Buzz!

We now interrupt our regularly schedule recipe of the day so I can give you the latest buzz on one adorable chef, one perfectly roasted turkey and one luxurious kitchen. The Diva was honored to attend a truly wonderful soiree last night, courtesy of Foodbuzz.com and Electrolux appliances. My heartfelt thanks go out to both, I had a marvelous time!

The event was held in Electrolux's magnificent demo-kitchen at Relais & Chateaux in midtown Manhattan and what a night it was! Our guest chef for the evening was Chef Brad Steelman of The River Cafe and we were treated to some astoundingly good eats courtesy of Brad and his lovely staff.

I'll give you a minute to drink in Chef Steelman's boyish good looks ... ahem ... while I assure you that he is every bit as charming, warm and friendly as his shy little smile suggests. What a treat it was to watch this master at work. And the food was nothing short of outstanding. We began with some passed hors d'oeuvres ... a piquant goat cheese and black olive tapenade crostini, topped with a delicate round of piquillo pepper. Scrumptious! A light and crisp puff pastry, topped with a truffled chicken salad. Yummy! And a truly divine ragu of pork, topped with some butternut squash and a tiny roasted marshmallow (pictured below). Let me tell you, this was to-die-for. I could have happily eaten the whole plate of spoons myself! I didn't.

Chef Steelman then demonstrated the wonders of Electrolux's Induction Hybrid Cooktop while crafting a light and perfectly balanced wild mushroom risotto.

Each grain of rice was cooked to perfection and the resulting dish was light, creamy and savory ... and not at all like the gray glutenous mass that so often results from an improperly cooked risotto. Heavenly!

We then moved on to the highlight of the evening ... a beautifully roasted Vermont Tom Turkey, which had been brined and roasted in the spectacular Electrolux Wall Oven with the "The Perfect Turkey Button." Perfect, indeed! This feature yields a perfectly roasted, perfectly moist turkey every time with the help of a sensored probe.

Chef Steelman put this tasty bird to magnificent use in his whimsical "turkey sliders" ... an astoundingly good concoction of the moist sliced turkey, savory, sage-y pork stuffing, gravy and some just-tart-enough cranberry compote on cute little brioche buns. My stars, these were delicious! A bit messy to be sure, but well worth the effort. I loved this slider and plan to make it myself after Thanksgiving.

As if that weren't enough, we concluded the tasting with a decadent, classic creme brulee - baked in perfectly seasoned "Jack Little" pumpkins and topped with a crisp-sweet square of pecan shortbread.

Needless to say, I'll be hitting the gym extra hard today. Phew, what a meal! Every course was exquisite and I was impressed by both Chef Steelman and the Electrolux kitchen. I'm sorry to say that I replaced my own oven about a year ago ... if only I had known the wonders of Electrolux ... and I'm not personally in the market for a new one. If you are, however, I do recommend checking out their wares. Their luxury line is impressive to say the least. I also recommend checking out The River Cafe. Chef Steelman is a cutie and dude can cook! What a great combination.

In addition to the tasty eats and spectacular setting, I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet some of my fellow Foodbuzz Featured Publishers. I've got a whole new crop of blogs to check out and recommend; and that's exciting. I've also got some of some of Chef Steelman's recipes and will be sharing those with you in future posts. Thank you, Foodbuzz!

So, there you have it - the latest buzz and way too many photographs. I beg your indulgence. I had such a great time that I wanted to share it all with you ... and believe me, I've edited!

Bon appetite!