So You're Wondering What the Canadian Beef Culinary Series by Karisma is all About? It's a #CDNbeefexperience.......

     The best way to have the #CDNbeefexperience in Mexico is to hop on a plane and stay at the El Dorado Royale by Karisma Hotels during the second week of every month and attend the Canadian Beef Culinary Series.  The second best way to have a #CDNbeefexperience is to hear about it from the Canadian Beef Blogger Ambassador Jay Eatz.  I had the opportunity to attend December's offering of the Canadian Beef Culinary Series.  The promise of this event: a weeklong celebration of great food and wine.  This promise was not broken.
     The El Dorado Royale is the perfect setting for such an event.  The grounds and facilities are amazing.  The staff are friendly, attentive and go out of their way to make sure you are having the best time.  All of the dining options available are a la carte (even at the breakfast buffet there is a menu option).  Karisma Hotels pride themselves on being a gourmet inclusive resort.  The Canadian Beef Culinary Series is truly the icing on the cake when it comes to the culinary experience at Karisma.

     Each Canadian Beef Culinary Series follows the same schedule pictured below: 

     The unique part about each series is each monthly event is hosted by a different celebrity Canadian Chef and Jackson Family Wines Sommelier.  The December Series was hosted by Chef Eric Pateman and Sommelier Bradford Yoell.  "With just enough room for improvisation and whimsy to make each performance unique" was truly accomplished by these guest hosts. 

     The Series begins on the Monday with the "Kick-off Beach BBQ".  The description from the Canadian Beef Culinary Series itinerary was as follows:  
"Meet our guest Chef and Wine Personality whilst our chefs cook prime cuts over charcoal     grills, adding flavours from regional hardwoods.  An extraordinary atmosphere in a beautiful setting framed by live music and topped with premium selection of Jackson Family Wines to sample." 
Once again delivered as promised and an amazing way to set the tone for the rest of the week's events.

     The Series continued with Tuesday's event, Beef Sampling and Wine Pairing.  This event is more exclusive as only twenty spaces are available.  It is a good idea to pre-book this event prior to arriving to ensure availability which can be done at the following link: http://www.karismaonlinestore.com/en/search?controller=search&orderby=position&orderway=desc&search_query=CANADIAN+BEEF 
or by contacting your concierge to secure a booking upon arrival.
     A trio of different Canadian Beef cuts were paired with different Cabernet Sauvignon wines from California.  The first plate was a delicious Carpaccio de boeuf with a Parmesan cream.  Chef Eric spoke of the quality of Canadian Beef.  "It's all about the product; you don't need to over complicate it."  Wine expert Bradford paired this dish with Kendall Jackson's California Cabernet.  He told us about the wines tannin structure and then told us how proteins like beef coat the pallet (pores of the tongue) preventing the tannin molecules from entering thus changing the taste profile of the wine.   

     The second dish was a braised Beef short rib served over a bed of risotto and topped with au jus gravy.  This was paired with a Cabernet from Sonoma County.

     The third and final dish was a perfectly cooked rib eye steak served over Portobello mushroom.  This was paired with a Cabernet from Napa Valley.

     Wednesday's event was a Cooking Demonstration.  This was one of my favourite events of the Canadian Beef Culinary Series.  We were greeted at the door, given an apron and shown to our seats.  When the demonstration started we were all told to leave our seats and come up to the counter and see what was going on up close.  This was an unscripted event.  We were encouraged to check out the ingredients, ask questions and some of us even volunteered to assist Chef Eric with the demonstration.   

     The menu was selected by Chef Eric so that it could be replicated at home by us.  All the recipes from the demonstration were given out to us with easy to follow directions.  I hope to replicate these dishes and feature them on my blog in the upcoming months.  Here are the dishes we enjoyed:

Canadian Beef Tartar with Red curry and Salty Chips paired with Arrowood Chardonnay, Sonoma County 2012

Grilled Canadian Flank Steak with Watermelon and Tomato Salad, Fresh Herbs, Crispy Onions paired with Cambria, Julia's Vineyard, Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley 2012

Canadian Beef Short Rib Pasta with Cured Egg Yolk, Rye Crisp, Gremolata paired with Edmeades Zinfandel, Mendocino County 2011

Pineapple Tart Tatin with Coconut Lemongrass Ice Cream, Bourbon Aged Maple Syrup paired with Kendall Jackson Late Harvest Chardonnay California 2007

     To enhance the #CDNbeefexperience Chef Eric packed his bags with some special Canadian ingredients from his store Edible Canada.  http://ediblecanadaretail.com/  The Black Truffle Salt and Tonic 01: Bourbon Barrel Matured Maple Syrup were fabulous additions to the menu.

     This leads us perfectly into Thursday's event, Burgers and Wine as the Bourbon Maple Syrup made a second visit as a key ingredient in one of Chef Eric's amazing burgers.  Talk about an amazing setting for enjoying some of the best burgers I have had the pleasure of eating.  Enjoying burgers sea side while sipping on wine and listening to live reggae music is yet another facet to the #CDNbeefexperience.

