Phew! Some guests report overdosing on chocolate - but we know that's not any sort of realistic possibility - it is simply NOT POSSIBLE to "overdose" on chocolate. Some people may, however, be unfamiliar with the incredible euphoria possible with the right amount of chocolate.
As always, our chefs outdid themselves in spectacular ways.
To them, our fervent admiration and heartfelt thanks for helping to support the Careers through Culinary Arts Program here in Arizona.
Here are a few of the ways in which they helped (and a special shout of thanks to the culinary students at AI, who prepared and served that most seasonal of favorites: pumpkin pie and whipped cream. YAY! We are thankful.)
This year's event began with a
special workshop presented by Chef Amy Binkley of Cave Creek's Binkley's and
Café Bink. After the couple's
recent trip to Italy, she focused on kitchen (and both chef and home cook)-friendly
hand-pulled mozzarella and her version of Tuscan bread soup.
Those tasty mozzarella balls in
miniature, topped with red onion marmalade, were also her table presentation
for the event.
Here's what other chefs
featured:
JoAnn Ayres, of the Art
Institute, had delicately flavored and color-popping Parisian macarons, in mint
and chocolate, raspberry and chocolate, caramel, lemon and more.
Sherrye Chapin, Sherrye's
Kitchen, her signature caramel brownies and a new caremel/truffle pop.
Tracy Dempsey, Tracy Dempsey
Originals, did vanilla panna
cotta with red wine braised grapes and blueberries, balsamic reduction,
olive oil dust and parmesan black pepper biscotti and red velvet and brownie
truffles.
Nicole DeKryter, Cartwright's Sonoran Ranch House, featured ultra-tender braised pork on house-made
cheese biscuits and tomato jam.
Julie Fiedler, POSH, presented a modern take on a Sunday chicken
dinner with buttermilk panna cotta with biscuit sprinkles, crispy chicken skin
and honey caviar.
Kailey Fierro, of Sushi Roku, had chocolate dipped peanut butter
balls with assorted toppings, from sweet crisp-tender toffee to rock salt.
Tricia Guerrero, EVIT, and her students presented precisely
balanced roasted red pepper soup with crispy, sugary pancetta crumbles and
silky vichyssoise with roasted shrimp.
More good stuff
Therese Hill brought lemon, caramel and chocolate truffle bars
from her new shop, My Sweet Blessings bakery, and Mary Josephs had an array of
her extravagantly designed and tasty chocolates.
So did Classic Cooking Academy's Susan Kolman, whose jewel-like
chocolates offer both contemporary and traditional tastes.
Twisting the traditional was Samantha Sharrar, with pick-up
parfaits of pumpkin/spice topped with curly, delicate sticks of fried pumpkin.
Samantha Roberts premiered two dishes from the new Whisky Row,
set to open in February - a lemongrass chicken meatball with green apple and
jicama slaw, along with a super-moist fall harvest cake with cranberry syrup
and cream cheese frosting.
Yuzu mousse with blueberries and toasted meringue came from
Faith Wipperman-Woodruff of Roka Akor, while Dana Rohr took over the
Wolf/SubZero demo kitchen to offer fresh corn cakes with bacon bits topped with
house-made salsa and avocado.
And Cassie Weisz of Shea 32 and Never Enough Sugar had mini
breakfast (bacon and maple syrup!) and mini pumpkin (like pie) cupcakes, along
with shortbread-like lemon dill and orange basil cookies, along with "my
mother's" oatmeal cookies.
