Dinner with Pati & Bruce

September 6: Our Website is Live

patid — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:47:40 +0000

Visit us at our new company website apostochefs.com

Filed under: Uncategorized

August 18: Check Out Our New Blog

patid — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:27:27 +0000

Hello again-

I wanted to post our new blog address here. I’ve graduated from culinary school and have started a personal chef business here on the Oregon Coast: A Posto Personal Chef Services LLC. We have a company website under development now with a targeted release date of September 1. In the meantime, please visit us here to see what’s going on: La Cucina Stagionale

A Presto!

Filed under: Uncategorized

New Blog Link Available on January 7 2010

patid — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:05:10 +0000

Hello-

I have created the new blog to document my experiences while attending the Italian Culinary Academy in New York City and Parma Italy. The link is below. Please stop by and see what I am up to, and leave a comment when you can. It would be good to hear from you. Ciao & a presto!

Do What You Love: Love What You Do

Posted in 2010

Baked Virginia Ham and Goodbye for Now on December 25

patid — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:52:51 +0000

After reading the most recent issue of Saveur magazine, I decided to buy a Virginia ham for Bruce for Christmas. Bruce loves anything porky, and neither of us has ever tasted a real ham before so it was something to look forward to. After watching the instructional videos on the website: Virginia Traditions we were ready to tackle our ham. It was a 13.9 lb. beast that was covered in netting, wrapped in parchment paper, and covered in a burlap bag. We could smell the smoke the minute it was opened. We decided to bake the ham as opposed to simmering it in water. We also chose not to soak it overnight. Once the ham was scrubbed of all mold (we removed the netting), we put it in the oven at 325 F for 4 hours. I made a glaze of molasses, honey, mustard, rum, apple juice, and a few habanero flakes.

We let the ham cool off for about 30 minutes, and then I removed the skin, scored the fat, glazed it, and put it back in the oven for 30 minutes at 300 F.

I then sliced the ham as thin as I could and served it with potatoes au gratin, and the leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving.

Bruce made a salad of mixed greens, turnips, radishes, green onions, and carrot. the dressing was lambrusco vinaigrette and the wine was our very last bottle of 2004 Tobin James ‘Fat Boy’ Zinfandel. The house has smelled like smoked meat for the past two days and there is plenty of ham leftover. It was a fun experience to try a real ham from Virginia. This meal was the last one I will be cooking in this house. Bruce & I are leaving for New York City on 12/28 to celebrate the new year and to send me off to attend culinary school starting January 4 (Italian Culinary Academy). We have the house up for sale and Bruce might be moving while I am in school (for the next 7 months). This blog has been a fun project for me, and I hope those of you who read it have enjoyed it as well. We have had many enjoyable meals over the past 2 years, and we accomplished what we set out to do. I affirmed that I really have a passion for cooking. When I graduate from culinary school, I will be a trained chef looking to do what I love for a living instead of a hobby. I will be blogging about my adventures in school, but not here. I will do one last post to provide the link to the new blog once I get it up and running. Happy New Year and best wishes for all goals, desires, and dreams to be achieved in the new decade. The best promises you can keep are the ones you make to yourself!! Ciao e a presto.

Posted in December '09 Tagged: Tobin James Fat Boy Zinfandel

Squid Ink Pasta with Seared Scallops, Prawns, and Halibut on December 24

patid — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:26:05 +0000

Seafood for dinner has been a tradition for Christmas Eve in our house for many years. The dish always varies based on what’s available. I went to Local Ocean earlier in the day and bought some fresh halibut, gulf prawns, and Alaskan scallops. I seasoned the seafood with fennel salt, fennel pollen, ground New Mexican red chile, smoked paprika, and black pepper, and seared everything in olive oil. I made a cream sauce with white wine, saffron, lemon juice, FPP, smoked paprika, red chile, fennel, shallot, chopped parsley, and garlic. I tossed the cooked pasta in the sauce and served the seafood on top.

Bruce made a salad of arugula, radicchio, romaine, dandelion, radish, turnips, green onions, carrot, black olives, goat cheese, fried capers, and toasted pumpkin seeds. The dressing was a blood orange vinaigrette and the wine was a very delicious bottle of Billecart Salmon Brut Rose champagne.

Posted in December '09 Tagged: Billecart Salmon Brut Rose