern prepared Goat Tartare with Roasted Tomatoes and Bitter Curry.  This bitter curry is also called rempah, a Malay word meaning mixed spices, and can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks (see recipe below).  The bitterness in the rempah comes from the lemon grass, which mixes well with sweet meats like goat; however, he added the rempah could also be tasty on grilled meats and roasted chicken.  He took raw goat loin, minced it fine, and added the rempah with some oven roasted tomatoes for an appetizer that left me with the appreciation that there is more to goat than just cabrito.  In addition, a wonderful tip, which I am sure to try, for adding bitterness to a dish is by zesting blackened dried lime on dishes.  Traditionally used in Persian and Arabic cuisine, black limes can be found at Kalustyan’s in New York City.

Ming Tsai:  In Hot Water

A well-known television personality who hosted East Meets West from 1998 to 2003, Ming Tsai was someone I watched religiously when I started my first foray into cooking as a newlywed.  He currently owns and operates Blue Ginger in Wellesley, MA.  I almost forgot I was in a cooking class as he regaled us with stories of working in his family's restaurant, his love of four-letter words and catering disasters.  For no reason in particular, I rarely eat (or make) Chinese food these days, but I was reminded of how much I love it and miss it.  While sipping a Ty Ku Sake Sangria (see recipe below) he skillfully prepared scallion pancakes, pork and ginger dumplings, and stir-fried spicy beef and vegetables in the 45 minute class.  Yum, yum...I think that after a few of these sake sangrias I will be ready to give a couple of his recipes a try (for more information on the recipes, feel free to email me).

In the Kitchen with Top Chef Nicholas Elmi: Season 11

The winner of Bravo's Top Chef Season 11 is 33-year old Nicholas Elmi.  Shortly after winning the culinary challenge, he opened Restaurant Laurel in South Philadelphia, a French-inspired American BYOB dining experience.  Before Top Chef, Elmi honed his skills at some of the top rated French restaurants, including Guy Savoy, Le Bec Fin, Union Pacific and Lutèce.  In his debut class at Food & Wine, he chose to focus on crudo (raw fish) dishes using local (to Philadelphia) fish such as fluke, albacore tuna and mackarel (see fluke recipe below).  Filleting them in front of us in seconds, he prepared three beautiful, yet simple, presentations while emphasizing the importance of knowing what to look for in fresh fish: clear (as opposed to red) eyes, red gills, body firm to the touch with a bit of bounceback.  So what am I waiting for?  I am off to the store for the ingredients and will report back!  In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend.

xo M

Rempah

1 T sesame oil
1 T peanut oil
3 T shallots
2 T curry powder
1 T minced ginger
2 t minced garlic
1 T minced lemon grass (white mass only)
1 t minced fresh hot chili
4 T sake
2 T soy sauce

Heat the oils in a sauté pan.  Add all ingredients except sake and soy.  Sweat for 5 minutes.  Add sake and soy and cook until liquids are nearly evaporated.  Removed from heat, cool and purée.

Ty Ku Sake Sangria

1 750-milliliter bottle rosé
1 750-milliliter bottle Ty KU Silver
1 750-milliliter bottle Lillet Blanc
5 ounces peach Mathilde
2.5 ounces cranberry juice
16 ounces pineapple juice
Fresh pineapple chunks and cranberries for garnish

Mix all liquids and regrigerate 4-8 hours.  Serve in chilled glasses garnished with fruit.

Kombu-Cured Fluke with Saved Radishes, Dill and Lemon

One fluke filet (can also use grouper or bass)
2 sheets kombu seaweed
2 lemons, zested and juiced
3 small radishes, thinly shaved, for garnish
3 sprigs dill for garnish
3 T fruity EVOO
1/2 T sea salt
fresh ground white pepper

Wet kombu and rinse.  Sandwich filet between two sheets of kombu and cure for 2 hours in the refrigerator.  Remove from kombu and slice filet on a bias into 1/4-inch pieces, working towards the top of the fillet.  Arrange the fish on a platter.  Sprinkle the lemon zest over the fish, and garnish with radishes and dill.  Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil, season with sea salt and white pepper to taste.  Three things to look for in his dishes: salt, texture, and acidity.  In this dish, he uses sea salt, a radish for texture and lemon juice for acidity.  The zest, he says, adds nuance and brightness, the sprigs of dill are for color.

