It's All About the Garnish!

Another Loss, but Gained Skills and Experience

I'm finally feeling 'normal' again after my whirlwind trip to New York for the 4th Annual Manischewitz Kosher Cook-off...here's the recap I promised you:

I arrived at the New Jersey airport and spotted my first guido within five minutes of landing. My town car driver, Bill, whisked me off for a 30-minute commute into the city that ended with him screaming profanities at another driver, a true New York experience. With 45 minutes to spare, I freshened up and met the other contestants at the Jewish Community Center on the Upper West Side. The place was enormous! I checked my cooking station for the correct utensils and food. Everything was fine, but when they presented me with the duck I was to use the next day, I was aghast:  it had been completely trimmeof fat! The Manischewitz people apologized and promised to bring me whole ducks to carve up the next morning. We adjourned to dinner, which turned out to be a Kosher restaurant, Mike's Bistro. The ribeye steak was fantastic, but I found the mashed potatoes made with margarine a little disconcerting.

The next morning, I arrived early at the JCC to find legendary master chef Jacques Pepin wandering about. I met him, shook his hand, extended platitudes, etc. but was left a bit cold at his insincerity. The ducks were located and I was accompanied by a bearded, silent Rabbi down into the kosher kitchen to de-breast the duck, fat and all. He then wrapped the duck breasts in foil and sealed the whole package with 'kosher tape', printed in Hebrew. I wouldn't see it again until just before starting time, when he would unseal it for me.

Finally, it was time to get cooking. We'd have just an hour to fix the entire dish and plate it. I did just fine, finishing with 20 minutes to spare, entertaining people who visited my table. I was second in line to present my dish to the judges, here's what it looked like:

The plate under the bowl was too small to hold the bread slices and rosemary garnish, so I had to push it to one side, which is what the judges saw. They seemed to like it, and spectators who came over for a taste seemed to love it, but in the end it was someone else who took home the grand prize. I'll never know what place I came in, and that'll probably bug me for a long time!

The journey home was hellish to say the least, with a five hour flight delay and an additional hour sitting on the runway waiting for takeoff. However, Tyler Florence was on my flight, and I was able to snap a photo before scaring him off to the first class lounge:

He's in the grey sweater, glaring at me. Anyway, thanks to all of you who supported me in my journey!

A Little Pre-Cookoff Publicity

I'm in the local newspaper's Food section today! Here's the article and my recipe:

Napa resident Jamie Brown-Miller is one of five finalists in the National Live Kosher Cook-off. She’ll be flown to New York City to compete for a $25,000 grand prize before a panel of judges led by Chef Jacques Pepin on what New York Mayor Bloomberg has proclaimed “Man-O-Manischewitz” day.

She was selected from more than 2,000 entries nationwide for her Rosemary Duck Cassoulet. The contest required contestants to use Manischewitz’s newest product, its all-natural broth.

Brown-Miller handles marketing for Hall Wines and last year led the local Canines & Wines event. An animal enthusiast, she is training her 130 pound Akita named Kodi to join Paws for Healing and has also invented non-alcoholic beer for dogs called Happy Tail Ale.

Rosemary Duck Cassoulet

4 duck breasts, de-boned

4 cups cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups red onions, chopped

1 1⁄2 cups tomatoes, chopped

5 garlic cloves, crushed

4 Tbsp. rosemary, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups Manischewitz Italian Herb Coating Crumbs

2 cups Manischewitz All-Natural Beef Broth

Salt

Pepper

Chop duck breasts into 1-inch cubes. On medium-high heat sauté chopped duck breasts in a large stewpot for about five minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Stir often.

Add the beans and onions and continue to cook on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for another 10 minutes.

Add broth, tomatoes, garlic, pepper and salt. Bring temperature up to a boil and cook on high heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat to medium and add the rosemary. Partially cover and simmer on medium-low for 20 minutes, or until liquid has been reduced. To serve, uncover, ladle into four large soup bowls and sprinkle with herb bread crumbs.

