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Award-winning Chef Phyllis Segura has cooked for people in all walks of life both in the U.S. and E.U. Chef Phyllis has been cooking for special people since 2000.
She attended the Apicius Cooking School of Lorenzo de’Medici in Florence, Italy; received a James Beard Foundation scholarship; attended various New York cooking schools; and watched her grandmother very carefully.
As a personal and private chef Phyllis cooks for individual clients and offers cooking demonstrations regularly. She specializes in small elegant dinner parties, and intimate dinners - plated or buffet, weekday meals and private and group culinary instructions.
The chef prepares a wide variety of cuisines. Whereas a restaurant chef might have a specialty that is served daily, as a personal or private chef Segura applies her skills to the requirements and palates of her clients. Fresh and seasonal ingredients make the best dishes. She is not shy with herbs and spices and will go out of her way to source ingredients.

Vegetarian, Vegan, Macrobiotic, Kosher, grain-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, blood type, diabetic and other special diets are available. Chef prefers to use organic, pesticide and antibiotic free, non-GMO and local products as much as possible.
Consultations with nutritionists are recommended for special needs and diets for proper guidelines.

References and a rate sheet are available. She currently lives in Saugerties, NY.
In 2013 she offered cooking classes in her home kitchen in Spencertown,NY www.reddoorcookingworkshop.blogspot.com

Send an email: info@cookingontheriver.com

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Monday, November 17, 2014

NOVEMBER DINNER PARTY

This past weekend I presented a dinner party for a lovely group of friends, one of whom was going to be married soon. It was a bachelorette party.  The intended's photograph was on the refrigerator door. If one was to judge by pulchritude alone, they both scored high. I wish them all the best.

As for the dinner, after a brief discussion with Esther, who wanted local and organic foods as much as possible, and a light starter and dessert, I decided on what I call a Modern Classic for the entree, the likeable Chicken Marbella.

I always request my clients to have a chat with me on the phone. I need to speak with them to get a sense of what might be the right menu. It might sound silly and mystical but I get an intuitive feeling for the basics. The numerous garnishes come later.

Most often people send me an email that asks about cost alone. This give me very little to go by. Like where, how many people, what type of food, how many courses, and so on. I can't give anyone a price or an estimate until I know all those things at a minimum. And I need to hear their voice. I really only want to cook for people I like. It's what makes the food good.

So that said I'd like to share with you the menu for this particular dinner and a couple of photos. It's very rare, in the midst of cooking and plating that I even remember to take any photos so that is why there are so few on this blog.

Here is the menu:
  

Autumn Salad Greens with pecans, grapes, persimmons
Rusty Plough Farm, Ellenville, NY

Ginger or Citrus Vinaigrette

Breads

Bread Alone, Woodstock, NY

Chicken Marbella with prunes, capers, olives
Creamy Polenta
Butternut Squash Ribbons with garlic & thyme
crispy Brussels Sprouts with balsamic
Fried Leeks garnish

Free Bird Farm, Palentive Bridge, NY
Maynard Farms, Ulster Farms, NY
Wild Hive Community Grain Project, Clinton Corners, NY
Chickens : campenelli’s poultry farm, kenora lake, ny
Milk & cream : ronnybrook farm, amcramdale, ny

Pears poached in white wine, vanilla & cinnamon
Stuffed with Mascarpone,
coated with semi-sweet Chocolate ganache, mint
Homemade langue du chat cookie

Maynard Farms

Assorted Cheeses
Toussaint - Sprout Creek Farm, Poughkeepsie, NY
Chevre - Acorn Hill Farm, Walker Valley, NY
Red Beard - Chaseholm Farm, Pine Plains, NY

Concord Grapes - Tousey Farm, Clermont, NY

Autumn Salad


Chicken on a bed of creamy polenta, butternut squash ribbons,
crispy Brussels sprouts, topped with crispy leeks


Stuffed Poached Pear with Chocolate Sauce

the party
Me in the kitchen

845-246-1861

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