International Sous Vide Day

You might know that February 9th is National Pizza Day or that August 10th is National S'mores Day, but unless you’re a little more in-tune with the culinary world, you might not know that since 2018, January 26th has been known as International Sous Vide Day.

Photo by Patrick McMullan/PMC

Created by Dr. Bruno Gossualt (who also celebrates his birthday on the 26th!), Sous Vide is a simple yet effective French culinary technique in which food is vacuum-sealed in a bag, then cooked to a very precise temperature in a water bath. The result? A juicy and tender bite that can’t be replicated any other way.

Photo by Patrick McMullan/PMC

So how should you celebrate Sous Vide Day? This year, Cuisine Solutions will be hosting a virtual celebration on Sous Vide Day with renowned masters of the craft, including Chefs Daniel Boulud, Eric Barale, Marc Ehrler, and Scott Randolph. At a preview hosted at Chef’s Boulud’s Michelin Starred restaurant Daniel, guests were given a little taste of each of the Chef’s sous vide specialites, including seared octopus “à la plancha” with grilled sweet onions, grape must poached leeks, potato ‘’Boulangère’’ and ‘’Beurre Marchand de vin’’; pork belly with sous vide lentils; and khao curry John Dory casserole with Moose Lake wild rice and cauliflower. It was hard to pick a favorite, but, as each chef will be demonstrating how to cook these dishes during the live event, you’ll be able to follow along and choose for yourself! If you’re a budding chef or gourmet home cook, this chance to learn a few Michelin-star secrets is really an opportunity like no other.

Gerard Bertholon, Daniel Boulud- Photo by Patrick McMullan/PMC

And no good dish is complete without a drink to pair it with. If you really want the full sous vide experience, we definitely recommend sipping on a few of these Specialty sous vide cocktails throughout your meal as well. All crafted by Grand Marnier Ambassador Xavier Herit, these specialty cocktails including the Grand 65, a play on the brand’s signature Grand 75, with Grand Marnier, Lallier® Champagne, and a pineapple cryoconcentration, as well as the Manhattan Park—a twist on the classic Manhattan which included Grand Marnier, Russel’s Reserve® Rye, and 1757 Vermouth di Torino Rosso.

Photo by Patrick McMullan/PMC

International Sous Vide day only comes once a year, and, in our opinion, it’s worth just as much hype as National Pizza or Smore’s Day. Sign up to be part of the virtual event at https://www.internationalsousvideday.com/ or follow @cuisinesolutions for more news and updates.

A Feast to Remember at D'Artagnan's Fifth Annual Cassoulet War

At 7 p.m. on February 18th, lovers of French cuisine packed into the Kimpton Hotel Eventi for D’Artagnan’s Fifth Annual Cassoulet War. People circulated around the upscale hotel space to taste thirty competing chefs’ takes on the classic dish cassoulet.

A cassoulet is a French casserole dish whose main components are creamy white beans, various flavorful meats and tasty pork skin. The savory flavor and milky texture of the beans mixed with the sweet, hearty meats make the dish extremely tasty. During the Cassoulet War, each chef’s cassoulet is  judged by French chefs who were experts on the dish -- although the job couldn’t have been an easy one -- all of the cassoulets were so delicious, people were often holding two or three cups of cassoulet in their hands while they made their way around to as many chefs as possible.

As attendees mingled through mouthfuls of cassoulet and sips of red wine from the open bar, everyone was jovial throughout the night. D’Artagnan’s Fifth Annual Cassoulet War was a night to remember.

Samples of cassoulet made by Gramercy Tavern’s Kyle Goldstein.