Master Chef Dean wants us all to be S....L....O....W

Maybe you will think of the slow food movement, which is opposed to fast food. It promotes traditional, local cuisine and ingredients as well as sustainability in farming practices and consumption (i.e. eating). 

Perhaps your mind goes to slow cooking. Maybe pick a dish to be cooked "low and slow", as they say. 

Or maybe your dish just isn't that smart......... 

No matter what your take on it is, one thing's for sure is that we will all take our time! 

WHEN: Saturday September 28th, 6pm 

Hors D'oeuvres: SC Leah
First Appetizer: Guest chef
Second Appetizer: SC Amy
Soup/Salad: SC Vanessa
Main: SC Dean
Dessert: SC Dallas

We laughed,  we cried, we celebrated all that is the dramedy of life!  
Some chefs leaned into the concept of contrasts-that-shouldn't-work-but-do, whereas others celebrate the tension and theatrics of mixed emotions.   For example the highs of air conditioners and the lows of people who forgot to wear a hat! 

We launched our supper with a dish that challenged our taste buds by sous chef Dallas - a crispy gruyere and kimchi fritter, dipped in a kimchee and lemon sauce.  The melty nutty cheese and fermented spicy cabbage combo shouldn't have tasted as good as it did, especially with the sweet plum brandy cocktail.  I had seconds and regret nothing.  As he tends to do, sous chef Dean took the concept of contrast to the next level with his appetizer.  Though perhaps initially hesitant to try his concoction, everyone cleaned their plates as we ate the layered combination of homemade teriyaki-marinated tofu, caramelized onions, a slice of orange,  Dijon kale, and a bulger salad with raisins and olives.   The drink brought yet more flavours to the mix, with a savory and spicy beer and tomato juice cocktail. 

Sous chef Leah took us to a more theatric state of mind,  as we celebrated the classic dramedic movie 'The Truman Show'.   We cued the sun with a turmeric arepa filled with  chickpeas marinated in spiced oil and herbs, topped with a pink beet and curry leaf relish.  Leaning on similar flavours, her custom cocktail include curry-leaf-infused vodka, puree mango, ginger and fresh raspberries. Next was a celebration of portmanteau tastes with guest chef Abe (welcome back!)- the could-have-been-gross-but-was-delicious dish of peanut butter broth and gochujang tofu ramen dish surprised us all with it's balanced savory taste.  The noodle soup was complemented with another contrast of a Macha tea-infused gin gimlet.

Onto Master Chef Vanessa for a reimaging the classic supper scene from the movie 'Hook', with expertly cooked coffee infused steak/mushrooms,   a corn and watermelon salad,  and puff pasty filled with pureed squash, mashed potato, and Caribbean sweet potato.  Celebrating a real-time celebrity dramedy,  MC Vanessa secured a bottle of Miraval rose from the winery of in-the-middle-of-a-divorce Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.   For the final dish,  the room filled with the sounds of 'O Fortuna' as sous chef Amy shared a personal tragedy involving a bunny cake that fell to a terrible fate.  The reborn hummingbird cake was filled with a cream coconut layer, covered in candy, and served with a refreshing carrot and ginger juice.      
​     
Onto our next event with Master Chef Dean!

Master Chef Vanessa asks "What good is intensity without a little levity?".  "What is the impact of seriousness if not contrasted against busting a gut?" 

The theme, a portmanteau of Drama And Comedy, call our chefs to find way to juxtapose elements that shouldn't work together but yet somehow they do!

When: April 20th, 6pm

Course Assignment
Hors D'oeuvres: Sous Chef Dallas
First Appetizer: Sous Chef Dean
Second Appetizer: Sous Chef Leah
Soup/Salad: Sous Chef Christine
Main: Master Chef Vanessa
Dessert: Sous Chef Amy

Baby's breath, neon lights, and pastel drink umbrellas set the stage for our celebration of tacky!

Sous Chef Dean launched the evening by removing his one piece purple snowsuit to get the party started! Tapping into all that is eurotrash,  he leaned into bad taste and brought 'drugs' to the party - forcing guests to heat up/cook their sugar for the cocktail.  Homemade goat cheese puff pastry was served with a syringe of thyme infused honey and pill capsule of chili flakes, walnuts and rosemary. To the table for Sous Chef Christine's 1970s sandwich loaf,  a classic dish that all good wives served at fancy dinner parties for their husbands friends.  Slices of bread were filled with artichoke hearts,  chickpea salad and black olives, covered all over with a goat cheese spread - a very distinctly tacky presentation.  A classic punch with an optional splash of gin was provided to help wash it all down. 

