Sharing the Table: A Northwest Chef Instructor's Quest to Recreate Memorable Meals, Paperback

This book traces the journey that has been played out in homes, cabins, restaurants, hotels, culinary schools, movie trailers and all manner of venues that span the past fifty-plus years. Its roots are in the hospitality of a family farm table where homegrown food and hospitality were the catalyst of joy-filled memories. It was fine-tuned in multiple culinary schools, restaurants and travels abroad in some of the worlds' finest dining rooms. These experiences facilitate beloved memories and has continued up to this moment in time, when chef instructor Linda Hierholzer has begun to reminisce on the marvelous opportunities that have broadened and enhanced her experience of sharing the table. It is this expertise that she wishes to share with home cooks, Northwest farmer's market and food enthusiasts as follows: - Shop the market empowered by knowledge of seasonal, local, organic, free-range, grass-fed, sustainable foods. Google the "find of the day" ingredient to ensure quality. - Plan daily and weekly menus with season, variety and portions in mind. - Transport and store those perishable items to maintain quality. - Utilize the five senses as the first tool to navigate through a new recipe. - Organize prepared ingredients in a series of small bowls before approaching the method. - Equip the kitchen with proficient equipment considering their function, composition, shape and durability. - Handle a variety of knives to best prepare ingredients for optimum cooking. - Explore cooking techniques that produce flavorful dishes. - Enhance recipes by highlighting them with aromatic, colorful and tactile basic preparations. - Create a hospitable atmosphere paying detailed attention to the venue, invitation, ambiance, table accents, music, menu, service and conversation. Her world travels and chance meetings with culinary celebrities documented in the chapter called "Memorable Meals" sets the stage to play out visions of "what might be" for the enthralled reader. This book is o