Sonia Tastes Hawaii

Did you say Garlic Soup?

When my husband and I visited Spain in 1987, one of the dishes I fell in love with was garlic soup...I had never heard of it and found it on the menu in both Northern Portugal, during a very short visit across the Minho River and also in the northern regions of Andorra on the border between Spain and France.  Not sure why the coincidence of finding it near two different borders, but there you have it...

I've tried to reproduce it several times and also found some recipes in one of my Portuguese cookbooks.  I played with the recipes and came up with a couple of versions...This is the simplest

Sopa de Ajo  - Garlic Soup

This soup is very popular in the northern parts of Portugal and northeastern Spanish-Basque areas close to the Pyrenees and Andorra. It is a very strong tasting and rich soup due to the amount of garlic and butter. You may wish to sauté the garlic in less butter, or cut the amount of garlic used. I love it as is.
Serves 4-6 people

A whole large head of garlic, each clove peeled and mashed
1/2 a large yellow onion, sliced very thinly
1/4 lb butter
6 cups of chicken or beef broth (I prefer chicken for this)
Salt and freshly ground white peppercorns to taste (*)
1 piece of bread, toasted, per person- can be cubed
1 raw egg per person (* optional)

In a large saucepan, sauté the mashed garlic and sliced onion slowly in the butter. Don't let the garlic turn brown and bitter.
When onions are translucent transfer garlic, onions and butter to a food processor or blender or press/mash them through a fine mesh sieve.

Add a small amount of broth and process until onion and garlic mix is all smooth. Return to saucepan and add the rest of the broth and seasonings.
If you would like it creamier, substitute some of the broth for half and half or cream.

Place a piece of toast (or cubes) in each bowl and break an egg over it. Ladle the hot soup over the egg and toast.

(*) I use my homemade (unsalted) chicken broth, but if using commercial broths, taste before adding salt.  If using the raw egg, be sure you know the source and that the eggs are safe - you can also use a poached egg if you wish.

 

Buen Provecho!

Bom Proveito!

Hilo's Lili'uokalani Gardens - a walking tour

 

Last night, my friend Georgia and I attended a presentation by K.t. Cannon Eger about the beautiful Lili'uokalani Japanese Garden in Hilo by the bay.  It reminded I had shared photos and information about our lovely gardens in Gather.com, a social site that no longer exists.  

Originally posted in Gather on June 17, 2007

Thank goodness I had saved this bit in my own files!

I would like to invite you on a meandering stroll around the beautiful garden named after the last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, Queen Lydia Lili'uokalani Paki Dominis, who donated the land to the city of Hilo to be used as a park in the early 1900's.  The garden was built in 1917

 

As we walk through the gardens we approach the most photographed spot in the gardens - the little red pagoda foot bridge.  This spot is popular as the setting or backdrop for many weddings.

 

The Lili'uokalani Garden is located overlooking Hilo Bay at the end of Banyan Drive. The serene and scenic spot is popular with both tourists and locals alike, where you will see children playing, couples strolling, the athletically inclined jogging, dogs walking their owners, groups performing their Tai Chi morning exercises, families enjoying a picnic and even weddings using the beautiful bridges and trees as backdrops.

The bay feeds the Waihonu (wai means fresh water and honu means turtle) Pond, a brackish, salt water pool surrounded by exquisitely landscaped grounds in the Japanese Yedo style, lava rock outcroppings, quaint bridges, lovely trees and the lovely collection of stone lanterns brought from Japan.

Old Ironwood tree (Australian pine) framing the curved bridge in the distance.

The gardens were dedicated as a memorial to the thousands of Japanese immigrants, mostly single men, who first came to the Hawaiian Islands between 1885 and 1894 to work in the sugar cane fields and are said to be the largest Japanese gardens anywhere in the world outside of Tokyo.

Another lantern across the pond - one of four Torii, Japanese style gate entrances to the park in the background.

(Note: I learned last night that the original torii gates deteriorated with time and have recently been replaced)

As we continue to stroll through the beautiful Japanese Yedo style gardens, we pass lanterns and cross bridges

On the day of this visit, a 'summer camp' group had taken over the park - I learned by asking one of the adults nearby that this was part of the Hui Okinawa Summer Fun Camp -  Hui is the Hawaiian word for group or club.  There were 49 kids and at least half that many adults, all wearing bright yellow tee-shirts with the Hui Okinawa logo.  It was not easy taking all these pictures while trying to avoid catching glimpses of the gaggle of yellow shirted keiki (children) darting to and fro.

The day was overcast and we had had off and on rain.  In a way, I was happier with the effect than if the whole place had been flooded with bright sunlight.

