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The MenuFavorite Recipes

Favorite Recipes

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REFINING A WILD IDEA: The Emergence of the Foraging Chef In light of the locavore movement, an increasing interest in self-scavenging has spread to restaurants. Even if chefs may not have the time to personally hunt for ingredients, many kitchens are sourcing items such as truffles, huckleberries, and nettles from professional and amateur foragers alike. Kelsey Elliott

FOOD ALLERGY FRENZY: How Restaurants Can Accommodate Diners While Stirring Creativity in the Kitchen Dealing with patrons allergic to specific foods may be difficult, but handling the situation well often leads to loyal repeat customers. Learn several techniques from restaurants that pride themselves in accommodating those with restrictive diets. Christina Mueller Welter

GETTING INTO THE GAME: Successfully Integrating Game Meats into Your Menu Restaurants break out of their everyday meat routine by adding game to diners’ dinner plates. Find out how chefs across the West are making hit dishes that are irresistible to adventurous and cautious eaters alike. Hank Shaw

HOLIDAY CATERING TRENDS: Contemporary Classics Inspired by Winter Hits With the holiday season in full swing, this is one of the busiest times of year for caterers. See how some of the West’s top culinary teams take advantage of diners’ drive to celebrate and imbibe this time of year. Lily Ko

GRILLED CHEESE GOES GOURMET: Moving Past the Confines of the Cafeteria into Modern Kitchens across the West Move over Kraft singles, America’s beloved lunch staple is no longer just for kids. Thanks to artisanal additions such as house-made fig jam, basil-lavender pesto and an assortment of gourmet cheeses, the simple sandwich has grown up into sophisticated fare. Caitlin M. O’Shaughnessy

CHEFOLOGY: Roland Passot Executive Chef and Owner Roland Passot of Michelin-starred La Folie in San Francisco has spent over three decades in the business and has lots of stories to tell. From smuggling foie gras in the belly of fish to his take on sous vide, there is a kitchen-full to learn from this celebrated chef. Gayle Keck

ON THE COVER

SLOW ROASTED CARROT SALAD WITH LENTILS, MEDJOOL DATES, LARDO & FORAGED LEAVES & FLOWERS Executive Chef Matthew Accarrino, SPQR, San Francisco, CA

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARA KRAUS

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The MenuThe Menu

Purple Haze Goat Cheese with Peaches & Lavender Melt from The Grilled Cheese Truck in Los Angeles

Vol. 17, No. 6 December 1, 2010

Contributors

Editorial Advisory Board Fred Mensinga (Hilton, Anaheim), Chairman and Founder

Pierre Albaladejo (Park Hyatt Aviara, Carlsbad); Frederic Castan (St. Regis Monarch Resort, Dana Point); Azmin Ghahreman (Sapphire Laguna, Laguna Beach); Josef Lageder (Balboa Bay Club, Newport Beach); Vesa Leppala (Harrah’s Rincon Casino, San Diego); Bradley Ogden (Bradley Ogden, Las Vegas); Charlie Trotter (Charlie Trotter’s, Chicago); Roy Yamaguchi (Roy’s)

Culinary Trends has been published continuously since 1990. Culinary Trends is published six times annually by Neubauer & Associates, Inc.

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Subscriptions Subscription by mail is free for executive and sous chefs in California and Nevada at fine dining restaurants, hotels, caterers and private clubs. For others, $35.00 for six issues to U.S. and possessions; $72.00 international. Paid subscription orders may be placed online at www.culinarytrends.net. Requests for free subscriptions should be emailed to subscriptions@culinarytrends.net.

Kelsey Elliott Gayle Keck Sara Kraus

Lily Ko Christina Mueller Welter,

Caitlin M. O'Shaughnessy

BICE: San Diego, CA — www.bicesandiego.com (pg. 14-15, 44) Big 4 Restaurant: San Francisco, CA — www.big4restaurant.com (pg. 22-23) Cowgirl Sidekick: San Francisco, CA — www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/cowgirl_creamery.php (pg. 37) Forage SF: San Francisco, CA — www.foragesf.com (pg. 10) Gourmet Celebrations: Las Vegas, NV — www.gourmetcelebrations.com/lv_personnel.html (pg. 26-28) Grand Café Brasserie and Bar: San Francisco, CA — www.grandcafe-sf.com (pg. 20, 22, 24, 43) Grange: Sacramento, CA — www.grangesacramento.com (pg. 21, 24) Jersey Tomatoes: San Francisco, CA — www.jtomatoes.com (pg. 26-27, 31) Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab: Las Vegas, NV — www.joes.net (pg. 15, 17) Laura Werlin: www.laurawerlin.com (pg. 35-37) La Folie: San Francisco, CA — www.alchemysandiego.com (pg. 38-42) Manresa: Los Gotos, CA — www.manresarestaurant.com (pg. 10) Mon Ami Gabi: Las Vegas, NV — www.monamigabi.com (pg. 15, 17, 19) Peko-Peko Catering: Oakland, CA — eatpekopeko.com (pg. 27, 30) Pica Pica Maize Kitchen: Napa & San Francisco, CA — www.picapicakitchen.com (pg. 14, 16)

Pacific’s Edge Restaurant: Carmel, CA — www.pacificsedge.com (pg. 7) Poggio Trattoria: Sausalito, CA — www.poggiotrattoria.com (pg. 12, 38) RM Seafood: Las Vegas, NV — www.rmseafood.com (pg. 15, 18) Seasonal Elegance: San Francisco, CA — www.seasonalelegance.com (pg. 26, 29) Sent Sovi: Saratoga, CA — www.sentsovi.com (pg. 7, 9-10) SPQR: San Francisco, CA — www.spqrsf.com (cover, pg. 8, 10, 11) Taste: Plymouth, CA — www.restauranttaste.com (pg. 21-22) Tender: Las Vegas, NV — www.luxor.com/restaurants/tender.aspx (pg. 22) Terra: San Diego, CA — www.terrasd.com (pg. 15-17) The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen: San Francisco, CA — www.theamericansf.com (pg. 32-33, 35) The Grilled Cheese Truck: Los Angeles, CA — www.thegrilledcheesetruck.com (pg. 32, 35) The Oaks Gourmet: Los Angeles, CA — www.theoaksgourmet.com (pg. 35-36) The Plate Café Organic: San Francisco, CA — www.theplantcafe.com (pg. 15, 17, 19) The Tractor Room: San Diego, CA — www.thetractorroom.com (pg. 21-22, 25) Top of the Mark: San Francisco, CA — www.intercontinentalmarkhopkins.com/top_of_the_mark/ (pg. 34) Urban Kitchen Catering: San Diego, CA — www.urbankitchengroup.com (pg. 26, 30, 31)

Restaurants:

Executive Editor Carleigh Connelly

Founding Editor Linda Mensinga

Art Director David Knopf

Copy Editor Eileen Goss

Publisher Christopher S. Neubauer

Advertising Sales Beth George, Sales Manager

President Richard J. Neubauer

Circulation Director Jean Hutchins

Subscription Manager Jean Hutchins

Vice-President Deborah L. Neubauer

KELSEY ELLIOTT is a food snob of the highest degree, but in a loving way. A research marketer by day, food blogger and restaurant enthusiast by night, she takes her passion for market-driven menus from the plate to the paper on her Web site KelsEats.com and muses on different aspects of California

Cuisine in her articles for Examiner online.

GAYLE KECK, Lowell Thomas Award-winner, has written for Gourmet, National Geographic Traveler, AFAR, Islands, GQ,

The Washington Post and other major newspapers. She is also a local editor for the Zagat SF Bay Area Restaurants guides and founder of BeenThereAteThat.com.

SARA KRAUS is a San Francisco-based photographer, specializing in culinary, lifestyle and restaurant photography. She works with restaurants and publications across the country, with her most recent shoots due to be published in Food & Wine Magazine, Edible San Francisco and 944

Magazine. Her work can be found on her website, sarakrausphotography.com.

LILY KO is the Restaurants Content Editor for SF Station, a San Francisco city guide, in addition to writing for various publications for 10 over years. Her blog, Classy Eats, documents her dining and cooking adventures in San Francisco.

CHRISTINA MUELLER WELTER is a global food & wine writer and consultant. Owner of a gluten-free foods business for 8 years, she is deeply knowledgeable about food allergen issues and nutrition. She writes for Edible Marin & Wine Country and Patch among others. You can find her anytime

at http://christinamueller.com.

CAITLIN M. O’SHAUGHNESSY lives in Brooklyn and works at Penguin Books, where she enjoys reading the many cookbooks and food memoirs that cross her desk. She was previously a part of the team at InStyle magazine and writes for The Paris

Voice.

HANK SHAW runs the wild food Web site Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (www.honest-food.net), twice nominated for a James Beard Award and winner of the 2010 award for Best Food Blog by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. A former line cook and commercial fisherman, his work has appeared in magazines such as Food & Wine,

Gastronomica and Field & Stream. His book about wild food, Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast is scheduled for a spring 2011 release.

� �

Contributors

Hank Shaw

Refining a

Wild

The Emergence of the Foraging Chef

Kelsey Elliott

Let’s start with a timeline: Man is born. Man is hun­gry. Man begins foraging for his food before inventing basic tools that allow him to hunt and farm. A few thou­sand years later, man industrializes the system of food production. In the new millennium, man realizes that the old system wasn’t half bad and embraces the locavore movement. Finally in 2010, man takes local sourcing one step further: man returns to foraging.

What was once old is new again, as indicated by the increasing number of chefs who have embraced

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the ancestral practice of foraging in the past few years. Luckily, returning to square one doesn’t mean serving nuts and berries on a plate; modern developments in cooking have not been lost. In­stead, our reconnection to the land and reversion to primitive traditions has, ironically, led to the next stage of contemporary cuisine. By combining this Old World approach with progressive tech­niques that enhance the remarkable qualities of wild ingredients, to the benefit of both diners and chefs, modern cuisine is being elevated to new heights.

The benefits of going wild

Whereas only a few decades ago, ingredients were valued for characteristics like how early they could be picked or how long they could stay on the shelf, it is clear that most chefs are moving away from this outdated atti­tude. With the profusion of “ingredient-driven” menus, value is now being placed on using the freshest, highest quality ingredients possible; ingredients often found close to home, in the wild. What makes wild ingredients superior to even their responsibly-farmed, biodynamic counterparts?

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Executive Chef Josiah Slone of Sent Sovi explains it simply, “When you farm something, you have to set all the proper conditions to grow. But when something is wild, the right conditions must naturally exist. You don’t really set anything, it just happens.” Therefore, a foraged ingredient is the purest expression of that particular food; a quality which sets them apart. “Foraged ingredients are unique and interesting, and using them helps differenti­ate Sent Sovi from other restaurants. Because mulberries are usually too painstaking for most to pick, being one of the only places getting them is a really special thing.”

See Foraging, Continued on Page 10

White Sea Bass with Butternut Squash Puree & Porcini Confit, Brussels Sprout Leaves & Celery Root Batons, served with Shaved Truffles. For Executive Chef Matt Bolton of Pacific’s Edge’s recipe, please visit www.culinarytrends.net. Photo by DMT Imaging

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SLOW ROASTED CARROT SALAD WITH LENTILS, MEDJOOL DATES, LARDO & FORAGED LEAVES &

PHOTO BY SARA KRAUS

MULBERRY GRANITA

[Mulberries are so perishable and have such a short season, so granita is a nice way to use them for the time they’re available. If I am using this as a relief instead of a dessert course, I will substitute vodka for some of the sugar; it will still inhibit freezing, but make the overall effect less sweet.]

INGREDIENTS 1000g mulberries 500g simple syrup 1/2 vanilla bean, split

METHOD Seal mulberries and simple syrup in vac bag on high.

Cook for 30 minutes at 75ºC. Plunge into an ice bath and chill thoroughly.

Strain through a chinois and discard pulp, saving liquid. Add water or simple syrup to get to 15 Brix as measured by a refractometer. Freeze thoroughly in a shallow pan. Scrape with a fork to serve.

