A skinny cook can’t be trusted!

 Live on the Boston-Providence corridor and want to take a cooking class? Visit a farm?  Host a class?  Let me know!!  email me at bobATbobland.com (and remove the "AT" of course, that's just written that way to block spam).

Event recap:  11/13/10  Fall Appetizers with Personal Chef Lester Esser and wine pairings by Valerie Larsen of The Swirling Vine

Menu Item 1:  Cheese Assortment:  Cambozola Cheese ( a crowd favorite)

Wine:  Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc - South Africa:  Pale yellow in color with a hint of green.  On the nose, pineapples, guavas, lemon and lime aromas are abundant. A clean, lively wine wiht nuances of nutmeg and cloves. Well balanced and elegant.  From the Western Cape area of South Africa.

Group note:  This was one of our most favorite pairings.  Many guests including myself had never had Cambozola cheese ( think: triple cream cheese mixed with Gorgonzola) and it really brought out all the flavors of this wine.  This is one of Chef Esser's favorite cheeses and now we know why.  Delicious!

Menu Item 2:  Cheese Assortment:  Cabot Cheddar and Hooligan Cheese

Wine:  San Jocopo Chianti Classico Sangiovese - Italy:  Intense layers of ripe red fruit with bold cherry flavors. Soft, pleasant but very discreet tannins complete this fine wine.

Group note:  The cheeses were all top shelf in the group's opinion and were provided by Boston Cheese Cellar in Roslindale, MA.  Cabot cheddar is a first rate cheese but the Hooligan cheese if you've never had it is really a nice cheese as well and went really well with the wine.  This Chianti was a hands-down favorite of all the wines this night and can be found at The Swirling Vine's website.

Menu Item 3:  Goat Cheese Poached Fig Tarts in a Port Wine Reduction

Wine:  Andresen 10 Year Port - Portugal:  Apricot color, soft texture with flavors of intense dried fruit with toasted notes. Complex nutty smell with hunts of ripe fruit aromas. Aged in old oak casks.

Group note:  These goat cheese tarts are easy to make and are a super flavorful.  Chef Esser demonstrated a technique where he takes puff pastry and keeps them from rising by placing another baking sheet over them and pushing them down a couple times while they're in the oven.  For a complete recipe, click here.  The port, as port is in general, not for everyone in the crowd but the few people who ventured a taste really like this one. 

Menu Item 4:  Homemade Hummus

Wine:  Wine By Joe Pinot Noir - Oregon:  An excitingly complex and well balanced Pinot Noir wiht gorgeous mouthwatering aromas of blackberry and a touch of leather.  The flavors mirror the aromas with a soft and velvety mouthfeel which wraps around your tongue delivering the impression of sweetness from the soft ripe tannins.

Group note:  This hummus is heavenly.  Chef Esser demonstrated that to achieve this super smooth texture, he hand peels the chickpeas, uses a mix of 5 olive oils and chooses a brand of Lebanese tahini that really makes the dish.  Of course using fresh lemon, smashed garlic and kosher salt is key too.  The wine wasn't a crowd favorite but it was well balanced and, put it this way, nobody went to the spit bucket with it!

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We're starting to figure out what classes to offer so if you have an idea, please let us know!

2010 Pricing

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    Other times, we try to get a high quality chef for as little as $15-20 per person.