Quarterly Membership Meetings

Thursday, April 7th, 2011 Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

Please attend when you can. Your voice makes a difference.

Calendar

Officers Meeting

Thursday, May 5th, 2011 All are welcome, please contact the office to confirm dates and times. Members are

invited to attend as observers.

Volume 1, Spring 2011 Page 4

Société Culinaire Philanthropique

305 East 47th Street, Suite 11B New York, NY 10017 Phone: (212) 308-0628 Fax: (212) 308-0588

Email: info@societeculinaire.com www.societeculinaire.com

Newsletter Committee

Bernard Launay, Chairman Jean-Claude Blazy Pascal Guillotin Louise Hoffman

Susan Lifrieri-Lowry Robert Walljasper

Editors Elisabeth Kalajian Monique James

Asparagus by Pascal Guillotin

Annual Dinner Dance Sunday, April 10th, 2011 at the Yale Club New York

Asparagus 101 It’s usually green; sometimes white or purple, but bottom-line asparagus is a delicious vegetable and a perfect way to get lots of great nutrients into your body. Spears range in size from pencil-thin to thick jumbo stalks. Asparagus is low in calories and so-dium. It is a good source of vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium and zinc, as well as dietary fiber, pro-tein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, thia-

min, riboflavin, rutin, niacin, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper, manganese and selenium. It even has chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells. Asparagus dates back to the ancients Egyptians and Greeks who used them not only as vegetable but for medicinal use owing to its delicate flavor and diuretic properties.

Many Northern Europeans prefer white asparagus, known as

spargel, because of its delicate flavor and fibreless texture. To grow white asparagus, farmers cover the ground with a mound of loose earth to prevent exposure to sunlight, which would turn the stalks green. Purple asparagus differs from its green and white counter-parts, having high sugar and low fiber levels. Purple asparagus was originally developed in Italy and commercialized under the variety Violetto d’Albenga. Since then, breeding work has continued in coun-tries such as the United States and New Zealand.

Asparagus officinalis is a spring vegetable, a flowering per-

ennial plant species in the genus Asparagus. It was once classified in the lily family, like its allium cousins, onions and garlic, but the Lili-aceous have been split and the onion-like plants are now in family Alliaceous and asparagus in the Asparagaceae. Asparagus officinalis is native to Europe, Northern Africa and Western Asia, and is widely cultivated as a vegetable crop. An underground stem (or crown) pro-duces edible shoots for about 6 weeks each spring.

In northwest Europe, the season for asparagus production is

short, traditionally beginning on April 23 and ending in Midsummer’s Day. As of 2007, Peru is the world’s leading asparagus exporter, fol-lowed by China and Mexico. Asparagus is available year-round in American supermarkets, but for best flavor and price, buy asparagus at the end of November until early July, with peak season from March through June. So, with spring upon us, make sure you take advan-tage of this delicious and nutritious vegetable.

LA RECETTE by

Bernard Launay

Directions Preheat oven to 450°F

Combine miso, brown sugar and sake in a small bowl and whisk to incorporate. Place tofu in a shallow glass dish and pour marinade over the top. Marinate at least one hour, or overnight.

Place tofu on a foil-lined baking sheet, then pour about 1 tablespoon of remaining marinade on tofu to coat. Place remaining marinade in a small saucepan and keep warm over a very low flame. Bake for 20 minutes, until coating has browned lightly. Remove from oven and preheat broiler.

While broiler is preheating, heat oil in a large sauté pan until hot. Add asparagus and sake and cook 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until asparagus is tender-crisp, an ad-ditional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve. Place baked tofu under broiler until more deeply browned, about 1-2 minutes.

Place about 1 cup shiitake/mushroom sauté on a plate and top with 1 piece glazed tofu. Drizzle each plate with remaining reserved glaze.

Miso-Glazed Tofu with Pan-Seared Shiitakes and Asparagus

Ingredients Serves: 4

• 1 pound firm, not extra-firm, tofu, sliced into 4 ounces blocks • 1/2 cup blond miso paste • 1/2 cup light brown sugar • 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup sake • 2 tablespoons canola oil • 1 pound shiitake mushroom caps • 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces • 1 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Volume 1, Issue 20 Spring 2011 The Newsletter of the SCP

Ebow Dadzie Competes in the International Chocolate and Confectionery Competition in Lyon, France By: Louise Hoffman

In the continued pursuit of excellence in the pastry field, and in honor of their founder Eugène Weiss' spirit of innovation, the Weiss Company launched the Eugène Weiss, Concours International de la Confiserie de Chocolat. This took place during the SIRHA conference in Lyon, France on January 25 th. 2011.

Concours International de la Confiserie de Chocolat set out in search of professional mastery and expertise in taste, innovation and presentation. The First Place winner was awarded €3000 and the Trophée Eugène Weiss.

