Tuesday, November 29, 2011

In The Kitchen With Campbell's


Campbell's Soup recently came to town and invited a group of local food writers and bloggers to join them in the kitchen for lunch. They were on tour to introduce some new soup flavors and since one of them is based on a New England recipe they wanted to come here. As is often the case with food events held during the day, I was the only guy in the group which was just fine by me. Given even the most recent concerns about BPA in canned foods I can honestly say that I don't think I know anyone who does not have at least can of soup in the cupboards. It's an absolute American staple.


Our recipe for the dessert. I should mention that this event took place at Action Kitchen, a really cool, state-of-the-art commercial kitchen for hire at The Seaport Hotel. It's a great, new spot for special events and food demos available for rent. You could even produce your own cooking show here! In fact, TV Diner is now taping segments here.


Our menu for the day.


We munched on appetizers as we all met and discussed how we'd be spending the morning. We'd first see a demo where the salad would be prepared. Then, we'd slpit into two teams and get to work cooking. One team (mine) would make the dessert, another the main dish. Then we'd sit down and have lunch and a selection of wines.


Some of the new Select Harvest recipes, which are based on regional fare.


Chef Maria Gamble gave a quick demo and fielded questions on the meal and Campbell's Soup products. These ladies did not go easy, directly asking about sodium concerns and other issues. Pretty much every soup line today has a variety of low sodium options. The truth is that people often say they find them bland.


I grabbed the cooking pans and buttered them which brought back memories of my old days working in the bakery.


I cored the hell out of a few dozen apples which we'd stuff with the cranberry mixture and bake.


The other team hard at work preparing the main dish.


Posing for photos with Maria Gamble, Senior Chef at Campbell's.


I am not really the chatty type at lunch so as the ladies talked and gossiped I texted buds about my latest microbrew finds.


Our Green Bean and Mushroom Salad starter.


Campbell's new Select Harvest Light New England-Style Braised Beef Pot Roast Soup. I can honestly say that this was actually pretty good.


Chervil Roasted Cod Loin, Corn and Pistachio Fritters with Citrus Coulis, as prepared by the other team.


The Baked Apples with Dried Cranberries, Cinnamon and Orange Zest that my team prepared.

1 comment:

  1. Will, you have way too much fun! We're about to post our Campbell's lunch adventure (better late than never). Look forward to seeing you again soon :)

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