It is all about potatoes and all about the Potato festival happening next month in September.  I was approached and asked to do a piece with John Pritchard on the infamous PEI ingredient “Potatoes”.  I was more than thrilled and of course said YES.  This will be featured in the August addition of the G! so needless to say I was pumped for a couple of reasons.

Wednesday evening I went over to John’s kitchen and we worked (mostly John as I took pictures) on a couple of dishes inspired by potatoes. Over the two hours we spent together, I likely asked John 3000 questions as I am very intrigued as you know with the career of cooking and well I just love talking “FOOD“.

As we were prepping the dishes before the photographer showed up it was very casual and organized.  Once the camera-man showed up and was ready to shoot the final product, John went into full fledged chef mode.  You could tell he was back in his element and was moving at mach speed to dress the plates and complete the dishes.

Glorious Food

Check out these shots….. Are you drooling yet?  The recipes and full details will be released soon.

Here is a potato crusted halibut, served a top a warm brussel sprout slaw and a tomato jam.

Below is a seared shrimp and scallop dish served on a bed of fresh sauteed corn and fresh herbs, a little bit of bacon and drizzled with a reduction of a maple syrup and potato reduction.

I ate this dish and was a very happy camper.  Thanks John!

The Kitchen Set-Up

Here are a few shots of John’s cool industrial kitchen set-up.

Of course I took pictures all along of the food and the dishes as they came together.  The recipes will be featured in the G! as well as on zesty once John completes the writing of the recipes.  I will definitely be sharing them with you. They both involved fresh local ingredients either from his garden or the local markets.  It was great to see a “PRO” in action.

Here are some shots from the garden

A little bit about John

John has been ‘chefing’ professionally since 1986, to raves in Canada and abroad. John’s passion for fine cooking truly runs the gamut, from traditional ethnic to contemporary, haute cuisine to bistro. After working with some of Canada’s finest chefs, John moved to Bermuda to expand his horizons, directing the kitchens of the country’s best restaurants, most notably at the exclusive five star Elbow Beach Resort. John has also been the star of a TV show called  Red, Hot & Ready.  It is John’s wit, intelligence and occasionally shocking candor that keeps you coming back for seconds!

Since April of this year, John has embarked on a slightly different twist on his career.  It of course still involves food – full service catering.  John is offering a full service catering experience that includes, weddings, in house parties, corporate/ office gigs, other events and even cooking classes.  In recent news, John Pritchard Cuisine won top prize at the 2010 Savour Food and Wine festival and is also playing a big part at the upcoming potato festival in September.

I had a great time on Wednesday and I learned a lot as well.  I want to take this opportunity to thank John for letting me come into his kitchen as well as thanking the G! for hooking me up with such a fun event. Have a great Friday and a super weekend.

Take care

zesty

I cannot believe that it is Tuesday already.  Back to the grind as Christmas is now over.  Oh well – we must move on.  Yesterday was a huge shopping day for the house, we picked up some new bedding, some regular supplies, a new microwave and well some clothes…. but that is normal.

Remember a few weeks back when I posted about a huge food night at the zesty in laws?  Well I never posted one of the menu items as of yet because I couldn’t find any good pictures.  Well the good news is I found them and I think you may like it.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Salmon fillets, no bones
• 2 egg whites
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 Tsp. Salt
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. fresh ground pepper
• 2-3 Cups heavy cream, 36-38%, well chilled
• 8 Scallops, firm “feet” removed and reserved.
• 3-4 Peices dill with fronds removed, stems reserved.

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. minced onion
• Reserved scallop feet
• Dill stems
• 1 Cup white wine
• 1 Cup water
• 1/2 Cup heavy cream

Method

1. Using a food processor, puree the egg whites and the salmon until smooth, use as is or pass through fine sieve to smooth even further. Then chill for at least 2 hours.







2. Whip butter salt and all the pepper until smooth, then add the fish puree and blend until well mixed.
3. Slowly add the cream, in a steady stream to allow full incorporation.
4. Layer 1/2 of the mix in a 4×11 inch loaf pan tamp to settle any air bubbles. Next place scallops and dill in the center of the mixture and cover with the remaining mix and tamp the mixture once again.
5. Cover with buttered parchment and back in a water bath for 90 minutes in an oven preheated to 275 F. Water bath should be about 3/4 up the sides of the loaf pan.
6. Cool for 2-3 hours or overnight. Remove from mold and serve with sauce.
7. Saute onions until soft and not browned and add scallops and dill stems. Cook for 30 sec over low heat and add water and wine and reduce until little 1/4 cup remaining and add cream.



8. Bring to a boil to thicken and then strain.
9. Serve slice mousseline  with sauce over, or under the slice.



10. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: The same mix of fish can be poached in water for a quenelle and sauced then serve warm.

Well I better get going and get ready for work.  I will talk to you tomorrow for sure.  Any big plans for the new year?

Take care

zesty