Executive Chef & Owner Josiah Slone Sent Sovi

Saratoga, CA

FLOWERS

INGREDIENTS 1 cup carrot juice, taken from sweet orange carrots 3/4 cup orange carrots, washed & peeled, sliced 1/8” thick 12-18 mid-sized, mixed va­riety carrots (yellow kinbi, Belgian white, rose, orange, chantenay), washed & scrubbed lightly Olive oil as needed Unsalted butter as needed Wildflower honey as needed Rosemary, thyme & tar­ragon sprigs as needed 12 Medjool dates, pitted & chopped 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup white wine vinegar 3/4 cup water Whole spices (star anise, black pepper, fennel seed, coriander seed, bay leaf) as

a high quality local source.

[House-cured Lardo] Mix rock salt with

sugar & spices. Add herbs and work the mixture with your hands to release the essential oils in the spices & herbs into the cure.

Place one half of the cure in a non­reactive container with a tight fitting lid. Place fatback on the cure & cover with the remain­ing cure mix to cover the fat.

Secure the lid & place into refrigerator. Every 4 days remove the fat & mound the re­maining cure back over top of the fat. Discard any excess moisture.

Repeat this process two times for a total of 12 days curing time. After 12 days, remove fatback from cure, brush off the excess cure & pat dry. Hang in a cool cellar for at least 3 days & up to 2 weeks. After drying time, crust with cracked black pepper & keep in the refrigerator wrapped tightly till ready to use.

[Carrot puree] Combine the carrots &

juice in the smallest pot possible & bring to a sim­mer. Season with salt. Cook carrots until very tender & transfer solids to a blender. Blend till smooth adding as much of the reserved cook­ing juice as necessary to form a stiff but light puree. Re-season & set aside.

Meanwhile cook lentils by rinsing them and placing in a small pot with carrot, shallot and enough water to just cover. Season and

needed 1/2 cup dry lentils, Um­brian or green 1 orange carrot, washed & scrubbed lightly, halved 1 shallot, peeled & halved White wine vinegar as needed 1 lb skinless pork fatback 3/4 cup rock salt 3/4 cup sugar 1 Tbsp black pepper, cracked Rosemary, thyme & bay leaf as needed Wild foraged leaves & flow­ers (watercress, wood sor­rel, lambs quarters, nasturtium leaves, mustard flowers, radish flowers), washed 18-20 young wild radish pods, washed Reserved young carrot tops, washed, as needed 1-2 orange carrots, washed & scrubbed lightly, then sliced thinly length-wise

METHOD First prepare the lardo if

you are going to make it yourself. Otherwise seek out

bring to a simmer. Cover with lid & place in a 350ºF oven to cook until lentils are just tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

At this point most of the liquid will have been ab­sorbed by the lentils. Re­move from the oven and season with salt, a dash of olive oil & a splash of white wine vinegar. Turn the lentils out into a casserole to cool. Remove carrot & shallot and discard.

[Dates] Mandoline sliced carrots

and radish pods: combine sugar, white wine vinegar, water and spices in a pot and bring to a simmer, sea­son with a pinch of salt.

Meanwhile, place dates, pods and carrots in three separate containers. Strain the hot pickling liquid over the dates and pods to just cover each. Let the remain­ing liquid cool and pour over the cold carrot slices.

Blend dates to make a smooth puree & transfer when cool to a small plastic piping bag with a small hole cut in the tip.

[Roasted carrots] Preheat a high-sided pan

large enough to accommo­date all the carrots in one even layer. Place a film of olive oil in pan & add car­rots; keep the heat at medium to low and begin to slowly caramelize the car­rots. Season with salt and transfer to 300°F oven. Roast until the carrots are just tender but not mushy, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Bring carrots back to stovetop over medium-low heat and add honey, herbs and butter. Allow carrots to caramelize in juices and herbs to release their flavor.

Roll pan around gently to ensure all the carrots are evenly covered. Finish with a sprinkling of salt and a dash of white wine vinegar.

Transfer gently to absorbent toweling & discard the herbs.

ASSEMBLY Place a film of the carrot

puree on the bottom of 4 to 6 room-temperature plates. Place spoons of the lentils at random on the plates. Carefully place roasted car­rots also at random on the plates (keep in mind it may be nice to cut some of them into chunks).

Pipe dots of date puree at random & place a few drained radish pods on each plate. Garnish with hand-cut shavings of the lardo, drained carrot pick­les, reserved carrot tops and foraged leaves and flowers. Serve straight away.

Executive Chef Matthew Accarrino

SPQR San Francisco, CA

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Foraging, continued from Page 7

Including a simple mulberry granita on the menu, made solely with mulberries, simple syrup and vanilla bean, helps Sent Sovi’s menu stand out among restau­rants with a locavore mission.

Similarly, for years Executive Chef David Kinch of Manresa has used foraging to help create his unique brand of cuisine, which pulls from a variety of cultural

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as flowering cacti or pine needles may provide this, he notes that many diners are particularly taken by wild spring onions, which he gathers just before their white blossoms emerge. “They’re more difficult to find because you can’t yet see the flower, but at that time, they have a very delicate, unique flavor that customers notice.”

As Chef Kinch hints, discovering that one wild ingredient capable of stunning the customer isn’t always a walk in the park, as some may believe. Despite recent attention, the practice of foraging is still shrouded in secrecy, leaving many eager chefs unsure of how to navigate this new culinary terrain.

A guide to getting started So now the most important ques­

tion: Where to start? Although it may sound easy, foraging isn’t as straightfor­ward as it seems. In the wild, picking out the edible weeds from the real weeds can be challenging. For Matthew Accarrino, Executive Chef of SPQR in San Fran­cisco, it was only after seeing his Italian family forage all of the ingredients for his 26th birthday feast, that he realized how much wild vegetation could be used in his cooking. “We’re relatively unaware of all of the stuff around us that’s edible, but food comes from all around.” Now an expert forager, he regularly uses wild ingredients to add a “sense of place” to his Italian-inspired menu.

The first step to getting started is building your knowledge of what is edi­ble, something that takes both kitchen experience and a bit of research. Books on edible plants, associations of seasoned foragers like ForageSF, and foraging Web sites like Daniel Patterson’s soon-to-be­launched IngredientLab.com, are excel­lent resources for information. But even with this knowledge, the rough appear­ance of wild plants can make it hard to identify even familiar items. Chef Accar­rino explains, “A lot of it is trial and

influences and uses local ingredients to create what he describes as, “Contemporary California.” While Chef Kinch values foraged ingredients for the fundamentally Californian nature they bring to his food, he points out an even greater advantage: it’s exciting for the diner. “The biggest benefit is the customer experience. When someone eats at my restaurant, I want to bring some­

thing to the table that they may not have ever tasted. I want to give them something new.” While ingredients such

error. I recently found a New Zealand variety of wild spinach. Even though I’ve used spinach for years, it was new to me and I was a bit suspect.” Only by trying it himself was he sure of its identity. While this may seem dangerous, he notes that “most things that are bad for us taste bitter, sour, or will burn your tongue, so you’ll know if they’re danger­ous before eating them.”

The next step is knowing where to look and because there are very few

way to find what you’re looking for; many chefs opt for less explorative measures by building relationships with local land owners who can point them to a plant’s exact location. Whatever the method, each can potentially lead to a treasure chest of ingredients.

See Foraging, Continued on Next Page

chefs or professional foragers who are willing to divulge their favorite loca­tions, using best practices to explore your area is the most effective way to find a spot. Chef Accarrino follows a couple of simple rules. “First, I always follow the water source. It makes sense, plants need water to grow so you’ll often find them at the source” Secondly, he al­ways picks high; picking in areas that are difficult for humans or animals to reach helps weed out the potentially contaminated plants. By following these rules, Chef Accarrino now has access to a multitude of wild ingredients, includ­ing watercress, spinach, lambsquarters, fennel, prickly pears, sea beans, wild berries, dandelions, chickweed, purslane, stinging nettles, ramps, wild asparagus, flowering mustard, and vari­ous kinds of wild sorrel.

Finally, how are these raw materials transformed into innovative cuisine in the kitchen? By steering away from sim­plistic “fig-on-a-plate” preparations and approaching these ingredients from dif­ferent angles, chefs are unearthing pro­gressive applications for foraged items. One method is to find new uses for the overlooked components of plants. As Chef Accarrino explains, “Every part of an edible plant has a purpose. For exam­ple, I’ve recently started picking the pods of wild radish, not just the flowers, because they can be pickled and added to salads.” Another new approach seeks to highlight the array of flavors a single ingredient can express through the application of different cooking techniques.

At SPQR a simple carrot becomes a show-stopping appetizer by combining slow-roasted carrots, concentrated in fla­vor, with carrot puree made from the juice of the carrots themselves, tender, herbaceous carrot tops, and thinly-sliced, cold-pickled carrots to emphasize their fresh texture. However, an expedi­tion into the wilderness is not the only

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Foraging, continued from Previous Page

Second-hand foraging: Picking a purveyor

While getting out into nature to discover incredible ingredients sounds great, there’s one major hitch: with a 70 plus-hour work week, most chefs simply don’t have the time to start exploring. As Executive Chef Peter McNee of Poggio Trattoria in Sausalito explains, “Al­though it’s a lot of fun to play the role of the forager, in your heart, you’re a full-time chef. You can’t be a full-time forager.” Enter the local purveyor.

Local suppliers are drawing more attention than ever by bringing superior quality ingredients to chefs who wouldn’t have the time to find them on their own. For example, with 140 seats in the dining room and many mushroom-centric menu options, like pizza topped with foraged puffball mushrooms, Fontina cheese, and mustard greens, Chef McNee would have to forage 80 pounds of wild mushrooms every week. In­stead, he turns to a trusted supplier who, along with his team, scours the Oregon and Northern Californian wilderness for all of his fungal needs.

Chefs who lack foraging experience and are often uncomfortable with the “trial and error” method of

learning are also turning to local purveyors for wild goods. This is especially prevalent when it comes to wild mushrooms, where trying the wrong variety could be potentially deadly. Because of this risk, chefs like Matt Bolton at Pacific’s Edge Restaurant in Carmel work only with trained professionals who are licensed in their field. By working with the same mushroom supplier for over 14 years, he can trust the quality of the confit Porcinis he adds to his preparation of white sea bass, served with butternut squash purée, Brussels sprout leaves, celery root batons and a truffle jus.

No matter how these ingredients find their way into the kitchen, it’s easy to see why this trend contin­ues to gather support. Chefs are using better quality ingredients that add seasonality and originality to their menus, local food communities are being strengthened through the support of local purveyors, and let’s not forget the biggest reward of all: cus­tomers are eating better quality food. While foraging may not be the future of food production, there’s no doubt that incorporating this practice into cooking is a step in the right direction.

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[Locally foraged mushrooms are plentiful in northern California. It is during the peak chanterelle season that we splurge and make this wonderfully rich and delicate soup.]

[Serves 4]

INGREDIENTS [soup]

[Garnish] 4 Tbsp hazelnuts, toasted and chopped Drizzle extra virgin olive oil

METHOD Sweat leeks and onion in a pot with the butter, salt, pepper,

thyme and sage. Cook until soft and translucent. Add mush­rooms and cook until soft over low heat.

Add dry sherry. Cook for 5 minutes. Add vegetable stock. Simmer for 20 minutes. In a blender puree soup to a smooth consistency.

Add some more vegetable stock if soup seems too thick. Taste. Adjust seasoning as necessary. If needed, add a splash more dry sherry for sweetness and acidity.

Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle the toasted hazelnuts and drizzle some virgin olive oil over the top.