(Note: I also learned last night, that a 'Turtle Island with 2 traditional Japanese cranes as well as several lanterns and other artifacts disappeared during one of our last two devastating Tsunami)

The Waihonu Pond is fed with brackish sea water from Hilo Bay.  Many of the children that were visiting the park that day were carrying fishing poles, little plastic bags with bait and buckets with water in which to put their catch.

The little red pagoda bridge as seen from another angle as we round the pond on the way back to where I had parked my car.

(Note - notice the Japanese Kanji symbols carved into the lantern pedestal.  I learned last night that some of these symbols have eroded or worn off with time and the wear of the elements)

As we near the parking area between the bay and the park, we run into the last lantern in this area, surrounded by cycads and palms....

 

The Torii gate closest to where I had parked my car...you can catch a glimpse of "Shoroan"  (Pine Ocean House), the Japanese style tea house located within the grounds of the Lili'uokalani Gardens.

(Note: I wrote an article with photos about Shoroan for Gather, but when Gather 'closed it's doors', that one was lost before I could save it.  I still have the photos, though)

If you visit Hilo and the park, be sure to continue exploring all the little pockets and thickets. Today's stroll might have covered a total of 5 to 8 acres of the 30 that comprise the park and it was mostly a stroll around the Waihonu Pond. 

(Note: The gardens will be celebrating their Centennial and the "Friends of Liliuokalani Gardens" and other volunteers have been busy cleaning, sprucing, thinning bamboo and doing an overall wonderful job of getting the gardens ready for the celebration)

 

 

Warm Seas...Hawaiian Seas...

 

A couple of years ago, the Wednesday Editor of Gather Writing Essentials sent out a challenge and this was my response.

WWE, 2/6/13, Warm Seas – Hawaiian Seas

Filed in Gather Writing Essential by Sonia Martinez on February 6, 2013 • 

Pam’s Challenge:  Write a story, picture essay or poem about the sea.  A warm, lovely sea.

Not much of a challenge when you live in Hawai’i, but to help warm Pam up, I made the effort…;-)

 

I live on an island anchored by 5 volcanoes and surrounded by seas…warm seas…tropical seas…beautiful blue Hawaiian seas.

 

 

As you drive around the island there are not too many places where you can’t see the sea…up close or from a distance…but you’re always aware of the sea.

 

 

The sea is ever present…and the island residents know how to enjoy it…surfing, kayaking, fishing, swimming…paddling a canoe as ancient water transportation meets the modern floating cities…

 

 

The moods of the sea might change from calm to angry…but you can always find a quiet cove somewhere to just be as one with your surrounds…

 

 

Until the sun bids us aloha as it hides until the next morning to repeat the stunning cycle…

 

 

The sea…our beautiful sea, will always be there…

 

A Bzzzzzzzzzy fun Saturday...

 

Yesterday was a gorgeous day...perfect for a festival... so we headed for the Nani Mau Gardens and the 2014 Honey Festival...

Vendor Row - I was able to pick up a couple of little gift items...

Apiary products

Be a Bee Buddy!

 

A live big bee...

...and a livelier lil bee...in his own little world...

More honey products

A Hiccup Circus performance on the lawn

...and strollers enjoying the sun and the music at the gazebo...

Afterwards we stopped at the Prince Kuhio Mall where Anthony wanted to do a bit of Christmas shopping (after seeing something advertised in the newspaper...he was secretive about it, so maybe it was for me?)...I didn't ask and he didn't tell!

We stopped in the middle of the mall for a while to hear the Hawai'i Preparatory Academy - HPA - student Hand Bell Choir perform several holiday pieces, a fun rendition of Chopsticks and a moving version of HaTikvah ("The Hope"), the National Hymn of Israel... I hadn't taken my camera into the mall, so missed taking photos of the kids performing..

Walked around to check the Christmas shop at Macy's and passed where work is under way for the opening of Pier 1 sometime in 2015...(I wonder why they didn't push for a before Christmas opening?  I heard about the store opening in Hilo way back in May...surely they could have... )

I saw a sign saying they welcomed job applications...I wonder if I could apply and say no need pay me in cash, will work for loot... ;-)

Going into the Holiday Season in Hilo is so much fun and quite exciting!

 

...and The Taste Lingers...

 

The Mealani's Taste of the Hawaiian Range has come and gone for another year, but it still leaves lingering memories of the food tasted.

 

 

Photo above: the bracelet / tag all participants and media wear at the taste.

 

If you have followed my previous posts you know The Taste is the premier annual food event on our island.  Competing chefs are given 100 pounds each of a certain cut of beef, pork, goat or lamb and they come up with tasty and innovative ways to cook and serve them.

 

Another entry in the Taste of the Hawaiian Range that we found quite interesting and was my son's favorite of the evening was the creation of Chef de Cuisine Allen Hess at the Mauna Lani Hotel & Bungalows' Canoe House Restaurant in South Kohala.