This competition served to display mastery and advancement of chocolate and confectionery techniques to a wide audience and to encourage young chocolatiers and confectionery artists to create high-quality, natural and authentic chocolate work. The competition’s theme was: “Tomorrow’s Chocolate”.

Six international contestants participated. France, Belgium, Sweden, and United States where represented.

From the United States, Ebow Dadzie, Pastry Sous Chef of the NY Marriott Marquis, SCP member and City Tech Alumni was selected. Dadzie won the US Pastry Competition in 2007 and took the title of Pastry Chef of the Year.

Each contestant had five hours to create a chocolate show piece that reflected the theme and two bonbons, one with hazelnut pra-line and the other was a free choice. The art work and technical skills as well as taste were evaluated. Christophe Marguin, Romaric Boilley, Jean Pierre Richard, Pascal Brunstein, and Emmanuel Edouard Hirsin-ger Monk were judges appointed by the President of the Compétition, Nasserdine Mendi, Meilleur Ouvrier de France and Master Chocolatier Weiss.

Dadzie’s first bonbon was a salted caramel with raspberry jelly and his second was a hazelnut praline with Blue Mountain coffee. His show piece reflected vibrant tropical colors from the natural envi-ronment that cocoa beans grow in. Dadzie came in fourth place.

Congratulation Ebow!

First place went to Aurelien Ponsonnet, Pastry chef and Chocolatier of Privas in Ardeche. Second place went to Olivier Guil-lard , France (Morbihan), Instructor of Pastry and Chocolate, iForm CFA Coutances. Third place went to Sylvia Brown Head Pastry Chef and Chocolatier at Berzelii Choklad, Gothenburg Sweden.

A message from the Chairman of the Dinner Dance

Pascal Guillotin

VISIT OF MICHAEL TY, NATIONAL PRESIDENT, ACF

Mr. Michael Ty visited our offices, Friday, January 14th. From left to right: A. Schmidt, CEC, ICA-ACF Big Apple Chapter Chairman of the Board, JC Blazy, President Société Culinaire Philanthropique, M. Ty, CEC, AAC, JP Stoehr, Honorary President, Societe Culinaire Philanthropique and T. Smyth, Chairman of the Salon of Culinary Arts.

I t’s now time to put away our shovels and snow boots and take out our dancing shoes for the

SCP’s 145th Annual Dinner Dance on April 10, 2011. This year I’m excited to announce we are going back to the exclu-sive Yale Club on Vanderbilt Avenue in midtown Manhat-tan. The last time we held the Dinner Dance at the Yale Club was in April 2007, the day of a large nor’easter. Sadly many of our members were unable to attend, and they missed out on a beautiful evening orchestrated by Chef Charles Keerly and his talented staff. Sound on Sound will also be back to provide the entertainment. So this year we wanted to return to the grandeur of the Yale Club and hopefully the weather will be in our side.

So mark your calendars for April 10th when I hope to see all of you at the Yale Club for a beautiful evening of camaraderie, fine dining and dancing. My special thanks goes to my superb committee. I am so grateful to Mr. Coustar, Mr. Dubarry and Mr. Le Rouzic, who I work with throughout the year to plan and produce a memorable evening worthy of the Société Culinaire Philanthropique.

Volume 1, Spring 2011 Page 2

From left to right: First Row: D. Dumas, M. James, E. Kalajian, JC. Blazy, A. Quirin, M. Pailleret Second Row: JP. Stoehr, A. Moisan, M. Bonte, C. Baills, G. Vidal, Y. Busnel, D. Monneaux ,JM. Bournot, J. Halligan .

New Jersey Chapter of the Société On December 8th, 2010, The New Jersey Chapter meeting of the Société was held at The Joe Jefferson Club in Saddle River, New Jersey. Mr. Maurice Pailleret, President of the Chapter welcomed everyone and thanked Chef/ Michael Latour for hosting the meeting at the Club which he belongs. After the meeting everyone enjoyed a delicious buffet contributed by the New Jersey Members.

Pierre Poulin Third Prize Winner won the Societe’s Award

From left to right: Thomas Smyth Kevin Portscher Michael Latour Jean-Claude Blazy

Thomas Smyth, Chaiman presenting Steve Walljasper with a medal & a diploma of the Salon of Culinary Art

U.S. Pastry Competition 2011 By Louise Hoffman

< Marco Cossio First Prize Winner Pastry Chef of the Year

Pedro Gomez Second Prize Winner >

On February 27, 2010, Paris Gourmet presented the 22nd Annual U.S. Pastry Compe-tition at the International Restaurant and Food-service Show of New York. Thirteen rising stars of the pastry world were finalists and com-peted for the prestigious title, “Pastry Chef of the Year”. The Competition was sponsored by Paris Gourmet, Société Culinaire Philan-thropique, Pastry 1, Cacao Noel, Beurremont, Gourmand and Maison de Choix. The theme this year was “ Le Cirque du Soleil”. The competition included a sugar and chocolate “masterpiece”, along with a bon-bon and cake tasting. The Judging Committee included the Board of Directors; President Jean-Claude Blazy from the Société Culinaire Philanthropique and Jury President Florian Bellanger, SCP member and owner of MadMac. The three teams of ju-rors over saw technical expertise, cake tasting and bonbon tasting.

