Electrolux ICON Event with Chef Brad Steelman of The River Cafe

Electrolux Logo

I was provided with the opportunity to attend this event at no cost. I do not accept monetary compensation for writing about my experiences. All opinions expressed are my own.

Last week, I made my way to the Desiron Gallery in SoHo for another Electrolux event with Chef Brad Steelman of The River Cafe. This time, instead of showing us what the Perfect Turkey button could do, Chef Steelman showed us various features of the Electrolux ICON designer series appliances. (By the way, Chef Steelman remembered me from the Thanksgiving event!)

As people continued to arrive at the gallery, I introduced myself to some new foodie friends - Sarah, of Tales of Expansion; Mike, of Man Eat Food; and Elizabeth, of The Kitchn. Of course, we were all offered an assortment of delicious hors d’oeuvres to keep our stomachs happy until the first course came out. First up? A thin and crispy lentil wafer topped with a dollop of lusciously creamy lobster salad. I had no shame; I ate three of them.

Lobster Salad on a Lentil Wafer - Photo by Taste As You Go
Lobster Salad on a Lentil Wafer

Next, we had Seared Tuna on an Avocado and Wasabi Salad, served on ginormous silver spoons.

Seared Tuna on Avocado and Wasabi Salad - Photo by Taste As You Go
Seared Tuna on Avocado and Wasabi Salad

While the tuna tasted amazing and the coolness of the avocado naturally paired with the kick of the wasabi, those giant spoons made getting that "bite" into your mouth a little awkward. *Ahem* Exhibit A:

Tasting the Seared Tuna on Avocado and Wasabi Salad - Photo by Taste As You Go
Tasting the Seared Tuna on Avocado and Wasabi Salad

I don't know if you can tell from that picture of me slurping the tuna into my mouth (there's really no other word to describe what I was doing), but I'm laughing. Why? Because that picture was probably the fiftieth picture taken by a very patient Sarah. For some reason, I just don't look glamorous when I'm eating with large utensils.

Duck with Rhubarb Sauce and Chives - Photo by Taste As You Go
Duck with Rhubarb Sauce and Chives

By far, though, my favorite hors d’oeuvre was the Duck with Rhubarb Sauce and Chives. How succulent does that look? The rhubarb sauce was tart and delicious. I had even less shame with these little puppies -- I think I ate at least five of them!

Chef Brad Steelman of The River Cafe - Photo by Taste As You Go
Chef Brad Steelman of The River Cafe

While we were eating, Chef Steelman began to prepare the Spring Asparagus Risotto with Mascarpone, Parmigiano Regina, and Crispy Trumpet Mushrooms.

Spring Asparagus Risotto - Photo by Taste As You Go
Spring Asparagus Risotto

Tasting the Spring Asparagus Risotto - Photo by Taste As You Go
Tasting the Spring Asparagus Risotto

Even though I had just made risotto for myself at home a few days earlier, I was thrilled to try the Spring Asparagus Risotto prepared by Chef Steelman. Hmm... Apparently I don't look glamorous when eating with regular-sized utensils either!

For our main entree, we had Colorado Lamb Roast, served with Caramelized Spring Onions, Potato Puree, and Roasting Juices. The lamb was wrapped with caul fat before being secured with butcher's twine. Here's a video of Chef Steelman explaining what caul fat is:



And here's the finished lamb roast, all sliced up:

Colorado Lamb Roast with Potato Puree - Photo by Taste As You Go
Colorado Lamb Roast with Potato Puree

Sarah was lucky enough to get a serving with one of the caramelized spring onions. Now, I'm not one who normally feasts on lamb, so this was a treat for me. The caul fat helped keep the roast nice and juicy and tender. I managed to eat two plates (i.e. four slices) of lamb before I stopped myself. I had to save room for dessert, of course!

Dark Chocolate Melt Away Cake - Photo by Taste As You Go
Dark Chocolate Melt Away Cake

Hello, dessert! Would anyone like a bit of this sinfully decadent Dark Chocolate Melt Away Cake? See that shimmer on the top? Yeah, that's a bit of gold dust for you! I was hoping there would be another drawing for a dinner at The River Cafe so I could take home another gift certificate, but there wasn't. (Darn it!)

Sarah, from Tales of Expansion, Packs up Her Goodies - Photo by Taste As You Go
Sarah, from Tales of Expansion

But, thanks to the Sarah's savvy and quick thinking, I got to take home something better. Leftover Dark Chocolate Melt Away Cake! She managed to take home the rest of the leftovers, which just goes to show you that it never hurts to ask, "So, what are you going to do with all that leftover food?" Lucky girl!

I consider myself lucky, too. Not only was I spoiled by a tasting of deliciously rich food prepared by a very charismatic chef, but I also met and made some new friends.

Michelle, Taste As You Go; Mike, Man Eat Food; Sarah, Tales of Expansion - Photo by Taste As You Go
Michelle, Taste As You Go; Mike, Man Eat Food; Sarah, Tales of Expansion

I do have copies of the recipes for the Spring Asparagus Risotto, Colorado Lamb Roast, and Dark Chocolate Melt Away Cake, so if the pictures I've posted have your mouth watering and you're dying to make any or all of those dishes for yourselves, leave a comment here telling me which recipe(s) you'd like. Don't forget to leave an email address if one isn't listed in your profile!

If you liked this post, consider subscribing to Taste As You Go’s RSS feed or subscribing via email so you don’t miss a thing!

Comments

How fun! Adorable pics of you (and the food) Cheers!
Heidi - Thanks! I know I won't be able to afford that line of Electrolux appliances any time soon, but it's always nice of those folks to invite me to events. :-)
Sue said…
That sounds like fun. I thought he would remember you because you had that fabulous dinner in his restaurant.
Shelby said…
What fun Michelle!
Sue - It was definitely a lot of fun and definitely worth the trek because I got to meet some new foodie friends. Chef Steelman was a riot, too!
HoneyB - It was! Sometimes I wonder just how I got to the point in my life when I'm invited to events like this. :-)
Anonymous said…
yayyyyy i love the recap, and i'm THRILLED to see that some of the action shots of you made the cut :-)

that caulfat video came out great! i'm so scared of the video function on my camera, but i think i need to rememdy that now. it was so fun to meet you!
talesofexpansion - Yay! It was great meeting you, too, Sarah! I chose the best of the bunch from all those photos you took of me trying to smile and eat at the same time. I had wanted to include clips from the other videos I shot that night, especially clips from the demo of the dessert, but the post was already running a bit long.
Oh fun! Looks like you had a great time. The food looks fabulous!

+Jessie
The Hungry Mouse - Thanks, Jessie! I think we all had a nice night. Lord knows I'll never skip an opportunity to have Chef Steelman cook for me! ;-)
Anonymous said…
Hey Michelle, great article! It was a really fun time and hopefully I can get my article up soon too. Great job with the video!
MF - Hi, Mike! Thanks! I'll be watching my RSS feed for your review of the event!

Have a great weekend! :-)
Eric Hason said…
Excellent action shot of you eating!
Eric Hason - Thanks! Sarah was patient enough to take more than one picture of me eating so I would have a choice of photos to post with my write-up of the event. I should have posted some of the "out-takes". :-)