Coastal Cooking with Chef Michael Hutchings: July 2016

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July 2016

July 24, 2016

Taste of the Town 2016 in Santa Barbara

Video from 2015 Event by Aurthur VonWeisenberg

The Taste of the Town is an annual food and wine event held in Santa Barbara on the second Sunday in September. This year marks the 35 annual event and I am delighted to say I have been involved since 1981 when the event began. The event features local wineries, restaurants and caterers who offer taste of their best food and wine selections. Some 800 folks graze around the Riviera Park Gardens.

I past years we have offered Cultured Abalone-Herb Butter, Potato Crepes and Golden Caviar, Classic Paella, Shrimp Boudin, Flavors of Boullabaisse, Petite Fours, Chocolate Mousse, Local Shrimp Provençale. Come this year and see what were are cooking.

From the events web page: "We cordially invite you to join us and over 800 caring individuals in our community at the 35th annual Taste of the Town celebration, the largest fundraising event in support of the Arthritis Foundation. In California alone, over 5 millions people are affected by arthritis and related rheumatic diseases. Please join us in supporting the essential work of the Arthritis Foundation by becoming a lead sponsor of our annual Taste of the Town and Connoisseurs’ Circle events. Through the generosity of sponsors like you, we are able to fund impactful programs such as: • Camps for children with juvenile arthritis • Patient education seminars throughout Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo Counties • Free patient education materials that we distribute to doctors’ offices in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo Counties Our fundraising goal for the 35th Anniversary event is to raise $210,000. With your support, we can continue providing essential services to the 1 in 5 adults and children that suffer each day with arthritis.'

The ultimate epicurean adventure in Santa Barbara
benefiting the Arthritis Foundation!

Enjoy an afternoon at Santa Barbara’s original tasting event featuring the area’s finest wineries, breweries, restaurants and caterers.

This year we are celebrating the 35th Anniversary - mark your calendars today!

Posted by Michael Hutchings at 10:00 AM in Food, Drink, Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 23, 2016

The Inn Crowd Cooking Show Welcomes Fiesta Santa Barbara

David Bolton, JC Gordon, Host Craig Case, Chef Michael Hutchings

JC Gordon, "El Presidente"

Viva la Fiesta! The Inn Crowd cooks for the Fiesta Primavera prelude. Craig Case, host of The Inn Crowd, and Chef Michael Hutchings welcomes David Bolton and JC Gordon to the historic Dos Pueblos Ranch in Goleta, California. David is the chair for the Fiesta Primavera. He also served on the board of the California Missions Foundation.

From the CMF web page: "Founded in 1998, the California Missions Foundation was established with the objective of preserving and protecting the missions. The Foundation is the only organization dedicated to the long-term preservation and restoration needs of all California missions and their associated historic and cultural resources for public benefit. Along with funds raised from the generous contributions from our corporate, foundation and individual supporters, CMF actively works to raise money to fund mission projects from stabilization of structures to conservation of paintings and artifacts and conducting archaeological research."

The Fiesta Primavera is the launch party for the week-long celebration of the Spanish heritage of Santa Barbara and also the unveiling of the Old Spanish Days poster. The Old Spanish Days - Fiesta has its roots in 1924.

From the web page: "Santa Barbarans have long been proud of their city's heritage from Spanish founders and from the Spanish, Mexican and North American pioneers who first settled here and built the city. The tradition of colorful music, dance, and song together with a spirit of friendliness, hospitality and tolerance are part of this heritage which the Fiesta "Old Spanish Days In Santa Barbara" seeks to preserve and perpetuate." Click here for a full history.

JC Gordon is "El Presidente" of this years fiesta celebration. He plays a key ceremonial and organizational roll for the events of Old Spanish Days - Fiesta. This years theme is Santa Barbara: Costal Frontier. The location of the Dos Peublos Ranch was appropriate due to all the historical events that have taken place in the area. Click here for that history. That history has four broad stages, the Chumash, Spanish, Mexican and American eras. With that in mind, my menu for the show reflects some of that history.

The first dish features the local cultured abalone from The Cultured Abalone farm that is located on the Dos Pueblos Ranch. Abalone is a historically important food of the local band of Chumash Indians. The shells were also used for decorative and utilitarian purposes like fish hooks and bowls. I used a garnish of sea beans native to the area. The next course was a riff on chile rellenos with shrimp. Pork, introduced to the area by the Spanish, was the featured main course with a pomegranate sauce. The finale is a lemon roulade cake that pays homage to the citrus industry in the Santa Barbara costal area.

David Bolton

Chef Michael

Join is on The Inn Crowd Saturdays at 6:30 on ABC affiliate KEY channel 3. Please note that the air time my vary to as late as 9:30. You may view the show on-line at the Santa Barbara News Press. Look to the right side of the web page for a link to the show. YTS Digital Films filmed and directed this show. We appreciate our wine sponsor, Foley family Wines, for providing access to their wonderful portfolio of wines.

