Over the years, we have had the good fortune of participating in some fun events because of my interest in cooking.  This happened again recently when some friends in town invited us to a dinner they were co-hosting at their home.

One of our hostesses and I have been friends for years, meeting when we were both working on a very complicated and stressful debt restructuring of an automotive parts company during the recession in the late 1980’s.  We worked for different financial institutions and were the only two women in the very large bank group so we naturally gravitated towards each other.  Or maybe it was the fact that we were two of the voices of reason in the group, but I won’t digress…

Together with their co-hosts, our friends had bid on a private dinner to be prepared by Chef Matthew Gaudet, owner and chef of West Bridge in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  A graduate of my alma mater, the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, Matthew was raised in the Boston area but really honed his culinary skills in New York City where he spent nine years working alongside such greats as Marcus Samuelsson at Aquavit and Jean George Vongerichten at Jean-Georges.  Gaudet returned to Boston and served as Chef de Cuisine first at Brasserie Joe in the Back Bay and then at the original Aquitaine in the South End where his creative French influences could flourish.

In 2012, Gaudet opened West Bridge with a partner and his star has continued to rise.  A fabulous review by the Boston Globe’s Devra First and his selection as one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2013 are well deserved for this incredibly talented and charismatic chef.

We were thrilled to be included in this special event.  Proceeds from the winning bid went to support UAspire, a national organization with a large presence here in Massachusetts.  Locally, UAspire works with all Boston public and charter schools and is “committed to ensuring that all students have the financial information and resources necessary to find an affordable path to – and through – a college degree. Through partnerships with high schools, community organizations, and higher education institutions, uAspire provides free one-on-one advising and group workshops to help more than 10,000 students and families each year learn how to make college an affordable reality.”

Very inspiring work and so necessary with the staggering cost of higher education.

Chef Gaudet prepared a multi course meal that showcased his culinary perspective, although most of the dishes were not what you would find on his menu at West Bridge.  Chef’s food was introduced as light with a highly acidic flavor profile (my personal favorite).  What he would say is his food is French inspired American food.  I found his food well balanced, delicious and inventive without being intimidating or inaccessible.  We all learned some new ingredients, some of which I hope to be able to find in my travels.  Above all, it was a wonderfully festive evening with the backdrop of supporting a great cause.  Matthew and his team were so gracious and giving of their time and talent. Here is how our evening played out…

Paul was cleaning razor clam shells that had been emptied of their luscious meat when we arrived.  The shells would be used as a serving vessel for a component of our first course…

That’s a big knife…

Our first course consisted of what Chef referred to as “snacks” or amuse bouches which opened up the taste buds and gave us an introduction to some of the flavors he is known for at West Bridge.  The snacks consisted of five separate items. Below is a shot of the razor clams being warmed in a SousVide machine.  The clams were mixed with guanciale (pork cheeks), diced Granny Smith apples, celery, fennel and some vinegar…

Chef and I spoke about his palate and his is definitely acidic which I tend to gravitate to as well.  The meal had lots of finishes with interesting vinegars and spirits…

Chef Gaudet…

Chef suggested we start with the cold and raw bites and work up to the warm and cooked.  At the top of the plate was a Sushi grade Fluke from Scituate that was wrapped around a little piece of gorgeous blood orange and finished with just a touch of Ouzo.  Next was the razor clam mixture served on the shell.  The next bite was what Chef jokingly referred to as a rift on Peanut Butter and Jelly.  Crisped Arctic Char skin was topped with a Quince Mustard Jam and a Hazelnut Aioli.  This was followed by a Brisket Croquette served with a Caper Sriracha Aioli and topped with Chives.  Finally…wait for it…was a grilled rabbit kidney that had been marinated  in a “lime pickle” which was a mixture of chilis and fermented limes.

Since appetizers (the designing, making and the eating of them) are my favorite, I really appreciated how much work went into each of the separate bites. They were playful and creative and incorporated lots of fresh and bright flavors.  My favorite was probably the razor clams which had so much flavor from the addition of the apples, celery and fennel plus the burst of vinegar.  I thought the croquette itself could have had a slightly more meaty taste but the aioli was delicious.  The fluke and the char with jam were also very fun.  And as you might have expected, while we all ate the rabbit kidney, it was not anyone’s favorite.  Good flavor, but the texture was not very appealing.