 

Chef Hess sent me the recipe for only one of the two offerings they were handing out at their booth.

 

This is an ambitious and interesting one as far as making the 'shrimp nacho chips'... Amazing what creative ideas chefs can come up with.

 

 

Tri Tip Nachos

For the shrimp chips:

1 cup tapioca starch

3 Tablespoon water

3 Tablespoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon shrimp paste

 

Pulse in food processor until a water dough is formed

Using a rolling pin, roll as thin as you can get it

Steam for 20 minutes on high heat

Dehydrate dough over night at 155 degrees F

Bring fry oil to 350 degrees F and deep fry chips

 

Cooking Tri tip:

Season with salt and pepper overnight

Start charcoal grill and pile on one side creating a HOT spot.

Place tri tip on hot spot, as the meat caramelizes keep turning until there is an even caramelization.

Remove meat from hot spot and place on other side of grill to slowly cook

Pull meat off once it reaches 125 degrees F internal temp.

Allow to rest for 30 minutes

Make sure to slice AGAINST grain as thin as possible 

Guacamole:Make YOUR favorite style of guacamole. Once made pass through a chinoise/china cap or strainer so the mixture is smooth. Place mixture in a piping bag 

Crème Fraîche: Blend equal amount of sour cream and whipping cream in clean glass jar.  Cover tightly and shake for about a minute.  Leave on counter overnight or at least 12 hours.  Refrigerate.  It can keep a bit over a week. 

Ume with Shiso Seasoning Sauce: Japanese Ume Sauce is a tart and salty combination made with pickled plums and green shiso.  Shiso is an Asian culinary herb belonging to the mint family.  Chef Hess suggested using a commercially available squeeze bottle of ume with shiso (available at KTA or other Asian food stores) 

Putting it together:

