Another Semester and yet another great Mexican Food buffet!

This class prepared the following items:

Carne Asada, Frijoles; Spanish Rice; Salsa; Homemade Flour and Corn Tortillas; Guacamole, Pork Green Mole; Chicken Enchiladas; Pork Tamales; Shrimp Veracruz; Pozole, Marinated Red Onion Salad; Fresh Tropical Fruit display; Tamillio, Horchata and Virgin Pina Coladas, and Chef Mike's baking class brought over Orange Flans, Churros, Sopapillas, a Mexican Chocolate Cake, Cookies and Rice Pudding. WOW what a class this was. I even did a quick ice sculpture of a sbarro cactus for the presentation.

Each Semester I buy a few more cooking utensils, Plates or Pans to fit the theme of the countries we cover. My Asian & Thai equipment consumes a whole tote box of it's own, and this semester I purchased a few more Mexican plates as well. Below is a gathering of my stuff when doing Mexican buffets.

Fruits of my Garden labor

Playing in the garden. After countless hours of seeding, weeding and watering I have harvested a few goodies. Below is a Chive Blossom Salad with baby radishes, toasted pine nuts and a wild berry vinaigrette. A nice light lunch after working in the hot summer sun.

Below was a light dinner of grilled portabello, fresh garden vegetables and lettuce with pine nuts and bambo & jasmine rice pilaf

One of my passion's is relaxing in the garden, here is one of my small gardens in the back yard.

This week, I spent some time with the folks who prepare lunches in the schools for our children in the state of Colorado. I had the priveledge of leading a class with my wife's assistance on "Homemade and Healthy School Meals".

I was very impressed with the dedication and commitment the people I met had toward their job and the kids. Each person sincerely had an interest in creating a meal that was nutritious and that the kids would enjoy.

The whole trip was a bit of a mishap in itself, but due to our great attitude, everything worked out for the best. Here's what I mean...a bit of a communication blunder led us to think our class began a day earlier than it actually did. So, we headed to CSU on Sunday to purchase the necessary foods and find a place to store the perishables for class. We attempted to check in to our arranged hotel room only to find that our reservation wasn't until the following day. So we headed to our class location to see if we could make arrangements for food storage. NOPE!! Nobody in sight! We were getting a little nervous. Deciding to move ahead in case the class actually did happen Monday morning, we spent 3 hours shopping, purchased a cooler and ice for storage, and paid for a hotel room.

Monday morning, we headed over to set up for class. Still, no evidence of the attendees or people putting on the workshop. My wife set out for the main campus location to see if she could get any information. Again, no luck. Now it was past 8am--the time our class was to commence. Since we had no students, we set out together to see if this was a hoax or if we totally had all the information wrong. This time, we found the person who had contracted us and got the correct information. Our class would be Tues and Wed, not Mon and Tues as we had thought. Oh well...

Once we discovered that class didn't happen until Tuesday, we were free to enjoy ourselves a bit. Luckily, we have some great friends in Ft. Collins and they were gracious enough to loan us their bicycles.

We found ourselves all over the fantastic trail system that covers the area and we rode along side the Poudre River most of the way. At one point, we found a pavilion with a bench and took a little break. While sitting and enjoying the view, we heard an odd sound...Hissssssssssssssss. ..the air from my back tire completely escaped in that brief moment of relaxation! We couldn't believe it! Luckily, we were not in the wilderness as we had been all day; we were two blocks from a gas station. Yay!! Unfortunately, the air was 75 cents and we had no cash! Considering what to do, I cocked my head and in that moment, spied another station across the intersection. It had two pumps and an air hose in between them for FREE! Thank You! To whomever is watching over us and presenting these trials.

It turned out to be a lovely ride, a fantastic class and another opportunity to triumph over tribulation!!!! Woo Hoo!

My Spring 2009 International Cuisine Class Creation

Here are a few of the students showing their Mexican Cuisine Buffet. They really had a good time putting together these authentic dishes from our neighbors to the South.

Ice Carvings--Something I do in my spare time

I typically do a few ice carvings each month for various clientele. Here are a few of the recent creations for those of you who wonder what I've been up to lately.

A Gourmet Feast at Home

We've decided to share one of our special meals with all of you. Dining at the Painter house is often a gourmet event, and last night was no exception. Mark had our youngest, Liam, don an apron and chef hat and take on the role of sous chef. The menu would include warm water lobster tails (the biggest we'd seen in a long time), home made roasted bell pepper fettuccine, spinach with portobello mushrooms and French Viognier to accompany the meal.

Mark had his mise en place ready when we walked in the door and continued to roast the bell pepper as other items were being prepared. He instructed Liam to wash his hands and get ready to roll out the pasta dough. My job was to make a cocktail, take pictures and keep the video rolling. Mark tends to throw out many commands when he's in the kitchen, mainly due to his experience as a Chef. I still am not used to being told what to do, so I made my cocktail a little stronger.

