This cleverly themed cookbook club brought our Chicago team together for another tasty if not a bit morbid- meal together. It was Chef Mollys selection this time around, and she selected My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs andTheir Final Meals by Melanie Dunea. The following guest blog was written by Chef Heidi Kise, and while this last supper may have taken place a few weeks ago, theres no better time to share the eerie recap than Halloween!
What would you eat for your last supper? providedinteresting fodder to our dinner at theswanky South Loop home of Chef Molly. Would you eat afavorite? Something from your Moms kitchen?
Or somethingnot easily accessible?
Brandy, Liz, Molly and I each brought a dish from Mollys selection. We began the eveningwith a beautiful cheese board in Molly style. Read:gorgeous. Our meal of small plates began with a wonderfully warm andhomey Wonton Soup made by Brandy. We all supposed that Susur Leesdish mustve been a favorite growing up. Thedarling plump wontons were filled with shrimp, pork andother goodies. Brandy stayed true to the recipe, resistingthe urge to doctor the wontons. Unfortunately, we felt thewontons could have had a touch more flavor. A little scallion or chive garnishwouldve finished it off beautifully. On the plus side, its quitea filling dish and would be perfect to serve at yournext all white party. Much to my surprise,Brandy admitted that she would double down on dessert, and enjoy a nutella-filled crepe and birthday cake for her last meal.
We then moved onto Lizs recreation of Bobby Flays Cajun Burger. This burger rocked! Coated with a Cajun spice, the burger had just the right amount of kick. Generous layers of pepperjack cheese and crispyprosciutto were an excellent addition. Instead ofmayo and katsup, Bobby opted for remoulade. Let me justsay, More, please! I would have Bobby and Lizcollaborate on a course in my last supper, hands down. Lizs lastsupper would include sushi, her moms Mexican poblanomilk soup (Mmm, sounds interesting). Shed finish it off with a smidge of ice cream Just a smidge?!
Our host took the bull by the horns and fried up somechicken in bacon grease. This dish, by John Besh, is not for the faint of heart. In fact, if eaten often enough, one would probably be heading down the path to an early last supper. The tender chicken in its flavorful coating wasvery tasty; Slathering on the bacon gravy was verygluttonous. If recreating this dish, frying at ahigher temp might crisp up the coating. We found it interesting that the chef fried the chicken at 250. Could it bea typo?
Though not in the book, a highlight of the meal was a roasted brussels sprouts dishwith toasted pecans and shaved parm. Along with this bonus menu item, Molly shared her loveof ice cream sundaes that began while working at a WI icecream shop in high school. Ice cream would definitely be Mollyslast supper.
Our next dish was a simple yet deliciouspasta from Mario Batali. A red sauce with a little kicklightly coated the delicate homemade noodles.A favorite of the group, no doubt. I chose to make this dish, since pasta would be a part of mylast supper (not to mention a crab salad with tomato, corn &avocado).
The denouement was Mollys decadent chocolate cake a replica of the cake she made for her sisters wedding. Fantastic. Theres simply nothing else to say it was seriously that good.
Allin all, a clever concept for a cookbook. Thanks to My Last Meal, we enjoyed interestingstories from chefs and a great evening with cheffriends.
