Jean Louis Dinner Recap

my dish: a Composition of the sea, marinated geoduck clam, octopus, fresh sea urchin, urchin panna cotta, lobster meringue, oyster leaf, vanilla gelee, fresno chili, sea water dashi froth, nasturtium, garlic chips and crsip taro

what a great group of chefs !

story by Robin Leach:
It was a feast fit for a king and served by the royalty of the Las Vegas culinary world. Even renowned three-star Michelin star Chef Pierre Gagnaire flew in from France to join the 17 chefs who prepared the 18 courses for the magnificent meal at the 10th anniversary Jean-Louis Palladin dinner at Alize atop the Palms.




I had the privilege and honor again of hosting the exclusive event for 100 food fanatics who each paid $300 for the torrent of taste treats. It all serves as a fundraiser for culinary grants to working chefs administered through the James Beard Foundation in Jean-Louis’ name. I knew him way back when at the prestigious Watergate in Washington, D.C., and here when he ran the grill of Napa at the Rio. He was the youngest French chef to win two Michelin stars.



Sadly, he died from lung cancer complications at age 55 in November 2001. He was considered one of the 20th century’s culinary geniuses, single-handedly raising the level of cuisine in America and creating a brotherhood of chefs.



Jean-Louis was given a “papal blessing” by the renowned Julia Child on her PBS shows for bridging a path between his native French culture to Nouvelle American Cuisine with his culinary innovations. Chefs in America today acknowledge his lasting influence on the national dining scene.



The dinner has been an annual devotion for the past decade by friend and Alize owner Andre Rochat, who also owns Andre’s at the Monte Carlo. He recruited celebrated names for this year’s salute at his restaurant 56 floors atop Palms: Pascal Sanchez, Twist by Pierre Gagnaire; Mark Purdy, Alize; Arnaud Masset, Mandalay Bay; Joung Sohn, Eiffel Tower; Luciano Pellegrini, Valentino; Grant McPherson, Scotch Mist; Royden Ellamar, Sensi; Brian Howard, Comme Ca; Gregory Pugin, Le Cirque; Vincent Pouessel, Aureole; Barry Dakake, N9NE Steakhouse; Geno Bernardo, Nove Italiano; Laurent Pillard, Fleur; Jean-Philippe Dufoin, Creative Catering; Megan Romano, Aureole; Bryan Podgorski, Bouchon; and Tammy Alana, Andre’s.



We presented each chef with a rare majestic bottle of tequila. They saved it until after the kitchen duties! Every item on the menu was taken from one of Jean-Louis’ recipes in his extraordinary cookbook Cooking for All Seasons. All of us gathered on the outside GhostBar patio for a group photograph.



Thanks to contributing photographer Tom Donoghue for his amazing (and super-sized) gallery that shows the chefs at work and play and many of the 18 courses served far better than I could ever describe.



I played auctioneer to raise additional funds, and high-speed artist Jean Francois, who maintains a home here, painted an amazing portrait of John Lennon between dessert and coffee, which we sold to a fan for $1,500. Luciano let me sell two truffle-tasting dinners at Valentino in the Venetian for another $3,000.



An extraordinary evening, a magnificent menu and a tremendous salute with a successful fundraiser to honor the memory of one of the first master top chefs to call Las Vegas home.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner

Its that time of the year again =) when we all pack on some pounds due to the over indulgence of holiday hams , turkeys and wonderful selection of fall vegetables.. as i like to tell people , i am a professional, i don't use calories in my cooking ... everything is light on the waist. especially my Foie gras stuffing .. well maybe not, but its damn tasty !


 FOIE GRAS STUFFING

2 pounds fresh foie gras
6 Fuji apples

1 cup dried cranberrys
2 cups chestnuts, roasted and peeled
1 cup seedless grapes, peeled
4 cups arugula, stems off
1 cup cippolini onions, peeled and quartered
4 cups foccacia bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 Tablespoon garlic purée, mixed with two Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup roasted turkey drippings/jus
4 Tablespoons Italian parsley
2 Tablespoons sage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To prepare the “stuffing,” cube the foie gras into 1-inch cubes and refrigerate. Peel and quarter
the apples, removing the seeds and core. Cut the quarters in three even pieces. Cut the roasted
chestnuts in quarters. Rub the bread cubes with the oil and garlic purée and season, toast until
golden brown and cool.

Heat a heavy sauté pan over high heat and get smoking hot. Season the chunks of foie gras
and sear until dark golden brown in the pan, drain off and reserve separately. Add the foie gras
fat back to the pan and allow to heat. Add the onions, apples and chestnuts and roast together
until golden brown, season and remove to a bowl. Wilt the arugula with some of the remaining
fat and dry, add to the remaining ingredients. Mix all of the ingredients well with the chunks of
foie gras and add the toasted bread cubes. Season and add the chopped herbs and turkey jus. 

now all u have to do is stuff that turkey !