Coastal Cooking with Chef Michael Hutchings

Caviar - Black Pearls of the Sea

Caviar! The very word conjures images of the high life with champagne, private jets, fancy restaurants and the like. For the connoisseur, the only true caviar comes from the sturgeon in the Caspian Sea. The combination of natural feed and water condition produce a high-quality product.

Here are a few bullet point facts about the sturgeon and caviar.

• Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) wrote that whole sturgeon were brought to the banquet table decorated with garlands of flowers, accompanied by musicians playing flutes and trumpets.
• Henry II of England (1133-89) placed sturgeon under royal protection.
• Edward II (1284-1327) passed an edict on "fishes royal". The monarch retains first right to the fish.
• Beluga sturgeon have been known to swallow whole salmon aquatic birds and baby seals.
• The French Monarchy decreed "le droit d'esturgeon" claiming ownership of all sturgeon in an area bordered by the Seine and Rhône rivers.
• Beluga sturgeon have been known to weigh 1,325 pounds and yield up to 505 of its weight in caviar.

At one point in America, it was so common as to be offered at a bar snack. Alas, the sturgeon were overfished and rivers polluted to the point of near extinction. I have a great book oddly called Caviar by Boechmann and Rebeiz-Nielsen that details the history of the sturgeon and its caviar.

This is a very ancient fish with fossil records dating back to the Jurassic period, about 180 million BC. It has been consumed by humans well before the first records from Egypt in 2400 BC. It has only been since the 1500s that the eggs or roe have been considered a delicacy. Western history is replete with references of sturgeon being enjoyed by the wealthy and noble classes in ancient Rome, Greece, and especially Russia.

My preferred method to enjoy caviar on a potato blini.

Chef Michael Hutchings

 

Elegant Caviar Service, Traditional Garnishes

 

Memorial Day

Throwing a last minute Memorial Day Party? We've got some tips for you!   MENU   Keep it. Simple! The classics always work. Use great ingredients and execute well. Your guests have been to plenty of BBQ parties, so make sure you have the three "B" Basics: Burgers, Buns, Beverages, and throw in condiments. Ambiance   Remember the word simple. It's MEMORIAL DAY - red, white, and blue! Flags, bunting, dyed carnations can all fit the theme. Remember Why it is "Memorial Day" Memorial Day (or less commonly called Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering and honoring people who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The holiday, which is currently observed every year on the last Monday of May, was most recently held on May 28, 2018. Memorial Day was previously observed on May 30 from 1868 to 1970. (Wikipedia)

What's Cooking Chef?

Classic Caviar Service

 

There is always something cooking in the kitchen. I've been a little quiet on the social media front but new dishes are simmering away. My tenure at The Inn Crowd cooking show has ended with my resignation. It has been a wonderful era of my career and the producer Craig Case has been great to work with.

We filmed close to 100 episodes, did some 400 plus recipes and had a lot of wonderful guests such as Lady Ridley-Tree, Archie McLaren, Tab Hunter, Christopher Lloyd, and Steve Hearst. Also, we filmed episodes at some terrific locations like the Queen Mary, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and the Hearst Ranch.

So, what's next? Frankly, I feel like I have just begun to cook even though it has been some 45 years in the kitchen. There are thousands of dishes I would like to make. I have hardly touched the 25 volumes of handwritten recipes I have collected while in Europe, plus my database of over 8,000 recipes and not to mention my 2,500 plus library of cookbooks.

New things are in the pipeline and the cloche will be lifted in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we are keeping busy catering. I will be at the US Open in June catering private events and back to Carmel in August at the Concours d'Elegance car show manning the Lamborghini hospitality estate.

I will be posting about our recent tour of Venice and Verona Italy and Austria in the coming weeks. We had some great meals on the trip and I will be sharing some of the dishes. Fritto Misto or Schnitzel anyone?

Chef Michael Hutchings

The Santa Barbara Chef

 

Venice, Italy

Austrian Alps

CAMA 100 Year Celebration

CAMA 100 Year Celebration

 

Join Chef Michael on Sunday, May 19th, 1-4 pm at the Sunken Gardens of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse for a free event celebrating the first 100 years of the Community Arts Music Association (CAMA).  Chef Michael will be offering Sirloin Sweet and Sour Meatballs on Truffle Mashed Potatoes and a vegetarian version of Honey Roasted Heirloom Carrots on Truffle Mashed Potatoes as one of the 10 chefs selected to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime event.

 

 

CAMA, Santa Barbara’s oldest arts organization, brings the finest classical musicians from around the globe to Santa Barbara. Since the 1920s, CAMA has presented such legendary artists as Pablo Casals, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Vladimir Horowitz, Jascha Heifetz, Igor Stravinsky, Artur Schnabel, Isaac Stern and Marian Anderson, with yearly performances from the Los Angeles Philharmonic. 

 

CAMA’s Centennial Celebration Committee and Board of Directors invite you to this festive afternoon of collaboration with local cultural arts partners, including Opera Santa Barbara, Music Academy of the West’s Sing! Program, Faculty of Westmont College, Department of Music, UC Santa Barbara

and members of Santa Barbara Symphony. Join us for wonderful music, delicious food and wine, and our community to honor CAMA for this historic occasion!

 

While this event is free and open to the public, for planning purposes we ask that you RSVP with the number in your party on the CAMA website: https://camasb.org/camas-100th-birthday-bash/