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 Four Chefs from Historic Hotels of America Present "History is Hot"
Menu at Famed James Beard House in New York
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Menu Showcases Unusual Ingredients, Regional Flavors, Classical Training and
Childhood Influences as Chefs Create Four-Course Taste Sensation 

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 22, 2006 � Four chefs from National Trust Historic Hotels of America will collaborate on a dinner at New York�s prestigious James Beard House on March 2, 2006. With the theme of �History is Hot,� each chef will contribute a course to the gourmet meal. Wines will be provided by Mark Snyder of Angels� Share Wines. The dinner will be presented in the Greenwich Village townhouse where James Beard, a champion of American cuisine, once lived. 

�Culinary experiences are another distinguishing facet of a stay with Historic Hotels of America, said Thierry Roch, executive director of Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. �These talented chefs have assembled an exciting menu showcasing traditional and unique ingredients prepared to tantalize the guests at the James Beard House.� 

In creating the menu, influences range from family vacations and formal training to selecting seasonal products and ingredients bursting with flavor. 
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Historic Hotels of America James Beard Dinner: Menu 
Wines provided by Mark Snyder of Angels� Share Wines

Passed Hors D'oeuvres

Foie Gras on Spiced Butter Rum Crostini, Candied Orange Zest, and Blackberry Coulis
Wisconsin Raclette Cheese, Dried Fig and Truffle Pasty
Smoked Venison Loin with Onion Sprouts
Duchamp Syrah, 2003
California �Gold� by Hundred Acre, 2005

First Course

Blue Crab and Lobster Cakes over Vidalia Dijon Pepper Relish
with Sweet Marsala Beurre Blanc
CrauforD Sauvignon Blanc, 2003

Second Course

Roast Chestnut and Winter Truffle Soup, Game Bird
and Foie Gras Terrine, Quail Egg Toast
Harmonique �The Noble One� Pinot Noir, 2002

Entree

Mustard Crusted Leg of Lamb with Baby Herb and Root
Vegetable Salad, Caramelized Garlic Vinaigrette
Orin Swift �The Prisoner�, 2004 

Dessert

Citrus Composition
Grapefruit Ice Cream, Lemon Cake, Basil Gelee, 
Caramelized Orange Segments.
Oro Puro Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon, 2003

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Executive Chef Abigail Hutchinson from Jekyll Island Club Hotel in Jekyll Island, Ga., wanted to create a first course using local flavors. She recalled an old lobster cake recipe from her early days as a chef. Since fresh crab is readily available on Jekyll Island, Hutchinson tried the recipe with blue crab. She also has fond childhood memories of blue crab. �My parents are from Maryland and Washington, D.C., so fresh blue crab was a treat on our summer beach vacation,� says Hutchinson. �We looked forward to getting a bushel of crabs to crack open, which was the highlight of the week!� 

Her blue crab and lobster cakes over Vidalia Dijon pepper relish with sweet Marsala beurre blanc will be featured in a recreation of the Historic Hotels of America dinner from the James Beard House at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel on Tuesday, April 11, 2006, 7:00 p.m. cocktail and dinner at 8:00 p.m. For reservations, call 800-535-9547 x1000. 

Executive Chef Ulrich Koberstein from the American Club Resort Hotel in Kohler, Wis., says, �There is a skill involved in making terrines and unfortunately younger chefs are not being exposed to these techniques. In London, where I trained, and in Europe in general, terrines and pates are enjoyed far more frequently and there is a great appreciation for the craftsmanship involved. This terrine is made with duck, pheasant and quail, all of which inhabit the countryside around The American Club. I have paired this terrine with a chestnut soup. I particularly enjoy making rich velvety soups using few components but extracting as much flavor as possible. I think that the soup and terrine are a perfect combination to pair together�the earthiness of the truffles and game birds are a great foil for the rich chestnuts, cream and foie gras with just a little acidity from the vinaigrette to balance this dish.�

Koberstein adds, �The simplicity of the soup and the complexity of the terrine shows that good food can be both humble and grand.� 
Executive Chef Jon Dornbusch from the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., discovered early that the produce of the season, when successfully integrated into the restaurant menu, would contribute greatly to the overall appeal to every guest. Dornbusch�s entrée of mustard crusted leg of lamb with baby herb and root vegetable salad with caramelized garlic vinaigrette is a perfect example. He grew up in the Ohio Valley where winter game and spring lamb were staple foods for any resident. These, combined with the arrival of the first sprouts of herbs and lettuce of the new spring season are an ideal combination for an early spring feast.

