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Balfour Cooking Demonstration Makes Sweet Treat
The Daily Camera
July 7, 2004
Jeff Abbott assembles his ingredients carefully, waiting for the last stragglers to enter before he begins.
About 20 people sit in comfortable chairs and wheelchairs as the demonstration begins.
"Flambé is a fancy French word for flame," Abbott, assistant unit director and chef at Balfour Retirement Community in Louisville, tells the group of residents.
He melts butter, adds brown sugar and lets it simmer. The aroma of caramelizing sugar fills the air, as he explains that he will now push the mixture to the back of the pan and add the liquor that will allow it to flame.
Whoosh! Flames shoot out of the pan, prompting a faint chorus of oohs and ahhs from the crowd.
While the word "Bam!" may not be part of Abbott's repertoire and he may not be the person to call with a "Food 911," his cooking demonstrations and special food events are popular with residents. Today's desserts — Mixed Berry and Banana Flambé, Pear and Hazelnut Flambé and Tropical Fruit Flambé — will top ice cream for an afternoon treat.
"It's kind of a social event to get everyone out," says Abbott of the twice-monthly cooking demonstrations. The previous night Abbott staged a barbecue for residents and their families.
But comfort food is still the most popular, he says, with dishes such as meatloaf, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and Salisbury steak topping the list of favorites.
Those are the sorts of meals that many residents remember cooking.
Helen Hill, 78, says she never cooked with liquor, but she did like to cook with beer. "I made brats boiled in beer," she says. "My husband worked for Coors."
They also remember the days when cooking was less convenient.
"I used to cook for eight people for years," Ellen Kyle, 86. "Those are the days when you had to make everything. They didn't have fast-food places."