Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Dude’s Night, Cooking 101

Dude’s Night: Cooking 101

A dude’s gotta feed himself. And he’s gotta learn a few tricks….for the laaaadies.

For our Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 meal, we brought together 10 dudes, 5 dishes, and a 2-pronged attack:

(1) Learn to feed yourself with a man meal that is hearty and easy to make
(2) Learn how to put together a date night meal that doesn’t involve take-out.

Welcome to Dude’s Night: Cooking 101.

First, let’s meet our dudes.

Now, a guy can’t cook if he doesn’t have the basics under his belt. We covered Knife Skills…

How not to cut your fingers off

Basics like dicing an onion, and the difference between sautéing it over high heat to caramelize it, and sweating it over low heat to retain the “vegetable-y” flavor and firmer texture of it…

And how to handle your Meat.

That’s right boys, let’s get primitive. Don’t be afraid to use your hands.

Our “Dudes cooking for Dudes” portion of the evening featured an appetizer and a main.

Buffalo Chicken Wings, with celery sticks and a blue cheese dipping sauce. Easy to make, cheaper than getting them at the bar, and a crowd pleaser for game night.

Air born wings!

And our Man Meal. Delicious, nutritious, and easy, this hearty dish has everything you need – veggies, meats, and an awesome sauce. Our Man Meal was unanimously voted by our dudes as their favorite dish of the evening.

Man Meal

For our “Impress a Date” portion of the evening, we went all out with Crab Cakes.

Date Night: Crab Cakes

Full of real jumbo lump crab, aromatic fresh veggies, and a buttery golden crispy crust, this will have any girl giving you gaga eyes over her plate. Remember gentlemen, a little effort goes a long way

For the perfect pairing, we introduced our guys to two different Chablis wines, La Chablisienne Fourchaume 2005 and Louis Michel & Fils 2005 (both under $20). Made with Chardonnay grapes, Chablis goes great with light summer dishes and seafood because of its crisp, feminine and floral flavor. Sounds like date wine if you ask me.

Chablis wine tasting

Everyone had a great time taste testing the two wines, smelling the bouquets, aerating sips, and…um…even gargling it (interesting approach, Vlad).

We had a Citrus Spinach Salad planned to serve with the crab cakes. Light and fresh, with orange and grapefruit segments, slivers of hearts of palm, shaved parmigiano, and toasted pecans, with a balsamic honey vinaigrette.

Citrus Spinach Salad

But we didn’t actually end up making it. So no salad at Dude’s Night (surprise, surprise).

For dessert, we had Dark Chocolate Mousse Parfaits with Fresh Strawberries.

Dark Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Strawberries

An easy, make-ahead, no bake dessert with a sexy presentation. These parfaits are decadent without being too rich. And the touch of lemon zest in the strawberries add a note of unexpected brightness. Raspberries would be beautiful too in this dessert (although I would omit the lemon zest since raspberries are more tart).

Fellas, take note. This is your closer.

Photo Credit: Kai Yu

I must admit, I feel like I’ve done some real good in the world after participating in this evening. Our guys were great sports, curious and eager learners, and now…they have the tools to be the master of their kitchen.

Go, cook well and prosper.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

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Man Meal

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Crab Cakes

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Citrus Spinach Salad

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Chocolate Mousse Parfaits with Fresh Strawberries

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1. Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Chinese New Year Dinner–A Lucky Feast
2. Ozumo: A Night Out on the Town