CHEF'S TABLE

September 28, 2018

CHEF’S TABLE

/SHefs/ /ˈtābəl/

A table located in the kitchen of a restaurant, reserved for VIPs and special guests, served a themed tasting menu prepared & served by the head chef (and support chef’s)

When I started planning our trip to Maui – exactly a year ago – I wanted to make sure we did (3) things:

RELAX – we both needed a reboot to our systems. Me to reboot my love for life & design work through my love for cooking; Teri to reboot after all the stress of buying a school & business that she absolutely loves
EXPLORE – I wanted to find every nook and cranny of beautiful Maui. I know it’s ambitious and wouldn’t happen but I still did my best to get lost and find new favorite hide-a-ways. One in particular, the last time I was in Maui and drove the road to Hana, I saw a beach that I couldn’t figure out how to get to. It wasn’t crowded like other tourist spots. This time I was looking for it…any opening into the forest from the road. You could seriously blink and miss the turn but we FOUND IT!! A small dirt road that leads you to a secluded beach where we only saw about 4-5 local surfers. It was one of those places where I worried that the locals would be upset that tourists invaded their paradise oasis…so we enjoyed the cove for an acceptable amount of time and returned to the main road. If you see Big Moe’s…you’ve come too far.
EAT – I mean…who wouldn’t?? And for the timid…WHY?? What better activity to do than to try and experience things you couldn’t at home? Or at least better quality of it? We did the tourist attractions and we did the local. I had the best sushi I’ve had in the US during this trip. From an old Japanese Itamae in a sushi bar that only serves 8-10 people in an unassuming strip mall in Kihei. Worth more than any bougie world known restaurant on the island! No frills, no BS, no regrets!! Omakase Ohmygod!!

amazing quality!! I could eat 3 of these~~

Welcome sign to the magical world of culinary brilliance

An experience I happened to come across while researching was Maui Chef’s Table on the Maui Tropical Plantation property and once I found it, it was one that I just could not wait for!! As it describes on their website (www.mauichefstable.com) it’s an interactive, multi-course dining experience inspired by chefs’ personal stories & told through Maui’s seasonal ingredients. An open air dining space next to the beautiful Mill House restaurant, we, the guests, are encouraged to come up to the open kitchen while the chefs are cooking to ask questions, get some tips, and take pictures. And I took FULL advantage of this opportunity!!

Before going any further, let me remind you that all foods pictured in this post were not cooked by me (theCULINARYIST) but by professional chefs. I only took photos of the beautiful dishes presented to me. So, enjoy and get inspired by the artistry as I did!

Menu – Saturday, September 8, 2018

Beet Baguette Lace, Tomato, Watercress, Caviar
Kanpachi Rillette, Leek, Onion, Crème Fraiche
Roasted Vegetable, Tahini, Golden Raisin
Kanpachi, Shitake Mushroom, Mac Nut Picada
Strip Loin, Alii Mushroom, Rutabaga, Dijon Butter
Kabocha Chocolate Cake, Olive Oil Ice Cream

a couple of drinks to get this party started. The Millhouse has AMAZING handcrafted cocktails!! Waikapu Planters Punch & Espina de la Rosa

we’re ready for food, food, FOOD!!

so beautiful & a delicious start to the meal! I mean…the caviar **drool**

a work of bite-sized art

what an experience watching Chef Jeff & his supporting chefs work their magic. All the time, energy & love of their craft that went into creating this dinner experience for their guests…so impressive!

#2 may have been my favorite!! creamy without being too heavy and the pickled onions gave it a nice tart flavor to it all…still thinking about it!

as I’m watching the chefs plate, I’m in awe of how everyone has a place in the process and are so collaborative. No one does only one thing; everything - every step - is planned and executed like a dance. Each chef can change what their doing without a word to eachother. Bravo~ Chefs of Millhouse!! BRAVO!!

the man at work!