The citrus composition created by Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Claude Perennou from The Waldorf=Astoria in New York includes an unusual ingredient�Opal basil, bred at the University of Connecticut in the 1950s to have the darkest purple leaves of any cultivar. Perennou says, �It is loaded with volatile oils, responsible for its heady aroma and strong flavor so essential to cooking.� Opal basil is usually found in savory dishes but Perennou is using the herb in this dessert recipe as part of the basil gelée surrounding the cake and thus imparting an intensely different flavor. 

The March 2 event is the seventh in a series of Historic Hotels of America dinners at the James Beard House.

The Historic Hotels of America �History is Hot� dinner at the James Beard House is Thursday, March 2, 2006, at 7:00 pm. Reservations can be made by calling 212-627-2308. 
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Historic Hotels of America James Beard Dinner
Contributing Chefs
Executive Chef Ulrich Koberstein, The American Club Resort Hotel, Kohler, Wis.
Executive Chef Ulrich Koberstein was born in Namibia. At 15 he acquired his first job in the culinary world selling ice cream at a South African race track on Saturday mornings. After his mother encouraged him to get a real job, he attended Technical University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, and spent four years working as an industry cost management accountant. When he had had enough of crunching numbers he decided to travel to London to follow his dream. Chef Koberstein attended the Cordon Bleu culinary school and after graduation started working in the kitchen of Nico Ladenis� three Michelin star Chez Nico@Ninety Park Lane Restaurant. Three years later he came to the United States and worked at both the Ritz-Carlton Boston and the Ritz-Carlton Boston Commons, where he became the executive chef after only eight years of professional cooking. In late 2004 he became the executive chef at The American Club the Midwest�s only AAA Five Diamond resort-hotel. 
Executive Chef Abigail Hutchinson, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Jekyll Island, Ga. 
Although Executive Chef Abigail Hutchinson was born in Newport, RI she grew up in the Southeast. She began her career in the culinary arts not as a chef but as a server. While working with a chef friend she became interested in the many things that are possible with food. She had always loved to cook but her interest in cooking was sparked and she went to culinary school. After completing culinary school Chef Hutchinson worked at a variety of places in North Carolina most notably the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., where she served as demi-chef. She served as executive sous chef at the Ocean Club at Amelia Island, Fla. before coming to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. 
Executive Chef Jon Dornbusch, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington D.C.
After graduating from the Culinary Institute of American in Hyde Park, New York, Chef Jon Dornbusch received his first job as a sous chef at the Windows on the World restaurant located at One World Trade Center. He then spent time abroad at the Hotel Bellvue Palace in Bern Switzerland. Chef Dornbusch returned to the United States in 1990. He went to Washington D.C where he first began working at the Vista Hotel. After that he worked at both the Henley Park and the Washington Plaza before finally coming to the Omni Shoreham in 2001.
Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Claude Perennou, The Waldorf=Astoria, New York 
Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Claude Perennou began his culinary career as a child of seven assisting his mother and grandmother in his native Brittany, France. He continued to pursue cooking during his formative years and eventually received his certificate in cooking and pastry from Le Paraclet. After completing his schooling Chef Perennou traveled to Paris where he refined his skills before emigrating to the United States. He worked at Maisonette in Cincinnati, North American�s most honored restaurant, before coming to the Waldorf=Astoria in New York in 1996 as banquet pastry sous chef. Chef Perennou became executive pastry chef in 1998. 
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Founded in 1986, the mission of the James Beard Foundation is to celebrate, preserve and nurture America�s culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of our culinary excellence. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, James Beard, who died in 1985, was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. Today, the Beard Foundation continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships to culinary schools, publications, a culinary archive and library, and by maintaining the historic James Beard House in New York City�s Greenwich Village as a �performance space� for visiting chefs. 

Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Historic Hotels has identified more than 200 hotels that have faithfully maintained their historic integrity, architecture and ambiance. To be selected for this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old, listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places or recognized as having historic significance. 

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Contact:

 Mary Billingsley
Director of Public Relations
(202) 588-6061
[email protected]

Also See: Four Chefs From National Trust Historic Hotels of America will Collaborate on a Dinner at New York's James Beard House / February 2005
Four Chefs from National Trust Historic Hotels of America Assemble American Cuisine Menu for James Beard House / Feb 2002

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