Executive Chef Peter McNee Poggio Trattoria Sausalito, CA

CHANTERELLE MUSHROOM SOUP

1 leek, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1/4 lb unsalted butter 2 lbs chanterelle mush­rooms, cleaned

1 sprig of thyme 1 sprig of sage 2 cups vegetable stock 1/2 cup dry sherry Salt and pepper to taste

PHOTO BY SARA KRAUS

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Food AllergyFrenzy How Restaurants Can

Christina Mueller Welter Accommodate Diners Coping with fussy customers is hard enough; figuring While Stirring Creativity out a way to serve a client with one or more food allergies

can be downright confusing. Allergy testing and diagnosis in the Kitchen continues to improve and more people than ever before are in touch with where their food comes from and how it im­pacts their overall health. What does this mean for chefs and food professionals? How can your kitchen become “al­lergen safe?” These are increasingly valuable questions to pose as diners become more and more aware of what they should and should not eat, whether cooking in their own home or enjoying a meal out.

Reason to embrace change – rising demand Chefs who have built allergen-free menus embraced the

issue for various reasons. Owner Adriana Lopez Vermut of Pica Pica Maize Kitchen in Napa and San Francisco opened her first Venezuelan restaurant three years ago. Her menu re­volves around the triad of Venezuelan cuisine – corn, plan­tains and yucca – and the menu offers only one wheat bread. Customers intolerant or allergic to wheat and its allergen-inducing protein, gluten, noticed and thanked her for providing a menu that suited their specialized needs.

Shortly afterwards, Vermut’s grandmother was diag­nosed with celiac disease, an auto-immune disorder of the small intestine caused by a reaction to gliadin, a gluten-containing protein found in wheat and related grains, and she began to seriously research the issue. “We were already there, it made sense,” said Vermut. The combination of Venezuelan cuisine’s gluten-free friendly character, in addi­tion to Vermut’s family history, made Pica Pica’s decision to support the fight against celiac disease through the North Bay Celiacs and participate in the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness’ GREAT kitchens certification program a no-brainer.

Whatever reason diners choose to follow particular di­etary guidelines while dining out, it is key that kitchens are ready to accommodate their requests without sacrificing the quality of their food; despite the obstacles inherent within the cuisine of the restaurant. Many chefs may assume that Italian dishes would be especially difficult to alter to diner’s allergy-specific demands due to its heavy emphasis on pasta, meat and dairy-based ingredients; but specialty purveyors have made the transition between traditional cooking methods and

‘‘It’s kind of like an Iron

’’of RM Seafood on diet-restrictive customers.

Chef challenge – we have an extensive pantry and a lot of weapons so we can make something happen on the spot. Executive Chef Adam Sobel

gluten-free preparations an easy adjustment.

A prime example is BelGioioso Cheese, which offers over 30 different Italian cheeses ranging from aged asi­ago to fresh ricotta con latte, all of which are not only based on authentic Italian recipes and the freshest milk, but they are also entirely gluten-free. A per­fect accompaniment to pasta and a main ingredient in many of Italian dishes is parmesan. Known as the “King of Italian” cheese, BelGioiosio’s 10 month-aged parmesan is made with without animal rennet, making it a suit­able substitute in dishes for both celiac and vegetarian diners alike. This parmesan has won many awards over the years, most recently bringing home 1st Place in the 2010 World Champi­onship Cheese Contest and 2nd place from the American Cheese Society.

Finding ways to work with customers’ needs while maintaining the high standards of your restaurant’s cui­sine is a recipe that many chefs are successfully execut­ing. In San Diego, Executive Chef Mario Cassineri at Bice recognizes that “pasta is such a comfort food to many. We want people to enjoy their food without feel­ing like they have to give up certain items. We strive to cater to all diners.” As a result, Chef Mario’s kitchen of­fers an Italian menu, which includes gluten-free versions of all Primi Piatti since the restaurant’s opening day in October 2009.

In San Diego, Executive Chef Mario Cassineri at Bice recognizes that “pasta is such a comfort food to many. We want people to enjoy their food without feeling like they have to give up certain items. We strive to cater to all din­ers.” As a result, Chef Mario’s kitchen offers an Italian menu, which includes gluten-free versions of all Primi Pi­atti since the restaurant’s opening day in October 2009.

Which system is right for your restaurant? Susan Weaver, partner at Mon Ami Gabi in Las

Vegas, says her restaurant instituted an “allergy alert system” over eight years ago. The Lettuce Entertain You (LEYE) family of restaurants, which includes Mon Ami

Gabi and Joe’s Seafood, has a well-established “pink slip” system in place to communicate allergies from the front of the house to the back.

Once a customer expresses an allergy, the server at­taches a hot pink slip of paper to the order with the table and position number and enters the allergy alert on the POS system with an “allergy alert button.” From here, the accountability to produce a “clean” dish goes to the floor manager and the kitchen manager who “must sign off before anything is cooked” said Weaver. After the order is prepared, the pink slip is attached to the dish and the runner is told to which position to de­liver the dish. According to Quillen, “the pink slip is at­tached to the house copy of the receipt so if a customer calls afterward to say “they had a reaction,” we can di­rectly address it.

Not every restaurant will need to develop such an elaborate system. Take Sascha Weiss, Executive Chef for the Plant Café Organic in San Francisco, who tests new staff on the restaurant’s menu and re-checks all staff knowledge every three months. “We leave the gluten-free and vegan symbols off the menu and ask the server to ID which ones are gluten-free or dairy-free,” he said.

At RM Seafood in Las Vegas, the process to accommo­date diners with particular food allergies tends to be impro­vised, acting as a great tool to stir creativity in his kitchen.

Gluten-Free Calamarata Pasta with Clams & Squash Blossoms from Executive Chef Mario Cassineri of BICE Ristorante (Above) Shrimp Mojito Cocktail with Avocado-Wasabi Sorbet from Executive Chef Jeff Rossman of Terra Restaurant in San Diego. in San Diego. Please see page 44 for recipe. Photography by www.amykfellows.com For recipe, please visit www.culinarytrends.net. Photography by Paul Body

Allergies, continued from Previous Page

Executive Chef Adam Sobel admits he has “no plan” to first, then re-vamp menu. Don’t change prep. Tweak first; Vermut works with Bay Area-based HIPP Kitchen Small vs. big obstacles to kitchen change deal with a diet-restricted customer but says “it’s kind of take off breading, pan roast, then look at each ingredient and is in regular communication with local celiac like an Iron Chef challenge – we have an extensive pantry in a dish. Is it necessary to the composition or is it a back- communities. Small changes to your kitchen in order to accommo­and a lot of weapons so we can make something happen ground flavor that can be eliminated?” Weaver, whose kitchen at Mon Ami Gabi saw a date diner allergies can make a significant difference. on the spot. Not every dish is a home run,” he continued, Chef Sascha developed a similar process. For a dish huge spike in demand for gluten-free menu items this Chef Sascha conducts additional recipe testing to ensure “but it is a great way to check the skills of your Sous and to be successful, he chooses to “change one ingredient at year, realized it was time to take the allergy alert system that allergen-free recipes meet his standards of “100 per-provides inspiration for new dishes.” a time and go step by step to isolate the flavor and make “to the next level.” She called the University of cent organic, seasonal and delicious.” Chef Adam keeps

sure any change can be attributed to the correct new in- Chicago Celiac Disease Center to understand what numerous gluten-free grains, nut flours and rice noodles Building a repertoire of allergen-free offerings gredient.” The result can be cleaner flavors. “If you have gluten-sensitive people want. “What they really want is on hand. The pantry of Joe’s Seafood is stocked with

What if you can’t risk not hitting a grand-slam every beautiful vegetables, butter can sometimes mask the sub- to eat like everyone else and not feel separate and dif- some raw materials, un-prepped every night, so a dish time? Chef Adam advises, “Do your research, note the tleties of flavor,” said Chef Adam. “Use just a little olive ferent.” She researched and found a fabulous gluten- can be changed on the spot. Terra’s team no longer trends, go to the market and find great product that is natu- oil and salt and right away you have a dairy-free side free bread from Rose’s Bakery “that fits our standards thickens their soups with gluten-based flours but uses rice rally gluten-free or dairy-free, keep an exciting pantry.” dish.” And just as importantly, an improved taste. of quality for food; we are proud to serve it,” she said. or potato flour and asks his staff to switch cutting boards

Weaver does offer her gluten intolerant customers a for allergen-specific orders. Paying similar attention to Executive Chef Jeff Rossman of Terra in San Diego, has offered an allergen-aware menu since he opened the Pick your battles: you can’t please everyone separate gluten-free menu and a unique amuse. “The detail, the kitchen of Mon Ami Gabi lines sheet pans with restaurant 12 years ago. He concurs with Chef Adam ex- “You can’t be friendly to all allergies,” said Pica gluten-free amuse on gluten-free bread acknowledges aluminum foil to create an allergen-free baking surface. plaining that “I look at ingredients, at flavor profiles, at Pica’s Vermut. “Pick one or two and seek out a pro- that we heard their message and makes the guest feel Although these are manageable modifications to

more comfortable,” she said. make, larger obstacles can arise. “The hardest thing in trends. If you don’t know an ingredient, educate yourself gram for certifying the kitchen and training the staff.”

CACHAPA PABELLON WITH CARNE PUMPKIN SEED & SPICE-CRUSTED PAN SEARED MECHADA, CARAOTAS NEGRAS & TEMPEH WITH COCONUT MASHED YAMS & SWEET FRIED PLANTAINS TOMATILLO-AVOCADO SAUCE

INGREDIENTS [Carne Add red bell peppers move any beans mechada] and sweet peppers; cook that are broken or INGREDIENTS [coconut chopped. Reserve until METHOD 2 lbs skirt steak for 1 to 2 minutes. Add bad. mashed yams] needed. Preheat oven to 350ºF. 1 Tbsp vegetable oil crushed tomatoes, Worces- In a large pot, 2 qt yams, peeled and rough Mix all of the marinade in­1 tsp garlic, diced tershire sauce, salt, pepper add black beans, chop [Tomatillo-avocado sauce] gredients together and 1 cup white onion, diced and cumin. Add ketchup water to cover by 1/2 cup coconut milk 1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, cleaned pour marinade over tem­1/2 cup green onions (only and slow cook for 5 min- 2 inches, quar­ 1 Tbsp garlic, chopped and eye removed (Laguna peh in a baking dish, white part), thinly sliced utes. tered onion and 2 Tbsp olive oil Farm) cover. 1/2 cup red bell pepper, Add shredded beef to red pepper; bring Sea salt and black pepper to 1/2 cup red onion, diced Bake for 1 1/2 hours, seeded and diced vegetables, mix well and let to a boil. Simmer taste 3 cloves of garlic, peeled cool to room temperature. 1/2 cup sweet peppers cook for about 45 minutes; for 1 hour or and stem removed Store tempeh in reaming 2 cups of crushed tomatoes stir frequently towards the until beans have METHOD 1 1/2 jalapenos,diced (cold) liquid and reserve 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce end so that it doesn’t stick softened. Do not Boil yams in salted water 1 1/2 avocados,diced until needed. 2 tsp salt to the pan. salt or beans will until soft. Sauté the garlic in 1/4 cup cilantro, washed 1/2 tsp black ground pepper be dehydrated. oil until lightly browned. 1 Tbsp lime juice ASSEMBLY 1/8 tsp ground cumin INGREDIENTS [Caraotas Remove onion Drain potatoes and mash Salt to taste 1/2 cup yellow summer 1 Tbsp ketchup Negras] and red bell pep- with sautéed garlic, coconut squash, 1/4 inch half

2 cups black beans per. Add pa- milk and salt METHOD rounds (Laguna Farm) METHOD Water pelón, salt, Combine all ingredients in 1/2 cup gypsy pepper,