1. Fry chip, sprinkle with salt

2. Place sliced meat on top

3. Add 'squeegle' of guacamole with piping bag

4. Add 'squeegle' of Crème Fraîche with piping bag

5. 1 small dot of ume

6. EAT 

The second dish at the Mauna Lani booth - so sorry I don't have a recipe to share!

~~~~~~~~~~ 

For the two previous blog posts please click on: 

http://www.soniatasteshawaii.com/2014/09/tasting-my-way-at-the-19th-annual-taste-of-the-hawaiian-range.html 

 

http://www.soniatasteshawaii.com/2014/09/grazing-along-at-the-19th-annual-taste-of-the-hawaiian-range.html

 

Mealani's Taste of the Hawaiian Range and Agriculture Festival provides a venue for sustainable agricultural education, encouragement and support of locally produced ag products. The premiere ag-tourism event is a partnership betweenCTAHR, Hawaii Cattlemen's Association, Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, Kulana Foods, UH-Hilo CAFNRM, County of Hawaii Dept. on Environmental Management and community volunteers. Sponsorship also includes the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Hawaii County Research and Development, Hawaii Community College Food Service & Culinary Program and KTA SuperStores. The quality and growth of this event are rooted in small business participation, sponsorship and in-kind donations. 

For more information, visithttp://www.TasteOfTheHawaiianRange.com

Grazing along at the 19th Annual Taste of the Hawaiian Range

 

The Taste of the Hawaiian Range started in a humble way in the ranching town of Waimea (Kamuela) by a small group of visionaries in 1996.  As a companion to the University of Hawai'i School of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources' Cooperative Extension Services' Mealani Forage Field Day event, The Taste soon became a popular feature with the public.   From this modest beginning, it soon outgrew the first few years' locations and for the past few years has been held in the lanai and ballrooms of the Hilton Waikoloa Hotel in South Kohala.

 

The vision and mission of "The Taste" is to provide an educational venue to encourage, develop and support local production of agricultural products through social, cultural and scientific exchanges.  Every event features a diverse group of talent chefs gathered from across the state to create dishes that showcase our island's bounty.

 

The participating chefs & restaurants were paired with different cuts of 'tongue to tail' beef, lamb, goat and pork and each was given 100 pounds of the selected meat with which to create their dishes.

 

The chefs & restaurants that were paired with farms and their products were set up on the water's edge lanai.  All others were sharing space with agricultural products and educational display booths in the packed main ballroom.

 

 

The Taste is the ultimate grazing experience.  As the public mills around tasting, word of mouth comments are made as you run into friends and, before you know it, lines quickly form in front of the most popular booths.  

 

It is hard to get to all of them, but we try!  Usually, Anthony and I split up and I go around taking photos of booth displays and he grabs samples for us to taste, then we meet by one of the bordered planters and sit for a few minutes tasting each dish.

 

We did not get to taste everything...I don't think it's possible, but there were several delicious entries and one in particular was my favorite.

 

 

Photo above - Leslie Apoliona manning the grill

 

A brand new partnership created by three friends has resulted in The Feeding Leaf, an exciting event and catering company in Kailua-Kona.  I'm not sure if it was because you could see the meat being grilled on site by one of the partners, or the bubbly 'never flagging' fun personality of the other two that attracted me to this particular dish, but if I had had the time and could have gone for seconds, this was my pick of the best. 

 

 

Photo above - Tracey Apoliona and Chef Scott Hiraishi of The Feeding Leaf...I tried to get a shot of the array of sample dishes on the serving board, put they were snatched quicker than I could snap!

 

 

Miso Marinated Beef Skirt Steak, served on Gingered Rice with Pickled Peach and a side of Namasu

Beef Marinade:

1 cup Miso
1/4 cup Mirin
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon diced ginger

Marinate beef overnight, and grill (medium rare)

Gingered Rice
Peeled ginger (to taste really, we estimate a finger or two)
1 cup cooked edamame

Blend in food processor until green paste forms.
Fold into 3 cups of hot cooked rice

Pickled Peach

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 pieces LiHing Mui (*)

Place 2-3 fresh peaches in a jar with the pickling juice and soak for about 2 weeks

Namasu

1/4 cup dried shrimp
3 cucumbers, seeded
1/2 red onion, julienne
1/2 carrot, grated 
1 cup vinegar
1 cup sugar

Mix and marinate overnight.

 

Glossary: 

Miso:traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and the fungus Aspergillus oryzae. 

 

Mirin: rice wine similar to sake.

 

Li Hing Mui: is salty dried plum. In most parts of China it is called huamei. It has a strong, distinctive flavor, as it has a combination of sweet, sour, and salty taste. It has also been described as tart, and even tangy.  Li hing mui means 'traveling plum.'

 

Namasu:  is a Japanese dish consisting of thinly sliced vegetables and seafood, marinated in rice vinegar for several hours or overnight to pickle slightly.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Mealani's Taste of the Hawaiian Range and Agriculture Festival provides a venue for sustainable agricultural education, encouragement and support of locally produced ag products. The premiere ag-tourism event is a partnership betweenCTAHR, Hawaii Cattlemen's Association, Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, Kulana Foods, UH-Hilo CAFNRM, County of Hawaii Dept. on Environmental Management and community volunteers. Sponsorship also includes the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Hawaii County Research and Development, Hawaii Community College Food Service & Culinary Program and KTA SuperStores. The quality and growth of this event are rooted in small business participation, sponsorship and in-kind donations.

 

For more information, visithttp://www.TasteOfTheHawaiianRange.com

 

 

 

Tasting my way at the 19th Annual Taste of the Hawaiian Range

 

 

It's that time of year again... and the Hilton Waikoloa again served as the stage for this Hawaiian foodie extravagaza.

This year marked the 19th for this much awaited annual event.  It seems to grow every year and new exhibitors keep showing up to round up the diversity of the displays.

The festival is a celebration of our island's bounty and encourages and supports locally produced agricultural products... This is the premier event on our island that showcases the grass-fed beef, lamb, goats, pork (both commercial and feral) and the large diversity of vegetables and value-added food products that can be found on our island.

Photo above - Just a section of the amazing display by Squash & Awe Farm.  Dozens of heirloom squash and pumpkins from around the world growing organically in the 'old-fashioned way' by Anna Peach.

The event starts in early afternoon with workshops and / or a Beef 101 cooking demonstration geared mainly to the culinary students of our local Hawai'i Community College School of Culinary Arts, with the students from both East & West Campuses who attend and participate in the evening event with their professors, but the media is also invited.  

Opening the afternoon events was a presentation by Glen Fukumoto who was one of the original founders of the Taste so many years ago.  He is a local livestock expert and county extension agent with the livestock program for the University of Hawai'i's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

I must apologize to Glen, but the photos I took of him before the presentation did not come out at all...I am very sorry, as I was using a 'new for me' camera since mine went on the blink and I was not as familiar with this one.

The important points that Glen brought to our attention were, grazing and weather conditions; not all cuts are steaks and chefs need to learn to use the lesser cuts - from nose to tail.  He showed diagrams of the breakdown of a carcass; the different regulatory agencies and certification programs.  Interesting display of the labels provided by the different agencies and certification programs and what we might expect in future to see in labeling and creating value-added brand recognition.

