Les Marmitons Guest Chef 2018

I have a lot of foodie friends. Late in 2016 when I decided it would be a good idea to study French cuisine and patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu I was talking to a couple of them about my plans and Paz (my dear foodie friend) blurted “You must be our guest Chef at les Marmitons when you are done!”

“Mais Oui!!” I enthusiastically agreed, no idea what I was agreeing to, however it sounded fantastic and I was already enthralled even though it would not occur until 2018.

2017 rolled by, and I made it through the unbelievably intense Grand Diplome studies at Le Cordon Bleu. I did not however, decide to change my career, but I could have some damn fine dinner parties (even better than before) and I now think cassoulet is one of the best food creations that exist in the world.

I digress…My dear friends did not forget about our previous commitment and I was booked to be a guest Chef at the Winnipeg chapter of Les Marmitons in April of 2018.

http://www.wpglesmarmitons.com/#winnipegchapter1

I decided upon a menu with a number of Basque dishes from the region of the same name in northern Spain and southwestern France. I had also travelled to this region the previous year and loved it.

I prepared the recipes, made the dishes weeks in advance in my home and took photos of the plating so I could present a package of recipes to each group at Les Marms. I was told these guys knew their way around a kitchen and most were pretty good cooks so it was not necessary to explain cutting an onion but I thought photos of what the dish could look like was a good idea.

The week before the event I was told the final number of people who would be cooking and I prepared the shopping list for everything required for the teams; the sommelier received a copy of the menu and proceeded with the wine pairing. I helped with the grocery run and prepping of a few items before the event.

http://www.wpglesmarmitons.com/events/2018/3/13/apr-9-2018-chef-monica-bernard

The evening arrived and I met the group, we engaged in a little chit-chat over appetizers of roasted eggplant dip, lavash crackers and smoked fish; then the group was split into teams with an assigned team leader who picked a number out of a hat determining what dish that team would be preparing.

As the guest Chef I was there to oversee and assist with questions that might come up. It was a blast!! These guys were fantastic!!

Remember I had taken photos of the dishes and had fairly explicit directions for each recipe but none of the groups had prepared any of the dishes before this evening. It was a whirlwind of activity and, as in any kitchen, timing is everything.

Each dish was prepared with a plate for every member of every team, and once completed we had a formal sitting with an explanation of the dish and technique from the team leader followed by a description of the wine from the sommelier.

The commercial kitchen we were using also had some issues that evening and we had to adjust some of the cooking techniques to accommodate; all in all everything worked out fabulously. In addition to the appetizers we enjoyed the following:

Baked Scallops
Clams in “Marinara Style” Sauce
Hake Galician Style
Chicken Basquaise
Rice Pilaf
Gateau Basque

We had a great meal and a lot of fun preparing it. At the end of the evening I was presented with a special certificate stating I was an honorary Chef of Les Marmitons; what a thrill and an absolute pleasure!! I will cherish this experience forever and smile each time I think about my evening with this amazing group of fellow foodies!!

Bon Appetit!!

M