Fill a large pot with water 1 onion, quartered pepper and more 1 cup of vegetable oil ASSEMBLY INGREDIENTS [corn meal- bowl, then puree in a sliced (River Dog) and add the cleaned skirt 1 green pepper, seeded and water and continue to cook, 1 small deep frying pot Add beans, then meat pumpkin seed crust] blender.Taste for salt and 2 baby leeks (Animalitios steak and cook until the quartered skimming any white foam and then 3 to 4 pieces of 1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds, acid, adjust as needed. Farm),tossed in olive oil, meat is soft. Approximately 1 clove garlic, finely diced that forms at the top. Cook METHOD plantains over half of the not toasted salt and pepper and grilled 1 1/2 hours (30 minutes if 1 Tbsp papelón (unrefined until beans are very soft. Peel plantain and cut 1/4 cachapa. Sprinkle queso 1 cup corn meal (Giusto’s) [Tempeh marinade] PHOTO BY SARA KRAUS

using a pressure cooker). sugar cane) In a sauté pan, cook inch off each end. Cut plan- fresco or any white cheese 1 Tbsp cumin, toasted and 3 cups red wine METHOD ground 3 qt vegetable stock Cut marinated tempeh in and garlic; add about 1/2 vegetables. Portion 2 ounces Once meat is soft, re- Salt bacon until soft-crisp and tain in diagonal 1/2 inch if desired. Fold over and

move from stove, drain and Pepper add to black beans. Add segments. Place the oil in serve hot. 1 Tbsp paprika 1 cup tamari soy sauce half, then across on the di- cup summer squash, and of tomatillo-avocado sauce 1 Tbsp salt (San-J) agonal, into 4 pieces. 1/2 cup peppers. in a ramekin and place nextlet cool. Once cooled, 1/4 cup thick bacon, cut in onion and garlic to remain- small pot and heat to high

shred the meat in small, small pieces (may be re- ing bacon fat and cook until temperature for frying. Chef and Owner 1/2 tsp cayenne 1 Tbsp garlic, minced Dredge tempeh in cornmeal In a white bowl, portion to vegetables. short pieces. moved for vegetarians) browned. Add to black Carefully place plantain Adrianna Lopez Vermut 2 Tbsp mustard mix, pan fry in canola oil on about 1 cup of coconut

In a pan, heat oil and add Vegetable oil beans and stir. pieces in oil; fry until Pica Pica Maize Kitchen METHOD 1/2 Tbsp chili flake both sides, drain oil, finish mashed yams, lay the tem- Executive Chef Combine all ingredients in a 2 Tbsp sugar in 400ºF oven for 6 to 7 peh on top of the yams (at a Sascha Weiss garlic, white onion and pieces are golden, dark Napa & San Francisco, CA16 17

green onions; cook for METHOD INGREDIENTS [sweet fried brown. Remove plantains the bowl of a food processor 32 oz Tempeh (Wildwood minutes. 45º angle). Place hot veg- THE PLANT cafe organic about 7 minutes or until Place beans in a bowl plantains] from oil; drain on paper and process until combined soy rice 8 oz package) In a medium sauté pan, heat etable (including the leeks) San Francisco, CA soft and transparent. and rinse with water. Re- 1 ripe plantain towel. and pumpkin seeds are well- a small amount of olive oil on the left side of the tempeh/

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Allergies, continued from Previous Page

my kitchen was training the kitchen staff, as culturally, Latin Americans are not sensitive to these issues,” said Vermut. Baking with non-wheat flours can be more costly also, “up to 30 percent more than wheat-based ingredients,” said Chef Mario, “but we are proud to have it as part of our product mix.”

Similarly, Weaver wanted her gluten-free customers to enjoy as much of the regular menu as possible, in­cluding the French fries. The risk of contamination with the fryer is high and hard to control so “we had to look at dedicating a fryer to our gluten-free customers.” The result was a small fry daddy on the front line, managed by the Sous. “We call them ‘shallow fries’ so our cus­tomer knows it comes from a different fryer.”

Customer communication is key Alerting customers to your allergen-free menu

items can lead to additional business. Weiss lists gluten-free and vegan items in print and online versions of the

menu. Both Weaver and Quillen created gluten-free menus and feature them on their websites. “After we put up the menu, we were contacted by the Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide, and we regularly see gluten-free cus­tomers as a result,” said Quillen.

At a time when every customer through the door is important, small changes to your business can mean additional customers. “We don’t want to turn away any guest and we do what we can to make them happy,” said Chef Mario. This may mean steering a customer away from a certain dish. “Communicate with the guest about what your kitchen can and can’t do, recommend alternatives, listen to your customer,” said Quillen. “Know what you can deliver,” suggests Weaver. Hope­fully, for the sake of both allergy-sensitive diners and your restaurant’s bottom line, your kitchen can answer “yes” the next time a guest asks, “is this gluten-free?” Not only will they be healthier, but your business will be too.

ONION SOUP AU GRATIN

[Serves 4]

INGREDIENTS 4 lbs Spanish onions, sliced 1 Tbsp garlic, chopped 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 cup white wine 1 qt chicken stock 2 qt beef broth Salt & pepper 8 croutons of gluten-free French bread, toasted dry 1/2 cup Jarlsberg cheese 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese

METHOD Sauté onions and garlic with the

bay leaf in a roasting pan with oil.

Caramelize slowly in the oven to develop flavor. Add white wine and allow liquid to reduce. Add chicken stock and beef broth and reduce for 1 hour to develop flavor. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place soup in four oven/broiler­proof bowls and place 2 thin toasted baguette slices on top of soup. Cover bread with 2 oz of Jarlsberg and Gruyere cheese blend. Brown the cheese in the oven under the broiler.

Chef and Partner Susan Weaver Mon Ami Gabi Las Vegas, NV

RAW RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE WITH BLACKBERRY-BLACK PEPPER COULIS

[Serves 12] 1 cup agave (Aunt Patty’s raw blue agave)

[NOTE: Before starting the recipe, 2 cups young coconut, cut into 1/4 place coconut oil in water bath (not inch dice (approx. 3 coconuts) hotter than 100ºF) until melted. 1 3/4 cup coconut oil, melted (Nu-Also, thaw 1 1/2 lbs frozen raspber- tiva) ries at room temp for the raspberry 1 tsp vanilla extract puree. 1/8 tsp sea salt

Cake will need to be frozen for at least 12 hours to make it easier to METHOD slice.] Combine raspberry puree, agave,

vanilla and salt and drained INGREDIENTS [pecan crust] cashews in the body of a high 1 1/3 cups pecans, raw speed blender (i.e vita mix). Puree 1/3 cup Medjool dates, pitted and until smooth; next add coconut finely chopped meat. Puree again until smooth. 1/4 tsp salt Add coconut oil and blend on low

until combined. Pour into a cake METHOD pan, smoothing the top with a spat-

Chop pecans in food processor ula. Place cheesecake in freezer into a coarse meal. Add pre- until set chopped dates and salt and process until it sticks together. Press crust [Blackberry black pepper sauce] firmly and evenly into the bottom of 1 pt blackberries a 9-inch false bottom cake pan. 1/4 cup agave, or to taste

PHOTO BY SARA KRAUS 1/8 tsp black pepper, ground fine [Raspberry cake] 2 cups cashews, raw, soaked METHOD ASSEMBLY Executive Chef overnight, then drained Blend blackberries with agave Slice the cake into 12 slices. Deco- Sascha Weiss 2 cups raspberry puree, strained and black pepper and strain; taste for rate the plate with blackberry sauce THE PLANT cafe organic (aprox. 1-1/2 lb frozen raspberries) sweetness. Reserve until needed. and sliced fruit of choice. San Francisco, CA

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SLOW COOKED WILD STRIPED BASS WITH LATE SUMMER CORN, CRISPY HOMINY & CHANTERELLES

[Serves 4]

INGREDIENTS [Mouseline] 1 lb bass scraps 1 cup cream 1 egg white 2 tsp salt 1 Tbsp chives

METHOD Place scraps in freezer

until very cold and then place in Robo coupe. Process fish with salt and chives then slowly add egg completely off fish and cre- roll into a medium sized juicer and strain through a butter, parmesan and lime white. The mixture should ate a perfect rectangle of vacuum bag and seal under chinois; then combine with juice. Pass through fine be homogenous; then bass with skin still at- medium. Cook at 58ºC for truffle oil. Combined liquid sieve, season again and slowly add cream and tached. 14 minutes. Once cooked should be about 2 1/2 qt. cool. process for 1 minute. Season fish with salt and through, remove from bag Slowly cook corn and truffle

pepper; then generously and pat dry, then lightly oil until reduced to 1/2 [Baby Corn] [Wild striped bass] spread herb mouseline on sauté in brown butter before quart. The mixture should 20 pieces baby corn 1-4 lb filet the flesh of the fish. When serving. be thick. While hot, place in Lemon verbena

completely covered, begin vitaprep blender and puree 2 oz butter METHOD to wrap fish with its skin [Corn Pudding] with truffle butter, regular Salt and peppe

Split filet down center of into a roulade with plastic 11 ears of corn, shucked Executive Chef Adam Sobelblood line without cutting wrap. Tightly tie each end 4 oz truffle oil

RM Seafoodthrough skin. Remove belly and be sure to remove ex-Las Vegas, NV portion and reserve for cess air. When rolled and METHOD

See Web site for complete recipe: www.culinarytrends.net mouseline. Trim blood line secured in plastic, place Put shucked corn through

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Getting intoGetting into thethe GameGame

Successfully Integrating Game Meats into Your Menu

Hank Shaw Filling the gap has been a cohort of risk-taking ranch­ers who have tinkered with the tricky task of ranching game animals – notably bison, elk, exotic species of deer and os-When the weather cools, we think of game: venison, trich (even though a bird) – are treated more like venison inwild boar, elk, rabbit, duck, pheasant, quail – wild ingredi­the kitchen. Broken Arrow Ranch in Texas is a notable gameents that are the flavors of winter. Adding game meats to purveyor, where many of America’s best chefs source theirfall and winter menus has been standard practice in venison and wild boar. Elk ranches in Colorado and deerkitchens since there were restaurants. This is true even in farms in the Midwest fill in the gaps. Incidentally, mostthe West where we are largely immune to the frosty winters ranched deer is not native to the United States. Rather, it isfaced by the rest of the country. After all, the fall and win-typically African Nilgai antelope, Eurasian Axis also knownter is hunting season. as fallow deer, or European red deer (cervena), which isStill, adding game meats to a modern menu can be often imported from New Zealand where the species wasrisky, depending on what sort of restaurant you run. Game brought from the United Kingdom in the late 1800s.can be expensive, sometimes exceedingly so. It’s impossi-

These days the only way a restaurant can legally putbly lean, going from perfect to spoiled in a matter of sec­true wild game on a menu is to either import the meatonds, making this a difficult set of meats to leave in the from Europe as is done with wild hares and many exotichands of your line cooks. Sourcing game consistently can game birds, or to have diners bring their game in them-be a problem, especially if you aim to be all local, all the selves. Several Northern California restaurants do this,time. Finally, game meats have a limited appeal to diners such as Sacramento restaurants, Frank Fat’s and Grange. Araised on chicken, beef and pork. guest, typically a hunter, calls ahead and sets up a dinnerBut game can be a hit on your menu: It’s done all over party, bringing in the game meat several days in advance,the West, ranging from restaurants that feature game as a followed by a game feast cooked by the chef. Legally, theprominent part of their experience, like the Tractor Room restaurant can do this because the customer is paying forin San Diego, or just as a seasonal accent, as Taste does in the chef ’s skill in preparation, as well as for all the accom­the wine country of Amador County. paniments to the dinner. Prices for a multi-course meal like this typically start at $30 per person.“Wild” game

A century ago, swanky restaurants all over America Cold weather meat, hot weather climateregularly featured canvasback ducks, local venison, even

mountain goat. Wild game was abundant, and it was often Western chefs have a special challenge to serving cheaper for a restaurateur to put venison on a menu than game meats: For the most part, the West is warm, espe­it was to feature beef. By the 1920s, however, true wild cially in summer. Las Vegas and Sacramento can easily game was so depleted in America that the sale of it was reach 105 degrees on a summer’s day, which is not ideal outlawed, a ban that remains in effect today. for braised game stews.