Another concern was about the conditions under which cattle are raised on our island and the reason why ranchers send the bulk of their cattle to the mainland.  Simply put, there is a higher demand for grass-fed beef on the mainland than in our islands which provides our farmers with a higher profit per pound.

The second afternoon presentation was "Cooking Pasture-Raised Beef 101" by Peter Abarcar, Jr Executive Chef at the Hapuna Beach Hotel in cluding the Coast Grille Restaurant.

Chef Peter also had timely advice and encouragement to give to the future chefs attending the presentation.

Cowboy Chop Salad

 

2 ounces chopped baby romaine lettuce

4-5 pieces Pipikaula, thinly sliced (see below)

3 boiled quail eggs, halved

3 sweet tomatoes

5 grilled green onions

2 avocado wedges

3-4 cooked and fried taro o other Hawaiian starchy vegetable

2 Tablespoons grilled corn

5-6 crispy onions rounds

Kona coffee, sundried tomato dressing to taste

 

Build salad in order of ingredients, except for the crispy onions and zigzag dressing over all ingredients.

Top with the crispy onions.

 

 

 

 

Pipikaula Brine

 

3 pieces celery

2 pieces carrots

1 piece onion

10 thyme sprigs

12 smashed garlic cloves

1 4-inch piece ginger, smashed

1/4 cup sugar

12 cups kosher salt

1 cup Kikkoman shoyu

 

2 pounds beef chuck or other cut, cut into strips

 

Heat water with sugar and salt.  Add all other ingredients and cool.

Add beef strips and brine overnight

Remove from brine and air dry on rack in refrigerator to develop pellicle (*).  Smoke for 1 hour at 200 degrees F

Cook to desired doneness and enjoy.

 

(*) pellicle is a skin or coating of proteins that develops on the surface of meat, fish or poultry and allows smoke to better adhere to the surface of the meat during the smoking process. 

 

 

Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette

 

3 Tablespoons coffee beans

17 sundried tomato halves

1o anchovy fillets

1 Tablespoon capers

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar

2 ounces sugar

4 ounces water

1 teaspoon chopotle paste

4 ounces maple syrup

3 cups olive oil

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Probably no need for salt due to salty ingredients

 

Add all ingredients except oil and pepper to blender and blend smooth.

Slowly add olive oil in a stream while blender is running to emulsify.

Add pepper to taste.  Can be thinned with water if necessary.

 

 

 

I was not able to get a good photo of the dish below!

 

Chinese Style Oxtail and Radish Stew

 

5 pounds oxtail, fat trimmed

1 large daikon, large dice

2-4 inch pieces of ginger, smashed

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1 cup Shao Xing or sherry wine

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 ounces Kikkoman shoyu

3 ounces oyster sauce

3 ounces white vinegar

Water - enough to cover oxtail

4 star anise - toasted in pan

Salt and white pepper to taste

Cilantro Springs for garnish

 

Rinse and trim oxtails and thoroughly dry.

Season with little salt and pepper and brown in heavy bottom pot.  When browned, deglaze the pan with sherry and scrape brown bits of bottom of pan.

Add all ingredients, except daikon and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 1 1/2 hours until oxtail is almost falling off the bone.

Add daikon and simmer another 30-40 minutes until both oxtail and daikon are tender.

Serve with steamed fried rice.  Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

 

Photo above - HCC culinary students serving samples of Chef Peter's dishes to the atendees.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mealani's Taste of the Hawaiian Range and Agriculture Festival provides a venue for sustainable agricultural education, encouragement and support of locally produced ag products. The premiere ag-tourism event is a partnership betweenCTAHR, Hawaii Cattlemen's Association, Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, Kulana Foods, UH-Hilo CAFNRM, County of Hawaii Dept. on Environmental Management and community volunteers. Sponsorship also includes the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Hawaii County Research and Development, Hawaii Community College Food Service & Culinary Program and KTA SuperStores. The quality and growth of this event are rooted in small business participation, sponsorship and in-kind donations.

For more information, visithttp://www.TasteOfTheHawaiianRange.com.

 

 

 

Chocolate Dreams...

 

Many years ago, attached to a package containing a birthday gift, my mom gave me a large round pin button with chocolate brown background and white lettering that said "If found unconscious, please administer CHOCOLATE immediately!"

 

I must say that during the two days I spent at the 3rd Annual Big Island Chocolate Festival, I would not have needed to faint or wear that pin to get any chocolate...Chocolate was being thrown our way no matter where we were that weekend...a true Chocoholic's Dream!

The culmination of this chocoholic's heavenly weekend was a Gala Extragavanza on Saturday evening where "CHOCOLATE" reigned supreme.

Stunning chocolate sculpture by Washington State Chef Donald Wressell of Guittard Chocolates

 

 

From large to small...many chocolate companies and chocolatiers were spotlighted...and everyone was offering samples!

 

 

Bacardi unveiled their "Mango Fusion" rum and paired it with...what else? a dribble of chocolate!   The Silent Auction had over 100 items to bid on, all proceeds benefiting the $150,000 "Equip the Kitchen" campaign for the future Hawai'i Community College Palamanui campus and the Waldorg-inspired Kona Pacific Public Charter School in Kealakekua.  

 

 

Chefs, chocolatiers and Hawai'i Community College students from three islands entered competitions which were critiqued on taste, texture, appearance, creativity and a lot of other criteria by a team of celebrity judges during the three-day festival.

Event host The Fairmont Orchid, Hawai’i tied with Daylight Mind Coffee Company for best savory creation served during the gala. Padovani’s Chocolates took top bonbons. Earning number one plated dessert (bottom middle photo with the Manta Ray cookie on top) was the Hilton Waikoloa Village, which also won the People’s Choice Award. Madre Chocolate took the bean-to-bar category.

Winners and judges of the BICF Gala competition, from left: judge Ken Goto, Executive Fairmont Chef Hubert Des Marais, Daylight Mind Chef Connor Butler (kneeling) Pierre and Philippe Padovani of Padovani’s Chocolates, Hilton Waikoloa Village Chefs Eddie Enojardo and Dayne Tanabe, judge Vincent Bourdin, Nat Bletter of Madre Chocolate and judge Jacques Torres. Photo credit: Shortini Photography

Hawai'i Community College competition winners front row from left: Hilo’s Justina Frias; Maui’s Michelle Angel-Tavares, Hannah Stanchfield and William Ah Puck; and West Hawai’i’s Kanani Sadumiano, Tiani Aribal and Gary Cyr. Photo credit: Shortini Photography

 

 

Heading the team of judges for the two competitions were celebrity chefs “Mr. Chocolate” Jacques Torres of New York City and Valrhona Chocolate’s Vincent Bourdin of Singapore. Other team judges included chocolatier Ken Goto and pastry chefs Rhonda Ashton-Chavez of Four Seasons Resort Maui, Elizabeth McDonald of Mala Restaurant, Ricky DeBoer of The Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui; Heather Campbell of Kaua‘i’s St. Regis Resort Princeville and Daniel Sampson of The Fairmont Orchid.

 

Photo above: Some of the people that helped make it happen...Farsheed Shraddesh Bonakdar, Chef Ken Goto, Fairmont Orchid Executive Chef Hubert des Marais IV, Fairmont Orchid Regional VP and General Manager Chris Luedi, Julie Chancerelle Ziemelis, Chef Jacques Torres, Chef Vincent Bourdin of Valrhona Chocolates and Ed Seguine of Seguine Cacao, Cocoa & Chocolate Advisors 

The Big Island Chocolate Festival is an annual event presented by the Kona Cacao Association, Inc. and was sponsored by The Fairmont Orchid, Hawai‘i, Guittard, DeZaan, Valrhona, PreGel, The Wave-92.1, Big Island Honda and Tire Center, Bacardi, Dolphin Journeys, Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union, Cocoa Outlet, Barry Callebaut Chocolate, Cacao Cucina, DHX, Gourmet Foods Hawaii, Johnson Brothers of Hawaii, Ke Ola magazine, Kona Brewing Company, Kona Natural Soap Company, Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory, West Hawaii Today, The Spoon Shop and Kamehameha Schools.

Mahalo to all of the above for a purely decadent and blissful event!

