Sunday, December 9, 2012

Cooking Lesson with a Master Chef!

           
            The other day I had the honor of cooking with Chef Helmut Holzer, a certified master chef in the United States and Europe.  The chef currently works at Atlanta Foods International, creating spectacular dishes for restaurants and caterers.  
             Chef Holzer and I decided to make an intricate twist on a traditional American dinner.  There is so much I could say about what we cooked, so I think I'll explain picture by picture.  

On the menu:

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with a Mushroom Log Center
~
Creamy Scalloped Potatoes
~
Green beans with Roasted Pine Nuts
~
Passionfruit Mousse


Chef explained to me how he puts flavors together in his meatloaf.   We used onions, mustard, garlic, worcester sauce, salt and pepper, ketchup, eggs, and panko in ours.  

I sauteed mushrooms and onions
 in butter for the meatloaf filling.  
We also added garlic, cream,
and cornstarch to the mixture. 
Final bit of salt before we put the mushroom filling into
 the glass chiller to cool off.   Once it was cool,
we rolled it into a log using parchment.
"You notice I'm not using water.
Water is for fish to swim in."
Putting the meatloaf onto the finest bacon money can buy
Our mushroom log center in action
I'm very jealous of his spice cabinet.

We cooked our food in the world's coolest oven.  It bakes, roasts, steams, smokes, and grills.
The chef taught me that putting the hot cooked
 beans on ice helps them retain their color.
We made scalloped potatoes by layering
 sliced potatoes, cream, herbs, and cheese.
Our finished scalloped potatoes 
To finish the meal, we made a passionfruit mousse for dessert.  We used whipping cream,
sugar, sour cream, rum, passionfruit puree, and the chef's homemade vanilla extract.  
Chef Helmut Holzer and The Teenage Foodie
I had a wonderful time cooking with Chef Holzer.  I love anyone who puts cream and garlic into pretty much everything they make. :)  I look forward to cooking and experimenting with the inspiration and knowledge he gave me.

Thank you Chef Helmut!
The Teenage Foodie