Boston Wine Expo 2002 - Saturday
Chef Ming Tsai cooks Beef & Shitake Stew

I love the cooking demos at the wine expos, and it was a special treat to see the famous chef Ming Tsai live cooking for us! The Viking cooking area that was set up was truly stupendous, and made me long for a kitchen like that. Maybe someday.

We first swung by Grgich Hills (pronounced, as their buttons said, GRRRR-gitch) to pick up some wine. Their 99 Fume Blanc was light, fruity and fresh, while their 99 Chardonnay was deliciously fresh and light as well. Their Zinfandel was fresh with berry flavors, while their Cab was smooth and rich. I'm a big fan of Grgich Hills! We brought some into the cooking area.

Chef Ming was quite a character, entertaining the audience while he cooked his Beef & Shitake Stew. He talked about how Grapeseed Oil is fantastic for cooking with, and very healthy. For this show he cooked with Rosemount wine, adding in the carrots, onion and celery. He joked that the truffles used were like going to a Greatful Dead Show ... times ten!

He talked about how to make mashed potatoes. While some people cube the potato and cook the cubes, he said the best way is to bake the potato whole. Then you scoop out its insides and mash them.

It was a joy to watch him cook, and even more of a treat to be able to sample the results! If you get to an expo, be sure to set aside an hour or two to watch the cooking demos. It'll give you a chance to take a break from the wine tasting, and get you some great insights into your own home cooking plans as well.

We also swung by the Kettle Cuisine Soup area, where they were serving a number of delicious soups and stews for free. I tried the carrot ginger, which was fresh and flavorful. Bob tried the chicken corn chowder, which was more like a vegetable soup, quite nice. The veggie chili was very tasty as well.

Saturday
Champagnes & Sparkling Wines
New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs
Chef Ming Tsai cooks Beef & Shitake Stew
Stonington Vineyards, a Local Favorite
Anapamu in Monterey CA
Amity from Oregon
The Ports

Sunday
Wines from South Africa
South African Chardonnays
Bordeauxs
Chauteauneuf du Pape
Sean Doucet cooks Striped Bass
Riojas
Sparkling Shiraz
Sake and New York Wines
Sauternes
Muscatel, Amontillado, and Trockenbeerenauslese