Coastal Cooking with Chef Michael Hutchings

Montecito Dinner Party with Veal "Wellington"

Occasionally, a catering client requests a dish from the classical repertoire. I am always happy to oblige as it is a style of cooking that got me hooked on the craft. The client requested Beef Wellington but yielded to a suggestion of Veal Loin in Brioche with a Madeira Demi Glace sauce. We made a stuffing from chopped, cooked mushrooms called a duxelle.  Other highlights were Potato Crepes with Sevruga Caviar and a dessert of White Chocolate Bombe.

Tastefully

Chef Michael Hutchings

Michael's Catering

 

Dinner Menu

Veal Loin Wrapped in Brioche Dough

Ready to Present

Plate Presentation

Dessert with White Chocolate Bombe
 

Soufflé Framboise for All My Friends

 

Raspberry Soufflé Base

Soufflés are, well, a lot of hot air. There are lots of myths about what to do and what not to do. Reduced to the simplest format, you need a firm base like a sweet bechamel, some flavoring element like liquor or fruit and a firm meringue that goes into a well buttered mold, set on a shallow water bath and baked in a good oven. Just don't do your aerobic routine in the kitchen.

The souffle, named after the French for "breath," probably acquired its unjustified reputation for difficulty in the bad old days of the drafty oven in wood-burning stoves. Modern ovens are well regulated and eggs are better controlled for freshness.

Just in case you flob, here are a few rescue tips from ehow.com.

"1 Dust a sweet souffle with confectioner's sugar or cocoa powder. Serve with the sauce from the recipe or top it with a big scoop of ice cream.

2 To create a more deeply disguised dessert, top the souffle with whipped cream, fresh fruit or sliced almonds.

3 To rescue a savory souffle, sprinkle with grated cheese and broil until it's melted and golden. Call it a frittata or a crustless quiche.

4 Make a sandwich: Cut the savory souffle into thick slices. Spread focaccia or soft rolls with prepared pesto or tapenade. Layer the souffle between the bread with tomato slices, lettuce or roasted red peppers."

My Chef-friend James Sly made an easy solution out of the whole mystic. He created a fallen chocolate soufflé that was served rewarmed with a chocolate sauce.

Below is a photo story of preparing a Raspberry (Framboise) Soufflé for a crown of 120 at a recent charitable function. With a few chef-ly "trucs" I am able to make this hours in advance and bake it just before serving. I like the soufflé also baked in a sweet crêpe with a warm raspberry or custard sauce.

 

Tastefully,

Chef Michael Hutchings

Michael's Catering

Santa Barbara

 

Egg Whites Whipping

Whisking in Meringue to Loosen Base

Second Addition of Meringue

Final Folding in of Meringue

Buttered-Sugared Ramekins with Macaroon and Liquor

Ready to Fill

Filled and Ready to Bake





Chef Sly, left,  Assisting with Plating

Too Many Chef's in the Kitchen?

Happy and Sated Guests

Are eighteen chefs to many in the kitchen? Not last night. Chef Vincent Vanhecke brought together eighteen of Santa Barbara’s finest to collaborate on a six course dinner. The event was a fundraiser for the YMCA’s teen outreach program called Noah’s Anchorage.

From their web page:

"NOAH'S ANCHORAGE
YOUTH CRISIS SHELTER

Noah’s Anchorage Youth Crisis Shelter is a licensed residential 8-bed group home for 10-17 year-old youth and provides outreach to youth and young adults. Our unique services have been active in the Santa Barbara community for over 35 years and are a trusted refuge and resource for youth and their families. Our services are available to the community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All services provided by Noah's Anchorage are offered at no cost to clients.
Hotline for 24 hour help: 1-866-HELP TEEN"

Contrary to kitchen myth, there was no temperament, flying knives or epithets slung during the course of this dinner. Chefs are are worldwide fraternity bound by the wok, sauteuse and BBQ. We were all delighted to help plate and serve the six course dinner with some 15 plus courses within courses. The photo below shows the intensity and cooperation during the main course plating. It was great fun and served a worthy cause.

To see the You Tube video of this and other clips, visit my You Tube page.

Tastefully,

Chef Michael Hutchings

Michael's Catering

Plating Main Course

First Course Plating

Another View of Main Course Plating

  

 Video Link to You Tube

 

 

Fresh Spices

We all know that freshly ground spices are more flavorful than those ground far away and long ago. My favorite tool for grinding spices is a Cuisinart coffee grinder and the coffee/spice grinder.

I keep these dedicated to their task at hand and coffee and cumin do not mix. THe larger model works great for pepper. YOu are able to do a fine grind up to a coarse grind depending on the use.

 

 

 Use the smaller model for things like nutmeg, cumin, coriander and the like. The hot tip on cleaning is to toss in some raw rice and grind it until it forms a powder. The rice absorbs the spice residue. Toss out the rice and use a dry pastry brush to sweep out any bits and pieces.

 

 

 

Tastefully,

Chef Michael Hutchings

Michael's Catering

Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta with Berries

Panna cotta is my "new favorite" dessert for spring and summer dining. Here is Wikipedia's blurb on the dessert.

"Panna cotta (from Italian cooked cream) is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. It is generally from the Northern Italian region of Piemonte, although it is eaten all over Italy, where it is served with wild berries, caramel, chocolate sauce or fruit coulis. It is not known exactly how or when this dessert came to be, but some theories suggest that cream, for which mountainous Northern Italy is famous, was historically eaten plain or sweetened with fruit or hazelnuts. Earlier recipes for the dish used boiled fish bones in place of gelatin; sugar, later a main ingredient, would not have been widely available as it was an expensive imported commodity. After years this treat evolved into what is now a gelatin dessert, flavored with vanilla and topped with fruit or spices, and served chilled."

We recently catered a ladies luncheon high atop of the San Marcos pass area. The theme was spring and light so I thought the panna cotta would be a great luncheon dessert. This is a light version used milk and yogurt but it would be delicious with light cream. The black specks are seeds from the vanilla bean used to flavor the dessert. I am working on variations with passion fruit, caramel, mango, coffee and wild strawberries. 

Tastefully,

Chef Michael Hutchings

Michael's Catering

Santa Barbara, CA

 

CAMA Garden Tour

Garden Party at an Estate in Montecito, CA

 

Recently we catered a garden party for CAMA, Community Arts Music Association, in Santa Barbara. CAMA supports a series of classic music concerts in Santa Barbara. This particular event was the end point for a series of garden tours in the Montecito area. We prepared an American style High Tea, except there was no tea or tea sandwiches. It was a picture perfect day for the event.

 

Tastefully,

Chef Michael Hutchings

Michael's Catering

Petit Fours from top: Macaroons, Lime Sable, Chocolate Choux, Lemon-Raspberry Tart, Meringues

Selection of Cheeses and Fresh Fruits

Seasonal Grilled, Baked and Raw Vegetables

The Buffet

Menu for CAMA

Beehive Cake

Beehive Cake by Christine Dahl, Christine Dahl Pastries

Pastry chef Christine Dahl has been making this cake for years. Her approach is to bake a cake in a stainless steel cake mold and then invert it. THe cake is sliced, layered with a filling such as lemon curd and the frosted with butter cream. The hive look is achieved with a piping of butter cream using a plain tip. The bees are made from almond paste, marzipan, fitted with almond wings. THis is a fun cake for a spring party.

 

CHef Michael Hutchings

Michael's Catering

Santa Barbara