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In This Issue |
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• Letter from the Chef
• Pickled Cauliflower
• Featured Photo
• All the Latest News
• Sip, Nibble, and Learn
• How To: Taste Chocolate
• Farmers' Market Finds
• Fantastic Food Events
Dear Fellow Food Lover,
We all know that cooking and eating great food is fun. But when teams do it together in our Culinary Team Building Events, a lot more than just fun happens.
Team building and cooking are remarkably similar activities. Both require the participants to utilize creativity and experimentation inside clearly defined boundaries, and also emphasize working towards a desired result. The kitchen is a familiar environment, so familiar in fact that participants often forget they are in a team-building or learning environment.
A team-cooking program meets the objectives of employers by creating an environment in which participants are moved toward a spirit of cooperation, meanwhile being thoroughly entertained and stimulated by an interactive experience.*
Give us a call to talk about creating a great experience for your team.
Approach life with Relish!
Stephen, Molly, and Anne
* Excerpted from ìA Recipe for Team Building that Worksî by David Goldstein on NewEnglandCorporateEvents.com, April 2003. |
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Pickled Cauliflower
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Featured Photo |
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Hands On Gourmet Chef Alex Lopez and Barbara Purdon share culinary secrets at our recent team building event with Genentech ñ our 5th for various teams there.
ìAs a team building event, this definitely exceeded my expectations. The cooking tips were great and the food was delicious. Thanks for a fun evening!" says Barbara.
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All The Latest News |
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Check our our new video! In these three great video clips, Chef Stephen xxx. You can
watch them online or as a podcast. Give them a peek!!
Hands On Gourmet turns 100! Well, not
really, but we recently celebrated a milestone ñ our
100th cooking class party. Genomic Healthís
sales team ñ 60 people, in town from all over the
world ñ enjoyed a high-energy culinary team
building event. The menu included our popular
Arancini (Fried Risotto Balls with Fresh
Mozzarella and Sage), Sushi rolling with our own
sushi master Ardel Tsutsui, Homemade Pasta,
and Chocolate Truffle making. Afterwards, of
course, we shared some bubbly to celebrate. But
now letís raise a glass to you, our clients, who
have made this success possible. Salute!
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Sip, Nibble, and Learn |
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If you're eager to explore a rich variety of California
wines, the California WinePassport is a great
place to start. Whether you're in
a restaurant, wine store, or visiting wine country,
this friendly guide
makes quick sense of California wines, grapes,
and regions. Makes a great party favor!
$8.50
Grab some friends and become chocolate
connoisseurs. The new single origin
chocolate tasting kit from E. Guittard helps you
do just that. You get four small bars each of four
different types of chocolate. Each chocolate has
the same sugar and cacao content; the only
variable is the source of the cacao beans. You
really can see and taste the difference between,
say, Ambanja chocolate from Madagascar and
Chucuri from Colombia. The included booklet
provides lots of chocolate trivia. $16.00
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How To: Taste Chocolate |
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OK, you probably have a pretty effective
technique down already. But here is how the
experts recommend that you fully experience
your chocolate.
Look. If you are comparing chocolates,
it helps to
put them on a something white like a piece of
paper or a plate. Note the color (from light brown
to almost black) and the glossy shine that
quality chocolate has.
Listen. Break off a piece. It
should "snap"
cleanly, without flaking or crumbling.
Smell. Rub the chocolate with your
finger to
help release the aromas. Much like wine,
chocolate can include traces of berry, peppery
spice, or floral scents.
Taste. Let the chocolate melt on your
tongue. Good chocolate will melt fairly quickly,
but the flavor will last and develop, with a
smooth mouth feel.
To improve your chocolate-tasting skills, practice
regularly. We can't think of a better art to
dedicate yourself to!
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Farmers' Market Finds |
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Welcome back to our seasonal produce corner.
Well, here we sit, still bundled up in the chill,
although it seems that the sun has been
dropping by
a bit more frequently as of late. While you wait
for that first sunny day in spring, look for these
delicious winter treats at your farmersí
market.