Faves from the Grand Tasting Food & Wine '14

With approximately 225 exhibitors, the Grand Tasting Tent at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic is a mecca of all things culinary, a place where in the span of 60 minutes you can not only taste over 50 wines (this is an educated guess...not drawn from experience), but also sip rum that has been aged seven fathoms beneath the sea, down a raw oyster with a cucumber mignonette, indulge in jamón bellota, and chat with a few of Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chefs.  It's not for everyone, especially if you are not a fan of crowds (the boys bailed after the first 15 minutes), but if you have nary a qualm about elbowing your way to the front of the Jordan Vineyard and Winery line, then grab a tasting glass and head on over.

Tasting glasses in the colorful Spain tent

A lovely array of Spanish cheeses and nuts

5J 100% Jamón Bellota...wouldn't this make a fun dinner party idea?

I always love checking out what is going on in the Patrón booth

The Patrón mojitos are especially refreshing

This poor chap had to work for his margarita

The Patrón pops are dreamy...my fave being the Coconut Latte

But it was a difficult choice, as you can see

Seven Fathoms Rum from the Cayman Islands is aged seven fathoms under water

Chef Eli Culp of Philadelphia's Fork restaurant, voted one of the best new chefs by Food & Wine Magazine this year

OMG...is that Geoffrey Zakarian (of Chopped fame) serving martinis?

A closer look of these cute little guys made with Hendrick's gin

Biggest Loser Chef, Devin Alexander, and her Little Dev (Burger)

Hasta el próximo año!

Marnie Old - Wine By Numbers: Alcohol, Vintage and Price

Philadelphia Sommelier Marnie Old is a very entertaining and gifted wine educator.  I write down so much in her classes that I fill several pages in my notebook.  If I can just learn a little at a time (and retain that info!), hopefully it will all add up to a pretty comprehensive knowledge of wine one day.  This year, in her Wine By Numbers class, she walked us through three pieces of vital information on a wine label: the percentage of alcohol, the vintage date and the price.  Tasting six wines, and comparing them two at a time, she tested each of these factors.

"Grape varieties alone are not going to tell you what a wine is going to taste like." Marnie Old

The first factor of alcohol content is "hugely important", she said.  Keeping in mind that the norm is 13.2% alcohol, we tasted two Chenin Blancs, one containing 12.5% alcohol and one containing 14.2% alcohol, both from 2012.  The first one smelled crisp and refreshing, of fresh fruit salad and granny apple.  It was a tart, light bodied wine, most likely from a cooler climate.  A cooler climate lends itself to wine with lower sugar and alcohol content, wines that result in mild, herbal flavors and high acidity.  Where #1 smelled of fresh apple, #2 smelled of baked apples, of sunshine and warmth.  It was less acidic, more cooked, as it had been fermented and aged in oak barrels.  Acidity and alcohol have an inverse relationship.  Lower alcohol wines will be lighter and refreshing.  Higher alcohol wines are richer, more opulent. In sum, more sun = more sugar = more alcohol.  There is a direct relationship in flavor and intensity.   

For the second comparison, we tasted two Spanish Tempranillo wines.  They came from the same producer and had the same alcohol content, but the vintage date of wine #3 was 2010 (a rioja tinto) and of #4, 2008 (a rioja riserva).  "The age of the wine tells us what the winemaker was doing."  Wine #3 was young and fruity, having been aged in stainless steel barrels.  It was light, refreshing, tangy and vibrant.  The older wine, #4, has spent more time in barrels, most likely oak barrels instead of stainless steel.   It is more complex, and, therefore has great aging potential.  Aging wine in oak barrels accomplishes many things: specifically, it helps the wine breathe while concentrating and carmelizing the wine.

For the final and third comparison, we tried two Cabernet Sauvignon wines of the same vintage and alcohol content, but vastly different prices: fifteen versus seventy-five dollars.  Number 5 smelled of dark berries and tasted rich, but was a bit tanniny and puckery, not ambitious.  Number 6 was rich, leathery, sophisticated.  Cost of wine is affected by such factors as rarity, supply, demand, and production costs.  Hillside vineyards, for example, generally produce lower yields as the plant strains to produce on difficult terrain, and the costs associated with harvesting the grapes will be higher.  This leads to various trade-offs: quantity versus quality/ efficiency versus excellence/ popularity versus personality.
All this being said, go out and try this kind of comparison for yourselves...it would make for a fun wine tasting party!

Cheers to a wonderful 4th of July weekend!
xo M