Over the weekend, we had a family party. I served Stouffer’s Party Size Macaroni and Cheese and ran out before everyone had a chance to get through the line. Here I thought only the kids would eat it!One thing is for sure, everyone loves Stouffer’s products.
Tonight, I had the absolute pleasure to attend a Stouffer’s Fan Event with 8 other Stouffer’s fans from around the country. We were able to meet the chefs that create and prepare all the foods that we take for granted as we rush to get a hot meal on the table! They are top notch chefs that cook with passion.
Do you ever wonder how that delicious lasagne gets to the point where you can buy it at the grocery store and bake it for your family? Now, I know. There is so much involved from studying food trends, to taking trips around the world to discover new foods & flavors, and the Stouffer’s chefs developing new recipes that your family will love. And they do it with passion.
I was told that we would enjoy a dinner at the Stouffer’s Culinary Center. When I arrived, I found out that the guests were preparing dinner tonight WITH the Stouffer’s Chefs. Wow! What an experience to learn under the top Stouffer’s Chef!
We broke up into 5 teams to prepare dinner. We had 25 minutes to make from-scratch dishes such as Wild Mushroom Risotto, Sweet Potato Crusted Sea Bass, Wood Fired Pizza, Thai Chili Marinated Shrimp, Roasted Root Vegetables, and Pomegranate Port Glazed Lamb Chops.
My team prepared Wild Mushroom Risotto. I have never made risotto before, what an outstanding way to learn – with the head chef! He already prepared the chicken broth that was cooked with wild mushrooms and then strained. He explained that you can’t just add wild mushrooms to the risotto but the two ingredients need to form a relationship before it gets to that point. Introducing the mushroom flavor to the broth did just that. It was the most delicious broth I’ve ever tasted, I wish I could bring it home!
My task was to stir, stir, stir the risotto. First, we melted butter and poured in the risotto. Stir, stir, stir. Then, ladle by ladle, we added the mushroom chicken broth. Stir, stir, stir. The dish promised to be creamy without adding cream. The key to getting the creamy texture with the risotto was to stir, stir, stir. With the stirring, the starch is released, giving the creamy texture. Wow, did I learn a lot tonight! Alex, a Stouffer’s fan from Southern California was in charge of sauteing the wild mushrooms, there was such a variety. I couldn’t wait to taste it. We were able to taste the progress of the risotto to understand and learn when it was done. Finally, we added the wild mushrooms and sprinkled parsley on top for a divine Wild Mushroom Risotto.
25 minutes later, our Wild Mushroom Risotto was finished and tasted heavenly. We were then able to sample the other foods prepared by the chefs and Stouffer’s fans. I didn’t pass up anything and enjoyed each and every delectable bite.
[slickr-flickr tag=stouffersfood]Sure, I had fun cooking with Stouffer’s Top Chef tonight. I learned quite a bit about risotto. I learned that I’d love to take cooking classes. What impressed me most was the passion that the chefs cooked with and the passion that each and every Stouffer’s employee seemed to have for their food. I was able to meet people from marketing, law office, product development, packaging, etc and everyone seemed to really, really enjoy working for Stouffer’s. They have a passion for food. It was really neat to meet the people behind the frozen entree that I serve my family.
Tomorrow, we have the opportunity to sample a brand new Farmer’s Harvest Steam Meals-for-One dishes. There are 5 steam-fresh meals with indulgent sauces, farm-picked vegetables, and premium meats. I’ll let you know how they taste!
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I attended the Stouffer’s fan even in Solon.