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Executive Chef Sophiane Benaouda’s Roast Venison with Potato & Squash Dauphinois Gratin from Grand Cafe Brasserie & Bar in San Francisco. See page 43 for recipe. Photography by Sara Kraus

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Game, continued from Previous Page APPLE CIDER & RUM CURED WILD BOAR LIGHTLY SMOKED WITH STONE GROUND WHITE POLENTA, HONEY-BLACK PEPPER ROASTED PEAR APPLE JACK PAN JUS

Chef KC Fazel of Tender, in the Luxor Hotel and co-owner Johnny Rivera have created a space that Casino in Vegas, keeps things light by offering a tapas- screams game: dark wood panels, lots of “brown liquor” [Serves 6] and rub lightly with brown like tasting trio of a braised Nilgai antelope shank, at the bar, a cigar-friendly environment. “It actually sugar and mixed pepper-seared Axis venison medallion and grilled boar tender- looks like a hunting lodge,” Beardslee said. INGREDIENTS corns. Sprinkle rum on bothloin, all served with chutney and a huckleberry sauce. “I really wanted to do something different with 6, 6-8 oz loin portions of sides and let sit for at least 1 Chef Gloria Ciccarone-Nehls of Big 4 in San Francisco meat,” he said. And that’s exactly what Beardslee and wild boar or wild boar rib hour. Hot smoke the boar for also serves her venison with huckleberries. Rivera did. Cutting-edge dishes such as crispy-fried elk chops at least 40 to 45 minutes,

Fazel loves his dish because “between the three, sausage ravioli with a demi-glace cream and boar-and- Apple cider brine (see only to impart flavor. The you get three different meat components and three dif- mashed potato spring rolls, as well as homey offerings like below) meat should still be raw after ferent cooking methods.” He says this dish has been so venison meatloaf and buffalo quesadillas, take the typical 3 whole pears, peeled, it is smoked. It will later be popular because it is a low-stress way for the uninitiated game meat dish to a new level. The Tractor Room’s bar seeded and halved pan seared. to try game. “People don’t want a huge piece of meat follows in the footsteps of the kitchen, offering a Bloody White corn polenta (seethey have to be committed to,” he said. Mary that uses a strip of venison jerky as a stirring stick. below) [Honey-pepper roasted

Chef Mark Berkner of Taste adjusts to the seasons Beardslee says many of his customers come to the 2 cups brown chicken stock pears]by typically putting venison on the menu only in au- Tractor Room specifically for the game. “It’s totally the or veal stock 6 pear halves, peeled, seedstumn. “It’s deer season, so it makes sense,” he said, reason they walk in the door.” scooped out and de-veined“venison is on people’s minds right now.” Amador Chef Sophiane Benaouda of the Grand Café in San [Apple Cider Brine] 3/4 cup honeyCounty can still be in the 80s or even 90s in Fall, so he Francisco takes a slightly lighter approach to featuring 3 cups apple cider or fresh 1/2 cup wateroffers a venison carpaccio with orange zest, thyme, ca- game. “Just to be different,” Benaouda created a “game apple juice 1/4 cup cider vinegarpers, good local olive oil and arugula. night” about a year ago, letting him flex his French­ 10 oz Martinelli’s sparkling Pinch salt

trained muscles, since the French are widely considered cider 1/4 teaspoon black pepperthe masters of game cookery after all; at least in the 1 qt water 1 Tbsp each lemon and or-Novelty or mainstay? Western tradition. 3 oz kosher salt ange juice

Berkner only uses game sparingly on his menu since Benaouda plays within the French tradition, using 1/4 cup soy sauce 1 small piece ginger root, Tender is primarily a steakhouse. Contrast that with San pheasant, venison and boar, often in classic dishes such 6 oz light brown sugar thinly slicedDiego’s Tractor Room, where Chef Andy Beardslee has as salmis, which requires that the sauce be thickened 1 piece ginger root, thinly Pinch ground cinnamon made game the mainstay of his restaurant’s menu. with the animal’s blood. Benaouda says he often leaves sliced 1 cinnamon stick

The Tractor Room is not what you’d think of when this little detail out of the menu description. 3 garlic cloves, smashed 2 Tbsp oilyou imagine a “San Diego restaurant.” Beardslee and See Game, Continued on Page 24 2 to 3 crushed juniper

berries METHOD 1 cinnamon stick Preheat oven to 400°F. In 2 whole cloves and 2 bay a small saucepan, bring all leaves above except for the pears to

VENISON CARPACCIO WITH 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon a boil. Simmer for a fewORANGE & ARUGULA 4 thyme sprigs minutes.

3 Tbsp brandy Lay the pear halves in a [Serves 4 appetizer Toss arugula with pinch of 1 Tbsp maple syrup baking dish that will accom­portions] shallot, juice of orange, drizzle of

modate six pear halves. Pour olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. METHOD 1 cup of syrup mixture over METHOD When oil is hot, add the mar- whole butter and whisk it into

INGREDIENTS Mound arugula on center of veni-Bring the above to a boil pears and coat well. Bring the first 5 ingredi- inated wild boar. Brown the the sauce. Remove from

6-8oz venison top round, son and leave edges exposed. in a saucepan with the ex- Place in the oven and roast ents to a boil. Add polenta meat on both sides and then heat until ready to serve.

trimmed of all silver skin Drizzle olive oil around veni­ception of brandy and maple for 15 to 20 minutes, turning and whisk occasionally until transfer to another pan and Check seasoning for salt

1 orange, juiced and zested son. Sprinkle orange zest over oil syrup. Add brandy and once during cooking process. thick, this will take about 20 place in a 400°F oven for and pepper.

2 oz good quality extra virgin and sprinkle shallots over zest. maple syrup. Strain and They should be nicely minutes. Stir in corn kernels about 4 to 5 minutes to fin- Place 1/2 cup polenta on

olive oil Sprinkle pinch of salt and pepper cool. caramelized on the outside and cook one minute. ish cooking. the center of each plate.

4 Tbsp shallot, chopped over shallots. Serve immediately. and soft inside. Reserve them Add cheddar last and Keep meat warm outside Slice the wild boar and lay4 Tbsp capers, rinsed and Venison may be pounded

[Brine and marinade] as a garnish for the boar. whisk until smooth. Mixture of the oven once it is the slices down one side ofchopped ahead of time and placed on

1/2 cup light brown sugar should be very thick. Set cooked, until ready to serve. each plate. Garnish with one2 oz baby arugula, rinsed and plates. Wrap each plate with

Freshly ground mixed pep- [White corn polenta] aside in the same pan until Since the boar is brined, it is pear half. Spoon the sauce dried plastic wrap and stack on top of

percorns 2 1/2 cups water ready to plate. recommended serving it around boar slices and the Quality sea salt one another. Keep in refrigerator

1/2 cup dark rum 1/2 tsp salt slightly pink in the center. plate.Fresh ground black pepper below 41°F for up to 2 hours be­

1 Tbsp whole butter ASSEMBLY Meanwhile, drain the fatfore service.

METHOD 2 tsp garlic, chopped 2 Tbsp canola oil off of the pan and add 2 cups Executive ChefMETHOD Don’t serve raw venison carpac-

In a non corrosive pan, 1/8 tsp white pepper 1/2 stick butter brown chicken stock or light Gloria Ciccarone-Nehls Slice venison thinly and place cio after 4 hours of preparation.

add boar to cooled brine. Let 1/2 cup coarse white polenta 2 cups light veal stock or veal stock. Reduce this until The Big 4 at Huntingtonbetween pieces of plastic wrap;

sit completely submerged in 1/2 cup frozen or fresh corn brown chicken stock it starts to thicken and add 2 Hotel and Nob Hill Spapound gently until very thin. Executive Chef & Owner22 brine overnight or at least for kernels ounces of apple brandy to San Francisco, CA 23Shingle 2 oz slices of venison Mark Berkener

12 hours. Rinse meat and pat 1/2 cup white sharp cheddar Get a 12” sauté pan very pan. When the sauce is look-around center of four Taste Restaurant

dry. Lie on a baking sheet cheese, grated hot. Add some canola oil. ing reduced, add 1/2 stick of chilled plates. Plymouth, CA

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Game, continued from Page 22

“We took a big risk in the first two months,” he said. “Peo­ple were like, ‘Oh, I’m not sure about game.’ Now? We sell out in half an hour. People just want to try things.”

Challenges In a word, consistency. The single toughest problem facing

a chef who wants to make game a prominent part of a menu is getting the product regularly and at consistent quality.

“They don’t want it one week to be one way, then in an­other week be another way,” said Chef John Paul Khoury of Preferred Meats, a regional purveyor.

Price is another factor. Khoury says the sagging economy has driven many ranchers out of business, sending the price of even the normally reasonable New Zealand cervena through the roof. “I get calls for venison, but when I drop the bomb on them in terms of cost, they kind of hem and haw,” he said. “If it dropped $10 a pound, I’d have chefs all over it.”

This is why Berkner only runs venison occasionally. “The market will only bear such a price,” he said. “It’s so expensive.”

Beardslee gets around this by buying primals, sometimes whole animals. By featuring cheaper cuts like boar shoulder, he keeps his food costs down. “It does not have to be an expensive piece to make it good,” he said. It’s just more work – and don’t be afraid of the work you have to put in.”

Chef Tuohy of Grange in Sacramento faces another chal­lenge to those wanting to feature game: in the West, it can be im­possible to find it locally. Grange’s ethic is all-local, all the time, and while Tuohy says he loves to work with venison or wild boar, he’d have to get it from Texas – too far for a locavore restaurant.

Advice For Chef Beardslee, the bottom line to being successful

with game is to buy whole cuts, even whole animals, and use them in a variety of dishes. One night might be a special on loins, another a stew with leg or shoulder, and the rest can wind up on a charcuterie plate or in a ragu.

Chef Fazel’s approach is to offer small plates as a way for diners to dip into game lightly without committing to it for their entire meal.

Despite each chef ’s individual take on game meat, every­one stressed the importance of training both line cooks and wait staff about the special nature of game meats. As a result of their lean character, they are unforgiving on the fire and fine cuts should never, ever be served beyond medium.

The chefs also noted that different markets will react to dif­ferent presentations. A game meat preparation using modernist technology – transglutaminase, sous vide, etc – might work on some audiences and fail utterly in another. Some markets and restaurants demand a more classic approach, but even within that stricture there is room for creativity.

“You have to take risks and stand up for what you’re doing,” said Benaouda of Grand Café. “You need to know the product and you need to try everything. If you don’t, you will never come up with new ideas.”

Similarly, Fazel advises to “Study up on game, research it. Don’t be afraid just because you haven’t dealt with game before. Experiment.” If your kitchen has not already worked with wild boar, antelope, venison and elk, it’s time to get into the game.

WILD BOAR SPRING ROLL WITH PEANUT THAI DRESSING

INGREDIENTS [wild boar spring roll filling] 1 cup mashed potatoes 1 cup smoked mozzarella cheese 1 cup braised wild boar shoulder 1/2 cup roasted tomatoes 1/3 cup caramelized onions 2 Tbsp olive oil Salt and pepper

METHOD Mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Roll into spring roll wrappers. Roll spring rolls in corn starch and fry in 350°F oil for 5 to 7 min­utes. Cut and serve on bed of chopped lettuce.

[Thai dressing] 3/4 cup red onion, chopped 1/2 cup Spanish peanuts 1/2 cup roasted cashews 1/4 cup chives METHOD Executive Chef & Owner 1 cup soy sauce Blend first five ingredients together until Craig “Andy” Beardslee 1 cup toasted sesame seed oil smooth, then slowly pour in sesame oil. Add The Tractor Room 1 cup sour cream sour cream and blend until smooth. San Diego, CA

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Holiday Catering

Trends

Contemporary Classics Inspired by

Winter’s Greatest Hits

Lily Ko

Just as caterers finish serving their last “I do’s,” they start preparing for the onslaught of festive parties that comes with each holiday season. The holidays are a time of warmth and family, so it’s no surprise that year after year, customers always request comfort foods. For catering chefs, today’s challenge is in using farm-to-table ingredi­ents and modern techniques to create a party full of up­dated classics.

Turkey...with a twist Catering offers a level of intimacy that clients and

event planners find particularly appealing, especially with the holidays right around the corner. As Christian Noto, chef and owner of Jersey Tomatoes and Split Pea Seduction in San Francisco, puts it, “You go to a restau­rant and you have a room, but with catering, your event can be at home and will have a family feel.” And what

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better way to get that family feel than through hearty, delicious comfort food?