~~~

If you've missed any of my previous 5 posts about the Big Island Chocolate Festival, please click on the following links:  

3rd Annual Big Island Chocolate Festival

 

A Chocolate Festival...Oh, Yeah!

 

Chocolate Dreams and...soap bubbles?

 

Big Island Chocolate Festival...an Alice in Wonderland Dessert

 

Would you like a bit more chocolate?

 

To keep up with information from the Big Island Chocolate Festivals, please click on the following links:

 

Big Island Chocolate Festival - website

 

Big Island Chocolate Festival on Facebook

 

Would you like a bit more chocolate?

 

Yesterday I shared the recipe for one of the confections demonstrated by Valrhona Chef and President of the Asia Pacific Pastry Cup Board, Vincent Bourdin who is one of the most respected pastry chefs in the world. He and his staff traveled from Singapore to attend the recent Chocolate Festival in Kona.

 

Chef Bourdin used Valrhona’s newest chocolates to create two desserts, 'Bahibe Queen' (check my post of yesterday) and 'Verrine à la Coque' which uses Dulcey, the one and only blonde chocolate. Chef Bourdin said the two were easy chocolate creations to make...but if we were to make them at home, we would need to make a few allowances.  These recipes were as submitted to us.  I haven't made either dessert myeself, so not sure how I would try to adapt them to my own "home cook" type of cooking.

 

 

Verrine à la Coque

Resembles a soft boiled egg in the shell - small shot or liqueur stem glasses might work for this presentation if you manage to find the capsule molds.