The jurors team were staffed by: Lu-dovic Augendre, Eric Bedoucha, Eric Bertoia, Jean-Francois Bonnet, Richard Capizzi, Ebow Dadzie, Steve Evetts, Bill Foltz, Eric Girerd, Rachel Lansang-Hidalgo, Louise Hoffman, Pas-cal Janvier, Joseph Murphy, Nathaniel Reid, Laurent Richard, Sebastian Rouxel, Biaggio Settepani and Tom Vaccaro. After several hours of set up and judg-ing the awards ceremony began. First Place went to Marco Cossio from the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV, taking the “Pastry Chef of the Year” award. He won a Gold Medal and $4,000. Second Place: SilverMedal and $2,500 went to Pedro Gomez of Calihan Catering in Chicago, IL. Third Place: Bronze Medal and $1,000 went to Pierre Poulin of Le Cirque, NYC.

Honorable Mention and a trophy with $750 went to Andrew Chlebana from Joliet Junior College in Joliet, IL. This event is an exciting and impor-tant process in the skill development for many pastry chefs. During their months of practice they refine their skills to new levels. This type of competition requires complete dedication. The work this year was creative, fun and technically challenging. Special thanks to the students from NYC College of Technology and Kingsborough College for assisting the judges, competitors and set up. It was an exhilarating day for everyone.

Members in the news

Volume 1, Spring Page 3

Award Presentation 142nd Salon of Culinary Art By Robert Walljasper For one hundred forty two years the Salon of Culinary Arts has been an opportunity for culinarians to test their skill, technique and design in a competitive environment. As 120 competitors entered the Salon of Culinary Arts, this past November was no exception. On Wednesday, February 23, 2011 the So-ciété held an evening to recognize the many winners with Brooklyn’s New York City College of Technology (NYCCT) graciously hosting the award ceremony.

President Jean Claude Blazy welcomed dis-tinguished guests and industry leaders and congratulated each participants their profes-sionalism and the quality of their work.

Before introduction of the master of ceremo-nies (MC), Thomas Smyth. Chairman of the Salon thanked his Co-Chairmen and ac-knowledged the many member volunteers that help to continue the Salon’s tradition in excellence.

In addition NYCCT’s President Hotzler thanked the Société for ongoing support and scholarship of culinary schools.

With a PowerPoint Presentation displaying contestant’s work, MC Marc J. Sarrazin an-nounced medal winners with Mr. Blazy and special guests presenting the medals and cash prizes.

After the presentation of awards the audience was invited to enjoy a reception prepared by the faculty, staff and students from Depart-ment of Hospitality Management at NYCCT.

The soiree was held in Janet Lefler Dining Room, featured a variety of buffet stations and tours of newly renovated kitchen. A scrumptious event that included passed hors d’oeuvres, beef tenderloin, seared duck, ravi-oli and Viennese table.

If by any chance you missed the Salon or wanted to view it again, visit our website at http://www.societeculinaire.com for photo archives and video footage from the past three years.

Welcome to New MemberWelcome to New MemberWelcome to New MemberWelcome to New Member

Justin S. Levine

Congratulations!

BEST OF BERGEN (NEW JERSEY) 2011 Congratulations to John Halligan, Executive Chef/Owner, The Park Steakhouse, Park Ridge, NJ, two-time winner’s among the best steakhouse in Bergen County, and to Chef/Owner Michael Latour , Latour Restaurant, Ridgewood, NJ, the best touch of Paris.

Visit with our member Rolf R. Jung in L.A.

Elisabeth Kalajian, Administrator of the Société Culinaire and Editor of the newsletter visited Mr. Rolf Jung, Executive Chef, Hilton Airport, Los Angeles, CA

January 6, 2011 Holiday Party at the office Stephane Verdille & Pierre Baran - Andre Soltner & Dominique Payraudeau

Above: Mrs. L Hoffman (left) and the Students of the NYCCT receiving the Marc Sarrazin Trophy by Mrs. Renee Sarrazin (center) Below: Mr. Thomas Smith and the winner of the Grand Prize of the Salon - The Medal of the French Government Mr. Ebow Dadzie