JN Bank guests give their nod of approval of the finished product.
It was not the typical member appreciation event this year for some members of JN Bank in the Corporate Area. Instead, they were treated to a live culinary demonstration on how to prepare Ham and Broccoli Tortiglioni in Pumpkin Béchamel, during their JN Member Appreciation Dinner, held on the balcony of the JN Financial Centre Belmont Road building on December 5.
JN member, Chef Andre Sewell, whose name has become synonymous with exotic culinary delights, and who was the in-house chef at the event, pointed out that leftover ham during the Christmas season can be used in versatile ways, such as with ackee, or in soup. He wasted no time in showing guests how to use leftover ham in a delightful new twist, while stimulating their sensory appeal.
Chef Andre Sewell prepares Ham and Broccoli Tortiglioni in Pumpkin Béchamel
“Ham and Broccoli Tortiglioni in Pumpkin Béchamel,” is a fancy name, but what I’m really preparing is pasta in a pumpkin crème sauce with ham,” said Chef Sewell.
The finished product, which took 12 minutes to prepare, was met with total approval.
“When you are cooking a dish with pasta, for presentation, one of the things you want to do is to get some height on the plate. We eat with our eyes first,” he explained, while emphasising that food presentation should look attractive.
He also used the opportunity to give guidance about how to prepare ham.
“When you go to the supermarket to buy your ham, look at the package, the instructions are really simple. Ham should be cooked for 12 minutes per pound; therefore, a 10-pound ham should be cooked for 120 minutes. When the last 20 minutes is left, glaze the ham three times. Take it out of the oven, glaze it and put it back. Then take it out a second time and glaze it. What you are really doing is warming it up.”
He also pointed out that an uncooked ham should be cooked for 22 minutes per pound. It should be wrapped in foil, and placed in the oven at 350 degrees.
Following the cooking demonstration, guests were treated to Chef Sewell’s culinary delights including: spicy sorrel-glazed ham, orange rosemary roasted chicken breast, Pollock in coconut cream sauce, Jasmine gungo rice, baby spinach cranberry almond tossed salad, and Brioche cranberry bread pudding with bourbon caramel.
As they dined, they also enjoyed the performance of vocalist, Andre Shepherd.
Among those who welcomed the member appreciation event was Carole Chambers, a member for more than three decades. She commended JN Bank for its excellent customer service and for organising the informative food demonstration.
“It was a fantastic event. The live ‘demo’ was excellent. It gave me new ideas as to how to use leftover ham. The meal was very nice and well presented,” she related.
Managing Director of JN Bank, Curtis Martin, thanked the members for their contribution to the success of JN Bank and The Jamaica National Group.
“This has been a phenomenal year, as we saw thousands and thousands of customers coming into our branches,” Mr Martin related.
He also disclosed that JN Bank will undertake several new initiatives to bolster customer service in the New Year, among those are: digitisation, smarter ABMs, improvement of the Call Centre, text by JN LIVE, queue management systems, and the reduction of onboarding time to 15 minutes for new customers.
Throughout December, other member appreciation events are scheduled to take place at JN Bank branches and MoneyShops across the country.