Above are some of the products of my work as I documented Mark's work. As soon as I discover how to upload video, you will see the work as it progressed.

I have to say, even though I was a bit resistant--silly to resist a fabulous lobster meal--everything was delectable and beautiful! We have to give kudos to Kathy, our Safeway fish monger, for the heads up on the great deal, and commend Cheers for steering us to the Viognier that paired so nicely with the buttery poached lobster tail. Enjoy the visual feast and trust that the meal was definitely a labor of love and eaten with joy.

Okay, so hello! Wow! I guess I've not attended to this blog in awhile. I suppose I should get something going on here. When I looked at the date of my last posting, I realized I'd been focusing only on studies. I've had my nose in the books and forgotten to comment on my adventures.

Here's what's new. A new semester has started and we are off and running! My classes are International Cuisine, Center of the Plate and Wines and Spirits. I've been avidly studying anything I can get my hands on--grapes from the northern Rhone; cooking styles and ingredients of Japan; soil types and grape varieties in Italy...if not studying, I'm breaking down a leg of lamb and turning it into a beautiful roast or preparing a Thai dinner for friends at my home.

I have noticed with the passing of each semester, the students keep getting smarter and smarter. I literally have to challenge myself to keep ahead of the curve. I learn more and more so that I remain a valuable resource for my students.

I would truly be lost in the dust if I did not continue to expand myself. Cooking, competing, reading & studying, attending culinary activities, donating time to fundraisers and dining out are just a few of the things I do to keep current. If I had one message to share from all of this, it's simply, Staying on top of your game requires a constant fuel of knowledge. Feed yourself delectable tid bits of information to satisfy the hunger that is.

Here's a tasty tid bit for you--The Declaration of Independence was signed with a toast of Madeira. Check this out: http://www.madeirawine.com/html/boston01.html.

Mark S. Painter, CEC

I thought it would be fun to talk about a class I teach at the college. It's called "International Cuisine" and it is one of my most exciting classes.

Featured countries usually include Spain, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Thailand, Viet Nam, Turkey, Greece, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, The Caribbean, Peru, India, Morocco, Nigeria or Germany. I feel that the above countries offer interesting culinary aspects and educational value for anyone wanting to supplement their culinary knowledge.

I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring these countries and learning about their foods. The prepared items are specific to the country we are studying featuring indigenous ingredients and cooking styles that may be unfamiliar to cooks in the US. Everyone comes away with some new tidbit of information that can only widen one’s culinary abilities.

Recently, we studied Spain—here’s the inside scoop:
Two different classes prepared the following Spanish items: Paella, gazpacho, tortilla Espanola, almond and cinnamon chicken, fried shrimp and squid with Sauce Romesco, orange flans, Churros, roast pork, steamed mussels, chicken and chorizo, Pine nut and fresh herb stuffed squid with a tomato sauce and yellow rice pilaf, olive Tapas with crisp bread and grilled vegetables.

As a student in the class, the task includes planning the menu items; ordering the food products and preparing the dishes. This occurs within a few short hours.

It’s not always easy to create the perfect product…
We weren’t able to get true Seville Oranges for the Flan.
Our Chorizo Sausage was not of the greatest quality.
The rice we used for our Paella had to be Arborio rather than the traditional rice from Valencia
The Ham was not traditional Jambon Serrano
And we were unable to drink good Spanish Sherry and listen to flamenco music while cooking. Some of the finer aspects have to forego as we are still at a state funded school.

Other than the few issues above I believe we really enjoyed reading, studying, learning and cooking the foods of Spain.

Here are a few of the interesting facts we learned along the way:

The bottom of an authentic paella is slightly caramelized to extract all the flavor—this is called socarrat.

The word tapa literally means ‘cover or lid’. Tapas were created to satisfy a King’s ruling. The King demanded everyone have food while drinking. Tapas also helped to keep bugs out of the beverage.

Gazpacho soup comes from Andalusia—this is different from Mexico’s gazpacho. The Andalusian Gazpacho uses a pureed bread to add to the texture and for thickening.

Below are some photos of a few of our classes with the finished buffets. Enjoy!! And thanks for checking us out!

A Fine Establishment

By: Chef Mark and Kerri Painter--Mark of Excellence

Last week it was my wife’s birthday. We cruised up to Denver and discovered a cool new venue. It’s called Nissi’s. It's in Lafayette, just outside of Boulder—here’s the link -- http://www.nissis.com/.

We danced all night to music by Chris Daniels and the Kings—these guys play blues, funk, rock and creole jazz with a full on horn section. Here's their link – http://www.chrisdaniels.com/.
We think you should check these both out. Here’s why:

Nissi’s is cool!! Cool artwork, awesome food, and a gracious owner.

