SBCC Culinary Arts Graduating Chefs -- Awesome!

Last night was the Tour de Cuisine dinner put on by the graduating Spring 2010 Culinary Arts School students and it was awesome! This event is the culmination of their four semester studies. They plan and execute the event from designing the menu to ordering the food to cooking for a huge crowd. The unofficial count I heard mentioned by family and friends was over 300 guests. For just 17 students to prepare a six-course meal plus appetizers (with help from the catering crew) is a wonderful achievement. They should be as proud of themselves as we are with them! The theme was Roots--the food that inspires us and the menu was as follows:

Spring Greens
pea tendrils, nasturtium, pistachios & pickled cauliflower with a fresh garlic vinegarette
(nasturtium flowers are wonderful in salads, a bit peppery and easy to grow)


Seared Sea Scallops
Pacific rim vegetables with a ponzu tangerine reduction





Pan Roasted Seabass
braised fennel & baby artichokes with almond butter & pepper coulis



Leg Of Lamb Poelee
stuffed squash blossom, braised radicchio, blood orange demi glace


Cheese Plate
a selection of California cheeses
Point Reyes blue, Mt. Tam triple cream, and Seascape (a sheep/cow's milk combo)

S'mores Duo
an exploration of the classic combination of marshmallow, chocolate and graham crackers

This was particularly ingenious--a graham cracker cake on the right, topped with a dollop of melted marshmallow and an "oreo" of graham cracker with marshmallow filling, coated in chocolate.





I had to take the photos with my  iphone in dim light with my daughter holding her phone light over the food--not the best way to get good shots! I don't have any photos of the graduates...this looks like an impressionistic painting, but it's actually blurry students walking up to get their certificates:

The vineyards of Farnese in the Abruzzo hills, were established in 1582 when Princess Margarita of Austria (illegitimate daughter of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor) married Ottavio Farnese and ordered the cultivation of vineyards and olive groves. This week's Online Grapevine wine sale is a sampling of their wines--the case price (12 bottles) is barely twice the price of just three bottles--a bargain at less than $10 a bottle with free shipping! I have volunteer mint popping up all around--and in--my garden boxes and have been putting mint into everything--salads, hot tea, rice pilaf and now bruschetta. The flavor of the mint in my recipe is slight, but it gives the bruschetta a lovely extra layer to the appetizing aroma:

Fresh Bruschetta With A Hint Of Mint:
1 loaf of crusty Italian bread or a baguette
3 large ripe tomatoes1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
large sprig of fresh mint, minced
4 Tbsp. olive oil
4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan (optional)
In a medium pot, bring enough water to a boil so the tomatoes will be covered when they are added. Slit one end of each tomato with a sharp knife, then add to boiling water and cook just until the skin begins to peel off. Put them in a glass (or non-reactive) bowl inside a larger bowl of ice to cool. Peel, seed and chop them, then return them to the glass bowl. Mix in the garlic, mint, oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Cut the bread into thin diagonal pieces and toast until golden brown. Spread the topping on the toasts, including the juice which will infuse the bread with flavor. You can sprinkle grated Parmesan on top if you like. Serves 6-8. Pair with this week's special wine: the 2008 Farnese Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.