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Cooking Party with Chef Marcus Hollingsworth

03.21.11

Cooking Party with Chef Marcus Hollingsworth and The Mark Culinary Team.

This is the second time Chef Marcus has shared his day with us to delight our guests with a great meal and lots of tips for the kitchen. My favorite part of each class is the inevitable new cooking tip that is shared.

Marcus describes himself as an artist and musician as are his team members. They look at food through the eyes of shape, color, textures, and harmony in addition to taste. This team of three includes one old school chef, one academic chef, and one eager science oriented “inventor” chef. Together they complement each other with respect and open minds. Even the menu of the day reflected art on the plate created from elements traditional and avant-garde. 

Swiss chard grows beautifully in our Messina Hof garden. You see it seasonally in the Vintage House. Chef Marcus blanched the beautiful green and red leaves. His team stuffed each leaf with chorizo and tart apples. Topped with grapefruit vinaigrette it perfectly paired with the Messina Hof Chenin Blanc 2009. Then he continued to create a baked plantain mold in which he layered sautéed Swiss chard, Israeli cous cous, and Moroccan braised pulled pork. This we enjoyed with the Messina Hof Barrel Reserve Pinot Noir 2009. Both dishes were unique, new, and delicious.

What new tips did I glean today? Cognac Reduction is a priceless (literally) delicacy that tastes like syrupy Harvey’s Bristol Cream without the kick. I am hooked.  It takes about 2 liters of Cognac to make approximately ¼ cup. Plus, cold smoked cream is a brilliant idea and I cannot wait to try it in my kitchen.
See you at the next Cooking Party with the Chef at Messina Hof on April 14th!