Hawaii Community College’s Culinary Arts Program has been in existence since 1952, preparing students “to achieve excellence in their career.” Currently, there are 63 students enrolled in the program at the Hilo and Palamanui campuses. Ninety percent of the college’s students are from Hawaii Island, and 78 percent of the alumni stay on the island. Our community has a vested interest in the college, as many of us depend on HCC’s graduates as future employees.
HCC Chancellor Rachel Solemsaas, as well as University of Hawaii Foundation staff members Andrea Christensen, director of development; Andrea Furuli, regional director of development; and Carla Kuo, associate director of development, recently hosted a five-course wine tasting dinner at Bamboo Hale.
We took a tour of the facilities, much of the equipment still being used from 1952. The first-year students work in the bakery, baking cookies and pies that are sold via The Cafeteria and in the spring. The second-year students work at Bamboo Hale.
We started with an amuse bouche of housemade salmon gravlax sitting on a blini and topped with housemade creme fraiche. Ryan Kadota of Kadota Liquors served Langlais Brut Rose, Crement de Loire, France, with it.
The first course was “The Humble Cauliflower,” mashed cauliflower, roasted cauliflower florets and cappelletti with housemade ricotta drizzled with truffle butter. The balance of flavors and my love for vegetables made this dish one of my favorites. Ryan served this with Celler Credo Miranius Xarel-lo, Penedes from Spain.
The second course was bouillabaisse, or “Fisherman Stew.” It contained Kauai shrimp, Hokkigai clams, pan-roasted ehu, croutons and chorizo aioli. It was served with Marisa Cuomo Rosata, Costa d’Amalfi from Campania.
The intermezzo was a delicious tomato sorbet with a balsamic reduction.
Third course was steak’s “Best Friends,” or black garlic, charred Brussels sprout leaves, grilled alii mushrooms and roasted shallots with a red wine-veal reduction on a piece of grass-fed beef. It was paired with Starmont Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.
I liked the cabernet sauvignon as it was smooth with a nice finish.
Fourth course was beetglazed chevre. The quinoa was cooked and then fried in a chinois until crispy. There was baby arugula, radish, macadamia nut butter and Hawaii Community College Agriculture Department herbs. It was served with Domaine de la Modone Beajolais-Villages Le Perreon from France.
The fifth course was Heavenly Shortbread with Earl Grey tea ice cream, banana bread crumbs and banana schmutz. It was paired with RL Bueller & Son Fine Muscat from Victoria, Australia.
The reason for the dinner was to raise awareness that some of the kitchen equipment is more than 30 years old, not reparable and obsolete. The culinary program is currently in need of several refrigerators and heating units with a total cost of more than $100,000.
The college needs community support and funding to be able to replace equipment. The three women at the UH Foundation can direct any donations to this very worthy need in the community.
Foodie bites
• Speaking about Hawaii Community College’s Bamboo Hale, from today through Friday, the cuisine of France and the European standard menu will be featured. Call 934-2591 to make reservations for 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• The first day of spring is today and with it, many vegetables will be available at the markets. One is asparagus. If the green asparagus is buried so it does not see sun, white asparagus will appear. It needs the sun to produce the green chlorophyll. I have wonderful memories of enjoying them in Germany, as their flavors are so delicate. There are restaurants in Germany that feature many dishes with “spargel” during this time. I bought a special peeler for peeling the skin, as it is rather tough. Right now, according to my son, Neil, who lives there, it is the peak season and it will last until the end of this month.
• Artichokes should be appearing at the markets very soon, as it is growing from now until May and again in October. I grew up eating artichokes since my mother loved them. I pressure cook them for about 40 minutes, depending on the size.
• Fennel is an interesting vegetable. I recall seeing wild fennel growing along the roadside in Greece. Wild fennel pollen is prized in Mediterranean cooking. It is a member of the carrot family and has an anise taste to it. Roasting fennel bulb with carrots is a great way to enjoy it.
• Celeric is not an attractive vegetable, as it is knobby and gnarly in appearance. But “do not judge a book by its cover,” as it has high levels of vitamins C, K, phosphorus, potassium, B6, magnesium and manganese.
• Mustard greens are another spring vegetable. If you were in Japan, you could be sure that it would be in your “kaiseki” meal, as Japanese are very much into seasonal foods. It also is healthful, with high levels of vitamins K, A, C and calcium.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.