Mr. John, our table mate, being a pro photographer and avid food lover!! It was great to meet you and your lovely wife, Ms. Cindy. It’s amazing how you can meet people from different backgrounds, ages and cultures but the love of FOOD always brings us together. It was great food, drinks and conversations with our new friends the entire night!!

our other tablemates and newly weds, Kelsey & Matt! Such a beautiful couple~ Congratulations again and may your lives together be filled with much love, happiness, health and great food!!

after getting over our initial shyness, we all came up to the counter to really immerse ourselves into the cooking experience. Asking questions, taking pictures, breathing in the energy! **sidenote** to the sweet man looking right at the camera as I was crazily taking pictures…hi~ you’re so pretty!

one of my favorite shots from the night!! Great teamwork!!

pot of gold!! Golden raisin~~

this is just me…sneaking a peek at what’s next! I was too excited during the dinner to sit still. Marinated strip loin…mmm~

you may not be a fan of vegetables but this dish was as yummy as it looks!!

Oh yeah~ i’m READY!!

all the chefs are so kind and surprisingly not at all disturbed by my prying into their backgrounds and love of cooking! hehe~

seasoned kanpacki filets…ready for the FIRE!

i’m jealous of how level headed and chill they are even when they’re cooking for about 60 people at once! Man…I get so nervous and frantic when I’m cooking for 10+!

and how their plating skills are so ON POINT and effortless!!

They even make cleaning look so beautiful!

and of course, i had to be a pest and make them stop for a picture before serving. I have to say, it was worth it!! I’ll be drooling over these pictures for years to come

be still my heart…the colors, the flavors! Alii mushroom, rutabaga & Dijon butter~

where’s the beef? Here’s it is!!!

so perfectly done!! I have to admit - ashamedly - that I was worried that the meat was on the fire for a very long time and that it would be over cooked. But they proved that I’m still very much an amateur home cook and they are the professionals!

the meat course was definitely the most popular to get up close at the counter

look at our intensely longing stares and drooling~

this shot ♥♥♥

even they had to take a moment and admire their work!

it’s all about the lighting! Being an LA girl, it surprised me how DARK it gets here on the island…but after being in Maui for 11 days, I might be ok with giving up the lights!!

and the beautiful finale - chocolate cake topped with olive oil ice cream!! so yummy~~

so sad that this was the end of the meal but incredibly happy & satisfied with the olive oil ice cream!!

I'LL HAVE WHAT HE'S HAVING

while everyone was finishing up with the dessert, I decided to sneak to the back of the kitchen and see what happens behind the scenes…and here they are, the staff enjoying their work!! Teri and I both like going into a restaurant and seeing what the chefs are eating…that way, the next time we go, we order what they had bc we know for sure that it’s good! hehe~

EVERYONE was so incredibly nice and welcoming. We had the great opportunity to go behind the scenes and have a great conversation with Chef Jeff himself! Thank you, chef, for the incredible experience and hope to visit soon. If you’re in the LA area, please reach out!

My first interview - brief but to the point - about our experience:

theCULINARYIST: What was your favorite part of the Maui Chef’s Table experience?

myTeri: I enjoyed watching your reaction to it all. You were like a little kid on Christmas. **me laughing** You really were!! All excited for everything from firing up the grill, watching the chefs working as a cohesive unit, the plating, asking questions.

theC: hehe…I LOVED IT! I felt like I was being such a pest, asking them so many questions and being such an Asian tourist with all the photo taking!

Teri: But that’s what you paid for!! And as they said, what they want you to do.

theC: What about the dishes? What was your favorite?

Teri: Has to be the smoked fish on toast [referring to course 2: the Kanpachi rillettes]!

theC: mmm…yes, mine too! And the Olive Oil ice cream!

Teri: Yeah, that was really surprising.

theC: What did you think about Chef Jeff & Staff?

Teri: All so nice. I was surprised at how personable & talkative (down to earth) Chef Jeff was! He talked to us in the back for at least 15-20 minutes during his break.

theC: Yes, I hope we see him again…maybe in LA!! **chef, there’s a lot of good food in LA too~!** We’ll for sure do this again and anytime we visit Maui! The menu changes seasonally. I’m recommending to everyone I know!!

