FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, October 28, 2008

AMERICAN AIRLINES ENLISTS "THE ROYAL CHEF"
TO ENHANCE ITS WESTBOUND EUROPEAN MENUS

Introducing New First and Business Class Menu Items Designed by Chef Darren McGrady, Former Private Chef to Diana, Princess of Wales

Editors Note: Sample menus, background materials and additional photos of the new menu items are available at ; http://www.aa.com/content/amrcorp/pressReleases/2008_10/28_westeurmenu.jhtml

FORT WORTH, Texas - Beginning November 1, First and Business Class passengers traveling on American Airlines westbound European flights can sample new palate-pleasing items with broad European flair. American Airlines, in conjunction with The Royal Chef Darren McGrady, is unveiling newly-refreshed International Flagship Service, which feature dishes that embody ingredients typical of English cuisine, and flavors that have broad appeal.

"American Airlines is committed to enhancing the travel experience for our customers and we view dining as an integral part of this experience," said John Tiliacos, American's Managing Director - Onboard Products. "We are excited to offer Chef McGrady's culinary delights to our customers as they travel from Europe."

New menu items are the result of a collaborative effort between Chef Darren McGrady, Alpha Flight Services, and American Airlines flight attendants and customers. These new signature entrées will be clearly identified on newly-redesigned printed menus, will rotate monthly and will include:

• Cottage Pie - seasoned beef topped with piped potatoes and shredded cheese, and baked until golden brown
• Stuffed Chicken - chicken stuffed with Cumberland sausage, served with roasted spring vegetables accented with garlic and tarragon, and honey braised red cabbage
• Beef Roulade - beef tenderloin-sausage roulade with red wine portabella sauce, boulangere potatoes and baby carrot garnish
• Oatmeal-Crusted Pork - oatmeal-crusted pork enhanced by a drambuie juniper berry sauce, offered with cauliflower puree and French-style peas
• Beef Filet - tender beef filet with morel mushroom sauce, sage derby potatoes and steamed broccoli florets

American Airlines, a founding member of the global oneworld® Alliance, offers regularly scheduled service between the United States and Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Paris, Rome and Zurich. American Airlines, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection® airlines serve 250 cities in 40 countries with more than 4,000 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 1,000 aircraft.

AmericanAirlines® We know why you fly®
Current AMR Corp. releases can be accessed on the Internet.
The address is www.aa.com

Photo courtesy of American Airlines Chefs Conclave

Saturday November 8th 2008

If you have the evening free, live in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, want to help out a charity and have an amazing night - all at the same time - then this is for you.

I will be master of ceremonies at the Royal Winter Ball benefitting Cystic Fibrosis at the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas. The Royal Winter Ball is a black-tie gala where guests will be treated like royalty as they enjoy fine cuisine - authentic dishes that I prepared for the royal family that I passed on to my friend, Executive chef at the Adolpus, Jason Weaver to recreate - a fabulous auction, live entertainment by Sauce and hear first hand special memories of my fifteen years with the royal family.

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity! Purchase your tickets now and join us for this special inaugural event. Limited seating available. Contact Courtney Mayfield at 214.871.2222 for more information or go to the Cystic Fibrosis website

click here

Oatmeal Crusted Pork with a Drambuie Juniper Berry Sauce

This months recipe is one of the dishes that I have prepared for American Airlines first class/business class passengers (seen below with French style peas and Cauliflower puree) . Pork can be really dry on its own and by flattening it out, stuffing it with an amazing apple, bacon, onion and sage stuffing we can keep the moisture in the dish as well as making it look pretty. Adding the drambuie and juniper berry sauce reminds me of the Scottish highlands and my years in the royal kitchens at Balmoral Castle and takes the dish to a new level.

Photo courtesy of American Airlines Chefs Conclave

12-16 ounce pork tenderloin
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbs Dijon mustard
½ cup steel cut oatmeal
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter, melted

For the stuffing;
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 apple, peeled and grated
8 slices mid cut smoked bacon
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
3 ounces fresh white breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten

For the sauce;
1 Tbs redcurrant jelly
1 tsp kitchen bouquet
2 Tbs flour
1 cup water
2 Tbs Drambuie
1 tsp red wine vinegar
6-8 crushed juniper berries
½ cup diced onion
2 Tbs butter
3/c cup portabella mushroom
1 clove garlic, peeled
½ beef broth cube
½ tsp savory
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees f.

Prepare the sauce. Melt the butter and add the onions, garlic, juniper berries and mushrooms. Cook until the onions soften. Add the red wine vinegar, kitchen bouquet and stir in the flour, water, broth cube and the savory. Simmer for 20 minutes and then strain into a clean pan, discarding the vegetables. Add the Drambuie and redcurrant jelly to the sauce and stir. Season to taste.Set aside and keep warm.

