I’ve been following pastry chef Charmaine Baan’s career for years.

The first time I heard about her was through Andrew Gardner, when he was at Splendido, back in the day. Her name would crop up in the food press from time to time, and I finally met her in person at Terroir in March.

She was attending with fellow Dish-er Elena Embrioni, whom i originally met when she was still at Southern Accent. Elena introduced us, and we had a quick chat. Then I got the fateful call from her, with the happy news that she was inviting me to do a class.

The focus was barbecue and beef, and comparing cuts of meat, with different marinades

It was a great success, and they’re going to have me back, which makes me very happy.

Here’s the menu:

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Salmon en papillote on the grill w/ fennel & red onion

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Heirloom tomatoes, baby arugula, cider vinegar & basil oil

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Mixed grill of beef tenderloin, rib eye and flank steak
w/ their own unique marinades*, sweet potatoes, watercress salad

[*I gave the tenderloin a Mediterranean treatment, with rosemary, garlic, sea salt and bay leaf; for the rib eye, I went "Mama-style," which is celery, carrots, onions, garlic, thyme and dry white wine, named in this case for Lidia Bastianich; and for the flank, I went Asian, lemongrass, chiles, fresh orange, garlic, coriander seed, sesame oil and soy]

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Charmaine’s chocolate truffles
Exotic fruit platter w/ dragon fruit, papaya, lichee, pineapple, mango

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Stay tuned for more upcoming cooking classes and dates.

Yours in good food at the grill
Carlos