 

Streuzel Amandes (Almond Streuzel)

(Total weight 601 g)

150 g butter

150 g Demerara sugar

150 g ground almonds (he prefers Marcona)

1 g fine sea salt

150 g flour for sweet pastry

 

Dice the butter into small cubes.  Sift the dry ingredients together.  Add the butter and mix, using the paddle attachment.  Small grains form, then the mixture forms an irregular mass.  Stop mixing and let the mixture rest in a refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  Press the paste through a 4 mm (0.15748 of an inch) sieve or candy grid to obtain regular grains.  Store in refrigerator or freeze until needed.  Spread the grains out regularly (do not pat down to hard) on a silicone sheet and bake at 150-160 C (302-320 F), damper open, until streuzel turns a golden brown.  Crumble it before using it.

 

Mousse Allégée Opalys (Opalys Light Chocolate Mousse)

(Total weight 2505 g

500 g milk)

20 g gelatine sheets

985 g Opalys 33% Couverture

1000 g fresh cream

 

Soak the gelatine in a large volume of water.  Bring the milk to the boil and add the drained gelatin.  Gradually pour about a third of the hot liquid into the chocolate and stir with a whisk vigorously in order to get a smooth, glossy and elastic texture, sign of a good emulsion.  Add the remaining liquid keeping the same texture, and mix.  When the temperature of ganache reaches about 35 C (95 F), fold in the light whipped cream.  Pour inside the glasses.

 

Capsule Opalys

(Total weight 1070 g)

1000 g Opalys 33% Couverture

70 g cacao butter

 

Mix all ingredients together.  Tempered and mold (the molds he used were sort of egg shaped capsules). 

 

Gelée Pamplemousse (Grapefruit Jelly)

(Total weight 602 g)

530 g grapefruit juice

60 g caster sugar

12 g gelatine sheets

 

Heat a small part of grapefruit juice and mix, add the gelatin and sugar.  Add the rest of the grapefruit juice.  Pour inside Opalys capsure when the temperature of the jelly is bellow 30 degrees and fill about 3/4 full and chill to set.

 

Assembling: Chef Bourdin used a pre-formed egg shaped capsule.  Standing on an egg carton, he spooned the grapefruit jelly into the capsules about 3/4 full.  Meantime, the mousse was spooned into the bottom of the glasses, then a bit of the streuzel was added.  Place the grapefruit jelly filled capsule upside down over the glass and push down just a little bit... not hard or you will break the 'eggshell'. 

 

To eat, tap the top of the 'eggshell' as if you were opening a soft boiled egg, but make sure the 'shell pieces' fall down into the container.  A small soft boiled egg or demitasse spoon will work well.

 

The combination of tastes and textures of the grapefruit jelly, the mousse, the struzel and the 'blonde' chocolate is heavenly!

 

 

 

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If you missed my four previous posts about the 3rd Annual Big Island Chocolate Festival, please click on the following links:

3rd Annual Big Island Chocolate Festival

 

A Chocolate Festival...Oh, Yeah!

 

Chocolate Dreams and...soap bubbles?

 

Big Island Chocolate Festival...an Alice in Wonderland Dessert

 

There will be one more post about the festival...The Saturday Evening Gala!

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To learn more and keep up with information about the Big Island Chocolate Festivals, please click on the following links:

Big Island Chocolate Festival - website

 

Big Island Chocolate Festival on Facebook

 

Big Island Chocolate Festival...an Alice in Wonderland Dessert

If you've been following my blog laterly, you know that we were invited to attend the 3rd Annual Big Island Chocolate Festival held May 1-3 at the Fairmont Orchid Hotel.

There were tours, workshops, and demonstrations during the 3 day event.

Valrhona Chocolate chef and President of the Asia Pacific Pastry Cup Board, Vincent Bourdin is one of the most respected pastry chefs in the world. He and his staff traveled from Singapore to attend the Chocolate Festival.  Their demonstration was sensational!

 

 

During a demonstration early Saturday afternoon, Chef Bourdin used Valrhona’s newest chocolates to create two desserts, 'Bahibe Queen' which is made using Bahibe 46% milk chocolate, and 'Verrine ala Coque' which uses Dulcey, the one and only blond chocolate. Chef Bourdin said the two desserts were easy chocolate creations to make...but I think that if we were to make them at home, we would need to make a few allowances.  These recipes were as submitted to us.  I haven't made either dessert myself, so not sure how I would try to adapt them to my own "home cook" cooking.

 

 

Queen Bahibe

This looked like a confection right out of 'Alice in Wonderland'.  I could almost hear the Queen scream "Off with her head" when I took the little crown from the top and bit a chunk out of it!

 

To save space I am linking explanations to the words and names with which you might not be familiar.

