I was lovin' it. A gourmet charity dinner hosted by the prestigious California Culinary Academy of San Francisco. Elegant food prepared by three top chefs. And money from this event was donated to local Ronald McDonald Houses - "homes-away-from-home" for families of hospitalized children.
But there was an interesting catch to this first-ever event: All of the courses in this gourmet dining experience were prepared using McDonald's restaurant ingredients.
"At first I was skeptical," said executive chef Beverlie Terra from Chaminade Resort and Spa in Santa Cruz, California. Her creations included a killer Chilled Roast Tomato Soup served with crispy onions and a Three Cheese Panini that looked suspiciously like a miniature sesame seed bun.
Executive chef Ryan Scott of Market and Rye in San Francisco looked like he stepped right off the cooking channel. He created a "24-hour Braised Micky D's Sugo" with fresh cherry tomatoes in a secret sauce and hash brown gnocchi. Really.
Then there was a bruléed meringue (egg whites) and poached strawberries served on a granola crust prepared by executive chef Sophina Uong from Pican Restaurant in Oakland, California.
Another dessert - caramel apple beignet - was made by pastry chef Chris McDonald (that's really his name). Hardest part of this recipe? "Opening all the little sugar packets," he said.
It was fun to see and taste what great chefs can do with fast food ingredients. And I learned a few things. For example, local agriculture supplies most of the beef, apples, lettuce, milk, strawberries, nuts and other ingredients found at McD's.
I also learned that we can customize any sandwich order to hold the salt and the secret sauce for example.
How does fast food fit into a healthy diet? Consider it an occasional treat. Seek out the best ingredients such as lean meats and poultry, fresh vegetables, fruit, whole grains, low fat milk and yogurt. McD's salads, for example, feature all white chicken meat and locally grown produce.
I totally applaud the pledge of this company to reduce sodium, added sugars, saturated fat and calories in their products over the next few years. And I had a great time experiencing "McDonald's Unwrapped." I will choose not to visit the Golden Arches on a daily basis, however.
"When was the last time you ate at McDonald's?" I was asked by one of the sponsors at my table that evening.
Not in a while, I admitted. But maybe if I saw Chef Scott behind the counter ... .
Barbara Quinn is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.
