A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

There was only supposed to be a 30% chance of snow. When I left my house on Saturday morning and it was raining – but by the time we got to Petit Robert, it had changed to snow. I can’t think of a better way to spend a snowy morning – watching Chef Jacky Robert do a demo on cheese themed dishes. For a $20 donation to Chef Jacky’s charity, people would watch him prepare 3 courses. There was an optional lunch afterwards as well.

His good friend gave a lovely introduction. Haven’t been to Petit Robert? Don’t know much about Jacky Robert? Here’s a brief run down: Chef Jacky was born in France and began cooking at the age of 15. He worked in his uncle’s restaurant in Boston, Maison Robert, as the executive chef for a number of years. He worked in Lydia Shire’s kitchen at Locke Ober and did a brief stint down on the Cape as the culinary director at Chatham Bars Inn.  Chef Jacky’s friend Martha Castaño was in attendance and they talked a bit about their charity.The first recipe is the Roquefort Souffle. While chef was preparing the dish, he told some humorous stories and threw in some tips/tricks for each recipe. Everyone at the demo was given a copy of the recipes to take with them.

Look at that souffle, isn’t is perfect?

A close of up of the souffle, a little deflated by the time I had a chance to snap a photo.

The second recipe was for Chicken Cordon Blue. A good deal of this dish can be made in advance, with the last step of baking to be completed the day you’re serving. It is hard to tell, but that potato on the bottom right of the plate is carved into the shape of a shoe!

The dish should be served hot as the cheese will be melted and delicious.

The demo was being taped, you will soon be able to see the recording on YouTube.

The brie cheese puff was inspired by gougeres. Chef Jacky mixed everything by hand, but the ingredients would mix together just as well with a Kitchen Aid mixer.

It was quite an enjoyable way to spend a few hours. Chef Jacky has a great personality and it was a pleasure to watch him cook. Check out Petit Robert’s website for additional upcoming demos.

Tags: french, kenmore square, restaurant