De Gustibus Cooking Class with Gabrielle Hamilton

Hello foodies! It is always a joy to be at De Gustibus Cooking School. Each culinary adventure is unique, but one constant from all classes is wonderful feeling of being immersed by true food lovers. Every chef brings a wealth of knowledge and their own perspective on food. Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune brought her witty, down to earth personality to garnish her worldly preparation of food.

Gabrielle's menu was stunning, inspired by a few distinct regions that she has visited in her many travels.The amuse bouche was called Bagna Cauda. This preparation included oil and anchovies simmered with raw garlic added at the very end, to give the amuse bouche a sharp punch. Bathing in this oil was red cabbage, whole scallions, radish and endive. The Bagna Cauda was a great way to start this "Pruney" meal, as Gabrielle would say.

The next dish is among the best things things I have ever eaten. Black Fideos Sopa with Sepia and Sepia Ink. The Fideos Sopa was a beautiful balance of smokey and tangy flavors. This Spanish dish included fideos noodles in a smoked tomato mixture, topped with an aioli. Next to it was tender sepia (cuttlefish) in its own ink.The fideos noodles come in a variety of sizes. For this dish, Gabrielle used the smallest available option, #1. Other chefs and recipes say that if you cannot find these noodles, broken up vermicelli pasta is a suitable substitute. Gabrielle disagrees and feels that you should not replace the fideos noodles because there is a big difference between the fideos noodles and the broken up makeshift noodles.In making the sauce, she smoked the tomatoes. Being indoors with no smoker, she made her own smoker by putting wood chips in a pot and then covered it with foil. Next she placed her whole peeled tomato inside followed by the lid. This is such a great option for those who have no other way to smoke their foods.

The following course was The Warm Greek Salad. This dish was a step above a typical Greek salad. The dressing was blended feta cheese with a little water and oil. Mixed with the dressing was gently warmed green pepper rings, cucumbers, onions and tomatoes.

The main course was Pigeon with a Parsley Vinaigrette. This delicious pigeon was served along side of the roasted mixed onions and charred okra with onion butter. These veggies were awesome thanks to the onion butter. Prepared with ease, Gabrielle boiled the layers of red onion in water creating onion water, then added butter and reduced it. Yum!

As if the meal could not get better, Gabrielle Hamilton made Breton Cake. This slice of heaven was crunchy on top with a fluffy, moist inside. It was a long process of folding layers of sugar in this buttery dough. The love in between each layer was complimented with a subtle sweetness. I now know what I will be making for the holidays.

Gabrielle taught an amazing class and now I can't wait for my first visit to Prune soon!

Moreover, among the many interesting topics Gabrielle touched upon was food T.V. It was asked why she does not appear on television more often and she explained that she does not like the impact of these shows. Many people do not know difference between the job of a celebrity chef entertaining on television and the job of a restaurant chef cooking in a hot kitchen with horrible hours. There is a new food generation rising that will be will be very distinct from the former with new goals of being celebrity chefs. Do you agree? Is food TV sending the food industry into the wrong direction or is it sparking more food lovers with new potential and innovation? Voice your opinion in the poll on the right side bar of this page and tell us more in the comment section below this post. Vote now before the poll closes on December 14th!

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-Mike