“People want richer meats this time of year,” says Carmelle Pina, Catering Manager for Urban Kitchen Catering in Los Angeles. “They want the kind of stuff that grandma made.” Taking her own advice, that is just what Pina did. While brainstorming holiday menu items with UKC’s Chef Joe Magnanelli and Owner Tracy Borkum, she chose to merge two classics this year, developing a modern turkey pot pie.

Rebecca Jean Alonzi, chef and owner of Seasonal Ele­gance in San Francisco agrees, “During the holidays, peo­ple want really well-executed classics.” Instead of turkey, Chef Alonzi likes to serve her beef with horseradish, which is a year round favorite, but is especially in demand around the holidays. “People are increasingly interested in fresh food,” says Chef Alonzi. “Our customer really trusts us to impress them.”

Executive Chef Jean Pierre Giron of Gourmet Celebrations in Las Vegas trusts his clients will enjoy his

sophisticated take on turkey when they request the cus­tomary dish for the holidays. He introduces updated flavors, like cranberry chutney with ginger, lemon and orange sauce to the typically predictable dish, present­ing guests with an entrée that is worthy of special occasions.

While turkey is traditional for many Americans, there is no questioning that America is a melting pot of people and cuisines. For Chef Sylvan Mishima Brackett, who spent six years at Chez Panisse as Alice Waters’ right hand man, Japanese food brings comfort and childhood mem­ories. Last year, he started Peko Peko, an Oakland cater­ing company that specializes in earthy, simple Japanese food.

At Chez Panisse’s holiday party that Peko Peko catered last year, Sylvan served handmade soba noodles with hot duck and wild mushroom broth. Whether it’s turkey with a twist or Japanese style duck, clever culinary balance of new and old comfort is sure to brighten the holiday season.

Owner & Chef Rebecca Alonzi ’’ of Seasonal Elegance Catering

‘‘One of the things that is so phenomenal about catering is that you have the opportunity to build an event from the ground up, around the food.

The mobile kitchen

While catering chefs put balance into their menus, their kitchens tend to be less so. Most venues don’t come with the luxuries of a commercial kitchen with prep tables, walk-in refrigerators – the works that most restaurant chefs are lucky enough to have access to. Thus, catering is a constantly changing battlefield and chefs have to adapt.

“You can’t just go in and cook whatever you want like you can in a restaurant,” says Chef Noto, who specializes in simple new-American cuisine. “Maybe you’re working out of a garage or a basement or on the street – regard­less, everything has to be thought out beforehand because you still have to produce the same level of quality food.”

Chef Giron, who originally trained in France, adds, “You need to create the right menu for the right loca­tion.” He says with Gourmet Celebrations they really push to finish everything on-site. “We take pride in the quality of their food and that is the only way to do it.”

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(Above) Kanemeshi (Dungeness Crab Fried Rice) from Owner & Executive Chef Sylvan Mishima Brackett of Peko-Peko Catering. (Above Right) Seared Culotte Steak with Sweet Gem Lettuce & Grapefruit Vinaigrette with Rustic Croutons, Torn Basil & Poached Farm Egg For recipe, please visit www.culinarytrends.net. Photography by Aya Brackett with Quick-Roast Sea Salt Shishito Peppers from Owner & Executive Chef Christian Noto of Jersey Tomatoes Catering. Photo by Justin Fanti

27 26

Catering, continued from Previous Page BUTTERNUT SQUASH & SAUSAGE PIZZA

INGREDIENTS [crust] bowl of Hobart stand mixer with plastic wrap for 30 1 1/4 cup sugar fitted with dough hook. Allow minutes.

His trick is to use sous-vide techniques to prepare Chef Noto agrees that more inspiration comes 3/4 cup kosher salt yeast mixture to set for 15 Preheat convection the same high-quality dishes you would find in a restau- from restaurants than from following other caterers. “I 1 1/4 cup olive oil minutes until frothy. Add half oven to 500°F, low fan. rant. “It’s never a commercial kitchen,” says Chef eat out a lot and I’m thinking all the time,” says Chef 7 1/2 cups warm water (ap- of flour (10 cups); combine Preheat two full sheet Giron. He uses sous-vide techniques to produce a first- Noto. “I think about how I can execute the food I’m prox 105°F) on low. Let set 1 hour cov- pans in oven. rate rack of lamb dish. First, the lamb is vacuum-sealed, eating in a catering environment.” 20 cups AP flour ered with plastic. Add re- On lightly floured wood then later warmed up in a water heater on-site at an Chef Noto adds, “The restaurants that are blowing 1/4 cup instant yeast maining flour, salt and mix block, use rolling pin to event in order to produce the same flavor one would me away lately are Frances, Delfina, Bar Crudo, and Corn meal for dusting on low until dough comes roll out rounds, stretching expect from a restaurant. “You need to use technology Beretta. San Francisco is such an amazing, inspirational [Equipment] together. Adjust flour/water with hands to form 6” cir-

PHOTO BY EMILY SCHWARTZ WWW.EMILYSBOOK.COM to have the same quality,” said Chef Giron. food city.” 20 qt Hobart stand mixer ratio if necessary. Once cle.

In addition to following restaurant chefs, Chef Cast iron grill pan dough forms, knead with Par bake rolled dough 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted cheese and lemon zest and Chef to chef Giron says he keeps in touch with chefs who special- Sheet pans dough hook for 10 minutes for 3 minutes on pre-heated 1 lemon, zested pulse again until blended.

With each makeshift kitchen comes a new event ize in different cuisines to keep ethnic and fusion in- Rolling pins on speed two (medium low). sheet pans dusted with corn 3 medium sized garlic Season to taste. [Toppings] Remove dough from bowl; meal. If desired, grill mark cloves, minced Top par-cooked crust with with a new menu. Catering chefs are constantly plan- spirations flowing. He also swears by the load of Pesto (recipe follows) knead by hand for 5 minutes pizza dough on cast iron grill Salt and freshly ground black pesto, roasted butternut ning, which means they need constant inspiration. In- culinary magazines he receives each month. Of

terestingly, catering chefs seem to mainly look to those, his favorite is the French publication, Thuries Mozarella and Gruyere on a floured surface. pan (reduce oven baking pepper to taste squash, bacon lardoons, sliced cheese, grated Place dough in oiled metal time by one min). Drop oven cooked sausage and gratedrestaurant chefs over other caterers, for new flavor com- Gastronomie. From the magazines, Chef Giron says, “I

binations and friendly food reconnaissance. don’t really follow recipes, but I like to see what fla- Butternut squash, 1/2” cubes bowl. Cover with plastic temp to 350°F. METHOD cheese and bake until cheese

Chef Alonzi says she gets inspiration from menus vors different chefs are mixing or what techniques and roasted wrap. Let proof on counter for Combine the basil in with is melted and dough is golden Italian sausage, cooked and 2 hours in a warm location or INGREDIENTS [basil pesto] the pine nuts, pulse in Robot brown. Finish with chopped of chefs that she respects and by dining at their restau- they are using.” As revealed by his impressive cater-sliced on the bias refrigerate 18 to 24 hours. 4 cups fresh basil leaves Coupe. Add garlic, pulse a fresh parsley or other herbs. rants. “You have to order a lot off the menu to really see ing menu, it is clear that inspiration from ingredi-Bacon brunoise, rendered Punch down dough and Packed1/2 cup freshly grated few times more until just what the chef is trying to do,” says Chef Alonzi. With a ents and other chefs’ cooking methods can be just

portion into 2 oz rounds, Parmesan-Reggiano or Ro- combined. Chef & Ownerbackground working at Quince and Epic Roasthouse, what a catering chef may need to push their holiday METHOD using digital scale. Place on mano cheese With machine running, Rebecca Alonzi Chef Alonzi sees similarity and crossover between the menu in the right direction.

Combine sugar, olive oil, lightly floured sheet pan. Let 1/2 cup or more extra virgin drizzle in olive oil in a slow Seasonal Elegance Cateringrestaurant and catering world. See Catering, Continued on Page 31 warm water, yeast in the rest at room temp, covered olive oil and steady stream. Add the San Francisco, CA

LEMONGRASS CHICKEN LOLLIPOP WITH INDONESIAN PEANUT SAUCE

• CANAPES Certified • ENTREES

USDA Facility • PASTA INGREDIENTS [lollipop] 3 Tbsp brown sugar of milk to make your 1 lb organic chicken, 4 cups unsweetened co- egg mixture

Member of • SUSHIground conut milk smoother. • DIM SUM MBE1 Tbsp kefir lime leaf, 3 Tbsp soy sauce Mix the desired • HOT HORS D’OEUVRES

finely chopped 1 Tbsp honey amount of salt and www.royalgourmetfood.com • ETHNIC-THEMED FOODS 2 Tbsp fresh lemongrass, 1/2 cup lime juice pepper to the panko, chopped 1 tsp lime zest mix well and set 1 onion, chopped 1 Tbsp fresh lemongrass, aside. Next, pour Introducing a new product from Royal Gourmet 2 Tbsp garlic, chopped chopped about 2 cups of flour 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped into a mixing bowl 1 tsp salt METHOD and set aside. Euro Plaques 2 tsp pepper Sauté onion lightly with Place a chicken lol­1 Tbsp Sriracha sauce olive oil or butter; in a lipop in the flour. 4 whole eggs large bowl, mix all the in- Cover completely.

gredients from lollipop list Use a fork or tong to [Breading] together, add salt and lift the floured lollipop process with all the pieces Lastly, deep fry lollipop 2 cups panko bread crumbs pepper to taste. out of the flour. of chicken lollipop. in soybean oil, check 2 cups flour Form small balls with Dip the floured lollipop cooking point by cutting a 4 whole eggs your hands (1/2 oz) place into the egg batter using a [Peanut sauce] lollipop in half.

the chicken lollipop on a fork. Be sure to coat thor- Mix and puree all the dry Place lollipop stick in [Peanut Sauce] tray covered with parch- oughly with the egg batter. ingredients in a food each one and serve imme- From our San Diego kitchen to So. California, Cabo San Lucas & Nationwide 1 cup roasted peanuts or ment paper. Place the floured and processor, transfer to a diately with the peanut chunky peanut butter Place the tray in the egg-battered lollipop into saucepan, and stir in co- sauce for dipping. 4 cloves garlic, chopped freezer for half an hour. the crushed panko. Use conut milk, soy sauce and INTERNATIONAL Wayne Kim 1 hot Bird’s eye chili pep- During that time beat 4 your fingers, fork or spat- honey, simmer for about Executive Chef28 ORDERS 619.255.9324 29per, chopped eggs in a mixing bowl of ula to help coat the half an hour. Cool down and Jean Pierre Giron 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, medium size. Add just a chicken lollipop with the adjust the flavor with the Gourmet Celebrations WELCOMED Fax 619.255.7896 chopped dash or about a tablespoon panko. Repeat the breading lime juice and soy sauce. Las Vegas, NV

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EGG NOG TAPIOCA WITH AUTUMNAL TOPPINGS

INGREDIENTS

1 cup small pearl tapioca 1 cup sugar 6 cup whole milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp salt 3/4 cup brandy 4 eggs 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg

METHOD Pre-soak tapioca by covering with 4 inches of cold water. Soak for 2 hours and strain water.

Combine tapioca, milk and salt in a 2 quart sauce pan and cook on medium heat. Stir until the mixture comes to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes uncovered. Keep heat as low as possible. Begin adding sugar gradually as the 10 minutes progress.

Mix eggs in a separate bowl and temper in some of hot tapioca mixture a little at a time. Temper in at least half of the hot tapioca mixture to equalize the temperatures of both mix­tures.

Return eggs to pan with tapioca. Add vanilla extract, brandy and nutmeg. Continue stir­ring the mixture over medium heat until it bubbles; approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Make sure to stir constantly at this point. Serve warm or chill overnight. Stir before serving. Top egg nog tapioca with autumnal ingredients such as fresh fig, toasted coconut, spicy roasted pear or citrus, ginger, mint compote.

