Kitchen Conundrum

Food Blog Camp! ¡HOLA! MÉXICO! Recap

by

We have spent the last few days basking in the glory of what was Food Blog Camp 2011 held at the stunningly beautiful Grand Velas Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico.  Writing a recap means that it is really over and that we are back home and back to our daily grind. But the souvenirs we have returned with are far better than any sombrero or woven blanket. We have returned home with new friends, incredible knowledge imparted by our generous leaders and significant insight on how to make our little blog better.

We are exceedingly grateful to Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes,  Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen,  Todd Porter & Diane Cu of White On Rice Couple, David Lebovitz, Matt Armendariz of Matt Bites and Adam Pearson for sharing their personal stories and teaching us how to become better at our craft. The wisdom they shared transcends blogging and reaches across into everyday life.

Be nice. Be generous.

Have a focus. Be consistent. Tell a good story. Be authentic.

See the light. (It not only helps in real life, but in photography too! 🙂 )

We learned about SEO, business strategies and how to increase blog revenue. We learned about photography and food styling. We also learned more about our camera that we have owned for over a year yet barely understood.

We learned about writing and design. Which you will witness changes of first hand over the coming months here at KC. A whole new look and feel is under way.

We humbly thank each and every one of them. We love you all!!!!

We spent time precious time with each other. We made many new friends. We ate way too much good food.

We put our toes in the sand.

And it was good.

No.

It was great!

We also want to say “thank you” to the Grand Velas Resort for hosting our group. The staff at the resort catered to our every whim. They carried our plates to our tables, they refilled our glasses before they were empty.  They walked into the jungle with us when we wanted to take a walk after lunch so we would have security, they followed behind in a golf cart case we wanted a lift.  They laughed with us as we mangled Spanish, and they were genuinely nice.

The restaurants at the resort were amazing and each one specifically different. They were distinctive in their respective cuisines and boast some of the best chefs in Mexico and beyond. The buffets at Azul and Chaka were endless feasts and we could have spent many hours at each if we didn’t have other places to go.

The fine dining restaurants were splendid events in and of themselves.

The “Tri-Color Cream” soup (Castille Pumpkin, Tomato, Peas, Mushroom Duxelle Crocant Scented with Thyme Blossoms) and the “French Rack of Lamb” (Roasted with Sweet Grain Mustard and Herbs Au Provence) at Piaf should not be missed.

At Sen Lin, indulge in the “Okonomiyaki”, Chilean sea bass served in a sweet and sour guava garam masala and finish with the “Cardamom Puff”. A spiced deep chocolate molten cake with coconut ice cream. The very best dessert of the entire stay. It was divine.

Cocina de Autor, the signature restaurant at Grand Velas is a study in Gastronomica.  The food is beautiful, irreverent and most importantly, delectable and full of flavor. Favorite dishes of our evening there were the “Porrupatata Soup with a Touch of Smoke”, the “Foie with Fruit and Foam”, the “Beet color Venison” and “The Chocolate out of Place”.

We were honored to be granted an inside look into one of the resorts main kitchens and were given recipes and demonstrations by several of the resorts chefs, including, Chef Michel Mustiere, Chef Antonio Cortaza, Chef Daniel Garcia Gomez and Chef Xavier Perez Stone. (We will be atempting the Foie with Fruit and Foam soon!)

They let us photograph each of their moves and gave us their top secrets.

They also let us use them as models for photography lessons.

They were all naturals and didn’t seem to mind the paparazzi.

We would also like to thank Kerrygold for being a Food Blog Camp sponsor. Their golden Pure Irish Butter was the perfect compliment to the croissants we devoured during our stay.  Not only did they host a really fun photo contest for us to take part in, but several of our fellow food bloggers were able to attend the camp because of the generous scholarships they received from Kerrygold.

We are thrilled to be hosting a Kerrygold recipe contest here on KC in the very near future. Be sure to check back for details.

And so, it is not really with melancholy (despite the 10″ of snow outside) that we write our recap, but with wonderful memories, aspiration for the future and a wealth of information that we can not wait to put to good use.

Here is a little video of Food Blog Camp 2011. We hope it will put you in the mood for next year!

Here are some of the attendees blog links:  (Please let me know if I have missed anyone!)

Food Blogger Camp (Website)

Food Blogger Camp Photos (Flickr)

Food Blog Camp! ¡HOLA! MÉXICO! Part Uno.

by

We have escaped the snow and are here at Food Blogger Camp, in Mexico, enjoying the sun, eating way too much good food, making new friends, and learning how to make Kitchen Conundrum a much better blog for you to enjoy.  As far as camp goes, this is the best “camp” we have ever been to!

We are thrilled to be staying at an amazing tropical paradise called the Grand Velas, Riviera Maya. And guess what? It’s an all inclusive! Even the mini bar is FREE!  This is not your typical all inclusive though. The resort has some of Mexico’s finest restaurants. We are making it a point to try them all!  But, it’s not all about the eating, even though we are stuffing ourselves to the gill at every meal- and sometimes in between. (We’ll talk about diets next week!)

Thus far, the sessions have all been extremely informative and more importantly, they have provided a lot of useful and usable information. We are learning about photography, food styling, monetization and the business of blogging. There are also these amazing cooking demos given by the fantastic chefs here at the Grand Velas, where we are given the opportunity to watch, learn, photograph and taste their incredible creations. Of course, there is free time where we can relax at the pool or on the beach, sip cocktails and just soak in the sun. It doesn’t get much better than this!

Tom Gumpel’s Asiago Strata Revisited

by

Today I made the Asiago Strata that we learned how to make in the Panera Bread workshop. While that strata was amazing, gooey and cheesy, just the way I like it, I wanted to kick it up a notch and make it a bit more savory. So I added 2 tsp. thyme and chopped up some (about 4 whole) sun-dried tomatoes into tiny dices.

When using a solid ingredient such as the sun dried tomatoes, or fresh garlic, or anything you choose to use, it is best to add them to each layer of the strata with the cheese so there is even distribution throughout the entire thing. Otherwise, they will just on top of the bread and not soak through. You want to taste all the ingredients in every layer.

Also, another trick is to hold off on the last layer of bread, reserving about ½ cup of the egg mixture to soak the bread in before you assemble this final layer. Pour, or ladle the remaining egg mixture over all the other layers then use the bread you soaked as the final topping.

I like to then place the entire thing into the fridge for at least a half hour. The longer it soaks the better, so even overnight is great. (A breakfast version could include sugar, maple syrup and grand mariner- much like my Lazy Sunday French Toast recipe!)

Here is the photo sequence to help you make this delightful version!

 

First, I grated all the cheese and sliced the bread. Then I chopped the sun-dried tomatoes.

Then I mixed the milk, the cream and the eggs. I just used one measuring cup so as not to dirty too many dishes! It’s best to whisk your eggs on their own a bit before adding them to the cream mixture.

Heavy Cream

Whole Milk

3 Eggs, lightly whisked

To the egg & milk mixture, add the salt, pepper and thyme.

Layer the sliced bread in an 8″ baking pan. Cover with a layer of cheese and tomatoes.

Add another layer of bread and repeat until you reach the top.

Start with bread, end with bread. Ladle the egg mixture over the layers and add the final layer of soaked bread.

Bake in a preheated oven at 325 for 40-45 minutes until a rich golden brown.

Slide a spatula around the edge of the pan to help release it, and invert onto a large plate. (Kind of looks like  very large grilled cheese sandwich! Just much better!)

Slice and eat!  I am not sure which part I like better, the thick and crusty outside or the light yet very rich, gooey center. Maybe I just love the whole thing!

Enjoy!