Ashley Merriman

So, one of my work friends, asked me if I wanted to go to a fundraiser where Ashley Merriman would be cooking (this was for the  St. Mark's School).  Ummm, of course I wanted to go.  First, let me say, I'm a fan of Top Chef (but maybe a bit less now).  One of the parents from St. Mark's hosted this get together, so it was also a chance to see a beautiful kitchen.  I felt like a kid getting to meet a rock star, it was a real honor and the food was wonderful....

 She started with mussels, she talked about how she is using smoked trout at the restaurant in NYC where she works, Butter, with the mussels, but she used a smoked herring since she did not have her entire bag of tricks with her.  Just watching her flip the food, arrange her space, using all her senses was like watching a pro athlete.  Sorry I don't have the exact recipes, I was too star struck to write it all down.  She sauted garlic, then added the muscles, the stock, the fish, and finished with some butter and fresh thyme.

Here is the end result (this picture is blurry, it is not your eyes).



Okay, I'll break up into more than post....stay tuned for more.....