Our first course was paired with a sparkling Malbec from the Loire Valley that we all loved.  I know, Malbec from the Loire Valley? We were told by Chef’s assistant and wine expert, Patrick that the Malbec grape has its origin in France.  It is now grown primarily in South America as you know if you are a Malbec fan…

Beautiful color…

For our second course, we were served Seared Fois Gras in a celery root veloute, finished with a Quince vinegar.

Fois Gras ready to be pan seared…

Plating…

I love how focused Chef looks in this picture as he delicately places the fois gras on the soup.  Meanwhile, Paul was finishing the dish with a Quince vinegar…

Probably one of my favorite courses of the evening.  If you like celery root, you would love this soup.  I may need to find a recipe to try…

At this point, we were offered two whites.  One was from Austria and it was bright and crisp – a favorite at the table.  The other was a Northern Italian cross between a Riesling and a table grape which was very nice, but we preferred the Austrian wine…

There were ten of us dining and the pauses between courses allowed us to banter about what we had just eaten and what we liked (mostly) and didn’t (barely anything).  A really fun way to mix up the conversation and get everyone involved!

Next up was such a fabulous course.  Winter cabbage was braised in butter until tender.  Served in a pork consomme, drizzled with a spicy mussel aioli and topped with crispy veal, it sounds overreaching doesn’t it?  Absolute perfection on a plate.  All of the competing factors came together so beautifully that we had to pause after eating it and just contemplate how complex this dish was!  Fabulous.

Next up was our fish course.  Maine coast Halibut was drizzled with a lobster vinaigrette and served with turnips that had been cooked in fermented turnip juice and the most delicious puree of Salsify, a root vegetable I had never tasted.  The dish was finished with a dill oil that you can see Chef Gaudet adding in the picture below.  Peppercress from Siena Farms in Sudbury, Massachusetts garnished the dish…

Salsify is a root vegetable that is long and thin with a tough skin, similar in appearance to a parsnip.  It can be treated as most other root vegetables and Chef Gaudet pureed his with butter and cream.  It had almost a sweet taste to it that was just sublime.  I am going to look around for this vegetable at my local farm stands to see if I can locate some.  Have you ever used Salsify?

For our last savory course, Chef Gaudet prepared lamb that had been marinated with Juniper and Rosemary Oil.  It was prepared in the SousVide you saw earlier and then barbecued outdoors right before service to get a nice crust.  It was served with lightly charred endive, a squash puree, an artichoke puree that had been infused with squid ink, thus the black color and Sorghum, another new item for me and now a favorite.  Sorghum is a grain similar to farro or barley and it was served al dente.  It was just delicious and looking online it appears that Bob’s Red Mill sells the grain.  I have seen sorghum flour, but not in grain form locally.  We were served a delicious Cabernet Franc from Chinon at this point in the meal…

And finally, our dessert course was chocolate – yay! This is the Grasshopper which is also on the menu at West Bridge.  A chocolate sable is filled with white chocolate ganache to make a homemade Oreo of sorts.  On the side was a homemade mint ice cream and a Chartreuse granita.  The whole dish was sitting on sable crumbs in case you needed more chocolate.  I just love mint and chocolate together…

And to cap off the dinner, we were served a dessert beverage which was a combination of Mint Chartreuse, a liqueur, lemon juice and sparkling wine.  I only took a few delicious sips as I could see this one causing a sizable headache!!!

This was an incredibly fun evening and I was so glad to be included in such a special opportunity to have a culinary superstar cook and chat it up with us.  It’s funny – I was doing the math and I’m not exactly sure when Chef graduated from CSCA, but we were probably only a handful of years apart.  I am so happy for his success and for my alma mater that they have increasingly taught so many successful professionals in the field today.

And most importantly, since I have not yet been to West Bridge, I am putting it on my must-try for the coming months.  Based on our wonderful dinner, I am sure it will be another delicious evening.  Have you been to West Bridge yet?  Let me know in the comments!

Until next week…

One Year Ago:  Chicken with Red and Yellow Peppers