Glass harmonica music filled the room, as Sous Chef's Vanessa explored the tackiness of 'church lady' food, following a somber funeral.   The basement hall food was elevated to heights with a 'veggie dip' patty, prosciutto wrapped cheese toast, and deviled eggs with maritime lobster. Red wine reached new depths as it was de-enhanced with root beer soda...  Sous Chef Dallas tapped into the tackiness of teenage judgement and their celebration of hyper-processed food.  A 1980's classic Alligator soup was re-imagined with homemade alligator noodles, a preserved-lemon relish, and bespoke heart-shaped crackers.  The soup was served with a delightfully effervescent natural wine.   Then a Weird Al soundtrack and pipe cleaner art distracted the chefs while waiting for the main dish. 

Master Chef Amy re-created a tacky childhood favourite, the Arby's roast beef sandwich with curly fries.  Chefs unwrapped their roast beef (or tofu) sandwiches, and dipped their freshly cooked curly fries in a homemade BBQ and horsey (horseradish) sauce - Delish!.  The fast-food re-creation was served with bespoke cola syrup and club soda.  In the final dish of the evening, sous chef Leah explored the tackiness and shame of enjoying raw batter.   Chefs licked off a whisk full of dark chocolate mouse (aka cake batter), and ate a pile of roasted sugar and flour 'Raw' chocolate chip and cherry cookie dough with their fingers.            

​Let's get TACKY!!!  Channel your inner, earnest dorkiness and give us a dish that you think is so bad it's good, something that offends all the senses but you embrace with open-hearted gusto, something that would make James Beard roll in his grave but you can't get enough of, a guilty pleasure that makes other people question your sanity. All is welcome as long as you love it while drowning in a tsunami of side eye!  

When:  6pm Saturday February 24th

Dishes:
Hors D'oeuvres: Sous Chef Dean
First Appetizer: Sous Chef Christine
Second Appetizer: Sous Chef Vanessa
Soup/Salad: Sous Chef Dallas
Main: Master Chef Amy
Dessert: Sous Chef Leah

​Guest Chef - TBD

And a little inspiration to get the juices flowing:

The intrepid chefs entered the dark woods,  their movement creating a million spoon-shaped whirls in the low-lying mist.  They all paused, took big, slow breath of the mint-scented air, and pick up their forks. 

The forest floor crunched and crackled underfoot,  the inspiration for the first course by Sous Chef Amy.  The subtle forest noises were recreated with a crispy nest of shredded phyllo,  beet-dill-goat cheese rusks,  and a herbaceous dip with a pile of tree branches (pretzels).  We swirled the apple sticks, mixing in the apple concentrate into our fizzy drink. 
As we moved deeper into the forest, the mood turned perhaps suicidal as Sous Chef Dean honoured lives lost with custom dumplings stuffed with egg, mushrooms and bulgogi tofu, served with a crispy tempura broccoli.  Many a vegetable sacrificed their juicy lives for the custom cocktail topped with bubbly sake.

Things became slightly more regular in the forest, as the logger-favourite stewed prunes entered the meal with Sous Chef Leah.  The chefs dined as laborers in the deep Canadian woods, feasting on a historic salad of stewed prunes, roasted root vegetables and a prune dressing, washing it all down with an adapted prune juice dark-and-stormy. Back from the outhouse and further into the dark woods, for Master Chef Dallas's sampler of delights inspired by the wonders of the Black Forest. The chefs dined on multi-day marinated mushrooms, crunchy cabbage slaw, homemade spätzle with stewed forest berries, and a delicious brown bread - all enhanced with sips from a black cherry whiskey sour.        

The woods because less in focus and shaky, as Sous Chef Vanessa served a forest-berry sherbet, complemented with milk chocolate bark topped with dried cherries, blueberries, and cranberries - and a haunting insignia pretzel.  The meal wrapped up with chefs sipping on bourbon and blueberry liquor cocktail (and a spider!).      
    
Many thanks to future chef Elio for bringing the forest to the table (literally).  

Master Chef Dallas order all chefs to venture into the Deep Dark Woods!
Date: Oct 14, 6pm
Location: chez Master Chef Dallas

Course Assignment
Hors D'oeuvres:  Sous Chef Amy
First Appetizer: Sous Chef Christine
Second Appetizer: Sous Chef Dean
Soup/Salad: Sous Chef Leah
Main: Master Chef Dallas
Dessert: Sous Chef Vanessa

Bork! Bork! Bork!

To start the evening, our Guest Chef Keenara pulled out all the beats with her Muppet outfit (holy green pigtails!) and ingenious presentation. In honour of Animal, we ate drums (deep fried olives stuffed sausage/mushrooms and wrapped in goat cheese) and drank drum (something incredibly alcoholic).

Sous Chef Vanessa was inspired by her love of 'Muppets Take Manhattan' and provided a deconstructed classic NY dish with vegan pastrami (celeriac marinated in beet juice and seasoning- what!?!?), crunchy coleslaw and a delicious selection of homemade pretzel bites. Yes, I had seconds. The dish was served with a Broadway sour including bourbon and a layer of wine on top. 

