Go Red for Women events are taking place everywhere to educate and empower women about heart health. I hope that you will take advantage of the plethora of information on the web and through local chapters of the American Heart Association. I would like to take this occasion to salute a dear friend, Dr. Mike Petracek, a world renowned cardio vascular surgeon at Vanderbilt Heart Institute.
If he’s not leading a surgical team, you will find him hunting, fishing, cooking, or at the farm taking care of an acre of ‘Whiteout’ – the sweetest corn you ever put in your mouth. Or lecturing colleagues about a mitral value repair procedure or creating a menu. But you can be sure whatever he’s doing, nobody does it better. Before I share with you a menu he served one night following a five hour surgery where he basically reconstructed a heart, I hope that if you ever have issues with an irregular heart beat or valve damage that you will find someone like Mike Petracek, but of course my family believes he’s the absolute best, as do many others who travel to Nashville from across the world.
As for the dinner, Mike and his dear wife Connie are a team. She assembled the ingredients, tablescape, guests, and even helped with some prep work. Connie’s garden would put any farmer’s market to shame. For this dinner, ten guests gathered and most pitched in to help between glasses of wine but it was Chef Petracek who ran the show.
Organized down to the minutes that the meat would grill, the mix of butter and olive oil for sautéing, and the right amount of herbs for the fish, he knew the recipes by heart. It flowed just like he had preformed it a hundred times. Every sauce, each course, all the wines – it was perfect.
Guests arrived amid calls from the ER and his office scheduling cases for the next day but Dr. Petracek took it all in stride. Dr. Joe Fredi told stories of their recent fishing trip to Alaska, the guide’s ‘Badger Biscuits’, and the pickled sea weed they all favored. Dr. Andre Churchwell explained the history of the table setting then described the heart motif scarf and wide bar ties he’s designed. Connie was fielding questions about her multitude of homemade jams, butters, and jellies served down the center of the table. Mike introduced each course and even suggested everyone just pick the quail up with their fingers and enjoy! Conversations at this table were anything but shop talk among the heart specialists!
Like the chameleon, Mike Petracek can go from cardiovascular surgeon to gourmet cook in a heartbeat, and back again. He’s comfortable where ever he’s operating but of course there are times when the hospital takes him out of the kitchen. And it’s like he says about cooking, “If you do it for a living, it’s not nearly as much fun.”
Cranberry Pepper Jelly over Cream Cheese with Toasted Rounds
Dilled Green Bean Spears
2006 Chalk Hill Estate Chardonnay
Elk Loin with Fresh Corn Succotash, Brandy Tomato Sauce & Horseradish Cranberry Sauce
2001 Cakebread Merlot
Grilled Italian Quail with Plums, Prosciutto and Port Wine Vinaigrette
2007 Viader Dare Dry Rose
Herb Encrusted Rainbow Trout with Sea Asparagus and Sweet Potatoes and Blueberries in Cinnamon Butter Sauce
2006 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Cuvée
Yeast Rolls with Tomato Butter, Tomato Jam, Black Raspberry Jam, Peach Butter, Satsuma Plum Jelly, Acorn Plum Jelly, and Strawberry Preserves
Creme Brûlée Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce and Fresh Raspberries
If he’s not leading a surgical team, you will find him hunting, fishing, cooking, or at the farm taking care of an acre of ‘Whiteout’ – the sweetest corn you ever put in your mouth. Or lecturing colleagues about a mitral value repair procedure or creating a menu. But you can be sure whatever he’s doing, nobody does it better. Before I share with you a menu he served one night following a five hour surgery where he basically reconstructed a heart, I hope that if you ever have issues with an irregular heart beat or valve damage that you will find someone like Mike Petracek, but of course my family believes he’s the absolute best, as do many others who travel to Nashville from across the world.
As for the dinner, Mike and his dear wife Connie are a team. She assembled the ingredients, tablescape, guests, and even helped with some prep work. Connie’s garden would put any farmer’s market to shame. For this dinner, ten guests gathered and most pitched in to help between glasses of wine but it was Chef Petracek who ran the show.
Organized down to the minutes that the meat would grill, the mix of butter and olive oil for sautéing, and the right amount of herbs for the fish, he knew the recipes by heart. It flowed just like he had preformed it a hundred times. Every sauce, each course, all the wines – it was perfect.
Guests arrived amid calls from the ER and his office scheduling cases for the next day but Dr. Petracek took it all in stride. Dr. Joe Fredi told stories of their recent fishing trip to Alaska, the guide’s ‘Badger Biscuits’, and the pickled sea weed they all favored. Dr. Andre Churchwell explained the history of the table setting then described the heart motif scarf and wide bar ties he’s designed. Connie was fielding questions about her multitude of homemade jams, butters, and jellies served down the center of the table. Mike introduced each course and even suggested everyone just pick the quail up with their fingers and enjoy! Conversations at this table were anything but shop talk among the heart specialists!
Like the chameleon, Mike Petracek can go from cardiovascular surgeon to gourmet cook in a heartbeat, and back again. He’s comfortable where ever he’s operating but of course there are times when the hospital takes him out of the kitchen. And it’s like he says about cooking, “If you do it for a living, it’s not nearly as much fun.”
Cranberry Pepper Jelly over Cream Cheese with Toasted Rounds
Dilled Green Bean Spears
2006 Chalk Hill Estate Chardonnay
Elk Loin with Fresh Corn Succotash, Brandy Tomato Sauce & Horseradish Cranberry Sauce
2001 Cakebread Merlot
Grilled Italian Quail with Plums, Prosciutto and Port Wine Vinaigrette
2007 Viader Dare Dry Rose
Herb Encrusted Rainbow Trout with Sea Asparagus and Sweet Potatoes and Blueberries in Cinnamon Butter Sauce
2006 Bethel Heights Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Cuvée
Yeast Rolls with Tomato Butter, Tomato Jam, Black Raspberry Jam, Peach Butter, Satsuma Plum Jelly, Acorn Plum Jelly, and Strawberry Preserves
Creme Brûlée Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce and Fresh Raspberries
4 comments:
wow!!! your blog is very much interesting..hope u will visit mine as well..i love yours a lot...very luxurious..
As one who has heart disease...you can imagine I found this very interesting! I love my cardiologist and it's good to know them as 'just a real person' too!
This was such an enjoyable post. Thank you for sharing it with us today.
Wow! He sounds like a very talented gentleman! This event sounds like a lovely evening.
What a wonderful evening you had! And such talented people to dine with. Thank you for sharing your evening with us!
Carol
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