Cooking Demos at the Hildebrandt Building

By Elaine T. Cicora

More than a dozen Dames and their guests (a group of potential recruits that included a beekeeper, a restaurant owner, a culinary consultant, and a writer with strong links to the food industry) gathered at the Hildebrandt Building on Nov. 13, 2017, for our bi-monthly business meeting. Afterward, we enjoyed three fabulous food demos presented by chapter members.

Using a recipe from her recently published cookbook, Chefs & Company, Dame Maria Isabella demo’d a quick and easy recipe for Spiced Hummus with Preserved Lemons. Fun fact: The recipe originated with chef and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Joanne Weir, who also happens to be a member of the San Francisco chapter of LDEI.

A puree of garbanzo beans, tahini and garlic, the hummus was fresh, bright and bursting with flavor. Parsley added a lush, green hue, while preserved lemon contributed a hint of salt and a citric tang. Through the magic of Vitamix, the hummus was ready in less than five minutes; Maria served it with wedges of toasted pita.

 

Dame Marla Holmes, a culinary instructor, followed Maria with a demo of her no-knead artisanal bread. Each loaf begins with just five ingredients – bread flour, salt, sugar, yeast and oil – and requires only about two hours to complete its journey from mixing bowl to bread basket. As a variation on the basic loaf, Marla also showed us how to assemble a festive orange-cranberry loaf that featured orange-infused canola oil, orange zest, and dried cranberries. She also provided each of us with a pre-mixed bread kit, containing the basic dry ingredients, to complete at home.

Dame Melissa McClelland was our third presenter, with a demo of a special-occasion-worthy mushroom-almond paté. After working as a chef and recipe developer, Melissa has currently become a devoted gardener and a regular contributor to Edible Cleveland magazine; this recipe, adapted from one created by a former coworker at EatingWell magazine, can be found in the Fall 2017 Edible issue.

Comprising chopped mushrooms, garlic, onion, walnut oil, sherry vinegar and almonds, the paté was served with thinly sliced radishes, black sea salt and organic sourdough-spelt crackers from a local baker. “Because it has lots of umami, this paté is a good choice for meat eaters and vegetarians, alike,” Melissa said about the vibrant spread.

 

As if that wasn’t tempting enough, the hummus, paté and bread were joined by additional apps and snacks provided by those of us in attendance. Our hostess, Dame Paula Hershman of StoreHouse Tea, provided assorted teas; many members also contributed wine. And predictably enough, a good time was had by all.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2018. Watch Facebook and this website for details.