Aspen Food & Wine: The Whole 9 Yards

I returned yesterday from the Aspen Food and Wine Classic, and it was more fun the second time around than I could have anticipated.  I think it is safe to say that I am hooked.  Two and half days of attending seminars taught by some of the most entertaining and knowledgeable chefs and sommeliers in the food industry, all set against the stunning backdrop of Ajax Mountain in Aspen, Colorado.  Re-entry to normal life as personal "chef", chauffeur, maid and caretaker of three small kids is no easy task.  What?  I don't get to start tasting wines at 11 am with a celebrity chef?  It totally spoils you...

I was a bit hesitant to sign up for Marcus Samuelsson’s class after watching him tear apart competitors as a judge on Food Network's Chopped.  Far from my initial perception of him, Marcus was entertaining, witty, humorous, and charming.  Of course, it didn’t hurt that he started off the class passing around Ethiopian honey wine.

I waited an hour in line for this seat, and it was totally worth it

Marcus was born in a village near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and at the age of two lost his mother to tuberculosis.  He and his sister were subsequently adopted by a Swedish couple and raised in Göteborg, Sweden.  He came to the States at the age of 21 as an apprentice at the Restaurant Aquavit in New York City, and has made a name for himself as a James Beard award-winning chef and author.  I picked up a signed copy of his memoir, Yes Chef, and am looking forward to diving into his life story this summer.

Next on my summer reading list, but first have to get through The Goldfinch

The class was called the Whole Nine Yards, and was all about chicken.  He stated that typically 35 to 40% of the bird is wasted in food prep.  He encouraged the audience to think about getting that down to 20%.  Reminds me of the many lessons I learned in culinary school about cutting down on waste in a kitchen (and therefore cost).  One of the best ways to do this is to freeze chicken scraps and carcasses to make your own stock.  OK, now I need to figure out how to get rid of the 40 pounds of venison and elk meat in my freezer to make room for these carcasses (Hubby likes to hunt).  But I digress...

He started by making Deviled Eggs.  It is all about creating the perfect texture and in getting the right mix of creaminess and crunchiness.  In his recipe, he used fried chicken skin atop the eggs to create the crunch.  He also feels that some heat adds a little dimension to the dish, so he added Aleppo pepper, a spice popular in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine.

He's totally styling in plaid pants and a Red Rooster shirt

Next, he prepared Fried Yard Bird, one of the signature dishes from his Harlem restaurant, Red Rooster.  He recommends brining chicken thighs and drumsticks in a water to salt ratio of 8 to 1 for a couple of hours.  Then, marinate in buttermilk and coconut milk overnight.  He also adds a Chicken Shake spice mixture to the marinade (see below for recipe).  The best way to cook fried chicken is in a cast iron skillet (ironically a common theme throughout the weekend).  He likes to fry at 2 different temperatures: first at 275 – 300 degrees fahrenheit, then towards the end of cooking, he turns the oil up to 360 for maximum crispiness.  Again, he reminded us, it’s all about creating textures.  Finish off with more Chicken Shake when it comes out of the fryer, and, to celebrate summer, serve with a Corn-Tomato-Lima Bean Succotash.

At the end of the 45 minute class, he presented his dishes to the audience.  It is apparently a mandate handed down from the big wigs at Food & Wine Magazine that letting the audience taste the food is a no-no.  Whether he did this or not, my lips are sealed...

Stay tuned in the days to come for more deliciousness.  'xo M 

Marcus Samuelsson's Chicken Shake (makes 4 cups)

1/8 cup garlic powder

1/2 cup celery salt

1/2 cup ground cumin

1 cup berere **

1 cup smoked spicy paprika

1/8 cup kosher salt

1/8 cup ground white pepper

** Ethiopian spice mixture usually containing chili peppers, garlic, ginger, basil, fenugreek, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and allspice.  Can be found at Amazon.com.

All photos by Marci Symington for texaztaste.blogspot.com

Off to the F&W Classic '14

So I didn't think I could make it this year to the Aspen Food and Wine Classic as it coincided with our move-in date.  When we had to push our move-in back to August, I realized there was a silver-lining opportunity, and scrambled to organize tickets and hotels.  Et voilà, I find myself writing this from my hotel room at the Aspen Meadows at midnight before the Classic.  I am flying solo, but my neighbor from Phoenix happened to be in town and took me out to dinner, and look who we ran into on our way...the one and only Tim Love, the same darling Texan chef who charmed his way into my blog last year...http://texaztaste.blogspot.com/2013_06_01_archive.html.

