Weekend and Monday
All weekend I stood in the ICON kitchen and barked at scores of tourists.
"LET ME DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION TO THESE UNIQUE AND FABULOUS CORNER DRAWERS! EXCUSE ME LITTLE BOY BUT WE PLAN ON EATING THE FOOD IN THAT BOWL SO PLEASE DONT POKE AT IT! IT TAKES THREE MINUTES FOR THIS WINDOW TO TINT TO THIS DEGREE KEEPING OUT ALL BUT 1% OF PASSIVE SOLAR ENERGY! PLEASE DONT TOUCH THAT SIR! BE SURE TO GRAB ONE OF OUR EXPERTS OUT BACK IF YOU HAVE ANY TECHNICAL QUESTIONS!"
Frequently one of the design students would gently correct my often inaccurate descriptions. "That is a cook top, Patrice, not a stove." "Just tell them to ask about the window outside." "Keep the drawers closed when the kitchen gets crowded." By Sunday's end I kept my mouth closed and my smile intact as nearly 3,000 tourists tromped through the house. I was grateful to get back to cooking.
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I spent Monday morning prepping (I'd done the same prep Friday but because of the menu snafu I wasn’t able to use those ingredients), then packed the food for travel. My chauffer ala Kelly's minicooper allowed me to pop-in to the department store where, I'm told, Mamie Eisenhower purchased her lipstick. There we found 8 inexpensive bowls for individual salsa servings and 8 little square plates for the chocolate flight. Those were packed alongside the food before a final Metro ride to The Mall.
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As we began the two hour allotted prep time a film crew came in and taped Audrey and I chopping and tasting, (nothing better than shots of my tush while I am eating). Outside a group gathered to watch through the windows as I tossed pizza dough and chopped cilantro, and two communication students pushed their noses up against the pane to watch me drizzle chocolate over potato chips and plate the flight of chocolates. Hungry teammates began gathering in the house asking for tastes.
Our guests arrived and conversation flowed as easily as did the courses. It was a perfect evening. After cleanup I stood one last time on the darkened mall. The lighting competition began and the ICON house glowed golden and perfect.
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"LET ME DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION TO THESE UNIQUE AND FABULOUS CORNER DRAWERS! EXCUSE ME LITTLE BOY BUT WE PLAN ON EATING THE FOOD IN THAT BOWL SO PLEASE DONT POKE AT IT! IT TAKES THREE MINUTES FOR THIS WINDOW TO TINT TO THIS DEGREE KEEPING OUT ALL BUT 1% OF PASSIVE SOLAR ENERGY! PLEASE DONT TOUCH THAT SIR! BE SURE TO GRAB ONE OF OUR EXPERTS OUT BACK IF YOU HAVE ANY TECHNICAL QUESTIONS!"
Frequently one of the design students would gently correct my often inaccurate descriptions. "That is a cook top, Patrice, not a stove." "Just tell them to ask about the window outside." "Keep the drawers closed when the kitchen gets crowded." By Sunday's end I kept my mouth closed and my smile intact as nearly 3,000 tourists tromped through the house. I was grateful to get back to cooking.
I spent Monday morning prepping (I'd done the same prep Friday but because of the menu snafu I wasn’t able to use those ingredients), then packed the food for travel. My chauffer ala Kelly's minicooper allowed me to pop-in to the department store where, I'm told, Mamie Eisenhower purchased her lipstick. There we found 8 inexpensive bowls for individual salsa servings and 8 little square plates for the chocolate flight. Those were packed alongside the food before a final Metro ride to The Mall.
Our guests arrived and conversation flowed as easily as did the courses. It was a perfect evening. After cleanup I stood one last time on the darkened mall. The lighting competition began and the ICON house glowed golden and perfect.
Dessert Flight of Chocolates from Minnesota Pizza Party follows.
Flight of Chocolates
8 B.T. McElrath Passion Fruit truffles
8 B.T. McElrath Chile-Limón truffles
8 perfect potato chips drizzled with 3 ounces melted dark chocolate16 Pepin Heights Honey Bites (dried honey crisp apple slices)
24 popped popcorn kernels
1/4 cup popped wild rice
Plate individual dessert dishes with one each of the truffles, potato chips, and a small pile of rice, 3 popcorn kernels, and 2 Honey Bites.
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