I’ve just finished a culinary Iditarod. No sled dogs were involved, and I was nowhere near Alaska. And there was definitely no mush. But I cooked for something like 11 out of 13 days. It was a blast, and now I need a nap.
It started with another Rays of Hope cooking class. But this time, thanks to Chris, the Coordinator of all Things Rays, I got off my lazy butt and came up with a new (and seasonal!) menu: roasted butternut squash soup (yes, I posted the recipe in my recipe section) and fast-and-easy pickled beets. It was a big hit.
This was followed the next night with a dinner for 14 in a brand new kitchen, complete with two convection ovens, a six burner gas stove, and a built-in Miele coffee maker that makes espresso, cappuccino, and tea. If Joe DiMaggio were still with us, he’d abandon Mr. Coffee in a heartbeat. The menu was great, too. It included a seafood and vegetarian paella, plus my world famous (well, maybe quite) pots de crème, France’s answer to Shake-a-Pudding. Unfortunately, the evening ended with my backing the ChefBillmobile over a box containing 15 ceramic custard/pots de crème cups. No, I didn’t put them there. But seven of them did survie their ordeal.
The next night, I did the food, with four assistants, for the 15th anniversary party for the Karuna Center for Peacebuilding, at the Amherst Women’s Club. It was the same place where Karen and I were married almost one million years ago. I didn’t do the food that time, though. The entertainment for the night was Peter Buffet. No, not the Margariteville Guy. That’s Jimmy. Peter is the son of Warren (Buffet, not Harding or Beatty), an Emmy award winning musician, and a nice guy. There were over 100 attendees who dined on my (drum roll for modesty here) pretty nifty vegetarian appetizers. Some of the highlights: Organic medjool dates stuffed with gorgonzola and goat cheeses, and phyllo cups filled with mushrooms sautéed in sherry, with feta cheese. The evening was a big hit, and I slept the next morning until 10:00. Oh, to be young again…
I’ll get to the rest of the Iditarod soon…
