The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Posted: 24 Dec 2011 11:30 PM PST

Spending a day in LA with her favourite TV chef has given a fan insights into more than just food.

FROM poaching salmon in the dishwasher to cheating death while attempting to detoxify and eat the poisonous fugu, Bob Blumer is a true bon vivant culinary adventurer and an uber competitive adrenaline junkie.

A home cook like me is always inspired after every Surreal Gourmet episode, watching the TV chef whip up easy recipes that are consistently infused with the wow factor. I find myself breathing a sigh of relief every time he triumphs over an epicurean challenge around the globe in his latest series, Glutton For Punishment,

Yes, I am a fan of Surreal Gourmet. It all started when I first caught Blumer on TV whipping up magic in his toaster mobile. Yes, even when he sported that madman scientist hairdo! When I'm not running around Kuala Lumpur on consulting engagements, I spend my time mostly in the kitchen, turning simple ingredients into delicious, gourmet-looking dishes.

So I was over the moon when my entry won the grand prize in a contest organised by TLC (formerly Discovery Travel and Living Channel) as part of its rebranding exercise. Subscribers in Asia were given a chance to win a "TLC Experience of a Lifetime" from four trip options: visit New Jersey to sample Cake Boss Buddy Valastro's delicious creations at his bakery; enjoy a home-cooked feast with Surreal Gourmet's Bob Blumer at his home in Hollywood; sip tea with Bobby Chinn in the Middle East; or join host Janet Hsieh on her show, Fun Taiwan.

My choice? It was easy.

We arrived in Los Angeles (LA) a day before our scheduled meeting withBlumer. On the way to the hotel, my mobile phone suddenly rang.

"Hi, may I speak to Erna?" Recognising the voice from TV, I tried hard not to squeal in excitement. "Hi, this is your TV chef, Bob Blumer. Welcome to Los Angeles!"

We said our hellos and arranged to meet at his place at 7.30am the next day. I put down the phone and turned to my husband (my plus one for the trip), smiling from ear to ear.

Having read that Blumer lives in Hollywood Hills in the shadows of the iconic Hollywood sign, I almost jumped upon seeing the sign on our way there. The chauffer took us up a hilly, narrow road with houses of Mediterranean, English and French architecture on both sides. Tucked at the end of the road, high on a hill, was Blumer's house.

"Come on up you guys!" he greeted us from his window. We walked up a flight of stairs and it sure was surreal seeing him right in front of us. Blumer led us to his hall, which opens to a dining corner, next to which is the kitchen, which I immediately recognised from his books.

The Surreal Gourmet kitchen is equipped with a vintage gas stove and fridge, a dishwasher and an old butcher block – which Blumer calls "the centre of my kitchen universe". The century-old block was bought from a butcher in his hometown, Montreal, Canada.

Colourful collectibles and cooking paraphernalia, an avocado mandolin, unique-looking martini glasses, Barbie dolls, and a candy spice rack, which fans would surely recognise, command pride of place on his kitchen countertops and cabinets.

Blumer fixed us coffee and made tea for himself. He then took a big bag of vegetables, which he said were scraps from the farmers' market, and suggested that we feed his girls. Girls? Yes, in his garden was a chicken coop for his four hens – Yolko, Mimi, Josephine and Lucinda.

The garden is one big, tiered, beautiful compound of lush greenery. He took us around, treated us to fresh kumquats and showed us Buddha's hands, pomegranate trees, fat green limes and kaffir lime trees before we sat down to discuss what to do for the day. Armed with his latest cook book, Blumer planned the dinner menu with us before heading to the Hollywood Farmers Market to source for ingredients.

The trip to the market was indeed educational. I learnt how to spot good asparagus, tasted organic walnut oil for the first time, saw live sea urchins, found out that asiago is a type of cheese (after commenting on the unique name of the bread Blumer had bought!) and saw fava beans in abundance (they were in season then).

Blumer obviously had his chef hat on as he uttered new ideas every time he laid eyes on a different produce. "Why don't we have these squash blossoms?" he said upon seeing a lady buying beautiful golden orange-hue squash blossoms from a stall. "These wild mushrooms are going to be good sautéed!" he continued.