Put on your apron, grab your whisk, fire up the BBQ and get your boots on. I'll provide the recipes, the rest is up to you. See you on the kitchen.

Tastefully,

Chef Michael Hutchings

That Chicken

That chicken as it came to be know, was a somewhat feral bird that scurried around the barn where we filmed this episode. While the chicken was dreaming of table scraps I was dreaming of Poulet Morengo, that famous chicken dish improvised by Napoleon's chef.

From Wikipedia:

Chicken Marengo is a French dish consisting of a chicken sautéed in oil with garlic and tomato, garnished with fried eggs and crayfish. The dish is similar to chicken à la Provençale, but with the addition of egg and crayfish, which are traditional to Chicken Marengo but are now often omitted. The original dish was named to celebrate theBattle of Marengo, a Napoleonic victory of June 1800. According to a popular myth, the dish was first made after Napoleon defeated the Austrian army at the Battle of Marengo at Marengo south of Turin, Italy, when his chefDunand foraged in the town for ingredients (because the supply wagons were too distant) and created the dish from what he could gather. According to this legend, Napoleon enjoyed the dish so much he had it served to him after every battle, and when Durand was later better-supplied and substituted mushrooms for crayfish and added wine to the recipe, Napoleon refused to accept it, believing that a change would bring him bad luck.^'

The Berry Man Produce

A special thanks to The Berry Man Produce for providing the great produce for our show!

Photo Credits William Conlin YTS Video Productions, unless otherwise noted.

Posted by Michael Hutchings at 02:35 PM in Cooking School, Food, Drink, Recipes, The Inn Crowd Cooking Show | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 19, 2016

Dinner for a Movie Mogul

Recently, we prepared a dinner for a local mogul. Just simple stuff. Asian inspired salad and ginger dressing. Local sea bass, port jus on king mushrooms and fennel, carrot "pearls." Warm chocolate velvet cake, chocolate sauce.

The local white sea bass is a terrific fish and some of the catch were tipping 35 pounds. Some monsters are tipping the scales at 70 pounds! According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the current sport angling record is a 78-pound fish caught in Monterey Bay on April 4, 2002 by David L. Sternberg. If you net only 50% edible meat, that will feed about 100 people.

Call me if you catch one.

Chef Michael Huitchings

Posted by Michael Hutchings at 02:51 PM in Food, Drink, Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 16, 2016

Four Seasons Restaurant Closure

The fabled Four Seasons restaurant in New York is closing after some 57 years operating at the landmarked Seagram building, in Midtown Manhattan. The Fours Seasons is know as the point of origin for the power lunch. Celebrities, captains of industry and the political elite have dined at this 'high-end cafeteria" since it opened in 1959. James Beard, the dean of American cooking, along with Joe Baum and Mini Sheraton were consultants prior to opening. The Fours Seasons will reopen at a new location in about 18 months. The challenge will be to capture the magic to carry it for another 50 years.

The Four Seasons is associated with a number of milestone firsts in the hospitality industry. The Four Seasons is credited with introducing the idea of seasonally-changing menus to America. It was the first destination restaurant to print its menus in English. The Four Seasons was also the first restaurant in the US to cook using fresh, wild mushrooms. In June 2015, Aby Rosen, owner of the Seagram Building, announced that the restaurant's lease would not be extended. A new location at 280 Park Avenue was selected and a lease was signed. The Seagram Building location will close after dinner service on July 16, 2016, and the Four Seasons will move to Park Avenue.

Posted by Michael Hutchings at 09:47 PM in Food, Drink, Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 13, 2016

Chef Christine Dahl Cakery

Wedding cakes! Chef Christine Dahl is a master of that branch of the pastry arts. Here is a masterpiece with a classical buttercream finish. Vanilla chiffon, lemon curd and berries on the inside provide a delicious foil to the buttercream. The setting was the Santa Barbara Yacht Club.

Posted by Michael Hutchings at 03:17 PM in Food, Drink, Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Inn Crowd Cooking Show Welcome Karla Blackwell and Tom Parker

Chef Michael, Karla Blackwell, Tom Parker, Host Craig Case

We are off to the "Funk Zone," Santa Barbara's hip food and wine destination. Craig Case, host of The Inn Crowd, and Chef Michael Hutchings welcomes Karla Blackwell and Tom Parker to another tasty, fun episode. Karla hosted the show in their loft located in the heart of the Funk Zone. Tom Parker is president of The Hutton Parker Foundation.

Hutton Parker Foundation strives to provide organizational sustainability to community-based nonprofit organizations throughout Santa Barbara County and to assist agencies in achieving their highest level of performance and delivery of services resulting in stronger, more efficient communities for all.