I’ll be dreaming of Maui until my next visit!!

Mahalo to the beautiful people of Maui, the chefs and staff of Maui Chefs Table/The Millhouse and to myTeri for always being such a champ & supporting me!!

Happy meals and onward to our next food adventure,

theCULINARY·IST

A LOCAL FLAIR

September 19, 2018

LOCAL
/ˈlōk(ə)l/

Belonging or relating to a particular area, neighborhood, person or thing

FLAIR
/fler/

A special or instinctive aptitude or ability for doing something well; stylishness & originality

Les poissons, les poisons~ how I LOVE les poissons!!

What do you do when you’re vacationing on a Hawaiian island? Lounge on any beach, snorkel & swim with sea turtles, jump into every waterfall you can find, and eat EVERYTHING & ANTHING LOCAL. Spending time in Maui inspired me to look for locally caught seafood and see what I can come up with.

Maui has so much to offer – meats & seafood, fruits & vegetables, wine & vodka – and I’ve only barely scratched the surface! After a couple of days of eating delicious foods made by others – the professionals – I wanted to have a home cooked meal. We found a small local market off the beaten path called Rexel Pacific Fish Market. Honestly, the market didn’t look like much but we did see that they had fish that was freshly caught that morning and we were hooked in – see what I did there? We were sold on a fish I’d never heard of before called Papio or locally known as Ulua, members of the jack family which can be caught shore fishing in Maui. I had told the owner that I wanted to make fish broth and he recommended us using the Papio fish head. Add in some garlic, onions, carrots, celery, green onions, bay leaves, and of course local pineapple wine…et voila, fish broth!!! The pineapple wine definitely gave it a surprisingly sweet and tart flavor to the stock that I wasn’t expecting. We found Fuji Apple Sake (from California, funnily enough since that’s where we flew in from) while digging around in a small grocery/hardware/everything store in Hana and I think it’ll be a great substitute for fish broth in the future. It’s all about trying things for yourself, learning, and seeing what can be improved or changed.

CHOP CHOP

no need to worry about making perfect cuts! This is for broth…not for presentation of every little piece.

and CHOP

cut about an finger digit thick. Besides, it’s easier to remove later when straining. If it’s too thin, it gets too mushy and makes the broth cloudy

toss all the cut veggies into a pot with some vegetable oil, pepper corn, & bay leaves

and TURN UP THE HEAT!

sauté until slightly brown…doesn’t need to be cooked all the way since it’ll be simmering in amazing juices soon

where's the WINE??

we can never forget the most important part of any meal…WINE~ yes!

lower the heat and layer the fish head & bones on top of the sautéed veggies. Add some stalks of green onions. Pour in the wine LIBERALLY. Then cover and let the mix “sweat” and steam for approx. 15 minutes…you’ll see beautiful beads of “sweat” (flavorful protein droplets) on the fish bones.

mmm...take in the aroma

when you open the lid, breath in the beautiful steamed fish & veggies!! And try not to be so squeamish about the white eyes…you don't have to eat them. No pressure!

after the sweating is complete, add enough water to just cover the fish head & bones. Let it simmer for another 20 minutes then leave alone to steep for another 10 minutes before straining. Now you have fish broth to use immediately (as I did for this meal) or to store away for later.

With the fish broth, I decided to make Potato & Leek soup with seared fresh Maui scallops and shrimp topped with crispy prosciutto. And since I was already getting the potato, I tried my hand at making homemade gnocchi for the very first time. If you recall, I made homemade ravioli in my last post and I’m finding that after making homemade pasta, it’s a bit hard to go back to the store bought, dried stuff. I say this now, but I’ll get lazy soon enough and go right back to it…until my next menu calls for it.

