saadmin
BY CHEF EDUARD PEYER
A CULINARY JOURNEY
Eduard Peyer retired from a long and eventful culinary career in December of 2010.
Born in Lucerne, Switzerland, he entered culinary school, worked in famous Resort Hotels and catered to numerous celebrities and luminaries at the Bürgenstock Hotels, near his hometown of Lucerne and at the luxurious Suvretta House in St Moritz, places to be known to cater to the rich and famous. After relocating to the United States in 1968, he became and Executive chef at renowned hotels and restaurants in Houston, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Dallas and finally in San Antonio, where Eduard became the opening Executive Chef at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. During his Chef career he directed large dinner events for President Bush in Dallas and in San Antonio.
After retirement in December 2010, he embarked on a new adventure, by walking the 500 mile pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago from the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela with his daughter Francesca and daughter in law Valerie, a journey dedicated to his late wife Patricia.
He resides in San Antonio, Texas and plans to do more of his new awakened passion by walking “Caminos” in France, Spain and Switzerland.
DELECTABLE HOLIDAY MEAL SUGGESTIONS FROM THE KITCHEN OF CHEF PEYER:
Autumn is here and many of us are starting to think about holiday menus. Roasted turkey is a must have for many, but I am often asked about equally delicious menu alternatives. The following are some ideas I’d like to share with you that I often make for Christmas in my native Switzerland:
ROASTED GOOSE: Tastes very similar to duck. Delicious!
CROWN ROAST OF PORK: The other white meat.
APPLE AND PRUNE STUFFING: This is my favorite stuffing! Soften the prunes with some warm water for about an hour. Peel and slice your choice of apples. I like Granny Smith. Sauté with some fresh butter. Stuff the bird and roast.
PAN GRAVY: Deglaze your pan with a dry white wine, some chicken stock and a touch of Hoisin sauce. Reduce in half and season with salt and pepper. (I like to use white peppercorns.) Add heavy cream and maybe a touch of Calvados, (apple or pear brandy which comes from the Normandy region of France.)
RELISH: Cranberry relish, just like you serve with your traditional Thanksgiving turkey.
WHAT ABOUT THE SIDES?
Sweet or mashed potatoes
Brussels Sprouts
Glazed baby carrots
Fresh green beans
Sugar glazed Chestnuts would also be delicious!
Dauphinois potatoes
Roasted root veggies
Apple Stew (recipe below)
The holidays are my favorite time of year. I crave holiday dinners with a nice bottle of Nouveau Beaujolais and a Campari Soda beforehand. Nothing is better than to gather with your family and friends for a wonderful Christmas dinner. Hopefully we can do that again in the near future without wearing a face mask!
WE MUSTN’T FORGET DESSERT
I prefer fruit desserts instead of heavy cakes and pies that rely on too much sugar. Here are my suggestions:
Apricot Cafloutis
Port Wine
Poached Pears with vanilla ice cream
Beautiful Flan with Kirsch macerated berries
and…
FRESH APPLE STEW!
You need to serve Alpen Magronen with this fine apple compote. The cheesy and extremely heavy pasta dish makes a delicious combination with sweet apples.
4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS
3 medium Fuji apples
2 tbsp. sweet unsalted butter
1 tbsp. dry white wine
½ lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
½ cup sugar
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
Cinnamon stick for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Peel and core apples and cut in eight wedges. Melt butter in a saucepan and add the apple wedges, white wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and cinnamon. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. If the apples are not juicy, add ½ tbsp. additional white wine or water, since some apples are juicier than others. Serve warm or cold in a side dish and garnish with a stick of cinnamon.
BUEN CAMINO AND BON APPÉTIT:
A CULINARY JOURNEY AND PILGRIMAGE WITH INGREDIENTS
Buen Camino and Bon Appétit is filled with author Eddie Peyer’s affectionate stories about the people he met along the two major journeys of his life -a 40-year career as a chef in some of the best hotels on two continents and his pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in France and Spain after he retired. His memoir contrasts the extreme pressure of life as a world-class chef in luxury hotels with the simplicity of walking the Camino, eating plain means each night, and sleeping in hostels. He blends these two journeys in the final section of the book, a selection of the recipes that most vividly recalls both journeys.
//SA
