There was one big caveat -- I didn't know if I liked abalone!! I was crossing my fingers that I would like it, since I would 1) starve to death if I didn't eat it, and 2) seem extremely rude to the chef and odd to the guests if I refused. I do not typically eat shellfish such as shrimp, clams, scallops, crab, lobster etc. because I just can't stand the texture. So I was worried about the abalone at first. But check out the gorgeous food photos below. I definitely ate it.
The beginning of the tour. The tour itself was absolutely fascinating, even when it was literally my third time taking the tour. Each time I learned something new.
Our guide Brad Buckley was a wealth of information, and I learned so
much about these basically endangered animals, such as the fact that they can
bleed to death and even drown! They are also MUCH smaller than the
abalone shells from our parents' days. At 5
years old, the farmed abalone are still smaller than your palm.
And as for the abalone? I tried it prepared three different ways by Chef Jessie of The Pairing Knife, and they were all wonderful! My favorite preparation was the mini corn chowder (shown in the bottom right photo) that was topped with a handful of barbequed abalone pieces. My second favorite was the puff pastry (bottom left) topped with an abalone steak that was pan fried in almost dust. My least favorite was the cerviche served in the shell, although this was by far the most visually beautiful dish I tasted. I think it comes from my general aversion to raw fish.
The dessert was a fantastic almond polenta cake with lavender honey. It tasted like a dessert cornbread and was a lovely end to the meal. The whipped cream on top didn't hurt! The rest of the weekend, I got to attend the main event and stuff myself full of food samples and free wine while not working at the Travel Paso Robles booth. Too bad this event only happens once a year!
