Tonight’s dinner was a lot of fun. Every once in a while, I think; ‘God, do you really remember how to cook. I mean, you’re not cooking as much as you used to. Can you still make it work?’ In moments like this I fall back on techniques or dishes that I really love pulling off. Most of this repertoire comes from the time I spent with Chef Louise Duhamel in the P.M. Fine Dinning a la Carte class at the New England Culinary Institute (aka NECI) both as a student and as a teaching assistant. At NECI I met and learned from dozens of talented and passionate chefs. But this is where I really learned to cook.
Today we had a lot of inspiration. Our CSA box from Capay Farms arrived, and as always it was full of good product, inspiration, and sometimes frustration! I’ve got the story of tonight’s dinner for you below in pictures. Click on the photos for more info and techniques. The highlights are braised onion, pan roasted gypsy peppers, liver with Marsala mustard sauce, roast chicken, and good times.
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- The Chicken Feast Mise en Place
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- A little infused oil
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- Happy little bird and potatoes
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- Gypsy Peppers
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- Roasted Peppers
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- Braised Little Onions
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- Chef’s Treat
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- Three items I didn’t photograph were (in raw form from left to right) the salsa verde, toy box tomato salad, and roasted red bliss potatoes. Here’s there little moment in the sun.
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- Peppers and Onions
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- Chicken Post Roast
This meal ate really well. It was light and fresh, rustic and refined. We also finished off with some fresh fruit and cheeses, like this wasn’t enough gastronomy for the night 
It seems a little hard not to make a big meal from a whole chicken, and this meal was certainly more than we needed. But it was really good. And it will still be good for many days, thankfully. It was, however, just the right size for me to remember a lot of good times and great food served to students, teachers, and patrons during my NECI tenure. Totally worth it for the walk down food memory lane.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you are cooking from the heart!
-Scotty
August 19th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Hello Scott, great work on the blog. I am amazed by your sweet bell peppers and onions; they really look the way we used to do them in Butlers’ restaurant. I am overwhelmed by it all and I want to thank you for being such a passionate learner and a great cook when we worked together. Long live your blog! Chef Louise
August 19th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Awesome! Thank you! I really do call on all of your techniques. Sometimes I even look through the little mountain of recipes from our time together just so I don’t forget how (for example) the beet tartare, or the orange gran marnier gastrique, or the blue cheese souffle taste. I have lots of great and strong memories from my time with you and I don’t want to let them get dusty! Come for a visit when you can! – Scott