It just seemed right to use international love up day (some may call it Valentine’s and that’s cool) as the launch of our newest series #iLuv. the event was intended to give individuals with a love for food a forum to showcase their skills and their passion; more or less, a level playing field where known, lesser known and unknown talent can share their skills and ideas without the burden of competition. more importantly, the event seeks to join people who love eating great food with people who love creating great food. in this time of social media teasing, here’s an event that will allow a lot of people the ability to actually taste some of the niceness our fine friends share on their various social feeds. so we were honored to invite Chef Anslem Allette to our home at Fanatic Kitchen Studio for the first installment called #iLuvTREATS.
A versatile Chef, Slem (as we call him) is a boss in the pastry game, having done an extensive stint with Chaud under the much respected Chef Khalid Mohammed and some work in Jamaica as a personal chef. with the support of resident chef Ridge Juman, he prepared a menu of four sweet and four savory items designed to challenge any idea of what one may have thought a pastry party could be. plus, with the help of our generous sponsors MASSY DISTRIBUTION and ALL ITALIAN, some of the items were paired with tasty wines to create a somewhat unique experience.
Of course, in true FKS style, a cocktail bar managed by master mixologist Jason ‘ROCK’ Thomson supported the wines.
Self serve station number one featured barbadine cheese cake bites. maybe this is a good time to mention, one of the things we love about Chef Anslem is his dedication to using local ingredients with an international flair that is truly outstanding. make a brother want to sing the national anthem an such. #teamsweet
Self serve station number two featured a crispy flat bread with herb cream cheese and seasoned local cheddar. perfect for filling the gaps between the courses being passed around. #teamsavory
Thanks to MASSY DISTRIBUTION, we had a tasty house sangria made with market fresh produce and this versatile chardonnay. its middle of the road flavor transferred to the sangria, making it just right for items from any of the two serving stations.
The item name that created the most responses was this one: coconut in a beggars purse. essentially a spiced coconut filling a la coconut turnover, wrapped in a crispy filo parcel, garnished with the chef’s tasty caramel sauce. #teamsweet
To ensure we explored the full range of flavors pastry can offer, the chef included grougeres stuffed with a smoked salmon dill cream and topped with a tasty sliver of smoked salmon. nice. and as the only fish item, we lined this one up for pairing. #teamsavory
The very knowledgeable Francesca of ALL ITALIAN recommended this chardonnay to pair with the salmon, because of its rich, creamy flavor and smooth profile.
The beef wellington was a crowd favorite. succulent beef in a flaky pastry dough, served with a creamy mushroom sauce. literally got orders for after the event. a well done piece. also a good opportunity to unleash the only red of the night. #teamsavory
ALL ITALIAN highly recommended this house. their cabernet sauvignon is a dry, medium body wine that pairs well with meat. we paired this with the beef wellington, but it also worked with the indian spiced chicken in a filo cup served with shadon beni tzatziki (not captured here because they were done by the time we got a chance to snap stuff. also a top performer for the evening).
You can’t talk treats without talking chocolate. so the chef prepared chocolate mousse shots topped with coconut cream and a hand made chocolate stick. local chocolate by the way. high class ting! (shout out to destination chocolate tt). #teamsweet
From past experience, where Chef Anslem really puts on a show is with fried pastries like funnel cakes and these… nutmeg churros served with a salted caramel sauce. basically a mexican donut, it’s a treat that has a somewhat childish appeal. playful and fun to eat. we used this for the final pairing. #teamsweet
ALL ITALIAN came up trumps again with a lambrusco. semi sweet/semi sparkling. another versatile wine sweet enough to pair with desserts like the churro, as well as savory items like cold cuts and cheeses. we saw a lot of smiles with this one.
Oh yeah! there was a little surprise at the end. the chef brought some gifts courtesy a new company of which he is a partner called QUEIRCO. look out for the name. and look out for food items of varying kinds, including spectacular cakes like this one…
And this one. in a segment called COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF, we asked a few people to say why #iLuv (they love) the treats Chef Anslem presented. then we presented the two responses that made the chef blush the most with a cake each. the two winners shall remain nameless to protect their identities, because those red velvet cakes were highly coveted. we are sure that they will be enjoyed.
All in all, #iLuvTREATS was an inspiring event that we hope will fuel us on to new #iLuv installments. thanks for all the support from our guests, or sponsors and our team, but most of all we thank Chef Anslem Allette for blessing us with his tremendous talent. we look forward to seeing everyone back again for #iLuvShhhhhh… it’s a secret.