 

For the Dacquoise

150 g Tainori 64% Couverture

250 g ground almonds (he prefers Marcona)

20 g egg whites powder

125 g caster sugar

250 g egg whites

125 g caster sugar

2 pc orange zest

 

Sift the ground almond powder and mix with 125 g caster sugar.  Melt the chocolate at 50 C (122 F).  Whip the fresh egg whites into the melted chocolate to soften the mixture, then add this with the rest of the remaining mixture.  Finish by adding the ground almond powder and sugar as prepared previously and the orange zest in the end.  Spread the mixture thinly into a frame* and bake at 170 C (338 F) for about 15 minutes.

 

* you could use a parchment lined jelly roll pan, but be sure to spread the mix evently.

 

Bahibe 46% Crémeux

500 g milk

500 g fresh cream 34%

200 g egg yolks

100 g caster sugar

1000 g Crème Anglaise

480 g Bahibe 46% Couverture

 

Boil the cream together with the milk and pour this over the eggs, previously mixed with the sugar (not whitened).  Cook the mixture at 82-84 C (179.60-183.20 F).  Strain through a fine sieve and use immediately or it will cool down rapidly.  Soak and drain the gelatin and then mix with the hot, strained custard.  Pour the mixture into the melted chocolate and mix with a rubber spatula to make a smooth and glossy emulsion which has an elastic texture.  Blend to perfect the emulsion, taking care not to incorporate any air and working at 35-45 C (95-113 F).  This technique guarantees the smooth texture of the crémeux, even after thawing.  Leave to set completely in fridge overnight.

 

Bahibe 46% Light Chocolate Mousse

250 g milk

5 g gelatine sheet

350 g Bahibe 46% Couverture

500 g fresh cream 35%

 

Bring the milk to a boil and add the gelatin.  Pour around 1/3 of the liquid into the chocolate and whisk to obtain a smooth, glossy and elastic texture, signifying the emulsion process has begun.  Add the remaining milk, taking care to preserve this texture.  When the chocolate mixture reaches 35-40 C (95-104 F), fold in the whipped cream.  Use immediately.  Blast freeze.

 

Bahibe 46% Glaze

112 g fresh cream 35%

300 g Absolu Cristal Neutral Glaze

162 g Bahibe 46% Couverture

 

Melt the couverture.  Bring the cream to a boil and separately melt the Absolu Cristal at 60-70 C (140-158 F).  Gradually pour the cream into the melted chocolate and emulsify by using a rubber spatula (as for a ganache), finishing with the Absolu Cristal glaze.  Finish with a handheld blender to ensure a fine texture and glossy look, pay attention not to incorporate any air bubbles.  It is best to leave the glaze to rest overnight before use.  Suggest to use glaze at 32 C (89.600 F), reheating in the microwave.

 

P125 Shortbread

360 g butter

270 g icing sugar

6 g fine sea salt

90 g ground Marcona almonds

150 g whole eggs

180 g cake flour

520 g cake flour

200 g P125 Coeur de Guanaja

 

Make a first mixture with the butter and the chocolate at 45 C (113 F), add the salt, the icing sugar, the ground almonds, the eggs and the 189 g flour.  Do not beat air into the mixture.  As soon as the mixture is homogeneous, add the 520 g of flour quickly into the bowl.  Set aside in a refrigerator for a few hours before rolling out.  Roll the pastry out to 2mm (0.078740 of an inch) and cut out discs in a 4 cm diameter (0.62000 of an inch).  Bake at 150-160 C (302-320 F) for about 20 minutes.

 

Chocolate Discs

200 g Bahibe 46% Couverture

 

Temper some Bahibe chocolate.  Pour between two guitar sheets and spread it out with a rolling pin.  When the chocolate begins to set, mark the plastic sheet in discs of 3 cm (0.46500 of an inch) outside diameter and 2 cm (0.31000 of an inch) inside diameter.  Leave to crystalize until it is set.

 

Assembling: Chef Bourdin used a pre-formed bell shaped form to mold the 'casing' for the confection, then layered the different elements, Dacquoise, Crémeux, Mousse, Discs, etc until the bell shaped vessels were filled.  Turn upside down then 'glue' the chocolate crown on top with some soft ganache.  Let sit in fridge to set.  Serve.

 

 

 

'Verrine ala Coque' recipe will be posted tomorrow

 

 

If you missed my three previous posts about the 3rd Annual Big Island Chocolate Festival, please click on the following links:

 

3rd Annual Big Island Chocolate Festival

 

A Chocolate Festival...Oh, Yeah!

 

Chocolate Dreams and...soap bubbles?

 

To learn more and keep up with information about the Big Island Chocolate Festivals, please click on the following links:  

 

Big Island Chocolate Festival - website

 

Big Island Chocolate Festival on Facebook

 

 

More to follow...don't go away!