Pastry Chef Ben Rollins Urban Kitchen Catering

San Diego, CASPARKS PHOTOGRAPHY

DASHIMAKI TAMAGO (FOLDED OMELET WITH DASHI)

[For the New Year’s osechi Allow the katsuobushi to meal, I prefer dashimaki to sink, and strain through a datemaki, the traditional fine mesh strainer or folded omelet that includes cheesecloth. Combine hot much more sugar and dashi with sugar, mirin, ground white fish.] salt, and soy sauce. Crack

the eggs into a separate INGREDIENTS bowl and mix thoroughly 8 eggs, Riverdog or Soul with chopsticks. Add dashi Food Farm eggs mixture to the egg and mix 150 ml strong katsuobushi well. dashi, hot Brush a 7 inch square Katsuobushi, freshly shaved tamago pan with olive oil 1 Tbsp sugar and heat over a medium 1 Tbsp mirin flame. Test the temperature 1 tsp salt by drizzling a bit of the egg 1 tsp light colored soy in the pan. The egg should

PHOTO BY AYA BRACKETT sauce sizzle, but not immediately Olive oil brown. Add 1/4 of the egg Daikon Soy sauce mixture. Brush the far side of the the omelet towards you serve with a small mound

Use your chopsticks to pan with more oil, push the again, this time in three of freshly grated daikon and METHOD pop the bubbles as they egg to the back of the pan. motions. Repeat with the a few drops of soy sauce.

Bring 1 1/2 cups of form on the surface, and Add another 1/4 portion of remaining egg mixture. water to a boil and add a when almost fully cooked, egg mixture, lifting the front When all the egg mixture Executive Chef & Owner couple of handfuls shaved carefully fold the sheet of edge of the folded omelet is cooked, gingerly shape Sylvan Mishima Brackett katsuobushi (preferably egg from the far edge of the to allow the mixture to run the dashimaki in a bamboo Peko-Peko Catering freshly shaved). Return to a pan towards you in four underneath. Pop the bub- sushi roller. While still hot, Oakland, CA boil and turn off the heat. motions. bles as they form, and fold slice into 8 pieces and

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Catering, continued from Page 28

Changing catering’s stigma striving to serve the best meal they can create, whether it be for guests in their dining room or clients in their It may make sense that catering chefs look to homes, with the crème-de-la-crème of ingredients and a restaurant chefs for culinary insight, but would anyone vision that embraces tradition while incorporating con-ever follow a catering chef and look to them for their temporary twists. Cheers to what is sure to be one of the own kitchen inspiration? tastiest holiday seasons yet.Traditionally, chefs look down their noses at

caterers, as catered food was once seen as low-quality buffet offerings; but, with new chefs not wanting the overhead that comes with a restaurant and the farm-to-table craze, catering is on the rise.

“It’s just a different ballgame and so historically, catering food hasn’t been as good as restaurant food because so much more goes into it,” says Chef Noto. “At Jersey Tomatoes, we’re find­ing ways to execute restaurant-style food in a catering environment.”

Chef Noto, who has worked at A16 and Liberty Cafe in San Francisco, ran a supper club out of his apartment be­fore opening Jersey Tomatoes. “I think more like a restaurant chef,” says Noto. “I think people tend to think restaurant chefs are better because in the past, a lot of catering chefs were a little intimi- From the largest goose farmer in America... dated by the challenges of a catering environment. I’m trying to work harder HICKORY CHIP SMOKEDin that environment to serve food that is on par with the great restaurant chefs.” WHOLE GOOSE

Pina says Urban Kitchen makes sure all of their servers and chefs are

A perfect choice fortrained to follow fine-dining measures. Most of them work for, or have worked ELEGANT HORS D’OEUVRES

for, one of the Urban Kitchen Group’s UPSCALE SANDWICHES Los Angeles restaurants, Cucina Ur-

A DELICIOUS ENTRÉEbana and Kensington Grill. Also, their Catering Chef Joe Magnenelli is also Fork-tender and succulent with that perfect smoked flavor the Executive Chef of Cucina Urbana,

Delicious served cold, room temperature or so he automatically keeps up with warm from the oven... any way you slice it restaurant cooking standards.

In the world of catering, cooking Fully cooked, rich, dark goose meat has the fat

circumstances can be different every already discharged with only traces under its skin

day. “One of the things that is so phe- Sizes range from 6 lbs to 10 lbs nomenal about catering is that you have Whole and ready to carvethe opportunity to build an event from the ground up, around the food,” says ALSO AVAILABLE Chef Alonzi. “And a lot of people say RENDERED GOOSE FAT Perfect for potatoes, confit, sauté, stuffing, catering isn’t real cooking, but the only root vegetables, poultry and risotto. thing I can do as the owner of my cater- Available individually or in cases.

ing company is to make sure we only One year refrigerated shelf life.

use high-quality ingredients and pro­vide the best meal possible.” It is clear Please contact: Jim Schiltz:

that today, whether cooking for a (877) 872-4458 restaurant or producing an entire din- e-mail: JSchiltz@SchiltzFoods.com ing experience from scratch, chefs and www.RoastGoose.com caterers share the common goal of

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Grilled Cheese Goes Gourmet Moving Past the Confines of the Cafeteria into Modern Kitchens across the West

Caitlin M. O’Shaughnessy

While grilled cheeses are considered standard fare on diner menus throughout the country, more recently they have been showing up on the plates of gourmet establish­ments. Not only are chefs offering their own unique takes on this old lunch menu classic, but this childhood staple is taking center stage with creative, new combinations, as kitchens embrace comfort food in both casual and fine dining establishments.

From San Francisco’s American Grilled Cheese Kitchen to L.A.’s Grilled Cheese Truck to the 8th An­nual Grilled Cheese Invitational that attracted thou­sands of fans with lines over a mile long earlier this year, the irresistible combination of toasted bread and melted cheese has made its way from the confines of the cafete­ria and is warranting the attention of chefs all over the West Coast.

At The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen in San Francisco, Heidi Gibson and Nate Pollak serve between

300 and 400 grilled cheeses every day. After winning the Grilled Cheese Invitational more times than any other contestant in its history, (her favorite entry was “a home­made brioche with Manchego cheese and Jamón Serrano, dipped in French toast batter, grilled and topped with pumpkin orange marmalade and an orange rum sauce with powdered sugar and raspberries”) Heidi realized that even though her background was in engineering, her passion and talent for creating unique and delicious grilled cheeses was impossible to ignore. With menu items

like the Mousetrap (Tillamook sharp cheddar, creamy havarti and Monterey Jack on artisan sourdough), the Don Gondola (aged provolone, sopressatta salami, roasted tomato, pesto, and garlic butter) and the Jalapeño Popper (chèvre, Monterey Jack, applewood­smoked bacon, and apricot-jalapeño relish), this grilled cheese-obsessed restaurant is at the forefront of this cheesy trend.

Chef Dave Danhi shares Heidi’s grilled cheese pas­sion and developed an on-the-go option with The Grilled

The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen’s Mushroom Gruyere on Levain

Cheese, continued from Previous Page

Cheese Truck, which travels around Los Angeles serv­ing upwards of 800 melts a day. After having been a chef for almost 20 years, Danhi was also inspired by his experience competing in the Grilled Cheese Invita­tional; the mobile kitchen’s most popular dish is “the one I entered at the GCI. The Cheesy Mac and Rib (aka: Fully Loaded). Southern macaroni and cheese, pulled barbecued pork and caramelized onions with sharp cheddar cheese. The dry rub for the pork, the mac and cheese and the barbecue sauce recipes are all ones that I’ve been perfecting for over 15 years. It’s an original sandwich that piques the customer’s interest.” Though grilled cheeses have been popular in America for over 80 years, Danhi’s truck strikes the balance be­tween comfort food and innovative flavor combinations like the Harvest Melt, which includes roasted butternut squash with sautéed leeks, balsamic and agave syrups. As he puts it, “It was the perfect storm; a way to ‘go out’ and have some restaurant-quality food at half the price in a fun environment.”

A new take on a classic sandwich While it’s hard to imagine a more perfect com­

bination than melted cheese sandwiched between

two perfectly toasted slices of white bread, chefs have been tweaking “the perfect grilled cheese” with unexpected additions and artisan ingredients with great success. Cameron Fomby, of Counter­point in San Diego, describes the trend saying: “The most popular grilled cheese is both traditional and modern; it is two slabs of a Pullman Loaf (from local bakery Bread & Cie), slathered with French sweet butter, almost a quarter pound of Cahill’s Irish pub cheese, (it’s a glorious cheddar-ish cheese whose curds are pressed with an Irish porter ale that is dark brown and it melts like something out of a cartoon), and then two thick pieces of fried bologna.”

Similarly, Christophe Depuichaffray, the Executive Chef of the InterContinental Hotels of San Francisco and the restaurant Top of the Mark, explores a new take by integrating goat cheese and Spanish-influenced fla­vors into his sandwich. Top of the Mark’s lunch menu features a “Humboldt Fog grilled cheese, which is more of a contemporary sandwich with local cheese and products. It is really popular for lunch. I think it is an especially interesting combination with Mediterranean flavor, as we do it with sundried tomatoes, sky hawk

THE REAL GRILLED CHEESE

INGREDIENTS 4 slices, 1/4” each of Humboldt Fog goat cheese 4 slices, 1/4” each of house herb dried tomatoes 2 slices Walnut Boulot 2 Tbsp pesto 2 Tbsp quince paste 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted 1 tsp honey Tomatoes Herbes de Provence

METHOD Slice one large tomato and sprinkle with “Herbes de

Provence.” Place in a roasting pan, and roast in a 180°F oven for 45 minutes.

Slice Boulot 3/4 inch thick. Brush both slices with pesto. Layer the roasted tomatoes and cheese from bottom.

Grill in panini press until cheese is softened and bread is lightly toasted. Serve with quince paste and walnuts drizzled with honey on the side.

Executive Chef Christophe Depuichaffray Top of the Mark in the InterContinental Hotel

San Francisco, CA

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olive oil, and a membrillo quince paste with toasted walnuts and honey.”

The choice of cheese is key Not all high-quality ingredients are created

equal in the gooey world of grilled cheese. What then is the difference between a great cheese and a great grilled cheese? The melting factor. At The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, Heidi Gibson rec­ommends “starting with cheeses that are tradition­ally melted in other dishes to give you some idea of what will be good in a grilled cheese. Hard cheeses don’t melt, and cow’s milk cheeses melt a lot better than those made from other milks.”

Dave Danhi notes that “some cheeses just ‘get hot’ and don’t melt and when customers get a grilled cheese that isn’t soft and melted, they feel that it’s not done.” At The Oaks Gourmet in Los Angeles, owner Greg Morris hosts a grilled cheese night every Wednesday with such enticing combinations as époisses, fontina & black cherry preserves on cran­berry walnut bread, in addition to a crispy prosciutto grilled cheese made with fontina, camembert, dijon mustard and topped with a sunny-side-up egg and a

Great Grilled Cheese 50 Innovative Recipes for Stovetop, Grill, and Sandwich Maker By Laura Werlin

Brie and apricot jam on a baguette; spinach and goat cheese on a croissant; blue cheese and fresh figs on crusty Italian bread: these are the grilled cheeses of your childhood, all grown up. In Great

Grilled Cheese, cheese expert and award-winning cookbook author Laura Werlin presents 50 creative grilled cheese and panini recipes that range from the traditional to the contemporary. In addition to the more inventive combinations, including grilled cheese for dessert, there’s al­ways room at the table for the classics: grilled American on white, or apple, ham, and cheddar on sourdough. Werlin discusses techniques such as nonstick versus cast-iron pan, whether to cover during cooking and how to use a panini machine. Find inspiration from Maren Caruso’s photography, which perfectly convey the appeal of creamy melted cheese pressed between two slices of crisp, buttery bread. For cheese aficionados, chefs looking to embrace one of this year’s biggest dining trends and the kid in all of us who craves comfort food, Great Grilled

Cheese will satiate sweet and savory cheese cravings alike.

