Day 1 of New York Culinary Experience at The International Culinary Center

Today was my first day (and first time) at the New York Culinary Experience at The International Culinary Center, co-hosted by New York Magazine was overall, simply amazing. Even though I had to get up at an ungodly hour on a Saturday morning to get dressed, caffeinated and hopefully manage to wield a knife by 8:30 AM, it was worth it – and most importantly nobody got hurt.

This culinary experience was top notch from the start of basic necessity of (many cups of) Illy coffee with breakfast to the actual cooking classes with the chefs who are involved with this year’s experience and you are certainly not leaving there hungry. Every class you’ll have the opportunity to taste everything you’ve made and the moments that you are not cooking, you’ll be served with food.

I have participated in James Beard Award winner (2004), Dean of The International Culinary Center, and Executive pastry chef Emily Luchetti of Waterbar and Farallon in San Francisco, Executive Chef Shaun Hergatt of SHO Shaun Hergatt, Pastry Chef, MOF, Proprietor of Jacques Torres Chocolates and Dean of The International Culinary Center Jacques Torres.

During lunch

Lunch was delicious comfort food from The Meatball Shop with a Q&A and talk with the adorable couple who owns and runs Satur Farms, Chef Eberhard Müller and Paulette Satur with the Founder and CEO of The ICC Dorothy Cann Hamilton. After the afternoon class session, it capped off with a Champagne reception to reel in all the efforts of intense and fun day of cooking with nationally revered chefs.

Here’s some photo highlights:

At Chef Shaun Hergatt’s class: Uni + 64 degree poached egg + uni foam = bliss! If this every weekend, I would be a very happy woman. Uni’s sexy creaminess and subtle briny flavors worked wonders with the perfectly runny sous vided egg. The plastic poached egg with truffled celery root purée looks simple tasted so complex and delicious. The poached egg with hollandaise on crostini is a classic but elegant take of the eggs benedict (sans the pork product and it’s unnecessary here). The entire eating experience of these dishes (after putting all the work into it) was pure decadence.

Pastry Chef Emily Luchetti’s molten chocolate cake with caramel sauce and whipped cream topped with a chocolate pretzel bark was an in-your-face rich chocolate cake that’s packed with tons of chocolate flavor and the caramel (my recent flavor obsession) was bitter and salty enough to counterpoint the sweetness of the cake. Honestly, I wish I had taken the remainder of the caramel sauce since it’s so freakin’ delicious with the pretzel chocolate bark! (There were pear franginpane tarts baked as well.)

Chef Jacques Torres and one of his crazy antics during class – blowing up a rubber glove. Never a dull moment during the 2 hours with him. Hopefully within the next few days, I’ll upload my video clips of his class. It’s interesting and some parts hilarious.

Champagne Paul Goerg Brut Rosé and some of the hors d’oeurves served during Champagne reception to cap off the day.

My take-home gift to my mom from Jacques Torres’ chocolate class – an edible chocolate box topped with colored marzipan decorations and handmade flavored truffles by yours truly.

My autographed apron of chefs I’ve had the honor and pleasure to meet and cook with today.

I am very excited about tomorrow’s classes! If you want to be in the loop of what’s happening live during class session tomorrow, you may follow my stream of tweets.

To view more photos of this fantastic event, please click through the slideshow (or view my Flickr set):

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Information:
New York Culinary Experience 2012 at The International Culinary Center, co-hosted by New York Magazine
Event’s Website: http://nyce.nymag.com/

The International Culinary Center’s website: http://www.internationalculinarycenter.com
Address:
462 Broadway
New York, NY 10013
Telephone: 888-324-2433