Tag Archives: Nobel Prize laureate

THE MAKING OF A NOBEL RECEPTION

Posted in General by

As I mentioned earlier, we hosted a very important event in our home: a reception to honor Dr. Randy Schekman, winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. I actually have a little gift for my readers. If you want to listen to one of his seminars, click on this link. Randy opened this talk with amusing stories about his life and how he first became interested in science. This particular seminar was open to the public and will appeal to anyone. He is not only a great speaker, but also very personable. It was one of the best scientific visits we had in our department.

Flowers1

Since the reception took place on a Monday evening, I could do most of the work in the weekend. Apart from store-bought items (crackers, cheeses,  charcuterie items, black olive tapenade, and fresh fruits), here is the list of what I prepared.

Cheddar Cheese Coins
(from America’s Test Kitchen)

Cream Cheese Mini-Pancakes with Dill Cream and Smoked Salmon
(from Evil Shenanigans)

Bacon-wrapped Dates stuffed with Parmigiano Cheese
(from Suzanne Goin)

Smoky Eggplant Dip
(from Fine Cooking)

Moroccan Carrot Dip 
(inspired by this recipe)

Herbed Overnight Focaccia
(adapted from Fine Cooking)

Warm Spiced Almonds
(from America’s Test Kitchen)

Meyer Lemon Baked Ricotta
(from Food Fanatic)

Chocolate Truffles
(from America’s Test Kitchen)

Fresh Strawberries with Cannoli Cream
(adapted from Baked Bree)

prep

I spread the preparation over the two preceding days, freezing focaccia (cut in squares), cheddar crackers, and mini-pancakes on Saturday.  That worked very well, I removed them all from the freezer at lunch time on Monday and refreshed them briefly in a 250 F oven a couple of hours before serving, or in the case of the mini-pancakes, before assembling them with the dill cream and the salmon. One hour before the reception started I baked the Bacon-wrapped dates and the Meyer Lemon Ricotta.

Saturday

Saturday afternoon… We are headed to the freezer!

 Of all things I made, the carrot dip was my favorite. I served it over cucumber slices and the contrast of colors and flavors was exactly what I aimed for.  A detailed report about this dish will be on the blog soon.  I also loved the baked ricotta, and the cheddar crackers.  The only disappointment was the smoky eggplant dip. That was the first time I had a Fine Cooking recipe fail me, and let’s say it was a major fail. I should have stuck with a regular hummus.  Oh, well…

Suzanne Goin’s bacon-wrapped dates: delicious! In fact one of the guests told Phil that he would like to stand by the platter and inhale them all as dinner.  They were a perfect mixture of sweet and savory, with the sharp bite on Parmigiano to crown it all.

Stay tuned for some Nobel Reception recipes coming soon to a food blog near you…

😉

Flowers2

ONE YEAR AGO: Fennel Soup with Almonds and Mint 

TWO YEARS AGO: Green Curry Pork Tenderloin

THREE YEARS AGO: Farfalle with Zucchini and Ricotta

FOUR YEARS AGO: Slow-baked Salmon with Lemon and Thyme

FIVE YEARS AGO: Hoisin Explosion Chicken

AS GOOD AS IT GETS… IN SCIENCE

Posted in General by

Once again our department will be hosting a very special seminar speaker, Dr. Randy Sheckman, from Berkeley, Nobel Laureate of 2013 in Physiology or Medicine, for his work on protein trafficking and secretion in eukaryotic cells.

Schekman_gray_7x11

I am of course delighted that Phil accomplished all the negotiations needed to pull off this type of event.  It’s not easy, many hurdles must be dealt with.  But his power of negotiation is quite unique and hard to resist. For instance, the first time he hinted at the idea of us hosting a reception in our home in honor of Dr. Sheckman, my answer came  quickly: No way we are doing this. Forget it.  In your dreams. I don’t want to hear anything about it again. 

I inform you that said reception will take place at our home on Monday, and all faculty members interested in meeting Dr. Sheckman were invited to show up.

This weekend, yours truly will be found pacing frantically around the kitchen, preparing for the big event…  I have a few things planned, some a bit daring, some inside my comfort zone. I am actually super excited about it, and intend to have a great time getting ready for it!  Stay tuned for a full report sometime in the near future… (assuming my mental sanity is not compromised).