DINNER 209: Friday, July 28, 2006

This evening after work, I went down to work at a culinary event at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. I worked on a Wine & Food Pairing event with Chef Leech, Katherine, and 12 guests. The guests made a variety of dishes — Tuna Tartar with Cucumbers, Rice Vinegar, Lime Juice, Soy Sauce, and Sesame Oil; Shrimp stuffed with Goat Cheese, Lemon, Almonds, and fresh Thyme; Roast Lamb two ways — with sauteed mushrooms and then with Cumberland Sauce; and a Rustic Peach and Apple Tart with a Peach and Apple Concasse.

There was a fair amount of mise en place, so I got right into it when I arrived. I prepared six identical sheet trays with the ingredients that the students would need, portioned and prepared to certain points (we wanted to take care of some of the more routine preparation activities while still leaving them something to do).

Everything was very tasty, and the students really enjoyed themselves as they learned about different wines and how they paired with food. The pleasant surprise at the end was that only one of the wines we served cost more than $10.00. Some of them weren’t great wines, but all of them proved the point that a wine doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive to taste good.

Katherine and I wrapped up the dishes and the room and got out of there by 10:00pm.