Sous Chef Amy teased the taste buds with a trio of potato-based appetizers based on the unparalleled Muppet rendition of Danny Boy. In honor of the Swedish Chef: pan-seared cheese-filled potato pancakes; In honor of Animal: stuffed and twice-baked mini potatoes with goat cheese and chives; In honor of Beeker: buttery potato terrine.  The dish was served with a sparkling iced tea made with traditional Irish herbs including heather flowers, thyme and rosemary, burdock root and vervain--- flavoured with lime for a touch of "green". 

Sous Chef Dean entertained the chefs with his taste experiment based on the Muppet science duo!  We dined on Dr. Honeydew as a mango, red pepper and honeydew melon salad with nori eye glasses and a jelly sphere full of melon.  Not to be outdone, sidekick Beeker was also at the table with carrot-shaved hair and lab coat. Muppet Brad made a surprise appearance in a snazzy plaid jacket. 

Master Chef Leah tapped into all thing chronically groovy for Floyd Pepper! Chefs had a celebration of pepper, starting with pepper-infused sous-vide chicken and stuffed mushrooms in a spicy green peppercorn sauce. The chicken was complimented with a five-layered potato dish, including creamed spinach, sweet potato, parmesan, a hefty dosh of black and white ground pepper - all washed down with a glass of peppery wine.  

Though unable to attend, Sous Chef Dallas rounded out the meal with a celebration of the Swedish Chef!  Though we missed her company, we loved her Kladdkaka, a Swedish chocolate cake served with a tart raspberry sauce to balance out the sweetness. 

Up next Master Chef Christine! 

It's time to play the music
It's time to light the lights
It's time to raise our napkins
For the Muppet Show, alright!

It's time to peel the garnish
It's time to bake the bites
It's time to make the menu
For the Muppet Show delights!

Amuse Bouche:  to be confirmed
Hors D'oeuvres: SC Christine
Appetizer A: SC Vanessa
Appetizer B: SC Amy
Soup/Salad: SC Dean
Main: MS Leah
Dessert: SC Dallas

Where: Chez MC Leah
​When:  June 10th 6pm

The future is full of an amazing variety of tasty foods. We came together to explore the culinary dimension of the future, along with a special guest of baby Violetta (our youngest visitor at 2 months old!).

Sous Chef Leah launched our meal with a star trek celebration of puff-pastry wrapped green beans/beams with a herbal sauce, and pakora baked green beans/beams with a tamarind orange sauce.  The first cocktail of the night was in honour of Capt P, with an earl grey infused vodka, pear juice, splash of tonic and earl grey simple syrup. 

Next up was Sous Chef Dallas, with a celebration of her near future with a new-born baby.  We had triple servings of her roasted violet carrots wrapped in a puff-pastry blanket, with a garlicky yoghurt dip.  With long lapses of no sleep, the drink celebrated the joys of coffee, with a splash of baileys and cream.  

Onto Sous Chef Christine, who was focused on her upcoming toddler tantrum years with foods to soothe.  The chefs were served halved grapes, a pile of cheerios and a broccoli, carrot, apple muffin, with a side of delicious lemon butter.  The dish was complimented with a nutritious and energising red smoothie with pineapple, mango and orange juice, with crushed frozen cherries, raspberries, blueberries, lime juice and zest. 

To the table for a salad dish decided by a futuristic AI Chat GPT (implemented by Sous Chef Amy).  We enjoyed a delightful Caesar salad, tweaked to meet the various dietary considerations (cheese-croutons-bacon, cheese-bacon, cheese-croutons, dressing with no raw garlic, etc.)   The Chat GPT also recommended a refreshing drink of a Cucumber Cooler,  full of fresh mint, lime, and soda water (plus gin for the tipplers).  

Master Chef Vanessa had her upcoming milestone birthday and associated Mediterranean celebration in mind, as she served roasted lemon potatoes with salmon and a salsa of baked multi-coloured tomatoes, olives and capers. To accompany the dish, we enjoyed a crisp white wine from the isles of Greece. 

For dessert, Sous Chef Dean took us to a domed habitat on Mars!   Under an exquisite sugar dome was a raspberry pomegranate tart with a baked custard layer. Under the dome, the village included homemade white and dark chocolate houses with chocolate tunnels, and raspberry and pomegranate seed Martian rocks.  We washed it down with a custom cocktail of brandy, Cointreau, and fresh squeezed lemon, raspberry and pomegranate juice  (plus an alternative with non-alcoholic rum and fresh juices for teetotalers).

Thanks for hosting our futuristic supper Master Chef Vanessa (and cat Stella)  

Next up: Master Chef Leah