We walked in to a warm greeting by the hostess and were taken to our table that turned out to be right next to the dance floor across from the band. We found out later, the hostess was the owner, Teresa. The room was decorated nicely with large paintings and soft lighting. The building and atmosphere were upscale, maintained and pleasant. The wait staff was friendly, clean and uniform in their appearance. Nissi's ambiance is welcoming and creates a feeling of comfort for it's clientele.

Here are some of our observations about the food, wine & service:

We had several small dish menu items. We enjoyed the hummus, crab cakes, tenderloin and calamari. The dishes were nicely presented. We thought the crab cakes and sauce on the tenderloin were very well executed. I have to say, that after preparing crab cakes in several culinary competitions, I am a pretty good judge of a crab cake. That being said, the mashed potatoes on the tenderloin dish had a taste that spoke of too much time in the steam table. Fresh prep makes all the difference to a trained taste bud. Also, the hummus remained on the plate when all the accompaniments were gone—maybe they could add more items for dipping or decrease the hummus portion—preferably the former. All in all, we thought the food was worth the price and very tasty.

We had a wine flight, too. There were several flights to choose from. Ours featured wines from South America. There was a Carmenere from Chile, a Malbec from Argentina and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina. We asked our server for some information about the Carmenere. It turned out, he had traveled to South America with the owner’s son recently and could actually give us some information about the wine with confidence. The wine flight arrived on a wine glass tree where all three glasses hung. It was nice to be able to sample these types of wines side by side and not have to purchase an entire bottle or full glass to do so. We later selected a bottle of the Hahn Cabernet Sauvignon from the Central Region of California. It went nicely with our tenderloin. Their wine list was well rounded, not too extensive and fairly priced.

Our server was nice and informative. We had a couple of complications and he handled them fairly well.—my gin and tonic was “off”. We finally decided it must have been a gin and soda. He made a comment that sometimes the gun behind the bar is not always accurate, but ultimately brought back a new, properly made drink.

Glassware and other unneeded items remained on the table until we asked our waiter to take them. Since the table was small, and even if it wasn’t, any items not in use should be removed—especially at a place like Nissi’s. Overall, our service was good and we were happy.

We finished our night with a birthday dessert. The waiter brought a molten lava chocolate dish. In case you can’t tell, when you cut into it, the warm chocolate sauce flows out of the cake. Since my wife isn’t a chocolate fan, our server brought her a complimentary caramel apple dessert that was a la mode. These treats wrapped our evening in note of sweetness.

The music rocked. We danced all night. My wife’s brother, Chris, is the drummer for the band. Here’s his website: http://www.drumzdezign.com/. This band is fun to dance to and plays music for many tastes. Check ‘em out!!

Check back soon for new reviews on other fine establishments…

BoaVentura de Caires Winery

Here we are at the vineyard tasting room

Best wine I've ever tasted.

I had the chance to visit some very nice wineries in Livermore, California last week. We picnicked at Wente Vineyards where we had a personal cave tour, sampled wines at the Steven Kent Winery, Murrieta's Well, Concannon Vineyards, BoaVentura, Rios-Lovell Estate and Retzlaff Vineyards specializing in organic wines. We also drank a wine from White Crane Winery and had Veuve Clicquot Champagne with our Egg Bake breakfast at the Baisey Estate. The highlight of wine on this trip was at a dinner table in the house of Larry and Lisa Green when we opened a bottle Larry had purchased at a boutique winery called BoaVentura. The wine was a 2004 Estate Bottled BoaVentura Cabernet Sauvignon - Bottle #320 of one thousand. This was the best wine I have ever tasted! It was so velvety and complex, resembling stewed red currants, chocolate and tobacco, a very smooth flavor that lingered for a perfect finish. I only wish I would have purchased more wine!

By: Mark S. Painter

Learned about huitlacoche (Corn Smut) today from my Chef friend, Ben. Also learned about his Pomegranate caviar.

Parrot with Horn and Food by Mark S. Painter 1988 Radisson Hotel Denver, CO

Sculpting a few dolphins at the El Paso Club in Colorado Springs 1999

Lobster Sesame Glazed Pacific Snapper

Lemongrass Infused Jasmine Rice and Broccolini

Black Currant Glazed Lamb Loin with Drunken Shallots, Yukon Gold Smashed Potatoes, Braised Spinach and Buttered Carrots
Mark S. Painter
Broadmoor 2004 ACF Hot Food Competition

Colorado Springs

Venetian Grilled Lobster & Coppa Wrapped Asparagus, Wild Mushroom Risotto,

Savory Lemon Beurre Blanc

Mark S. Painter

2004 Lea & Perrins Competition

Mercedes Logo for Colorado Springs Mercedes Dealers

1998 Briarhurst Manor

Painter's Fighter Jets

Air Force Academy

Colorado Springs 2006

The Harp is my favorite sculpture to express artistry and excellence

2001 Custom Foods

Western Regional Winner