Plano Profile February 2010 : Page 64
taste&style CLUB A JOIN THE PorkWellington is perfect for a gourmet cooking club entrée—easy, elegant, and surprisingly economical. PLANO DINING IN Gourmet cooking groups are not just about the food S A FOOD EDITOR, I try to stay abreast of the latest trends in the culinary world. Bacon, sliders, and cupcakes have been at the top of the list the last couple years. By some accounts, 2010 will be a popular year for meatballs, All-American comfort foods, and any food produced locally. But the one that surprised me the most was the declaration that cook- ing clubs are suddenly the rage. Oh, really! Well, I guess they haven’t been paying much attention to Plano, Texas. Cooking clubs abound in this area. In the more than 20 years I’ve covered the local food scene, I’ve profiled many of them. And no two are structured exactly alike. These groups take several forms, from small and intimate, to large and formal. Some select menus that have a specific eth- nic theme; others try to pick seasonal dishes; a few look to food and wine pairings; and others, a mix of recipes they feel qualify as “gourmet,” not par- ticularly fitting any other theme. Many of the groups got their start through neighborhood homeowners associations and involve dozens of participants. Because it’s difficult for such a large group to dine together at the same house, different hosts are chosen each month. There usu- ally is a committee that keeps it all straight so everyone gets to dine with each other at some point during the year. They track who has hosted, which dishes were prepared, and who dined at which home. Some who are responsible for organizing their club’s
Dining In
Gourmet cooking groups are not just about the food
As A Food Editor, I try to stay abreast of the latest trends in the culinary world. Bacon, sliders, and cupcakes have been at the top of the list the last couple years. By some accounts, 2010 will be a popular year for meatballs, All-American comfort foods, and any food produced locally. But the one that surprised me the most was the declaration that cooking clubs are suddenly the rage. Oh, really! Well, I guess they haven’t been paying much attention to Plano, Texas.
Cooking clubs abound in this area. In the more than 20 years I’ve covered the local food scene, I’ve profiled many of them. And no two are structured exactly alike. These groups take several forms, from small and intimate, to large and formal. Some select menus that have a specific ethnic theme; others try to pick seasonal dishes; a few look to food and wine pairings; and others, a mix of recipes they feel qualify as “gourmet,” not particularly fitting any other theme.
Many of the groups got their start through neighborhood homeowners associations and involve dozens of participants. Because it’s difficult for such a large group to dine together at the same house, different hosts are chosen each month. There usually is a committee that keeps it all straight so everyone gets to dine with each other at some point during the year. They track who has hosted, which dishes were prepared, and who dined at which home. Some who are responsible for organizing their club’s activities have told me that it’s not only been a great way to sample food they might not necessarily try themselves but also a fantastic way to get to know the neighbors and make new friends.
There are also smaller groups, typically supper clubs—couples, like the ones I wrote about in last September’s issue, who gather several times a year to participate in a gourmet meal that they’ve prepared themselves. These same five couples have been enjoying themed dinners and each other’s company since the mid 1990s. The host couple determines the menu and assigns a dish for each couple to bring that evening. At the end of the meal the cost is split five ways, which usually is far less than the equivalent meal with wine would be in a restaurant.
And then there are little groups like the one I’m involved in, six women who meet every other month to spend a day cooking together. We call ourselves Six Forks Gourmet and, although I’ve only been a participant the last few years, this group has been cooking together since 1997. Six Forks was originally organized by Wendy Blanks with friends Beth Fogarty, Judy Dawson, Beverly Mills, Candice Ort, and Barbara Horner. A substitute for a few years, I was asked to step in as a permanent member when Barbara Horner decided to hang up her spatula and Sue England joined after Wendy returned to the noble profession of teaching.
Our main goal is not just to dine together but to actually cook together— in the same kitchen, at the same time. The hostess that month plans the menu (it’s always a surprise for the other five), types up the recipes, and buys the groceries. She organizes the ingredients, cookware, and utensils needed to prepare each dish in workstations around her kitchen.
She herself is not assigned a dish to prepare but rather floats around the kitchen – encouraging, helping, and filling in where needed.
Menu themes have varied from “Let’s Go to Greece Today” to “Texas Tuscan” to “Celebrating Spring.” And although we are often unfamiliar with the dishes we are preparing, we’ve had surprisingly few failures. But when we do, they can be colossal, like the garlic soup with peeled grapes that was part of a “Hawaiian Theme” that everyone remembers as being totally inedible. “But like Wendy said to me one time, there are no mistakes,” Judy says, “just learning opportunities.”
And all the time we are cooking and dining, we share the details of our lives, both the high points and the low points, solve the world’s problems, and critique the food. At one of the first meals I sat down to with Six Forks as a substitute, I was struck by the close bond these women had formed over the years and I feel privileged they have welcomed me. I think Beth sums up all of our feelings the best, when she says, “I could go on and on about the luscious foods we’ve eaten, but I would rather go on and on about the wonderful, dear friendships that I know I have made for a lifetime. We have laughed together, cried together, cared for and about one another. It’s been the best and least expensive therapy I could have ever had.”
Candice adds, “We have come to love and trust each other. Sometimes we have visited and laughed so much in the kitchen, I can’t even remember half of the food we’ve prepared. But the day is always wonderful and the food is always good.” We have so much fun that we’ve earned a reputation among the spouses, whose joint jealousy led to the creation of Six Forks and Knives, a supper club that meets on a Saturday night in the alternate months.
Now I ask you, what better way is there to forge friendships than through food? So why don’t you become one of the in-crowd and organize a cooking group with your family and friends. You could start with the Valentine’s menu I’ve put together for you from previous Six Forks menus. Then you’ll be all the rage!
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