It’s a Family Affair!

 

Talk about excitement!!! Boy oh Boy, when I found out my cousin Adrienne Cheatham who lives in New York was coming in town, I was beyond thrilled. Let me tell you about her . . . She is an eight-year veteran of Le Bernardinin NYC.  LeBernardin is an elite French restaurant that offers refined seafood and expert service within a luxurious decor.  She joined Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s team last year, and to say the least, she is super busy from working in  his restaurants and traveling to promote the brand.  When I found out she would be here for work and I would have an opportunity to try some dishes created by the one and only Celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson, I was BEYOND excited!

 

If you aren’t aware, Chef Samuelsson has numerous restaurants in New York, Bermuda, Sweden, Norway and he even has a burger spot in Macy’s here in Chicago!  Did you also know that Chef Samuelsson is a member of Macy’s Culinary Circle which consists of some pretty well known chefs that host events at all of Macy’s locations which house a culinary studio?  Some events are focused on holiday cooking, techniques, cookware, etc.  At this event in particular, Chef Samuelsson and Adrienne showed the audience how to make recipes taken directly from his latest cookbook, Marcus Off Duty: The Recipes I Cook At Home.  Many of the ingredients, seasonings, flavors and cooking styles featured in the book are actually used in Chef Samuelsson’s restaurants and were found in the dishes being demonstrated.

 

 

Upon entering the culinary studio we were greeted with a tall glasses of blueberry lemonade which is also another item in the new cookbook, a light and refreshing beverage.

 

So, what was on the menu?  Buckle up and join me for a recap of my lunch courtesy of Macy’s and Chef Marcus Samuelsson!

 

First up was a spice rubbed Texas brisket with cowpeas and Haitian coleslaw – this brisket was like BUTTER in your mouth! Chef Samuelsson detailed the keys to selecting the perfect brisket and various ways of seasoning and cooking it for the best outcome.  I am typically a no sauce on my bbq kinda girl, however I must admit the sauce set this dish on fire!  Not too spicy and the perfect amount of sweetness!  It also came with a thick piece of bread which helped even out all the flavors.

 

 

Next up was the sticky fingers curried lobster stew with zucchini fritters…..WHEW CHILE!!! Chef Samuelsson showed us the correct way of bringing out the flavors in lemongrass and actually handed my cousin, Adrienne’s sister and me, a LIVE LOBSTER!!!   He also showed us the correct way of cracking the various parts to yield the most meat, ok so back to this stew…..the marriage of the lemongrass and curry was PERFECTION personified!  Chef Samuelsson explained that the zucchini fritter was added to help cool our mouths from the spicy flavor of the stew.  This was my ABSOLUTE favorite!

 

Last but surely not least, we were served roof garden fish tacos with a homemade salsa verde! I love fish tacos and these were seasoned wonderfully. I liked that Chef Samuelsson gave you options if you are not a fish person – he explained the recipe for a vegetarian as well as offered various types of white fish that will surely satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.

 

My mouth watered just thinking back to those amazing dishes!

 

Check out the book and try some of these recipes, even for the kitchen timid!

 

Chef Samuelsson explained these are made to become your own dishes and are NOT super complicated.

 

 

For more information on chef Samuelsson visit his website http://www.marcussamuelsson.com/.