Friday, October 1, 2010

Upcoming cooking demo, and 3x6 menu on Wednesday

I am working with Healthy Connections to include a healthy cooking demo and tasting in their health and wellness fairs. It is a great way to promote both healthy lifestyle and my personal chef business, show off my fancy pots and pans, meet new people, and make some money in the process.

Next week I will be doing my demo for a Silicon Valley company of 100 employees. The menu includes my Quinoa and Mushrooms Pilaf, and Daikon and Zucchini Salad with Lemon Dressing from USPCA recipe forum. To perfect the recipes and timing, I include one or both of these in all my clients menus these days. They don't mind.

My Wednesday clients already had the quinoa pilaf a while ago, loved it, and learned to cook it, so they were happy when I offered to repeat it this week. Most other recipes for this menu come from the last issue of Fine Cooking magazine and from their website.

Salad:

Zucchini and daikon with lemon dressing

Soup:
Cream of broccoli soup with almonds
Entrees:
Beef braciola with mozzarella and basil
Coriander-crusted pork tenderloin
Five-spice glazed salmon

Sides:
Quinoa pilaf with mushrooms
Roasted Brussels sprouts with lemon and parmigano
Seasame green beans

I was too busy to photograph everything, and the lighting was not the best, but here here is the beef brasiola, without the sauce.
Here it is covered with a sauce of onion, tomato, mushrooms, and red wine.

Now is the short season when you don't have to choose between using tomatoes of any kind available, but fresh, or real San Marzano variety, but canned. Fresh San Marzanos were $2 a pound at San Mateo Farmers Market, and the overripe "softies" (perfect for the sauce) $1 a pound. I wish this season never ended...