Could he be any cuter??

So although I have not been in town long enough to pick up my lanyard, the plan Friday is to attend classes by Marcus Samuelsson, Andrew Zimmern and Marnie Old.  Check me out on Instagram or Facebook for up-to-date pics of the events.  I am so excited and feel so blessed to be back.

'xo M 

Venezia, Venezia!

To drive across Texas from El Paso to Houston, it will take approximately 11 hours, with some change in topography and elevation (but not drastic).  So you can see why it was hard for me to believe that in just three hours in Italy, we drove drive from this:

Blinding snowstorm in a mountain pass

To this:

The canals of Venice

The kids were really excited about this leg of our trip, as they were trying to imagine a city with no cars or roads, a city whose position as a major trading power gave it the distinction of being the most prosperous city in Europe in the late 1300's and early 1400's.  I had been to Venice as a child, and now was returning with my own children.  Other than riding a gondola, what does one do with kids in Venice?  We had (almost) three full days with which to plan.  As it turns out, the highlights included attending a cooking class in a Venetian palazzo with Contessa Lelia Passi and taking a boat to the lagoon islands of Burano and Murano for shopping and glass blowing.   

We met the Contessa on a blustery spring morning in the Rialto Market, located near the famous Rialto Bridge.  We spent some time perusing the fresh vegetable stalls and picking out ingredients for our lunch: capellini with fresh peas, braised baby artichokes, traditional Venetian skewered game, and strawberries with balsamic carmel .

While we didn't buy any, I love the futuristic look of the Romanesco buds

White, green and purple asparagus

Me with a sad face in front of the horse butcher.  I have tried horse, but thankfully it was not included on our lunch menu

The view from Contessa Lelia's palazzo was out of control

I was crazy about her collection of copper pots and spices

She gave the kids a lot of freedom to experiment with rolling pasta dough

Under her watchful eye, I have to boast...

...that the kids turned out some pretty fantastic capellini

Braising artichokes

Enjoying the fruits of our labor with the Contessa at her beautiful table

Located a short motorboat ride from Venice are the three islands of the Venetian Lagoon: Murano, Torcello and Burano.  We took the good part of a day to visit two out of three.  Murano is best known for its glassware shops and factories, a tradition that has been thriving since 1291.  Nearby Burano, famous for the production of fine lace, is a colorful fisherman's island where we enjoyed a memorable meal at at local gem, Trattoria al Gatto Nero da Ruggero. 

Murano is linked by a series of bridges

Glass blowing in a Murano glass factory

Chandelier madness

Contessa Lelia's stunning antique Murano chandelier

Detail of the flowers

The charming leaning tower of Burano

 

Burano

In this case, the black cat is good luck

Interior of the Trattoria

Chef Ruggero

These baked scallops were beyond amazing

Razor clams...what a treat!

The presentation of the spider crab dish

We stuffed ourselves silly with seafood

While I cannot claim responsibility for crafting our fantastic Italian travel itinerary,  I can tell you about the insanely knowledgeable Bonnie Brayham, owner of the Purple Truffle.   She is someone after my own heart, whose passion of travel, adventure, food and wine prompted her to start her own company.  This was our second trip carefully organized by Bonnie, the first of which was two years ago to Paris and Beaune.  Please check her out at:

Purple Truffle

6, Rue de Commaille

75007  Paris

www.purpletruffle.com 

info@purpletruffle.com

+ 33 6 23 91 81 65

Hope you are having a wonderful start to your week.

xo M

This Is Where the Cowboy Rides Away

To mention King George in Texas is not to refer to the future King of England, the son of Kate and Wills, but to pay respect to the "King of Country Music", George Strait.  A calf roper from the South Texas strawberry capital of Poteet, George rose to country music stardom in 1981-82 after a string of hits such as "Unwound", "Fool-Hearted Memory", and "Amarillo By Morning".  He was reluctantly accepted by Nashville, as country music execs were worried that his brand of traditional music, reminiscent of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, would not be a big draw.  Today, after 33 years in the industry, George Strait is the only performer in history to have 60 number one hits under his belt, in any genre of music.  His style and grace have no equal, and he does it all in a pair of Wrangler jeans, a button down shirt, and and a cowboy hat.  It is his stay-true-to-yourself style that has won the hearts of thousands of fans across the globe.  There will never be another, and as he takes the stage this evening in Arlington, Texas, for the last show of his final tour, I raise a glass (or perhaps a Shiner Bock) and toast King George and his legacy.

