The Secret Life of Bees

Not only can the Bitches cook, we can read too! And so we did....

The Secret Life of Bees was the theme... so after flipping through the book, we headed to Bridget's to see if we could unravel some of those secrets in the kitchen. I think the little insects would be proud!

The honorary cocktail of the evening was The Bees Knees. And it was delicious! 
The "secret" to this drink in the winter, was definitely the gin... barrel aged for a little more depth... perfection!

Up next, Grilled Bruschetta with Teleme, Honey and Figs.
Bees hibernate during the winter, so how better to partake in this appetizer, than to head to the cave!

The salad course was selected as an ode to smoking the hives... Smoked Mackerel Salad with Crunchy Vegetables.

Then it was back to the kitchen for some real work. Honey-Marinated Pork with Gremolata, Pecan Rice & Honey-Roasted Carrots. Oh my! We chopped, sauteed and roasted, and after all of our efforts were rewarded with the most comforting, honey-laden meal you could imagine.

But what dinner would be complete without Honey Cakes?! Absolutely Divine...

And the surprise ending.. right from the book! Coke with peanuts... sweet, salty... what's not to love.

After drinking fine spirits and eating delectable dishes, I couldn't help but resonate with the following quote... I hope the other bitches can relate...

“The bee is domesticated but not tamed.”
William Longgood, Author

Without a doubt, another successful evening!! So much fun...

Smokin' Hot... or Cold!

Well, after a one-year delay (to the date!) the Kitchen Bitches are back at it!  AND... we've added a new Bitch! Welcome... Bridget.

Paige hosted this round, and the theme was Smokin' Hot... or Cold. Basically, Paige just wanted an excuse to get some liquid nitrogen to play with! 

The evening started off with Smoked Manhattans. We used a smoke chamber, added some smoke and, Mmmmmm, enjoyed!

Kim B had the assignment of Smoking Cedar Baked Pecorino with Truffle Honey and Marrons Glace. We torched the cedar plank after the cheese came out of the oven, to infuse the scent of cedar in the room. We all agreed to keep this in our rotation... it was delicious!

Then it was time to bust out the liquid nitrogen!

We made the palate cleanser and "nitro-ice-cream" at the same time, so we didn't need to schlep the liquid nitrogen twice. It was pretty neat to see the smoke billow and work with an ingredient that we've never used before.

Then time to start the main course... Salmon with root vegetable jus under glass with Mushroom Risotto under pressure.

Not too many photos here. We were BUSY putting the salmon in the sous vide, warming the carrot fricassee and the jus, setting out the caviar and making Kim P's assignment- the mushroom risotto. We used a pressure cooker for the risotto, which eliminated the need to stir constantly for 30 minutes. It tasted delicious and kept our forearms in tact!

We used a smoking gun, to add smoke under the glass domes, and placed it on top of our salmon. Then, the plates went to the table for us to enjoy!! Quick shout out to Paige's mom, who made the adorable place cards for our settings!!

And we topped off the evening with Bridget's Grilled Lemon Pound Cake with peaches and Liquid nitrogen Ice-cream.

Yep, by that time, we were absolutely content and happy! (And pretty proud of ourselves too, another cooking club down and we didn't need to call in Domino's...sweet success.)

Will we cook with liquid nitrogen again in the future?! Well, I can't speak for the others, but this Bitch definitely will!

Until next time!

James Beard

Kim B selected our next menu... James Beard Award Winners!
Could we hold our own???

We started with "spherification" by making tiny pomegranite "bubbles" and added them to champagne. The bubbles burst into our mouths as we drank the champagne!

Then it was off to the eating portion of our evening...

Maine Peekytoe Crab Salad with Celery, Walnut Oil and Granny Smith Apple
James Beard Award Winning Chef: Daniel Boulud

Kim P was quite busy! This dish contains apple pickle coins, apple cider gelee, granny smith apple confit, celery root puree, crab salad  (with crab that Kim had caught in Alaska!) and apple skin chips. It was delicious! 

Hot Potato, Cold Potato, Black Truffle Parmesan (in a paraffin bowl)
James Beard Award Winning Chef: Grant Achatz

Paige had a little trouble creating the paraffin bows, and after much debate, decided glass bowls would have to do! She did manage to make one "showcase" bowl.

Essentially, the skewer is to be pierced through the paraffin, then removed, dropping the hot potato and truffle into the cold potato soup.  But it was not to be.

Although the bowls didn't turn out, the texture was silky and immensely satisfying. (really, how can you go wrong with truffle!)

Pan Seared Main Diver Scallops with Caramelized Endive, Leek Puree and Shaved Black Truffle
James Beard Award Winning Chef: Patrick O'Connell

Kim B had prepped the leek puree, veal sauce and rice vinegar syrup earlier in the day. Then, everyone pitched in to cook the main dish... 

The parmigiano-reggiano froth didn't come out as foamy as desired, but the taste was amazing! We didn't miss the bubbles at all... This recipe is definitely a keeper. 

Last up:
Lemoncello Tiramisu
James Beard Award Winning Chef: Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Shelley made the dessert in advance, so there was nothing left to do but sit back and enjoy the fruits of her labor. Again, delicious.
Light, airy, lemony.... mmmmm. A perfect end to a perfect evening.

I think we did pretty good!!

And the piece de resistance....
Kim bought everyone a copy of the cookbook the recipes came from....

We all left feeling like James Beard Award Winners!!!

Field Trip!

After a year of cooking and instruction, we decided to treat ourselves to a culinary experience out and headed off to Travail Kitchen and Amusements. What fun!

We met at the "wiggly bar", aptly named for its bends, twists and turns as soon as you enter the restaurant.

And then the magic began! The kitchen is open for everyone to see, the servers are hilarious, the food is interactive and the atmosphere is extremely upbeat...

We were led to a long table where a really fun family soon joined us at the other end. And the courses just started coming... 19 in total.

This is how we were welcomed to the table... the server then came by and poured champagne 

By the end of the meal, Kim B had won the heart of our server. And we adopted the family that sat next to us.

What a great night!!