The Band Played On

Getting the opportunity to cook with other chefs is always fun for me. Having the chance to see how they work their own events and how they handle different challenges that present themselves during events is also a great learning experience. No matter how long you’ve been in the business, there is always something to learn. But, being in the mix and powering through till you see the light at the end of the tunnel of the event is a strange thrill for me. Just recently I got to work with a chef friend of mine, David Crews, out of Cleveland, MS. I’ve worked with him a handful of times, and every time it is always fun and I learn something each time.

Dockery Farms

Those Delta Nights are always a good time. This past event that I got to be a part of was for Tedeschi Trucks Band at Dockery Farms. I made bourbon caramel brownies in edible chocolate cookie spoons and Meyer lemon squares. I love bourbon, and I love Meyer lemons… and what better way to kick up the ante a little with those ingredients. I chose to serve the bourbon caramel brownies in the edible spoons so that I could add more bourbon caramel in the bottom of the spoons. Who wouldn't want more bourbon caramel? They Meyer lemon squares were a hit. The use of the Meyer lemons instead of a standard lemon, added a different level of flavor and sweet tartness to them.  

The view from the old service station kitchen

The atmosphere out at Dockery Farms (the times I’ve been out there) have both been great. Greeting to feed musicians both times. We were checking to make sure they are happy and food is where it needs to be at the right time. Also, making sure we are on schedule for anything else that has been asked of us. We are cooking out of a small kitchen in an old filling station with the sounds of the crowd and the band floating in is very awesome. The people walking by our windows to the event looking in and trying to figure out what we are doing. Then when we load up the golf cart we have with our assortment of food and serving pieces… their eyes are glued to us and, of course, ask if that is for them, or if they could have some. The band plays on and we continue on with our set up for them and other VIPs for the after party.  

The VIP after party

Looking up through the strands of lights hanging low in the trees, you can see the clear night sky. The music from the after party band fills the night air along with the sounds of the crickets and night owls. It is almost too perfect. Getting to talk to some of the guests and getting to talk some more to the visiting talent is always fun. Talking about the food we're serving and then seeing the reactions when they take a bite... Always worth it. The VIP after party is the last stretch of the day/night. The final few hours. The toughest part of the day/night is waiting to clean up and get to head home. Those that have worked events that go pretty much all day with different set ups during the day, know how hard that wall hits at the end of the day/night. 

I will be posting the recipe for my bourbon caramel brownies and my Meyer lemon bars later this week. They will be in my Memorial Day post. Have a safe a happy holiday weekend! Happy Eating!

Oh Deer, What to Do with You

Hunting wild game has never been a huge aspect of my life. I want to say the reason why is that my dad has never been a huge hunter himself. He was always one that preferred to go fishing or better yet, fly-fishing. That is where I get the love for fly-fishing. I’m sure if he had taken me hunting growing up that I would also be a hunter.

Fly-fishing trip in Colorado

Now that being said, I have nothing against hunting. I have plenty of friends that go hunting (and I love to get to enjoy the fruits of their hunting labor). I think hunting is a necessity for controlling the population of the different animals, and they are pretty tasty, too.

Over the years, I’ve heard of many different ways of preparing certain game for cooking as to help cut back on the “gameyness” of the meat. One in particular was venison, or also known as deer meat. I’ve heard of people soaking the game in buttermilk, salt water, citrus water, and just plain water. 

 

Just recently I had a friend offer me some venison because he needed to clear out his freezer since turkey season was starting. So not only did he give me some tenderloin, but also some deer sausage. Now, I’ve never cooked deer meat… I’ve only eaten the meat. He said he was interested to see what I decide to do with it. Well, I had only thought about testing two different methods of soaking meat (he did later send me a recipe… I think that was a hint of he wanted me to cook that so he could try it).

But, I digress. So I portioned the meat out into two separate bags… one with buttermilk and the other with just plain ice water (I did leave a couple of pieces not in anything thing as a base to judge from). 24 hours later I take them out and get ready to cook them. Made sure to pat the meat dry before searing them off in a cast iron skillet with a little salt and pepper.

