Every Bite Takes You Home – My Le Cordon Bleu Cooking Lesson #100FootJourneyEvent

cincomom July 29, 2014 1 Comment »

When I think of my momma’s Mac and Cheese, the comfort and gooey goodness of her special recipe always makes me think of home. Even when I try to replicate her recipe I somehow fall short. Food is comfort. We gather at dinners, meet up at coffee shops for lunch and hit the buffet at breakfast. And it’s the common thread that links us all.

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But I’m no Hassan Kadam (as played by Manish Dayal) like in the movie 100 Foot Journey. the-100FootJourney53cea5c394251-600x262

But I did get a chance to create a great plate at the one place where you learn the necessary skill to be a top culinary artist — Le Cordon Bleu Los Angeles campus!

And I got the chance to make a great meal and learn from Master Chef Carlos Mulia during a 4-day press trip to Los Angeles for the Disney 100 Foot Journey event. I got to see the movie and the storyline seared into soul just like a perfectly cooked steak would.

First we toured the facility and learned all about what the school has to offer from the chefs.

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Then they indulged us with a Quiche Lorraine and Salad and Beef Bourguignon that was absolutely delicious!

Then I got the chance to make a Parisian Mumbai salad and team up with my blogger friends to work together in the Le Cordon Bleu kitchen and crank out a professional meal that would make my momma proud of my cooking.

It was fun to slice and dice apples and mango, whip up a vinaigrette dressing from scratch, and grill my yogurt infused chicken on the grill to produce a delectable meal, plated like a pro.

Voila!

There’s a lot of pressure to produce a great meal and the new movie 100 Foot Journey movie, produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey takes you on a journey of a young aspiring chef and his family and the pressure it takes to cook up great meals in a city that doesn’t quite suit them and how food can be the catalyst that breaks down bitterness and hate when cultures clash.

No CGI, no robots, no superheroes, no guns, no explosions, no car chases; 100 Foot JOurney is simply a story about perseverance, personal growth and triumph. It is moving and Helen Mirren as Madame Mallory is a firecracker who and sparks on-screen.

At Le Cordon Bleu we cooked meals inspired by the movie.

100 Foot Journey is an intelligent, heartwarming and engaging story about crossing the cultural divide — taking the big chances outside one’s comfort zone to turn the page to the next chapter of life. It’s the kind of adventure story you are truly meant to live. Go hungry, with friends, to see this movie on August 8th, then dine and discuss it. Perhaps you, too, will be inspired to take a journey. Try the Parisian Mumbai Salad below!

Parisian Mumbai Salad

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp. ginger, freshly grated

1 tsp. garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cardamom

1 tbsp. curry powder

2-6oz. skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

Salad:

4 oz. mixed greens

1 mango, julienned

1 apple, with skin, julienned

Vinaigrette:

2 tbsp. salad oil

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Naan-tons:

1 piece Naan bread , torn into 1-inch squares

1/2 oz. salad oil

salt and pepper to taste

Curried Walnuts

1 oz. grape seed oil

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1/ tsp. curry powder

2 oz. walnuts

Directions

1. In a plastic bag, combine the yogurt, ginger, garlic, cardamom, curry powder, salt, and pepper.

2. Add the chicken pieces and marinate (squish the bag to get the flavor to mesh) for 45 minutes; set aside.

3. Julienne the mango and apple and set aside.

4. Proceed making the vinaigrette; in a bowl mix Dijon mustard, & red wine vinegar together. Add salt and pepper.

5. Slowly incorporate the salad oil continuously whisking as you do. Set aside.

6. Take the bread, and tear it into 1? cubes (or bite sized pieces), drizzle with oil; season with salt and pepper.

7. Bake Naan in the oven at 375 degrees F for 8–10 minutes. Halfway through cooking check the bread and toss it around to give it an even coating then place it back in the oven until golden brown.

8. While waiting for the bread, toss the walnuts into the grape seed oil, along with sugar and curry powder; set aside.

9. Get the chicken, then grill it until the meat is white and not translucent. To create crisscross grill marks, grill the chicken following a 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock pattern.

10. Cut the chicken into thin strips.

11. Assemble the salad – we made a mound and added the mango, chicken and apple, but tossing it all together works just as well.

THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY (8/8/14)

https://www.facebook.com/100FootJourneyMovie

https://twitter.com/the100ftJourney (#100FootJourney)

http://www.pinterest.com/100ftjourney/

http://instagram.com/thehundredfootjourney

http://thehundredfootjourney.tumblr.com

http://100footjourneymovie.com

Disclosure: I was invited to an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles for the 100-Foot-Journey event, but all opinions are my own.