Monday, November 11, 2013

Sneak Peek from Last weekend's Dinner Party

For my most recent dinner party I composed a menu based on a theme of world travel. The host's were avid travellers and loved the idea of a destination menu.

So why not dibble into come international cuisine.
Jim-balaya 
Southern seasoned chicken and sausage, roasted red pepper aioli and crispy wonton.
Pushed together with an adjustable chilli oil to add at your discretion.







Black Bean Soup- Banana Salsa
Enter the velvet smooth world of this dish with sautéed onion, fennel and black bean. Adjusted with the grace of fresh vanilla bean and anise seed. Something different to get your attention.



Striploin Croistini

Marinated "AAA" Alberta Beef Seared, sliced and stretched over a crispy French loaf croistini. Topped with Bearnaise.
Matched up with braised red cabbage and a Stilton Blue cheese and Leek potato Pave. Complimented by peppery rocket greens.



Double Chocolate torte

Crispy crunchy chocolate shell with a creamy Callebaut chocolate filling.
Blueberries and Crème Anglais




Can your guess the regions inspiring each course- some have more than one.


Edmonton's #1 private Chef up for booking.

4 course Dinner's starting at 90$ per person for the new year.



Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Mega Your Mashed Potatoes - Cooking Demonstration @ Greenland Garden Centre

An annual celebration and fundraiser for the Alberta Cancer Foundation.

Over 500 Ladies gather at Greenland Garden Centre in Sherwood Park Alberta for a night of pampering to raise money for a great cause.
Read more about the event by following the link - http://greenlandgarden.com/index/ladies_night13.htm

And Yes of course Chef Sheridan was there to offer 2 cooking demonstrations on how to whip your potatoes into shape for the holiday season!

I figure, hey it is the holiday season and yes we are all going to cook or eat mashed potatoes at least once over the holidays. So I thought I would shine some light on how to improve taste and nutritional qualities through different cooking methods, techniques and ingredients.

Following a recipe from my Cookbook "Healthy Family Recipes" from Company's Coming we toured along Cooking "Quinoa Mashed Potatoes" and covering every step along the way.


We started off by discussing whether or not to peel our potatoes before cooking them- as there is plenty of nutritional value in the skin, however some dislike the texture. Personally I find meeting in the middle ground with the "lazy peel" works best for me. To simply peel away blemishes, cuts and scores away from the potato leaving less skin on but still enough to reap some health benefits.


From there we covered making consistent cut sizes with our potatoes to ensure even cooking while boiling in water. I also spoke about how after boiling, I like to place my cooked potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put it into the oven for 10 minutes at 350F to dry up excess water and steam.

We then spoke about using a potato ricer to mash our potatoes to ensure no clumps. Also a great way to get the kids involved with cooking in a fun way.



After covering the basics of rinsing and cooking quinoa, we spoke of it's many other uses and methods to compliment other foods rather than be the main show.

Then it was right into assembling our Mega Mashed Potatoes, by starting off by scalding our milk in a large pot, and adding in other flavours like roasted garlic, lemon, and nutmeg to infuse into the milk.
Then to gradually add in our riced potatoes and whip them into fluffy glory- complimented by quinoa.



You tell me what kind of cooking demonstration doesn't involve a taste tester of some sort. You gotta taste right?
For all members of the audience I supplied a tasty little bite sized treat. We had our quinoa mashed potatoes piped into a crunch phyllo pastry shell with the addition of slowed cooked Alberta beef and arugula.
Don't worry folks, plenty to go around!

Great feeling to be part of a group who helped raised over $20 000 for Cancer research for the Alberta Cancer Foundation.

Few spots remaining for private functions during the Holiday Season. Book Today to reserve your spot!
http://www.chefsheridan.com/booking/

Chef Sheridan