He kept asking for scraps from the vegetable vendors, saying they were for his hens. Aren't they lucky? Well, as he said, "Hollywood chicks get to indulge in Hollywood veggies!"

I could see why Blumer loves the market. It offers a fantastic variety of the freshest California-grown fruits and vegetables, fresh seafood, free-range poultry and eggs, as well as Mexican, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and other ethnic foods.

We were done shopping in an hour and our trolley was full. We were supposed to reconvene at Blumer's place for dinner at 6.30 but he asked us to go back at 3pm instead to help him prepare the meal. Which meant more time with him! Am I lucky?

Blumer had just returned from his bicycle ride in the canyon when we arrived later that afternoon. When he is not travelling, he cycles at least 25km every day. "This is the only way I can eat and drink everything!" he explained.

We spent about two hours preparing dinner, during which many details were uncovered, like how real his Glutton For Punishment episodes are; alcohol substitutes in food; his favourite chefs; the four trash bins he has in his kitchen (for normal waste, recyclables, compost and chicken feed); his upcoming new show (World's Weirdest Restaurants), and his latest book, Glutton For Pleasure – recipes and anecdotes from his 20 years as the Surreal Gourmet, and Guinness world record-breaking and punishment-seeking glutton.

We had dinner on the roof deck. "That's the Capitol Records building, the beams you see are Morse codes spelling the word Hollywood, and over that hill is the Hollywood Bowl. Whenever there is a concert and the wind is strong, I can hear the music from over the hills," said Blumer, who was clad in a batik shirt we had brought from home.

Dinner kick-started with Green Garlic Onion Soup Shooters. It was light, very subtle and refreshing, and all the ingredients worked harmoniously. Bolanis (thin, light pancakes) with wild mushrooms and poached eggs (courtesy of his Hollywood hens) followed. "The secret to a perfectly poached egg lies in this bottle," Blumer said, holding up a bottle of white vinegar. "A dash of this is all it needs."

His famed Coconut Shrimp Lollipops were next. The shrimps, secured on bamboo skewers, had been dipped in a batter of flour, egg, coconut water and cayenne pepper, then rolled in freshlygrated coconut before they were deep fried. The verdict? The mixture of succulent shrimp, sweet fresh coconut and tropical apricot-ginger dip was perfect, leaving us wanting more.

For the next course, Blumer served us grilled Blistered Corn and Asparagus pizza. In his garden, where his BBQ set is placed, he gave us a tutorial on the different grill configurations and direct and indirect heat concepts. In less than 15 minutes, the pizza was ready. The brilliant combination of crispy, smoky crust and flavourful toppings made us melt with amore! I don't think I will look at pizzas the same way again.

The main course was the chef's signature Lamb Cupcakes – braised lamb meat served in cupcake liners with icing made of beetroot potato puree.

Earlier that day, Blumer had taken out the lamb from the freezer and happily showed us the Halal sticker on the package. He had gone sourcing for it throughout LA upon learning about our dietary requirements. The cupcakes were intensely meaty and rich and the presentation perfectly fit the Surreal Gourmet's mantra, "The first taste is with the eyes."

We had Chocolate Kiss Wontons for dessert – deep fried wonton skin filled with dollops of peanut butter, slices of ripe bananas and chocolate caramel candies. Absolutely divine!

The one day spent with Blumer has given me a new perspective not only on food, cooking and entertainment but also life in general. One key take-away for me from the Glutton for Punishment is to constantly make new challenges for yourself so you have something to strive towards. And in the process, you will inspire those around you.

I went to LA as a fan of the TV chef. Now I'm a bigger fan of Bob Blumer the person, who is full of character, down-to-earth (he has absolutely no airs) and obviously passionate about everything he does.

We remain friends after the trip. After our first meeting, I was given the chance to invade Blumer's kitchen and host a full Malaysian dinner for him and his Hollywood friends. We also met up when he was down in KL for a corporate event recently.

The surreal day in LA has indeed made 2011 a surreal year for me.

> Erna Malia Mohd Rajion is a freelance management consultant based in Kuala Lumpur.

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Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Ahad, 25 Disember 2011