Cook the onion, bacon and sage in the olive oil in a large frying pan until the bacon is cooked and the onion is soft. Stir in the breadcrumbs, egg, seasoning and apple. Allow to cool.

Butterfly the tenderloin, cutting halfway through the width of the tenderloin for its entire length.

Open the butterflied tenderloin and place between two sheets of waxed paper. Pound the pork until it is flattened to about 1/4 inch thickness. Lightly salt and pepper the pork Spread the stuffing down the centre of the pork and roll up. Mix the Dijon and egg together and brush over the pork. Cover with the oatmeal and place seam side down in a baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes until the juices run clear. Allow to rest for 5 minutes and slice onto a serving dish. Drizzle with the sauce.

Left to right : Gary Cogill, Gary Taylor, Luciano Salvadore, Rhonda Taylor, Joanne Bondy, Trevor Ball, Darren McGrady, Joey Allette, Jason Weaver, Chase Guernsey, Jeff Qualls.

We couldn't get everyone into the picture that made this event a spectacular evening but here are the chefs, the emcee and Spencers parents. We raised in the region of $20,000 and had such a fun time doing it. It now means Gary and Rhonda can set up a scholarship fund in memory of Spencer who died aged 15.

I don't know where to start with thanks, the chefs, Ruth and her culinary team at Market Street, the volunteer servers, the high school band, Gary Cogill for being an amazing emcee, Mindi and the Capital One team and of course all of the sponsors too. Thank you, thank you for making this such a memorable evening.

As Princess Diana once said, "Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you."

The fall... I remember this time of year well when I worked at the Savoy Hotel in London. Tourist season was coming to an end as schools around the country were getting ready to open for another term signaling the end of summer. Outside the leaves were on the turn, the weather getting cooler by the day and peoples thoughts were leaning towards "it will soon be trick or treating time" and Thanksgiving.

The fall brought a new kind of traffic to the hotel trade in the name of charity events. In the lull before the run up to the holidays hotels around the country traditionally gave their banquet rooms for free and menu at discount as charities everywhere grabbed every penny they could to fundraise. In the kitchen the charity events were rewarding, knowing that you were indirectly helping raise money for the needy. We all seemed to put in the extra effort with the food that left the kitchen knowing that we were "doing our bit"

As a private chef it is easy to sit back and say "well their is nothing I can do, I can't host a dinner party for charity" But with a little imagination there is. You can do a lot. You don't have to be a celebrity chef to fundraise for charity, though of course that helps. You don't have to be the chef of a celebrity to donate your culinary talents to a battered woman's shelter kitchen on your night off, perhaps once a month.

With hundreds of charities vying for only a limited amount of donations, especially with the economy the way it is today and philanthropists everywhere having to tighten the purse strings. It becomes harder each year for charities to raise the much needed funds with each in search of that unique item to add to the silent or live auction at the charity gala that will bring extra money into the fundraising coffers.

I receive dozens of requests a month from charities around the country asking if I will help in them in their fall fundraiser charity ball, culinary tasting event, gala etc. For me the best way to give back to society is donating a dinner party to these events. I offer a "dinner for 10" to be auctioned off in the live auction part of the event. These are usually held the end of the evening when everyone has had lot's to drink and are not as aware as to how much they are paying or donating.

My "dinner for 10 package" consists of me going to a private home on a mutually agreed upon date, usually my night off and often the winning bidders birthday or anniversary and cooking a three course gourmet dinner party. Everyone is in good spirits and aware that you have donated your time for free include you in the evening's festivities. I have done my homework before making my donation and either talked the house butler into donating his time for free too or contacted local staffing services who have been only too willing to donate a butler/server for the evening in return for publicity in the charity program. Food costs can be expensive so I rotate each event with different food stores. More often than not all are willing to make a donation and I request usually a $500.00 gift card that will more than pay for the evening's food and in some cases the wine too.

Of course the host, well aware this is a charity event is not expecting Foie Gras flown in from France or any other high end gourmet ingredient and so for $500.00 or less in some cases the chef can create an amazing and memorable meal.

Other times, when store donations have dried up, I will ask the charity to set aside a certain amount of the price for me to pay for food and a server. Even this way, the auction item still raises a lot of money. In a live auction at a fundraising gala, these "dinners for 10" can sell forthousands of dollars. I can't tell you how rewarding it is to know that you can make such a difference in someone else's life just by giving up one of your days off. If donating a dinner party seems daunting, then consider the skills that you have.

Bake a birthday cake; arrange homemade jams and jellies in a gift basket; offer dinner for four prepacked, ready to be delivered to a family's home; prepare a fruit display or tray of home-baked cookies. Even the smallest item brings in much-needed dollars for the charity. And even the smallest act of kindness can make a memorable difference in someone elses life.