Last weekend, the Elbow Beach hotel hosted a special Press edition of ‘The Best of Bermuda’ — the first of its upcoming series of Saturday cooking classes. Lifestyle’s Nancy Acton attended, and this was her experience.

The warm welcome began in the hotel lobby, when we were greeted by communications manager Zuhdi Hinds and senior sales and conference manager Ginny Masters, and led to the Seahorse Grill restaurant, where another welcoming committee consisting of maitre d’ Belhadri Haffar, executive sous chef Rick Bartram, Seahorse Grill sommelier Jeremy Clavel and Gosling’s sales manager Mark Harrison awaited us. A glass of perfectly chilled Moet et Chandon champagne was soon crossing the lips, along with delicious beef cornichon and grain mustard on crisp, seven-grain bread, and king crab with sweet and sour sauce canapés. Then it was on to the newly-created “open kitchen” of the Seahorse Grill, separated from our anxious taste buds by a granite-topped counter and tall, cushioned bar chairs, from which we would watch chef Bartram and sous chef Johanes Giyarno at work.

The impeccable place settings included a beribboned gold napkin, a presentation dossier of recipes and other information, an array of wine glasses, and a sampling of the most delicate and tasty chips imaginable, freshly made from Wadson Farm blue potatoes.

Clearly, this would be no ordinary Saturday.

With sommelier Jeremy and Mr. Harrison in attendance to pour and discuss the wines, chef Bartram wasted no time in laying the groundwork for what would become an interesting, informative and delicious event which lived up to every syllable of its title: ‘The Best of Bermuda’ — and made one proud to be a native citizen.

The ingredients, most of them from Wadson Farm, were the freshest of the fresh. Succulent, organic, free-range chicken — a world removed from its imported cousins; crisp and crunchy organic lettuce leaves, including red dandelion and romaine; corn, watermelon; cherry, plum and grape tomatoes; mizzuna, russet and blue potatoes — all newly picked; as well as wahoo fresh from the sea; herbs from the hotel garden; and, Bermuda honey were the local foundations upon which chef Bartram’s art would be founded.

From France came the tiny, dark green Puy lentils, with kosher salt, sherry vinegar, prosciutto, feta cheese, grain mustard, corn syrup, goose fat, heavy cream and butter among the international ingredients that, in various combinations, would make each dish an outstanding culinary adventure.

Accompanying wines to complement the dishes were La Crema Russian River Chardonnay 2005 and Louis Latour Brouilly ‘Les Saburins’ 2005, a light red.

First up was the appetiser, ‘Bermuda plum and grape tomatoes, watermelon, feta cheese, corn syrup and cress’ — an imaginative yet simple-to-prepare medley of ingredients that, like the dishes which followed, had eye and taste appeal a-plenty.

Next was a ‘Confit of Wadson Farm chicken, organic leaves, Puy lentils and Bermuda honey and mustard grain dressing’ — a remarkable blend of warm, shredded chicken cooked in rendered goose fat, and bitter red dandelion and chopped romaine, dotted with the cooked-to-perfection lentils, and napped with honey-mustard dressing.

Finally, came the main course: ‘Saltimbocca of Bermuda wahoo, potato cake, wilted mizzuna and fresh corn broth’.

Here, especially, was the message that preparation makes perfect.

The potatoes were baked in their skins rather than boiled because the cooked flesh is drier. The scooped flesh was then pushed through a sieve for a fine texture (the electric mixer is a no-no here, but a ricer is acceptable) and then worked into a cohesive mass with a heavy spoon before a dash of heavy cream, butter, and seasoning were added to bring the mixture to the right consistency for shaping into thick patties, and subsequent pan frying in olive oil.

Meanwhile, quietly poaching in milk were the corn cobs from which the kernels had been stripped. Later, the kernels were simmered for mere minutes in the flavoured milk, to which chopped chives were added just before serving.

The flawless tenderloins of wahoo, carefully wrapped in a thin layer of prosciutto, were briskly fried in olive oil, and made for an interesting blend of textures and tastes.

Assembly of the entrée began in the current chinaware vogue of an oversized “soup plate”.

A little corn broth formed the base of the presentation, on top of which the potato cake, the wilted mizzuna (wilted to change its texture), and finally the wahoo tenderloin were set and garnished. Divine!

What better place to enjoy this grand finale than at a dining table providing clear views of the sun-splashed landscape and sparkling sea beyond, in the company of our gracious Elbow hosts and Mr. Harrison — a perfect ending to an excellent class.

“It’s not about complicated. You can have nice food that isn’t complicated,” chef Bartram said at the beginning. And so it proved.