Julia Child - Buche de Noel

When I finished with Final exams about two weeks ago, I was exhausted. Nights of staying up late studying by myself and with friends had finally overtaken me. Ok, well, it was mostly studying. Some friends had organized "breaks" in which we did things like walk in the rain, watch old movies, head to the gym, and In need of something to help me stay awake while I packed up for Winter Break, I did a Google search for Julia Child's classic French Christmas dessert: Buche de Noel. Thrilled to find the total episode on Youtube, I was glued to the screen when I should have been packing up clothes or washing mugs or putting away textbooks... It was a treat and if you have a half hour to spare, enjoy this French classic... looks so good!

Four Seasons - Part I

The Four Seasons Philadelphia.

The food line to the right is for room service only. Our tour of the kitchen was around 9:45am, so we were able to see some of the guest's breakfasts heading out. One plate was Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise sauce, garnished with chopped chives (I think). Cooking bacon was the strongest smell here!

The very end of a food line. I think this one was mostly for the Swan Lounge and breakfast. At the hotel, the food lines are separated into the different restaurants they serve, such as room service, the Fountain, and the Swan Lounge. Additionally, the lines are split into the Times they serve, breakfast and then lunch and dinner are together.

Chef preparing sandwiches for tea, which is served every afternoon at the hotel.

In one of the numerous refrigerators. Chef Gonzalez is explaining their standards for food and where they like to purchase food. While the Four Seasons has twelve raised beds on the roof of the hotel that provide fresh produce in the summer, in the winter, Chef Gonzalez likes to stay as local as possible. However, if a guest asks for something like strawberries, Chef Gonzalez will do his best to get whatever the customer requests.

Another food line! On the left in the picture is cheese-steak beef, thawing. One of the signature dishes at the Four Seasons are cheese-steak egg rolls. Instead of a filling of vegetables and or shrimp or chicken, the onions and beef of a cheese-steak are finely chopped and cooked together, then cheese is added to the mixture. The final product is rolled up in the traditional egg roll pastry, then fried and served. What a clever idea to showcase a pillar of Philadelphia cuisine in a new way!

A chef cutting American cheese for the filling of the cheese-steak egg rolls.

Another chef blanching pasta. Chef Gonzalez explained that the hotel either uses fresh pasta, made right in their kitchens, or frozen pasta for their hotel dining. For banquets, the hotel uses dried pasta. Coming in a later post: the banquet tour and a peek inside the pastry kitchen!

Birthday Treat!

Today I got a fabulous treat! My creative mom arranged a special birthday surprise for me: a meeting with the head chef of the Four Seasons Philadelphia!

Not only were we graciously welcomed by Rafael Gonzalez, but he personally took us on an extensive tour of the hotel/restaurant kitchen, food service areas, banquet rooms and explained the joys and challenges of being a chef. We spent nearly an hour meeting staff, observing the kitchen in action, peering into chilly refrigerators and asking questions about the hotel and the cuisine.

In the above photo, Chef Gonzalez is explaining the balance of staff for the different restaurants in the hotel (The Swan Lounge, the Fountain Restaurant, and room service). The plate heading out is for room service with Eggs Benedict. The smells were incredible!

In the next few days, I will add an update or two on life as well as a more complete report on my visit to the Four Seasons. Touring the kitchen was a perfect way to get an inside peek into one of the finest hotels in the region. The standards of excellence and service are evident in the beauty and friendliness of the hotel.

Remembering A Hero: Steve Jobs

The world lost a genius today - I was sorry to hear about the passing of Apple's Founder Steve Jobs. He proved that you can be successful without a college degree. He pioneered new technology and never settled for anything less than the best. His legacy of Apple computers created a legacy in my own family.

My grandfather started buying computers as early as the II SI (I think) and whenever he upgraded, we always got the old ones. As part of a large family, we appreciated my grandfather’s generosity, insight and advice on all techie things. It was my grandfather who recognized early on the importance of Apple computers and made sure we stayed current on the latest innovations. When the first grandchildren graduated high school in 2001, their present from Granddad and Grandma was an Apple laptop. As the most recent grad I love using my beautiful MacBook, in addition to my iPod Touch. My grandfather passed away suddenly in 2003. The Apple computer was a way to have a tangible connection to someone I loved very much.

I was just moving into my dorm at college when I found out Steve Jobs was stepping down. Today, I was deeply moved when I heard he had passed. I cried. We never know how much we love someone until they are gone. Both Steve and my grandfather have passed on, but I can still feel their presence in many ways. The world is a better place with Apple computers, but today we have lost one of our greatest innovators. Steve Jobs will be missed by many people, including me. New products from Apple aren't the same without the tall, lanky, silver-haired inventor in a black turtleneck. Steve Jobs was an icon and leader in his field. Imagine a world without Apple. I am grateful for the full and fruitful life of Steve Jobs. May God have mercy on his soul.

Inspiration Begins in the Kitchen

It all started one rainy afternoon. I was in the kitchen, in the middle of making a carrot cake and an ice-box cake when I had a moment of divine inspiration: "Why not start a blog to chronicle my hobby of cooking?"

After the carrot cake was iced with lemon-zest-cream cheese frosting, I got to thinking. The blog wouldn't be a daily journal loaded with pictures and recipes that are filled with healthy, hard-to-find, unappetizing ingredients. I am not vegetarian nor do I plan to bake entirely with organic foods. My idea was to select the very best dessert recipes that I've made or want to try and post one a week here with a few modest pictures. Although I don't have a recipe post fully prepared and ready to upload today, getting the blog up and running was my goal for this week.

Sweet Talk will discuss all kinds of desserts, from Chocolate Chip Cookies to Lemon Meringue Pie to Oatmeal-Crusted Brownies to Cheesecake. I'll share with you recipes that my family loves plus try some totally new ones to broaden my horizons (I'll need to get a blow torch before I can try making Crème Brûlée).

Join me on my expedition into cookbooks old and new as I search for the best, sweetest desserts this side of Heaven. Happy Baking!