Fajitas – Hot Off the Griddle!

Lots of fun and ideas are ahead for the next Boquete Gourmet Host Chef Cooking Class, “Fajitas – Hot Off the Griddle!”, presented by retired engineer, owner of Inglestec Language Institute and Coordinator of the Annual Brisas Cooking Contest and honored Guest Chef, Renny Kranich.

The class will be held in the Boquete Gourmet’s kitchen, high above Boquete, Panama on Thursday, February 11 at 5:00pm.

Renny will be sharing her one-of-a-kind method for preparing “Fajitas”, using the finest of beef filet mignon, fresh-grown Boquete vegetables, as well as her very own “Pico de Gallo”.

The base for Renny’s fajitas are her hand-made “Tortillas”, better than can be found anywhere. They made exactly the right size to use with imaginative fillings that are spiced just right to your taste, whether mild, hot or in between.

To begin the class, enjoy a cool glass of “Margaritas on the Rocks”, made in Renny’s very own nontraditional manner, no blender, please.

The photo below doesn’t show the unexpected ingredient Renny adds to her Margaritas, you won’t want to miss it. Notice the large serving glass, it only needs to be rimmed with salt and filled with Renny’s Margaritas. Yum!

The crowning dish of the evening will be “Filled Nubes de Chocolate”, a tall tower of clouds dripping with chocolate ganache. You’ll want to make this for all your guests, a real show stopper!

To reserve your seat for this unique class, please comment below or email boquetegourmet@gmail.com. The registration fee is $30, including the class instruction, recipe book, complete dinner, Margarita on the Rocks and a glass of wine. Class size is limited to 12, first come, first served, so please make reservations now for this once-ever event!
See you there,
Cora

How a Gourmet Loses Weight

If you are a “gourmet” and want to lose a few pounds, why not try my new “Boquete Gourmet Diet”. I’m a gourmet and I’ve lost lots of pounds by using ten simple steps, usually during times when I’m feeling like eating “gourmet-style”. The ten steps are easy, enjoyable and you won’t be hungry.

If you’re not sure if you are a “gourmet”, take my 10-question test on my recent blog, “Are You a Gourmet? – Take This Test”, at “www.boquetegourmet.com. If you score high enough on this test, congratulations, you’re a “gourmet” and this diet is for you!

Folks ask me how I lose weight so easily. Upon reflection, I have found it a pleasure to lose weight by following a few tips that are familiar to everyone who has been on strict diets before. But true “gourmets” do it a little differently.

“Gourmets” are too busy enjoying their meal, too busy to count points or grams, because they’re savoring every bite.  They’re cleansing their palates with fine wine, they’re enjoying pleasant conversation, and they’re too busy to think about such tedious details as calorie-counting.  They’re having fun with their friends and anticipating their “gourmet” meal.

This diet is totally unscientific, although I’m thinking of having it reviewed by a nutrition specialist for a professional opinion as to its healthfulness. I’ve lost weight by using it and I feel good when I’m on this diet. Sometimes, I go on the “Boquete Gourmet Diet” just for the enjoyment of it, not especially to lose weight.

OK, here is my ten-step diet:
1. Drink a full 8 oz glass of water before every meal.
2. Cook and serve only “beautiful” foods, and present them in the most appealing way possible using garnishes, variety of colors, lovely table settings, etc.
3. Arrange plates using “small” portions, like in an expensive “gourmet” restaurant, not “family-style” and no second helpings.
4. Enjoy a glass of fine wine with dinner each day, very popular in France where everyone is a “gourmet”.
5. Eat only those dishes you love, not something just to get “filled up”.
6. Have lots of apples, pears, oranges, raisins and nuts on hand for times when you feel like a snack.
7. While dining out, order the “specialty of the house”, it’s fresh and prepared especially to make an impression on the guest.
8. Use a sugar substitute (carry it with you) and eat only sugar-free foods.
9.  After every bite, put down your spoon or fork and don’t pick it up until after you’ve contributed to the pleasant conversation.
10. Take time to observe your surroundings and walk away from the table feeling satisfied, healthy and happy with your progress!

