Swapping my sombrero maybe for a master chefs hat!

[jim_mex]

This I have to share as a pure ego trip but today I had a very pleasant surprise.

Folks who have read my recent Off Topic thread on Cornish pasty recipes will know I've been helping a restaurant friend on a stand at a Festival in his traditional silver mining town to celebrate Cornish Tin miners introducing the Cornish pasty - a type of closed pastry pie -to Mexico. I do a little cooking occasionally for fun and offered to give some demonstrations to the locals on how to make English pastries and pies. I did this last year at the first Festival of its kind in the town with some success but didn't cook any Cornish pasties - only sweet pies. This year I decided to try for a pasty using traditional methods and ingredients.

Yesterday, armed with a recipe taken last week from the UK Cornish Pasty Association web site I made my first ever Cornish Pasty and was really pleased to find that it came out delicious and all who tasted it liked it. Today, based on that success I gave 3 more demonstrations making 4 large pasties in each of them.

During my second demonstration our stand had a visit from a delegation from Cornwall along with the British Ambassador to Mexico and various minor dignitaries in toe. I didn't really notice them as I was in the middle of a demonstration with a large crowd in front of me and my back to them until a little old lady sporting a very big digital camera tapped me on the back and asked if she could take some photos of the pasty I was making. No problem. She took a number of very close up photos then very thoroughly quizzed me on the ingredients, method for making the pastry and cooking times, nodding to the answers I gave her. I offered her a piece of pasty from the previous batch and she told me it was delicious and just as it should be. I assumed she was someone from Cornwall and she was being pleasant and thanked her as she walked away.

After she left a member of the delegation asked who I was and was I a professional chef. Jokingly I told the guy I just cooked for fun and was helping my restaurant owner pal out for the Festival and this was my first attempt at traditional pasty making and I'd taken the recipe from the internet. He smiled and asked if I knew who the lady was. Someone from Cornwall I think, was my answer

To my astonishment he told me her name was Diane Kennedy an English lady who moved to Mexico in 1957 and was a famous author and leading authority on Mexican cuisine with several very well known books to her name. He added that to get praise from her was something of an achievement. Somewhat taken aback I just said , well I expect she was trying to be pleasant to a fellow Brit. Not so he said, she was very impressed with your cooking. He shook my hand, gave me his congratulations and left

Wow! was I floating on air! When I got back home I went straight onto the internet and after a Wikipedia search came up with

Diane Kennedy "was awarded the Order Of The Aztec Eagle, by the Congress of the Republic of Mexico for her contributions to the documentation of regional Mexican cuisine. The Aztec Eagle is the Mexican equivalent of a knighthood for non-Mexicans"

So now you folks know why no sombrero will fit me this weekend !!!

Sometimes its the small things that happen to you which can really turn a day around and give you a big inner feeling of pride. Just had to share this experience with my forum friends. Sorry, no photos yet - but I'm sure I'll be getting some

[Jan]

WTG amigo!!!!!!! Must have been an amazing Pasty, nabo and all!

Jan

[Cutting Cathy]

Is there anything you're not good at??? Congrats on the praise!!

[jim_mex]

Is there anything you're not good at?

Cathy - the list is endless! but whilst recounting the experience tonight to my MIL. SIL and wife over the last remaining pasty. which also went down very well, I have to admit that I felt pretty darn good!

Thanks ladies

[DWSudekum]

WTG! You deserve the attributes Jim.

DW

[KtownScroller]

Fantastic experience Jim. You must be a very good cook to impress Mz. Kennedy. I'll bet you felt on top of the world! It's not often to get a super complement from an expert. Maybe you missed your real calling in life? Congratulations.

[Don R Brower]

Well congrats Jim great job did you sprinkle in a little saw dust?

[wood-n-things]

Way to go and just imagine how we feel. we can genuinely say we knew you first....Kudos my friend.

[rippersmom]

WOW, Jim, what a great compliment! Good going!!

Nancy in AZ

[frieke]

A new star cook is born!!! Congratulations Jim! Maybe you would like to share the link to your recept? I like to cook too, and always try new things out, and we like it hot and spicy. the Belgium kitchen is not hot or spicy but there are a lot of international kitchens here. I would love to try something mexican...