Weekend with Alton Brown :)

[MiseEnPlace]

I'm trying very hard to get my brain and everything else back into "normal" mode after this weekend.

I want to share my weekend with Alton for you guys.

So here are some highlights;
Friday evening started the festivities for me, attended the Evening with Alton Brown dinner. Besides getting to talk with AB several times during the night, the food was knockout awesome. The steak... major league droolage for that

AB was cool, witty, charming as per usual. He came around to all of the tables and chatted with us and asked us how we were enjoying the dinner.





And, of course, when I meet Alton something unusual seems to happen. This time was no exception.

When desert was served, the waiter cleared the previous course and took my silverware with it. I was seating there sans fork when AB approached and asked how I liked the desert. I told him the waiter took my silverware. He told me, "I'll get you some silverware." And promptly headed to the table next to mine, picked up all of the silverware on it and plopped it down in front of me. Then he announced to the room, "She needed silverware."



The gal at my table asked him about ice cream makers. If you're in the market, he suggests the one with the biggest motor or an Italian one.

At one point, he came over and grabbed my camera, which was sitting on the table, and took the photo I shared in another post.



This was the highlight of the weekend.

The demo on Saturday focused on small fish. At the beginning of the demo Alton talked about his weight loss and that a lot of it was from increasing fats, namely omega 3 fatty acids. These are found in small fish like herring, anchovies, sardines and rainbow trout.

Rainbow trout was the featured fish in the demo. AB smoked some. Pickled some. And made escabeche of trout. All of the dishes looked great and the fish AB fried for the esabeche smelled great!



I so want to make that smoker!

[lonewolfette]

That smoker is awesome!

The silverware...

[TucsonFoodie]

Wow . . . I'm speechless . . . you must have been in paradise! I wondered about Alton's new diet - I was afraid it was some new "smoothie"-type diet based on what he had in that video about his producer or whatnot. I have lost hundreds of pounds and I know how it feels to gain stuff back - it sucks. It seems like no diet works - for good.

Mise - sounds like you had a good time!! Good for you!!

[Food Network Fan]

It does sound like it was a blast.

[MiseEnPlace]

I have the full blown report on my blog now, if you want too much details of the demo
All About Alton Brown: Alton Brown cooking demo at Opryland

I haven't mentioned the other embarrassing moment of the weekend with Alton yet. During the demo I asked about the smoker and its size. Of course, Alton being Alton had some fun with that comment. He said something like what's with women and the size of your smoker. I know I blushed. I wanted to know about smoke circulation, since his cardboard smoker was bigger and the bowl smoker for the shrimp was smaller.

I thought I had made a recovery. Then he asked his assistant, when did I smoke in a bowl. THe audience erupted in laughter at the unintentional bong joke. Then AB "got it." We both tried to recover and move on.

[ibcheft]

sounds like you had so much fun at the seminar, and the report on it is great. I hope Alton comes to Houston some day, that would be cool to go see him, maybe he will come when it is cooler out, because I could not wait in line outside for anything, right now still in upper 90's lower 100's.

[MiseEnPlace]

He mentioned Austin in the fall book tour. Is that close enough to you, because you have to meet him! He is so great.

[Pluff Mudder]

Sounds like you had loads of fun Lisa! Glad you enjoyed it!

As for AB's fishy-diet, he can keep the herring and anchovies, but love sardines and rainbow trout! I'm a big fish eater and have smoked some... especially mullet when they are running.

[MiseEnPlace]

It was one crazy weekend

I love rainbow trout and sardines. I so want to make all three of the dishes from the demo.

[lonewolfette]

See, that's the thing about talking about smoking food... open yourself up to endless jokes & other assorted wit. Heh.