Guest Chef

There are some things that can be accomplished while living in a small town, that just can't be done in a big town.  Being a Guest Chef at our favorite Italian Bistro is one of these things.  My husband Joe and I have lived in the tiny town of Hutchinson Kansas for 3+ years now.  When we first arrived to this town and discovered our favorite restaurant that we frequent every Friday Night Date night (unless we are out of town), the owners learned that I was a certified Chef and have invited me several times over these past 3 years to be a guest Chef for them.

To tell the truth, I have declined this offer each time I was asked because I was just too intimidated to give it a try.  Even though I am classically trained, have my diploma, and have been cooking since the age of 6, I have never worked in a public restaurant.  I am Joe's personal Chef, and I enjoy cooking meals for others when they are ill, when we are entertaining guests in our home, or when I visit my children.  My favorite place to be is in the kitchen cooking, but I haven't felt I was qualified or experienced enough to actually cook for the general public.  Ever since earning my Chef certificate, I have been asked numerous times if I planned on opening a restaurant or working in a restaurant.  My answer is always no, because I cook for the love and passion of cooking, not to earn a living at it.  Too much stress!

After much reflection, and having been asked once again to be a guest Chef, I decided I should take on the challenge.  I feel like I finally have a 4 course menu plan that I am comfortable with, dishes that have become signature dishes for me, and why not give it a whirl.  The dinner I will be creating for this experience will be just for 40 local folks, and will be paired with a wine tasting during the meal.  It will be a mediterranean menu, having both french and italian dishes.

I am excited about this opportunity and am confident it will be a success.  I will be having a mock dinner tasting with the owners of the Bistro, their Chef/date, their Sommelier/date, and another couple who work for the owners.  Joe will serve the wine for our mock dinner, but the dinner is mostly for the Sommelier to taste so she can decide what wines to pair with this meal when we do the real thing, and for the owners to get an idea of my menu.

My menu is:

Appetizer - Bruschetta
Salad - Bleu Provence (I have another blog dedicated to this salad)
Main Course - Ragu w/penne pasta and crusty bread (I also have a blog dedicated to this ragu recipe)
Desert - Deconstructed Queen of Sheba Cake - (I also have a blog dedicated to this Queen of Sheba cake)

For the Bruschetta I plan on pan sauteing thick slices of french bread in a mixture of olive oil and butter, placing a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese on top, with grape heirloom tomatoes on top of the cheese and drizzled with olive oil, and  then sprinkled with sliced fresh basil .  I will have dabs of balsamic syrup on the plate around the bruschetta.

The Bleu Provence Salad will be a mixture of baby spring greens, fresh finely chopped herbs sprinkled on top of the greens (chives, basil, parsley, tarragon), tiny diced watermelon, and a few grape tomatoes.  The dressing will be my tarragon/shallot vinaigrette.

The Ragu main course is my now famous recipe of braised beef, veal, and pork in a rich tomato sauce, served over penne pasta, with shaved fresh parmesan cheese on top, and crusty bread for sopping up the sauce.

For the deconstructed Queen of Sheba cake, I plan on making the single layer cake and cutting out small circles with a cookie cutter.  I will then place the mini cakes on top of a layer of chocolate ganache, drizzled with more chocolate ganache over top, sprinkled with a few sliced almonds, and served with 3 fresh raspberries on the side.

Because the ragu is a heavy dish, I decided to lighten up both the appetizer and salad, and while the Queen of Sheba cake is very rich, it is also a very delicate desert.  In fact,  Joe and I both refer to this cake as chocolate cotton candy!  And because ragu is a heavy dish, my guest Chef debut will be in Jan. 2014.

I am looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zone and cooking for the general public.  These dishes are ones I prepare on a regular basis, always getting grand reviews when I prepare them... so I can't say I'm nervous or anxious, just excited.  Those who will be attending this dinner will be locals with gourmet palates... it should be a wonderful night spent doing the thing I love most.