Searing off some of the deer meat in my cast iron skillet

Now the whole point of trying out both of these methods was to see if they work on tenderizing the meat and pulling out the gameyness of the meat. I wanted to test out the two most popular theories I’ve heard over the years. The buttermilk soak did do both. I only noticed that the ice water did tenderize the meat some but didn’t do anything about the gameyness of the meat.

Now, don’t hate me or judge me for admitting this, I have never been a big fan of the gameyness taste in certain meats. I can do without it. So with this little experiment I tried out, I prefer the buttermilk soak. The meat was more tender and didn’t have that sharp distinct gamey flavor. Now it did have a slight hint of that flavor but it was overwhelming.

So if you are one that really likes the strong game flavor… don’t do a buttermilk soak. Stick with a water soak. Maybe even treat it like a brine and add some other spices to the water… I think I’m going to need to ask for some more deer meat to try that out!

 

As for that deer sausage I mentioned… I turned that into a breakfast casserole! Browned the sausage and mixed it into some cream cheese and smeared that between two rolled out cans of crescent rolls. The pan didn’t last long… maybe 10 minutes. I’m glad I took a picture and grabbed a piece when I did!

Back in the Saddle

The last time I posted the cicadas where still in the middle of their loud chorus. They will be cranking back up before we know it.  One of the many sounds that I oddly missed when outside of the South. 

During my long absence from posting I have had a lot going on on the professional front (2 promotions; cook to supervisor/manager to ADFNS). I'm now the Assistant Director of Food and Nutrition Services at a hospital. I have more responsibility, but also the stress and headaches that come with it. I welcome the challenge though. If it isn't challenging you or scaring you... It's not challenging enough.  

My life outside of work has had a few things going on as well. I was asked to do a handful of things through my social media connections and also help some chef friends. I'm now a staff chef for Grillax. I'll get to do more writing and testing out products for them. 

Promo pic from the dessert #GrillingChats I co-hosted 

This opportunity came about after being asked to help co-host a dessert themed #GrillingChats. The chats focus on different ways to grill, such as meats, how to entertain while grilling, and other things that involve grilling. I mean it is called #GrillingChats . It is fun being a pastry chef and incorporating the grill into desserts since the grill is always used for savory dishes. I love grilling everything, and being a trained pastry chef, it is fun playing around with different foods and seeing how they do as a sweet dish.

I was asked to do an article with Eat Y'all for the Christmas season. I enjoyed writing about some of the things my family does during the holiday season. Getting to share a recipe and little look into my personal life was exciting. I look forward to being able to do it again in the future.

Milk Punch and Cookies. My picture for the Eat Y'all article 

 The fall and winter season have many holidays that are personal to everybody. Getting the opportunity to share a little bit of what my family does to enjoy our Christmas season was an insightful look for me as well. I made myself really observe what my family does during this time. Though this time of year can, and usually is, stressful, I was able to really see how this next year we could make it even better. Not everything has to be perfect. If you don't have enough tinsel for the tree, no need to stress. Just give what you have to the kids and let only the bottom portion of the tree get the "icicles". 

I also got to try and talk about a rib roast from Certified Angus Beef through #Foodiechats. All of it has been fun and getting to write creatively is exciting for me.  Getting opportunities like this to be more involved with the online food communities is exciting. I was able to try a new recipe out on a cut a meat that I usually do not cook, and then share it with the online community of #Foodiechats. There will be a post of the recipe that I used to roast this beautiful piece of meat. 

The boneless prime rib roast that I got to prepare for friends and family  

This involvement has made me realize how much I love to share my own knowledge of the culinary world. It has made me want to explore more avenues of sharing my know hows. The involvement has kept me immersed in the food culture and helps me to keep expanding my knowledge, too. 

I'm currently looking at getting my YouTube web series up and going. It will be good related of course. I'll be exploring different cultures cuisine and then making it my own. I'm really excited about it. Hope y'all will tune into that as well.

The challenge of getting a video web series started has proven to be challenging, but exciting. I'm pulling from all resources and getting input from different professionals. I have even gotten books on different approaches to social media, food styling, and food photography. I guess you can say that I'm trying to become a Jack of all trades. Food is definitely my main passion in life, and I'm excited to share even more of that with y'all. I'm excited about this journey and that y'all are following me.

Happy Eating