That’s eating “gourmet-style,” I guarantee you’ll love it!

Lauretta’s a Star!

Last night was a big event for all of us who decided to spend the evening cooking with Lauretta, the Executive Chef of The Bistro Boquete restaurant. It was the first fund-raising event of the year for Bid 4 Boquete, a local effort to raise support for four worthy charities in Boquete.

My kitchen was the center of activity as Lauretta demonstrated her talents. Her students tried to emulate her techniques as they watched and studied her every move. The photographers tried to snap just the right photos that would capture the moments the way they really felt. The mood was electric and to be with Lauretta in a small, intimate group gathered around my kitchen island was like watching an artist create her masterpiece.

Lauretta doesn’t use specified quantities in most of her recipes, only the ingredients are important. “You create the dish to meet your own personal taste, look and feel”, she said. “The final result is entirely up to you.  Creativity is the key to cooking, and you must put your heart and soul into every dish you make.”

Sure, Lauretta had her shopping list of the finest, freshest ingredients she could find in Boquete, and everything she cooks with in her restaurant is readily available here.  To learn how to put those ingredients together to make a “masterpiece” was what these eager students were waiting for Lauretta to show them, and show them she did.

Every student had the chance to duplicate the skills demonstrated; to roast and skin peppers over the gas flame, to easily pull juicy meat off whole  simmered chickens, to whisk egg whites to fluffy perfection and to dip and fry cheese-stuffed chilies to exactly the right golden color.

We learned our lessons well, it was evident when we gathered around the dining table and enjoyed such delicious dishes, talking and laughing about how much fun it was to prepare dinner while being guided by such a stellar chef.

At the end of the evening, we returned to my kitchen to share Lauretta’s Toasted chili walnut ice cream and to hear a surprise.  It was David and my 20th wedding anniversary! What better way to spend our anniversary evening, than cooking with Lauretta and some of our very best friends, knowing that all the proceeds from this extraordinary experience will be divided among The Handicap Foundation, The Lions Club, The Rotary Club and Buenos Vecinos de Boquete. 

How sweet is that?

My Fiestaware Collection

My collection of Fiestaware has grown from only a few plates in 1968 to 62 place-settings today, plus many serving pieces I’ve acquired over the years.  The sellers of  an old house I purchased years ago left a few plates in the cupboard and I immediately became hooked on the stunning beauty of the design, how durable it is and how creative my tabletops became when they were set with Fiestaware.

These brightly-colored pieces are sought after by collectors all over the world.  The prices always seemed expensive to me, but my Grandmother always said, “If you really want something bad enough, you’ve got to be willing to pay the price”.  She remembered when Fiestaware first came on the market in 1936, she bought some pieces in Woolworth and she used them until she died.  She told me about the Homer Laughlin Pottery Company where Fiestaware was made and how it became the most popular American dinnerware that was ever created.

The best buy I’ve ever read about, and my Grandmother remembers it, was offered in 1942.  It was a 7-piece juice set that included a pitcher and 6 tumblers and it sold for $1.00 – the entire set!  Look at my picture above, the juice pitcher sits proudly on top of some of my original dinner plates.  My most valuable piece is also pictured.  Can you guess which one it is?    The red color is the most valuable color in the photo; it was discontinued during World War II because the government needed the uranium used to make the red glaze.

If you’d like to learn more about collecting Fiestaware, there are several books available about collecting  and pricing in today’s market.  I was astonished to find how many pieces are available on the internet, but it would be difficult for me to buy “the real thing” without caressing it in my own hands first.

The tiny turquoise mustard jar nestled between the salt shaker and the marmalade jar is my finest, most valuable piece.  It’s in like-new condition and I’ve never used it for mustard, too bad in a way.  I paid $95.00 for it in 1974, which was a good price at that time.  If you collect Fiestaware, I’d like to hear about your collection.  As you follow my blog, you’ll see many photos using pieces from my Fiestaware collection, keep watching for them.