MEMORABLE FOOD

This was the week that memories were made, old ones revisited and cooking class recipes were quick and easy. 

Several years ago I entertained a group of ladies for a bridal shower in my backyard.  The mid-June day was one of those first of summer almost 100-degree days where a spot in the shade was all one could muster to stay cool.  It was a late morning to an early afternoon event, with the intense scorching midday sun overhead, and iced cold water was all that the guests were imbibing.  Even the chilled bottles of Prosecco seemed too extreme of a beverage at this time of the day.  We made it through the afternoon in sunhats, under the shade-producing trees, and gallons of iced cold water with sliced cucumbers, mint and lemons.  This past week I was reminded by the editor of Utah Style and Design of this event, as she posted pictures from the article on Facebook and Twitter. It was a grand occasion. Sweltering, steaming hot, but memorable. Check out the festivities here for more particulars.

I did my fair share of dining out this week, having a true Jewish deli experience Feldman’s Deli noshing on a copious two-inch thick perfectly sliced corned beef Reuben, a “health salad” of marinated vegetables (opting out of their irresistible fries), and a house cured pickle.  A bona fide NY style deli right here in Salt Lake.

Brunch on Sunday with an east coast transplant food fanatic friend was Pago in the heart of 9^th and 9^th historic area, burgeoning with trendy shops, coffee emporiums and various and sundry dining establishments.  Pago is classic American food with emphasis on farm to table.  Young chefs, creative dishes, a local favorite.

I also dined with three food and wine aficionado friends at a venerable first of its kind restaurant here in Salt Lake City, soon to shutter its doors for a while until a new location is found.  Forage, a molecular gastronomy tasting menu restaurant made a name and a most deserved reputation for the first of its kind in our city.  Two famed chefs, Viet Pham and Bowman Brown catapulted this intimate but well-loved restaurant into national notoriety.  It will be missed.  Three plus hours to fully enjoy the 11-course menu, the extensive wine list, flights or pairings are memory generating.  Forage.  Notable.

And then there were my cooking classes.  I had two remarkable nights this week of the most fascinating students all somehow intertwined with other students in the valley on some level – personally or professionally. It happens more often than not there will be a connection of even the most distant coincidence.  Truly Small Lake City, as they say.

There was an emphasis on quick, easy and exotic dishes in my classes.  Shrimp poached in cream of coconut and served with a creamy sauce over mixed greens, glazed pork chops with baby bok choy, another shrimp dish, but this time with seared jumbo scallops over instant cooking couscous and Swiss chard.  For a quick stir fry meal, the tender flank steak, pan fried with mushrooms, snow peas, tomatoes and onions over Asian rice noodles composed a perfect 30-minute dish.   

Don’t forget to freeze the flank steak for one hour for ease in thinly slicing the meat, against the grain.  Also, don’t forget to toss in the baking soda on the sliced steak pieces and allow it to sit for about 30 minutes.  This is a cooking tip from a noted Chinese restaurant chef for tenderizing beef and pork used in stir fry dishes.  It is truly a miracle how tender each piece of meat will be transformed into when using this simple tip.

Creating food memories, whether with friends eating at a local establishment or sharing a quick to prepare dish in the intimate setting of your kitchen, let’s get cooking.