Minutes 5-14-05 (Chef Estee from Moodys)

The latest gathering of the SLCC met on Saturday, May 14, at the beautiful mountain home of Gene and Anne Bowles.   The forty or so club members and guests were treated to an evening of culinary expertise and fantastic dishes prepared by Truckee chef Mark Estee.   Chef Estee is the Executive Chef and part owner of Moody’s Bistro and Lounge in the Truckee Hotel.   His overall presentation and preparedness was only surpassed by his overwhelming passion for food and cooking.   His great personality made the demonstration a pleasure to watch.   His techniques were easily understood by the novice cook or quickly up-graded to the amateur “chefs” in the audience.

Randy Diaz, founder of the SLCC, introduced our hosts Gene and Anne and thanked them for their gracious hospitality, then introduced Chef Mark (as he was by then known, later just “Mark”).   As the guest filled their wine glasses the real business of the evening began.

Mark’s culinary credo is that food should be “fresh, seasonal, local, and simple”.   The five courses he produced were just that, especially simple (at least for him).   Guests moved up to the kitchen’s island in the Bowles’ spacious, professional-sized kitchen for a closer look at Mark’s prep skills.

He started with a very light salad of raw vegetables he calls crudo – dressed in a reduction of orange juice, olive oil, and sherry vinegar. (All recipes can be found on the SLPOA website for the SLCC).   After each course was demonstrated full-sized portions were set out for the guests.

Following the crudo, Mark demonstrated another simple and delicious dish, a white gazpacho made with Truckee Bakery bread, toasted almonds and pine nuts, seedless cucumbers, grapes, and oils blended into a delicious texture.   This was topped with avocados and crab.   The one thing that caught my eye was the attention to details and pre-planning (mise en place).   The ingredients for each course were arranged on trays with a short-cut version of each recipe, which along with a favorite tray of spices and oils keeps the chef focused.   Mark says, “Stay prepared”.

The third dish was the main entree, roasted Long Island duck!   Again, Mark demonstrated the pre-cooking procedure for preparing the duck and the sauce made from a reduction of stock, duck wings, port, and dried cherries.   As before, we saw the preparation from start to finish, but lucky for us he had roasted four ducks earlier in the afternoon.   And by the way, the aromas coming from the kitchen were magnificent to say the least.

The next dish was what Chef Estee calls Coq Potatoes.   A simple baked dish consisting of potatoes, sour cream, heavy cream, and cheeses. (What could be any better?)

Our final course was simple, individual chocolate cakes, which had a soft brownie like center.   A great finale to a terrific dinner and an extremely enjoyable evening.

Special thanks again to Randy Diaz, Anne and Gene Bowles, and to Chef Mark Estee of Moody’s Bistro and Lounge.   Another successful meeting of the Serene Lakes Cooking Club.

Your culinary reporter, David Africa