I attended a dinner last night showcasing Ridgewells‘ new Corporate Chef, Robert Gadsby. Ridegwells is an amazing catering company, but I was still impressed by how visually spectacular the food was.
Now I’ve had another chardonnay that I didn’t hate: Cakebread Cellars, 2009. I don’t generally enjoy “oaked” chardonnay. They also served J Vineyards Pinot Noir, 2007.
Some of the standout dishes:
A Study of Hudson Valey Foie Gras. Ok, I’m not a foie gras fan, and this was three preparations on the plate, BUT I tried them all, and actually enjoyed one enough to finish it (which is a big deal for me). The one I preferred had a quail egg and ham.
Gadsby’s Potato Honey Mustard Dressing. This was on a couple of dishes, and we were each given a bottle to take home. Tonight, I made a salad with spinach leaves, tomato, avocado, and hard boiled egg, and it was delicious with the Potato Honey Mustard Dressing.
Wagyu Sirloin of Beef. Stilton butter, petit carrots, shallot confit with dried onion. A little rare for my taste but still very good.
A Night At The Movies. 3 desserts: Chocolate Pudding Cake, Popcorn Ice Cream, and Roasted Peanut Caramel (with Root Beer Gelee). I enjoyed all three, but the Chocolate Pudding Cake was by far my favorite. The Chocolate Pudding Cake was so much better than any molten chocolate cake I’ve had. Some of the diners were crazy about the popcorn ice cream.
Pencil Asparagus (Goat Cheese Fondue with Beet Raita). Tasty and very pretty. I am a fan of each of the ingredients.
Beijing Peach (Cocktail). White peach puree, vodka, amaretto, and jasmine pearls. I don’t think mine actually had jasmine pearls, but the drink was light, sweet, and flavorful. See the recipe below:
Beijing Peach
- 1oz 2 parts white peach puree
- 2 oz 4 parts Vodka (Grey Goose)
- 1 oz 2 parts Peachtree Schnapps
- .5 oz 1 part amaretto
- splash of water, ice
- garnish: Jasmine tea tapioca pearls macerated in peach schnapps
Pour ingredients into iced cocktail shaker.
Be sure to shake very well ( to “bruise” the fruit and bring out the natural flavor).
Serve in a martini glass, garnish 3 or 5 jasmine pearls.
-JAY
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2 Responses
I lvoe the white chocolate truffle foie gras… but I’m typically a big foie gras fan!
I’m don’t generally enjoy white chocolate, unless it is layered with darker chocolates for contrast. The fact that we both liked one foie gras dish even though we don’t like foie gras shows how good Ridgewells is at what they do. I felt bad for the food writer next to me, who was having a harder time with the foie gras than I was.
-JAY