Here's a link to the Napa Valley Register.

Finally home!

We've been home for about a week now, and I know I've been neglecting a recap of our Pacific Northwest Foodie Trip. Between the day job, a packed weekend, etc., it's been difficult to settle down to the computer for any length of time.
However.....
I can't say enough about the food in the Pacific Northwest. Yes, it was delicious. Yes, it was beautiful. But what struck me the most was how I felt when I was eating it. You see, the food in the Oregon/Washington/British Columbia region is above all fresh and local. The stars of the menus are salmon, shrimp, clams and local produce. There's just nothing like eating something that was harvested or caught in the same zip code. The flavors are bright and stunning. And there's just something about the food (no, chain restaurants don't count) that feels good in your body, like there's something harmonious going on. So much so that I'm tinkering around with the idea of trying to go locavore for a month to see if I can hack it. Maybe it's how our bodies were made to function, processing food from nearby.
My tastebuds definitely agreed: I like to think I have a pretty wide-ranging palate that's experienced most of what's out there, but these flavors were just so light and powerful at the same time that I have difficulty comparing them to anything else. I will attempt, though, to recap each of the restaurants we dined at throughout the trip in upcoming posts.
As for the burgeoning locavore movement...what do you think? Should I try? Do you think I can do it? Even if it's possible, do you think it'll be too expensive?

Canada and the Crystal Lodge!

We made it into Whistler yesterday around 6:30pm after a long drive from Portland. We were a little scared at the border, as we were smuggling in a couple bottles of wine, but continued on without problem. After a bit of traffic in Vancouver, I had the pleasure of driving on the most breathtaking road I've ever been on:  the Sea to Sky Highway. Wrapping itself along the coast, the road winds through steep cliffs lined with tall trees and granite boulders. The water is a deep teal blue and stretches on forever, only broken up by monolithic mountains rising up from the depths.

 

The photo above doesn't do it justice, but I can't hook my camera up to the computer I'm using in the hotel's business centre. Speaking of the hotel, I just can't say enough about the Crystal Lodge in Whistler. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the friendliest desk clerk I've ever met, who gave us suggestions for our anniversary dinner tonight. When we got to the room, there was a 'happy anniversary' card waiting for us from the staff, a box of chocolates and one of the most simply elegant rooms I've had the pleasure of staying in. A view of the village below, a fireplace, a bottle of champagne, and a jetted tub are all helping to make this stay really special.

Today we're signing up for ATV tours on the mountain, with maybe a zipline experience as well. Tonight we're having steak and lobster at a Japanese steakhouse, and will bring our 2003 Bennessere 'Phenomenon' super tuscan. I should check to see if they allow that sort of thing in Canada... Coming from the Napa Valley, I'm so used to bringing my own wine to restaurants, I really didn't think about the fact that if may not be de riguer here, so I hope my smuggling wasn't in vain!

 

 

The Pacific Northwest Foodie Trail

Culinary wanderlust is creeping up on me, and I've decided to do a little gastro-tourism! The last time I did this, we visited Germany and Italy (the night in Amsterdam has nothing food-related to talk about). Alas, with economics the way they are at the moment, we'll stay a bit closer to home.

When we think about California Cuisine, most of us think about food that draws from many different cultures and geographic areas. Much of what comes to mind is French, Italian and even a little Asian fusion. But what about our neighbors to the North? The Pacific Northwest? This area contributes to our love of fresh salmon, clam chowder, grilled oysters and spectacular microbrews.

So, the husband and I will embark this week on a culinary tour with stops in Portland (crawfish and beer!), Whistler (planked salmon!), Vancouver (sushi!) and whatever else whets our palates. I'm lobbying for a stop in Oregon's Willamette Valley, but we'll see what happens.
I'll be posting from the road, so keep your eyes peeled for dispatches!