Special cooking class planned with Pan Pacific chef

A RARE and privileged evening is planned for all you
cooks out there. I'll be there, and you can be too. Maureen
Goulet (Ambrosia Cooking Classes in West Vancouver) has
planned another great event for Monday evening, Nov. 1 at

the Pan Pacific Hotel.

The star that evening will be
none other than executive chef
Ernst Dorfler.

Dorfler, along with Team
Canada, won the coveted and
highly prestigious gold medal Jast
fail in Frankfurt, Germany at the
Culinary Olympics.

And by the way, that is top
honors for the world, among chefs
from many countries.

I first met this respected,

revered and most charming gen-
tleman when I interviewed him for
my Taste of Vancouver - Great
Chefs Cookbook earlier this year.
.. Dorfler oversees (with a cooking
staff of 50-plus!) everything at the
Pan Pacific: the upscale Five Sails
Restaurant, Cascade Lounge, cafe,
CBC World Trade Centre, ban-
quets, etc.

He has graciously consented to
share: a: few. special hours with
Goulet and her guests for a cook-
ing class — and more.

Included .will be a personally

-guided tour of the hotel kitchens,

a. private cooking demonstration

of the actual dinner we will dine

on later (Grilled Fraser Valley
Vegetable Salad, B.C. Mushroom
Filled Ravioli with Herb Infusion,
and (the winning dish from the
Culinary Olympics) Dorfler’s Ap-
plewood Smoked Pheasant Breast
with _Sundried. Black Currant

Sauce),

The evening will begin. with
aperitifs and a chance to meet this

_congenial Austrian-born chef.

Wines will be served with each

“course, and dinner will be served

in a private dining room with the

“chef himself.

I met with Dorfier recently, for
this photo shoot (that’s the gold
medal he’s sporting over his chef

jacket), and asked that. he share

three favorite recipes of his own
for this coluinn.
[remember when I interviewed

“him back in January, I asked him

what his favorite food was. The
surprising answer:

baked potato!

No surprise then, when he
handed me a trio of — what else!
— potato dishes.

A delicious potato soup with

_ mussels,. his wife’s most favorite

Potato Gratin, and his’ own
‘Austrian way with a lovely potato

‘salad. Thank you, Chef Dorfler.

Interesting to me, as a food

‘writer, that-the humbie and noble

potato scems to be at.the top of
everyone’s list — even this most
famous of chefs.

Phone Maureen Goulet at 922-

6694 for information and reserva-

tions for this very special evening

out, behind the scenes where it all

* happens! See you there.

POTATO SOUP WITH
MUSSELS
Serve this’ silken poiato and
fresh mussel soup with a ‘chilled
crisp. white’ wine, a lealy green
salad, “and a.crusty’ loaf ef

“warmed French bread and butter.

Serves 4.
16 fresh mussels, i in their shell
i ¢. (50 mL) whiie wine
LT shallot, sliced
‘Y medium russet potato, preled
14 ¢. (300 mi ) rick chicken stock

Yo'c. (125 mL) leeks, thinly sliced —

white part

WY oz (65 g) butter
Salt pepper, pinch sugar
Touch of grated nutmeg

Edena
Sheldon

CUISINE SCENE

Yc. (125 mL) heavy-cream

% bunch fresh parsley, minced
fine .

2 oz. (50 g) butter

Wash mussels well under cold
water. Steam until just open,
about 3-4 minutes, with the white
wine and shallot.

Set aside, saving all juices in
pot. : o

Slice the peeled potato into
’”-thick (1 cm) slices. Simmer
potatoes in the chicken stock
stowly until very soft.

Meanwhile, glaze the sliced
Jeeks in butter until crisp-tender
(with a bit of crunch).

Season leeks with salt, pepper,
sugar and nutmeg.

Blend potato-stock mixture un-
til smooth and silky.

Gently remove cooked mussels
from shells, and add to soup with
strained pot juices (to remove any
sediment).

a perfectly §

a “ith

‘8
fee

Deluxe Fruit Cake Mix
Cut Mixed Peel
Cherries Red/Green
Pineapple Rings

aad

Thompson Raisins
Turkish Apricots
Baking Dates
Mission Black Figs

Pecan Pieces

Unblanched Raw Almonds
Roasted Cashews salted /non-salted

Natural Pistachio salted
Walnut Halves & Pieces

‘Harvest Hot Specials
elgium Chocolate Callebaut
* Pure Vanilla Extract 500 m!

Sultana Raisins

Sale ends Oct, 24/93

1320 Lonsdale Ave.,

North Van.

CRETE SEI IER ET TT RTE NS

Xmas Baking Specials

Candied Fruit

Dried Fruit

; Raw & Roasted Nuts

Add the cream, glazed leeks,
and minced parsley.

Heat soup through over low fire
until piping hot.

Add cold butter, swirled in, at
end to finish soup.

Serve immediately.

POTATO GRATIN

Dorfler tells me that this potato
recipe is his Swiss wife Margrit’s
favorite dish.

| tried it for our Thanksgiving
dinner, and I whole-heartedly
agree with her! It is utterly
delicious. Serves 4.

14 oz. (400 g) russet potatoes (no
substitute), peeled and sliced into
Ya"-thick (3 mm) rounds. DO
NOT wash them first!

1 large clove garlic, minced fine

7 oz. (200 mL) milk (homo)

4 oz. (120 mL) heavy cream

Salt, freshly ground pepper

Cajun pepper, nutmeg

1 oz. (25 g) chilled butter

The reason you don’t wash the
potatoes is that their starch is
what thickens the gratin.

Toss the potato slices with the
minced garlic in a heavy-bottomed
fireproof casserole or pan.

Pour the milk and cream over
the potatoes to barely cover.

Place casserole over heat, and
cook mixture until bubbly 3-5
minutes until the milk is thickened
from the potato starch,

Season mixture, as it cooks,
with the salt and pepper, some
Cajun’. pepper (optional) and
nutmeg to taste.

Brush an ovenproof gratin cas-
serole (oval porcelain is ideal) with
some butter.

Arrange the potatoes, and their
liquid, in the pan. Mixture should
be %"’ (2cm) deep.

Dot the top of the dish with bits
of cold butter.

Bake, uncovered, in a pre-
heated 325°F (160°C) oven for
about 1% hours.

See Salad page 56

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_ Mon.-Sat. 9:30-6:00
Hol/Sun. 12-Spm

985-3214

Bia

NEWS photo Neil Lucente

EXECUTIVE CHEF Ernst Vorfler of he Pan Pacific Hotel and the
Five Sails Restaurant proudly wears his gold medal from Team
Canada’s grand victory in last year’s Culinary Olympics in
Frankfurt, Germany.

Edgemont Village, North Van j

983-9330

Ample
parking
&

customer