The Foundation specializes in providing quality office space for local area nonprofit organizations through the acquisition and development of commercial real estate properties.

Put on your apron, grab your whisk and fire up the oven. I'll provide the recipes, the rest is up to you. See you on the kitchen.

Tastefully,

Chef Michael Hutchings

The Berry Man Produce

A special thanks to The Berry Man Produce for providing the great produce for our show!

Photo Credits William Conlin YTS Video Productions, unless otherwise noted.

Posted by Michael Hutchings at 01:48 PM in Food, Drink, Recipes, The Inn Crowd Cooking Show | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 10, 2016

The Inn Crowd with Guest Roger Durling

Chef Michael, Roger Durling, Host Craig Case

The Inn Crowd goes to the movies. Craig Case, host of The Inn Crowd, and Chef Michael Hutchings welcomes Roger Durling to a delicious episode of The Inn Crowd. Roger is the director of the Santa Barbara Film Festival (SBFF). We filmed the episode in the SBFF's new home, The Riviera Theater.

As a prelude to the French Wave Festival, we prepared a French centric menu. First course was inspired by chef Alain Ducasse. We prepared a raw and cooked artichoke salad with a parmesan crisp. The main course was requested by Roger as it is his go to dish for entertaining. Salmon is accompanied by a French lentil ragout and crispy leeks with a portabello mushroom version as well. Just for the French of it, we prepared a tangine of vegetables in the Moroccan style. My former mentor Michel Roux features the dish in one of his cookbooks (that's cookery book if you are a UKer). Dessert, also inspired by chef Michael Roux, is an apple tart on puff pastry with passion fruit.

Photo SBFF

From the web page: Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. SBIFF offers 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums that transforms beautiful downtown Santa Barbara, CA into a rich destination for film lovers which attracts more than 90,000 attendees. SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community through free programs like its 10-10-10 Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competitions, Mike’s Field Trip to the Movies, National Film Studies Program, AppleBox Family Films, Rosebud Program, 3rd Weekend and daily free screenings and filmmaker seminars. In recent years SBIFF has expanded its year round presence with regular screenings and Q&As with programs like Cinema Society, The Showcase and its Wave Film Festivals.

Put on your apron, grab your whisk and fire up the oven. I'll provide the recipes, the rest is up to you. See you on the kitchen.

Tastefully,

Chef Michael Hutchings

The Berry Man Produce

A special thanks to The Berry Man Produce for providing the great produce for our show!

Photo Credits William Conlin YTS Video Productions, unless otherwise noted.

Posted by Michael Hutchings at 09:24 AM in Food, Drink, Recipes, The Inn Crowd Cooking Show | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 06, 2016

Chef of Yore - Mike Roy

In my youth, just learning the cooking trade, I met chef Mike Roy at a food convention. Chef Roy was an icon in the food world and was a popular TV and radio host. His shows predated the food revolution that transpired in the late 70s and early 80s. The Food News Hour, his show, made its debut in 1965. It would run for 11 successful years, ending with chef Roy's death in 1976.

A stint on early TV predated the KNX radio show. In 1950, Chef Roy was asked by KTLA to try his hand at "Daytime television.' "Mike Roy's Kitchen" was born on a hastily thrown-together set. After taking calls from listeners, the show took off and evolved into a full blown cooking show.

His memory was legendary and he would often field questions off the top of his head. Entering the KNX studio, he always had a battered briefcase, his beloved "file of falderal." Amongst other tombs were copies of The Joy of Cooking and a pair of burgundy-colored Gourmet cookbooks. Chef Roy also penned 12 cookbooks during his career.

At a recent dinner party, the host showed me a treasured copy of Chef Roy's Book 2. It is well worn, dog eared and soiled. The page with the cioppino recipe seemed to be the most favored. I have found a copy on the internet and look forward to seeing a slice of cooking history.

Tastefully,

Chef Michael Hutchings

Posted by Michael Hutchings at 04:14 PM in Cooking School, Food, Drink, Recipes | Permalink | Comments (0)

Coastal Cooking with Chef Michael Hutchings

Cooking with Chef Michael Hutchings featuring classic and modern cooking from coast to coast.

July 2016

July 24, 2016

Taste of the Town 2016 in Santa Barbara

July 23, 2016

The Inn Crowd Cooking Show Welcomes Fiesta Santa Barbara

July 19, 2016

Dinner for a Movie Mogul

July 16, 2016

Four Seasons Restaurant Closure

July 13, 2016

Chef Christine Dahl Cakery

The Inn Crowd Cooking Show Welcome Karla Blackwell and Tom Parker

July 10, 2016

The Inn Crowd with Guest Roger Durling

July 06, 2016

Chef of Yore - Mike Roy

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