And my heart is sinking like the setting sun
Setting on the things I wished I'd done
Oh the last goodbye is the hardest one to say
This is where the cowboy rides away 

Lyrics by Sonny Throckmorton and Casey Kelly

Culinary Highlights of Alta Badia

To say that a trip to the Alta Badia region of Italy was one of the culinary highlights of my life would be an understatement.  Michelin starred restaurants are so numerous that you could probably take a holiday to simply eat as many stars as your stomach can hold.  (I have read that the Dolomites claim the highest density of Michelin starred restaurants in Italy.)  Just as enjoyable, I loved finding the little mountain huts (ütia) with the self-taught chef whose food is out of this world, like Alma at the Vinoteca highlighted in my Sella Ronda post.  Hubby and I are mapping out a return trip where we hike from ütia to ütia savoring every last bite of knödel and Nebraska steak.  This post is an homage to some of my favorite dishes and experiences.

Located at the base of a ski run a short bus ride from San Cassiano, the Rifugio Scotoni is a meat-lovers paradise that comes highly recommended from local guides and concierges.  You have to work a little to get there, but the payoff is worth your while.

Set in a stunning valley, Rifugio Scotoni is at the bottom left

Waiting for a table can take a while, so grab an apéritif at Scotoncino

The platter of grilled meats is great to order for the table

Digestifs with a flag representing each customer's nationality

Soaking in the sun is a national pastime

We missed the last ski lift and had to take a horse taxi home...for reals

Don't drop your poles...it's a long walk home!

We managed to eat three Michelin stars during our stay, one at the Stüa de Michil at Hotel La Perla in Corvara, and two down the street from our hotel at the St. Hubertus in the Alpina Rosa.  I loved the homey atmosphere of Stüa de Michil, where diners seated in one of the many dining nooks feel as if they were dining in a private mountain residence.  Equally charming was the cheery dining room at St. Hubertus, named after the patron saint of hunters.  Both restaurants were equally stunning in their own right and showcase the finest in Ladin cooking, highlighting locally sourced and grown ingredients.  Plus, you gotta love the fact that sommelier at St. Hubertus doubled as our kids' ski instructor by day...what a life!

Our dining nook at La Stüa de Michil, where we were surrounded by bottles of Sassicaia

The owner's private dining area

Each table had a different centerpiece

If Lladró porcelain is your thing, you would have loved this table setting

Delicate amuses bouches to make our mouths very happy indeed

Dining at St. Hubertus in the Alpina Rosa Hotel

Tulips and ranunculus create a soft color palette for these centerpieces

Beetroot gnocchi with beet "soil" and cream of daikon cress...just lovely

Sweet and sour ancient vegetables with cream of fermented milk - ok, so there must have been something lost in the translation here, as this does not sound appetizing, but was delish

As if we hadn't had enough meat, we heard that the Armentarola was THE place to go for Chateaubriand in an unparalleled outdoor patio setting.  To get there, you can drive, take a taxi or ski.  The day on which we planned this treat was, sadly, cloudy.  Even though we were relegated to the indoor dining area, we experienced yet another fantastic meal.  We set about ordering lunch with the help of a very knowledgeable waiter, who insisted we order the steak tartare as a STARTER to the Chateaubriand.  I cannot tell you how glad I am that he was so insistent (pushy), as it was the best steak tartare I have ever had.

Steak tartare with egg, garlic, onions, paprika, mustard, parsley, capers, olives

 

At the insistence (again) of our waiter, we enjoyed this red from the Alto Adige

One particularly sunny day, we skiied over to Club Moritzino to check out their fresh squid ink pasta.  Club Moritzino is a mountain restaurant open year-round, famous for the panoramic views, the fresh fish menu, wine bar and DJ parties that start at 2 pm and continue throughout the day. 

Club Moritzino on Piz La Ila Mountain

Les gens chic sont au Club Moritzino

Il tavolo (check out the view)

Bevande (again check out the view)

Selection of local seafood (we are on a mountain 2 hours from Venice...unreal!)

Housemade squid ink pasta atop scallop carpaccio

Le DJ

Le Moët

Just in case you were wondering, if you have too much to drink, you can catch a ride back down on a snow cat.  Love, love, love this place!!

Still scratching my head over the exact meaning of this sign

Avere un buon fine settimana.  
'xo M

 

All photos by Marci Symington for texaztaste.blogspot.com