Dinner for 1000

Yes, you read that correctly.  Last week we served a 3 course, 8 dish meal to over 1000 people.  One of the hospital traditions that I've participated in year after year is the annual holiday meal.  At all the organizations I've worked, the hospital administration has generously sponsored a meal for the employees and physicians as a gesture of appreciation.  As the director of Food & Nutrition services, it has been my job to execute their wishes.  Of course I couldn't do it without my fabulous team of chefs, cooks, servers, and managers.  We pick a theme (this year it was Christmas after Dark - past themes include Winter Wonderland, CandyLand, A Natural Christmas), create a menu, decorate, cook, serve, clean up and along the way we have a lot of fun. 

The Food Service Department isn't always appreciated for the vital contributions we make, but when our co-workers see and taste the feast that we put on,  it is our moment to shine.  We get a chance to showcase the incredible talent and culinary skills of our team, and are recognized as the heroes of the day.  They say you are only as good as your last meal,  but I think this one should keep us in the good books for a while.  At least until New Years...

Our color scheme was red, gold and black.  

Everything was made from scratch.  These potatoes are getting ready for mashing.

Vegetable Risotto

Whole wheat penne pasta with roasted butternut squash and spinach.

Chicken prep

It is nothing till you add the sauce...

This is the star of the meal.  Prime Rib, rubbed down with kosher salt, cracked black pepper, garlic & herb seasoning, and the all popular Montreal steak spice.  

The conference room gets transformed into a banquet hall.

Ready for the masses...

Winter Salad- Mixed field greens with cranberries, candied walnuts, Gorgonzola cheese, apple smoked bacon and tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette.

Aji de Gallina- a traditional Peruvian dish, Spanish for chili pepper chicken.  

Carved to order.

The final product.  Bon Apetit!

Don't forget dessert! Individual French parfaits. We had Tiramisu, Pistachio Apricot, Dulce de Leche, Chocolate Trio and White Chocolate Raspberry.

Happy Holidays everyone!

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A New Taste of Vegas

It is not uncommon for me to escape to Vegas for the weekend.  And it is not uncommon to have reservations weeks ahead of time at the latest "it"restaurant, owned by the celebrity chef of the moment.  My trips typically revolve around eating, and the 3 hour lingering dinners are the focal point.  But this time was different.  This time I boarded my plane without making a single reservation, without having read any restaurant reviews and without already choosing the menu items that I'd be ordering.  I was spending the weekend with my boyfriend, and my food obsession was staying at home.

Saturday afternoon found us at Olives in the Bellagio. I've eaten there many times before and I've never been disappointed.  I credit one of my girlfriends for discovering it 5 years ago, and passing along the tradition of eating at the bar instead of sitting down for a full meal.  

The specialty drink menu is impressive, and is home to my absolute favorite martini, the Tiffany. Raspberry vodka, creme de cassis, hand muddled raspberries and lemon juice- a true raspberry lover's dream.  

The food menu is equally impressive, with the beef carpaccio as their signature dish.  My girlfriend still talks about it.  I decided to have the tuna carpaccio instead, which is served over olive oil mashed potatoes, drizzled with lemon aioli, and topped with parsley and capers.  

My boyfriend ordered the burger, served with balsamic glazed onions, cheddar cheese and parmesan fries.  

And then we tasted the most wonderful, unique, seasonal, festive, dessert martini called Mistletoe.  It is made with candy cane infused vodka, Godiva white chocolate liqueur, green mint liqueur and cream,  and served in a candy cane sugar rimmed glass.  As soon as I got home, I dropped some candy canes into a bottle of Vodka, and I'm hoping to re-create the flavors.  I'll let you know if it worked.  

Holiday decor, Vegas style.

I wish I could show you the rest of our food adventures, but there isn't much more to show.  Sure, we ate the mandatory greasy breakfast at the casino's 24 hour cafe and yes, we stopped for Pina Coladas and Mexican food while soaking up the rays and the strip views.   But the focal point wasn't the food.  It was enjoying each other and enjoying the moment.  If you asked me ahead of time,  I would have told you that it was a gamble to go to Vegas without any food plans.  Turns out, I beat the house odds and came out a winner.  

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Chrismukkah treats

Tonight is the eighth and final night of Chanukkah, so I wanted to share a recipe for some delicious and fun treats.  In the spirit of being culturally diverse and all inclusive, I hereby declare the entire month of December the season of Chrismukkah.  

First, gather some friends, selecting those who like to bake.  For this recipe, the three little foodies were together again.  Kitchen Em, RD'lite and myself.

Next, open a bottle of wine. 

Make sure you have the necessary tools and decorations.

A little chocolate gelt goes very well with the wine. 

Choose a recipe.  Make sure its one that will impress all your friends, and fill them with awe and wonder at your culinary talent.  Shortbread cookies and macarons should do the trick.  

Macarons are a meringue based cookie.  So the first step, is separating the eggs.  This egg separator gadget certainly did the trick!   

Let the KitchenAid mixer do its magic and beat the eggs until you get stiff peaks.  Add the sugar for both taste and stability.  From what I remember in my university courses, the sugar acts as glue by holding the micro bubbles intact (wow, my prof would be proud!) 

You may need to check the recipe twice to ensure you have the correct ratios.  (ahem, ahem)

 Gently fold the almond flour into the beaten egg whites. 

  

Fill a pastry bag (or in this case a ziplock bag), and pipe the macaron batter into small circles, about an inch wide.   

There are many tricks and tips to bake a perfect macaron.  Most experts agree that how you fold the flour into the meringue is crucial.  One extra fold, and its all over.   They also suggest giving the cookie sheet a good bang on the counter to get the bubbles out.  Another controversial discussion on the macaron blogs and websites (yes, they exist and I've read them) is whether to bake them immediately or let them sit before they go in the oven.   The goal of all this advice?  To get the perfect feet on the macaron.  Apparently, this is what we should all strive to achieve.  Being the shoe lover that I am, I had no objections.  

Ours had feet! See them?  The distinct spread at the bottom of the macaron.  

Lastly, fill them with ganache, buttercream or anything else that sounds good.  For this recipe, we used buttercream raspberry icing, and paired them up to make little sandwiches.  

Meanwhile, make some shortbread cookie dough.  Roll out to the desired thickness and select holiday themed cookie cutters to create various shapes.

Bake and let cool so that your frosting and decor won't melt and then slide off.  (I speak from experience on this one).

 Be creative.  There are no rules in cookie art.  

 Happy Chrismukkah everyone!

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