     The two choices of burgers were the Vancouver "Lulu" burger and the BBBBB burger.  The Vancouver "Lulu" burger had bacon, avocado mayo, tomato and mustard on it.  The BBBBB burger was on a brioche bun with bacon, bourbon birch syrup and blue cheese, hence the 5 B's.  The burger patties were made from hand chopped beef.  They were served with a fresh salad a play on macaroni and cheese using corn.  I tried both burgers but for me the BBBBB burger was my favourite.

     Last but certainly not least is the finale of the Canadian Beef Culinary Series, Friday nights "Canadian Beef & Jackson Family Wines Gala Dinner".  This event takes place at Fuentes Culinary Theatre, a 90 ft high thatched roof building.  The theatre has four giant screens so every seat in the house has an amazing view of the Chef as he prepares the nights meal.  
     This is another sell out event so reserve your seat to avoid missing out on your #CDNbeefexperience.  The lineup was out the door for this event but the sounds of the mariachi band keeps you entertained as you wait for your seat.

     Chef Eric walked us through each of his individual courses.  It was very interesting to hear him mention how he tailored the menu to reflect the warm December Mexico weather by making the Canadian Beef light and appealing after sweating all day in the hot sun.  Similarly to the cooking demonstration on Wednesday the dishes prepared at the Gala dinner were also relatively easy to recreate at home.  

     So what exactly was the menu for this Canadian Beef Gala Dinner?  Five amazing courses each accompanied by an equally amazing wine.  The appetizer course was definitely the most fun dish of the evening.  Remember being told not to play with your food as a kid?  Throw that rule out the window for this course.  First up, Bone Marrow Luge with Parsley Salad, Crostini and Canadian Whisky, and by Whisky, a proper shot in a glass, not just a splash as an ingredient.  This was also accompanied by a glass of Murphy Goode Pinot Grigio 2013. 

     To eat this course you scraped the marrow out of the bone and spread it on to the crostini.  Then you used the bone as a luge for the Whiskey to travel down into your mouth.  It was amazing to see everyone taking Whisky shots out of a piece of Canadian Beef bone.

     The second course was Beef Carpaccio with Thai Spices, Cucumber Salad and Crispy Wonton.  This was paired with Kendall Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay, California 2013.  Beef Carpaccio is my new favourite beef appetizer and something I can't wait to put my own stamp on and perfect in my own kitchen.  This dish really showcases the quality of Canadian Beef.

     The next course was Canadian Beef Cheeks with Whipped Potatoes and Maple Whisky Demi.  This was paired with La Crema Pinot Noir, Sonoma 2013.  The house Chef Julio Cesar Coronado came on stage to tell us about the sauce and various Mexican ingredients as well as the complexities of mole sauces.  I had the opportunity to speak with Chef Julio a few times throughout the week and found out that he created many of the dishes on the Karisma end of things for the Canadian Beef Culinary Series.  Chef Julio also hosts the Monday to Friday dinner theaters at Fuentes Culinary Theatre.  In my opinion Chef Julio is a culinary master and very entertaining in front of the crowd at Fuentes.  

Chef Julio Cesar Coronado and resident Sommelier Julieta.

     The Canadian Beef cheeks were an interesting addition to the menu.  They are extremely tender and a cut of beef I am going to play around with back home in my kitchen.  It was interesting to learn that although they are not the most popular cut of beef in Canada they are very popular in Mexico.   Chef Eric also told the crowd to be prepared to experience mashed potatoes like you've never had before, made with heavy cream and lots of butter.  Chef Eric has never tried Jay Eatz Mascarpone mashed potatoes but these were equally as rich and went great with the Whisky demi.

     A recurring theme was presented by Chef Eric throughout the week.  What is Canadian food?  He came up with some very popular Canadian ingredients like Canadian Beef, mustard seed and Canadian wheat.  Putting a label on Canadian food seems to be a much more perplexing and daunting question.  Chef Eric said defining Canadian food is really regional in its variety.  To experience Canadian food would require a coast to coast journey.  Chef Eric took us to my favourite coast, the East coast, with his next dish.  Surf & Turf, Canadian Rib Eye, Lobster Tail and Lobster Hollandaise Sauce.  This was paired with Montanzas Creek Merlot, Sonoma County 2012.  Earlier in the week Chef Eric asked us what our death row meal would be.  I said steak and lobster and lo and behold, steak and lobster without the execution to follow. 

     For the final course, dessert, Chef Eric brought back that theme of regional identities of Canadian food with a true Canadian classic Nanaimo Bar.  This was paired with Murphy Goode Liar's Dice Zinfandel, Sonoma County 2011. 

     It was truly amazing to travel coast to coast with only these two dishes and the aid of a fork.

     The other thing I could not believe was how Chef Eric and wine expert Bradford Yoell seemed to interact with each table personally at each and every event.  The one-on-one interactivity that the Canadian Beef Culinary Series at Karisma Hotels offers is truly something that is incomparable.  ​

     I hope you have enjoyed my recollections of my #CDNbeefexperience.  As I said at the beginning of this post having Jay Eatz tell you about his #CDNbeefexperience is the second best way to have the #CDNbeefexperience.  To truly have the #CDNbeefexperience you have to head on down to El Dorado Resort and Spa by Karisma Hotels in Mexico and experience it for yourself.