TIME TO MAKE THE PASTA

I went ahead and boiled the potato while i was chopping up the veggies so that I can make the pasta while the broth was simmering. For gnocchi, it’s a 1-1-1 ratio of ingredients…(1) cup of flour, (1) medium sized potato [boiled and mashed], and (1) full egg.

add all the ingredients into one bowl + a pinch of salt. Mix it all together and knead the dough until it forms into a ball. Remember to keep your surface, hands and ball well dusted with flour.

ladies & gentlemen, we’re have a ball!!

I prefer to flatten out the ball a bit and then cut into slices about an inch wide.

ROLL, CUT, & ROLL SOME MORE

Roll the slices into ropes about the size of your finger then cut into bite sized pieces. **Dust the pieces with flour as you go** With a fork, roll the pieces down along the teeth of the fork to get an indentation design.

the indentation is not necessary and you could just cook immediately…but it looks so pretty this way!!

bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi pieces. When the gnocchi floats to the surface (approx. 3-5 minutes), remove with a slotted spoon and serve!!

leeks are surprisingly dirty…so make sure to clean well! Cut the root off the leek and cut lengthwise (as shown in the image). Run water through each layer…dirt and mud can be trapped in the tight folds.

once cleaned, chop off the dark green tops (it’s too tough to enjoy) and discard. The rest can be chopped up about half an inch wide

chop onions

and plenty of garlic!!

add the chopped leeks, onions, garlic, and cubed potatoes [process not shown] into a pot with vegetable oil

sauté with a pinch of salt, ground black peppers & herbs until soft and lightly browned

time for the broth

add the fish broth and let it cook until the potatoes are soft (approx. 20 minutes). Use an immersion blender to blend into a soup - you can do less for a more chunky texture or more for smoother. I like mine to be more of a puree. Salt/season to your taste. **side note** Personally, I prefer to not add cream to the soup as I like to taste the natural flavors but those days when you want something hearty and creamy, add to your heart’s content

with the soup done and warming on the side, season the scallops with salt, pepper, olive oil & herbs.

hot hot HOT

in a hot pan with oil or butter, quickly sear the scallops on each side…make sure it’s not too long otherwise it’ll be rubbery and no one likes rubbery scallops. NO! When I’m cooking scallops or shrimp or steak, while it’s cooking on one side, scoop the hot oil with a spoon and pour it onto the up side of the protein…it’ll help with even cooking and keeping the meat from drying out. Take the browned scallops out of the pan and onto a paper towel to soak up some of the oil.

for the shrimp, I only seasoned with a bit of salt, pepper and oil to allow the natural flavors to really push through. I also cooked it at the same time as the prosciutto to add a smoky flavor. mmm…crispy prosciutto!!

serve to EAT!!

plating is always fun…it means I get to eat soon!! Ladle the soup into the bowl, gently add the scallop & shrimp and gnocchi, sprinkle on the crispy prosciutto and top with chives…ENJOY!!

I was able to make gnocchi twice this Maui trip. Once for this meal and once for a meal I made for us and my sister-in-law & her family who met us here all the way from Florida. My Gorgeous Girl niece helped me make the second batch and I was so proud of how well she did!! She not only listened to my instructions but also watched what I was doing and followed suit…kids are amazing little sponges. I may not be a kid person but making gnocchi with my 4 year old niece on a kitchen island on the island of Maui, miles away from home, created a bond with a niece in a way that I couldn’t have imagined. Food truly brings everyone closer together and gets us to try new and different things. This is a memory that I will never forget and I’ll never let her forget either…I guess this is why I started this blog. To keep a record of my happiest of happy memories.

this girl and her FACE!!!

so many expressions…this is her “I hear what you’re saying Auntie and I got this” look

the concentration is strong!!

look how she’s holding her fork!! and I didn’t even tell her to…she looked at me and just followed along! I don't even know if we’re doing it properly or not but I’m still a proud Auntie and I love these moments with her!!

Mahalo to the beautiful people of Maui, my sister-in-law Melissa, her husband Eliot and their two mischievous kids, and my Teri!!