- Cauliflower
- Meyer Lemons
- Early Carrots
- Blood Oranges
- Leeks
- Turnips
- Kohlrabi
- Brussels Sprouts
- Fava Beans
To check out your local farmer's market, use the link below.
Find Your Local Farmers' Market
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Fantastic Food Events |
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Napa Valley Mustard Festival. Itís that
beautiful
time of year again in wine country, the mustard
harvest. Donít miss this festival
celebrating ìfood, wine, art, and the rich, unique
agricultural and cultural bounty of the Napa
Valley.î
Various events, Jan 28-April 1. More
information.
Meet NPRís Kitchen Sisters for an
evening of intriguing tales of local kitchen rituals
and visionaries, clandestine cooking and
neighborhood recipes. Tell your own kitchen story
and enjoy tasty tidbits and homemade wine from
Angelo Garro. Sponsored by the Commonwealth
Clubís Bay Gourmet Program.
March 2. 6:00 p.m. Reception. 6:30 p.m.
Program. Berkeley Mills showroom, 2830 7th St.,
Berkeley. $10 for Members, $17 for Non-
members.
Edible Explorations: Beer and Food
Pairing. Part of The Monterey Bay
Aquariumís chef dinner series, hosted by Portola
Restaurantís Executive Chef Dory Ford, designed
to promote sustainability and preservation on
land and in water. Brew master Ramsay
Borthwick of English Ales Brewery in Marina,
California, joins Chef Dory to share ideas on
cooking with beer and pairing beer with their
favorite dishes.
March 9, 2006. 6:30pm-9:30pm. Reservations
(831) 648-7963. More information.
Bar Tartine. The wildly popular Tartine
Bakery (600 Guerrero St., San Francisco) recently
opened a dining counterpart, to the delight of its
many loyal customers. Bar Tartine is now open
for dinner, serving a full menu and many wines
by the glass.
Opens 5:30. Closed Sundays. 561 Valencia
St., San Francisco. More information.
Find More Bay Area Food Events
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| Letter from the Chef |
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When I was a kid, the word pickle was either associated with a stork or the old men who hung out at the clubhouse bar long after the golf match was over.
But now pickling has an entirely different meaning. It means preserving - and it can be applied to all kinds of food. As a cook and food manager, I'm constantly looking at ways to preserve food. It all boils down to dollars and sense. In my last letter, I went over the necessity of cleaning out your cabinets and cooking all the canned food, dry goods and frozen food in your kitchen. Again, using the food you've paid your hard-earned dollars for. And - here's the trick - enjoying it!
Now I'd like to ask: how often you go to the market with good intentions and buy heaps of fresh produce only to have it rot in your fridge? I'd be a liar if I said that I haven't done it myself. It feels so good to buy veggies and think about how you are going to change your diet once and for all, only to quickly succumb to that deep fried pork and avocado burrito. Well, that's my story. Anyone else?
So here we are in the middle of February, and after our trip to the market we bring home produce like beets, carrots, onions and cauliflower. Even though they last quite a long time, Mother Nature giveth and will also eventually taketh away.
So this month I though it would be fun to pickle some cauliflower. Next month I'll give you a recipe to use it in. I'm thinking maybe a nice pickled vegetable salsa to go with a seared piece of fish or full flavored meat like lamb. We'll see what mood I'm in when the time comes.
To get started, you'll need some simple, cheap supplies: mason jars (they can be purchased at Smart and Final and other stores), white vinegar, pickling or kosher salt and some peppercorns. You can experiment with all kinds of tricks, but for this first time we'll keep it nice and basic.
And don't think that I've been pickling veggies with my grandmother since I was a kid. Far from it. This happens to be something I've wanted to try for some time. Usually at my house the veggies go into the soup pot, but I was ready for a new approach.
Pickling is not only a good way to preserve produce, but the result tastes darn good, too. All year round there are vegetables to pickle. In the summer you can go wild with squash, green tomatoes and corn. And later in the year asparagus, beets and carrots work well too! The best part about it is that when friends come over for that nice dry martini or bloody mary, you can pull out your bounty and add some to the drink or just enjoy as an accompaniment.
OK, that's all for now. See you next month.
Aloha!
Chef Stephen
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