PURPLE HAZE GOAT CHEESE WITH SUMMER PEACHES & LAVENDER

[Yields 8 Melts]

INGREDIENTS 16 slices French bread 12 Tbsp butter, softened to room temperature 12 Tbsp mayonnaise 4 ripe peaches, sliced 1/8th inch thick 32 oz Cypress Grove Chevre “Purple Haze” Goat Cheese 2 Tbsp fresh lavender, lightly chopped

METHOD In a mixer, put butter and

mayonnaise and beat with paddle attachment until well with the butter/mayo mix- with two oz. of crumbled high it will burn the bread the inside being hot, place mixed. Be sure to scrape ture. Be sure to butter to the cheese and finally, the but- and the inside will not be pan with sandwiches in oven down the sides of the bowl very edges. On unbuttered tered bread, butter side out. hot. at 450°F to allow to finish. to incorporate all butter as it side, crumble approximately Heat griddle to about Once golden brown, may stick to the bowl. 2 ounces of goat cheese. 350°F. Place all sandwiches gently flip and repeat until Founder & Chef Dave Danhi

Generously butter one Top cheese with several on griddle and allow to cook cheese is melted and hot. The Grilled Cheese Truck side of each slice of bread slices of fresh peaches. Top slowly. If your heat is too If the bread browns prior to Los Angeles, CA and beyond

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INGREDIENTS 2 1/2 oz Italian fontina cheese, shredded 2 1/2 oz Hooks cheddar, shredded 2 1/2 oz French Camembert, sliced 1/2 oz butter Cranberry-walnut bread, sliced and toasted

METHOD Butter both sides of cranberry-walnut

bread and place one half in pan. Next lay Camembert slices and sprinkle fontina and cheddar on top, cover with second slice of buttered bread.

Grill in sauté pan until cheese begins to melt. Flip over once bottom half is golden brown. Remove grilled cheese once all cheese is completely melted. Cut on a diagonal and serve with side of tomato bisque with basil.

Owner Greg Morris The Oaks Gourmet Market Los Angeles, CA

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[You’ll love how quickly this elegant and rich dessert sandwich can be made. My faithful recipe tester Annette says it’s kind of like a choco­late-hazelnut cheesecake, only much simpler to make. Usually, it’s important to press grilled cheese sand­wiches with a spatula to flat­ten them, but with this one, it’s important not to press it or the filling can squirt out.]

INGREDIENTS 8 Tbsp (about 1/2 cup) Nutella (or other hazelnut-chocolate spread) 4 oz fresh goat cheese, at room temperature 8 slices country white bread (1/4 inch thick) 2 Tbsp butter, at room temperature

METHOD In a small bowl, stir

Nutella and goat cheese to­gether. Butter one side of

each slice of bread. Place 4 slices on your work surface, buttered side down. Spread cheese mixture evenly over the 4 slices so that it is about 1/4-inch thick, if it’s any thicker, the sandwich will be too gooey. Place the remaining 4 bread slices on top, buttered side up. Cut off the crusts (this helps pinch the bread together to create a tight seal).

Heat a large nonstick skil­let over medium heat for 2 minutes. Put sandwiches in skillet (in batches if neces­sary), cover, and cook for 2 minutes or until the under­sides are golden brown and the cheese has begun to soften.

Uncover, and turn sand­wiches with a spatula. Cook for 1 minute or until the un­dersides are golden brown and the cheese has begun to soften. Uncover, and turn the sandwiches with a spatula.

Cook for 1 minute or until the undersides are golden brown. Turn the sandwiches again, and cook for 30 sec­onds, or until the cheese is soft and creamy. For grill

method, brush a grill rack with oil and preheat to medium.

Serve immediately.

Laura Werlin Great Grilled Cheese:

50 Innovative Recipes for Stovetop, Grill, and Sandwich Maker

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT & GOAT CHEESE MELT

THE OAKS GRILLED CHEESE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAREN CARUSO

Cheese, continued from Page 35

Gruyère Mornay sauce. Morris elaborates saying, “If you are trying to make a great grilled cheese, you must remember three factors: flavor, texture and ooze. For a perfect combi­nation, I would suggest a seven-year cave-aged Gruyère for the flavor, a smoked mozzarella for both flavor and texture and perhaps an époisses of brie for ooze and flavor. The great thing about it is there aren’t really too many ways to mess up grilled cheese.”

Aside from evaluating the meltability of a cheese, choos­ing the right cheese or combinations of cheeses is essential in designing a fantastic sandwich. Laura Werlin, one of the coun­try’s foremost authorities on cheese and the author of several outstanding books including Great Grilled Cheese: 50 Innovative Recipes for Stove Top, Grill, and Sandwich Maker and the upcom­ing Grilled Cheese, Please!: 50 Scrumptiously Cheesy Recipes de­scribes the art of crafting a perfect recipe: “It’s critical that the sandwich has the proper ratio of cheese to bread and that the bread is crisp. It’s crucial that the cheese (or cheeses – I’m a big fan of using more than one) is a good melting cheese; there’s nothing worse than cutting into a grilled cheese and finding it’s only half-melted. For chefs who are contemplating adding a grilled cheese sandwich to their menu, my advice would be to keep it fairly simple – a grilled cheese doesn’t need 15 ingredients – and keep it seasonal. While I believe that less is more, there’s no reason not to gussy up a basic grilled cheese with winter greens, or summer basil, or fall pears, or pancetta instead of bacon, or leeks instead of onions and so on. One of the best things about grilled cheese is that it starts off fairly neutral – cheese, bread and butter.”

Sue Conley, co-founder of San Francisco’s Cowgirl Creamery, recommends “a Swiss-style cheese, like Comté or Gruyère, because it has a nice stretch when it’s melted.” Cowgirl Creamery’s new Ferry building offshoot, Sidekick, features a Grilled Cheese of the Day as well as “cheese toasties, an open-faced grilled cheese.” While she advocates the addition of herbs, a blend of cheeses and occasionally a tangy mustard or fruit spread, she writes, “Cowgirl’s mission is to introduce and promote the unique artisan and farm­stead cheeses to our customer, so we believe in letting the cheese take the lead in grilled cheese.”

Creating a unique, satisfying and ultimately great-tasting combination isn’t just a matter of luck; as Heidi Gibson sees it, it’s more of a science. “When I invent a new menu item, I write a whole test matrix of different combinations. Since I was an engineer, I use those techniques to develop the sand­wich by writing a matrix of different cheeses, different breads and different additions and then test, test, test. I start with an idea of an ingredient, like a feta sandwich, or with a cheese type or a flavor like butternut squash, and might take an in­spiration from another non-sandwich dish – butternut squash and sage ravioli, for example. After I try all of the different ingredients in the sandwich, it usually takes at least three rounds to get the taste that I want.”

With endless artisanal bread options, cheese combina­tions and epicurean additions, this comfort food staple has never been more appealing. Having the ability to satisfy even the most discerning diner as an appetizer, entrée or even as a dessert, grilled cheese is an incredibly popular, but simple dish that any chef can enhance with their signature style.

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Roland Passot Executive Chef and Owner of La Folie, San Francisco

Now: La Folie (San Francisco, CA since 1988) and Left Bank group in the Bay Area Then: Léon de Lyon, Pierre Orsi, Le Français, Le Castel, French Room at the Adolphus Kudos: San Francisco Chronicle, 4 stars; Michelin, 1 star; James Beard Rising Star Chef Award (1990), Maîtres Cuisiniers de France (1991) Mentors: Pierre Orsi, Jean Banchet Mentees: Trey Foshee (Georges at the Cove, La Jolla), Richard Reddington (Redd, Yountville), Anna Klinger (Al Di La, Brooklyn) and many others Favorite restaurants: Poggio, Le Garage and Angelino in Marin County; Bocadillos, Piperade, Boulevard and Nopa in San Francisco. (“But there are so many I haven’t been to, I am ashamed – because I am here six nights a week!”) Age: 55 Grew up: Near Lyon, France Came to U.S.: 1976

Chef Interview by Gail Keck

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INGREDIENTS 5 oz of beef tenderloin

[Béarnaise croquettes] [Yields 15]

1/2 lb unsalted butter 4 shallots, finely chopped 2 bunches of fresh tarragon leaves 2-3 Tbsp fresh chervil (no stems), roughly chopped 4 black peppercorns, cracked 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup champagne or tar­ragon vinegar 4 egg yolks 1 Tbsp Cornstarch Salt Pinch of cayenne

METHOD In a sauce pan, boil shal­

lots, tarragon stems, (re­serve the leaves for later) and black pepper with white wine and vinegar. Reduce to 1/4 cup. Strain liquid into bowl. Add yolks and corn­starch to the liquid and place over boiling water. For Bain Marie, make sure that bowl does not touch water.

Whisk constantly until mixture thickens for about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove bowl from double boiler and slowly add warm melted butter to the thickened yolk mixture; season with salt and cayenne. Add the tarragon and chervil. Then, pour sauce into small silicone dome molds (29mm), cool, and freeze.

Bread the frozen béar­naise by dipping first into beaten egg white and then ground panko, repeat dip­ping in egg white and ground panko a second time.

Fry to order until golden brown, reserve under heat lamp.

[Tarragon chips] 15 tarragon leaves

1 plate covered tightly with a piece of plastic wrap lightly coated with oil

METHOD Lay tarragon leaves flat

on top of the oiled plastic and cover with another sheet of plastic.

Poke holes through both sheets of plastic at random. Put the plate in the mi­crowave for 4 minutes; store on paper towels in a dry place.

[Confit potato] 5 small fingerling potatoes Duck fat 3 pieces chantrelle mush­rooms, cleaned

METHOD Put potatoes in a pot and

cover with fat. Cook slowly in fat until tender. Peel warm potatoes and return to fat. Cut 1 potato into 3 large pieces and caramelize with duck fat , a clove of garlic, a sprig of thyme, to order with chanterelles. To order: heat potato puree, then mix with tarragon puree to make it green.

[Pickled Chanterelles] 1 qt small chanterelles, cleaned 1 pt water 1 pt champagne vinegar

METHOD Combine vinegar and

water; add chanterelles and let sit in the refrigerator for two days. To order: mix 3 chanterelles and 3 pieces of Ancho cress and dress with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

[Beef Chip] 1 case of beef tendon Water 6 onions 5 carrots

METHOD Cut onions and carrots into large dice and put into a hotel pan. Lay beef tendons on top. Cover with water, braise for 8 hours and let cool. Warm the pan until the gelatinized water becomes liquid. Pack tendons tightly into another hotel pan and cover with gelatinized water and let cool. Cut the cold ten­dons and water into man­ageable pieces. Slice paper thin on the slicer and lay on a sheet tray with a Silpat. Put up to dehydrate for 1 day. Fry to order. Should puff like pork skins.

[Tarragon puree] 4 bunches of Tarragon, stems removed

METHOD Blanch tarragon leaves

for 30 seconds and shock. Puree blanched leaves with ice. Strain through a servi­ette. Scrape puree off servi­ette and adjust the consistency with the liquid that was strained off.

[Potato puree] 1 Tbsp shallot, bruinoised 3-4 fingerling potatoes, peeled and minced into brunoise size Cream to just cover potato and shallot

METHOD Cook potato in seasoned

cream, remove from heat and steep 4 sprigs of thyme in the cream for 5 minutes. Remove thyme, puree and strain through a chinois. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

[Marrow Custard] 4 oz chicken stock 4 oz milk 1 pt of cleaned marrow 3-4 whole eggs

METHOD Bring marrow, milk and

stock to a simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat and let sit for 5 min­utes. Puree and strain. Let rest, then measure the puree. Be careful, it will be foamy. Do not measure the foam.

Mix in eggs at a ratio of 6 whole eggs per quart of liquid. Strain again and pour into a 1/4 sheet pan that has been sprayed with vegalene. Cover with alu­minum foil and bake in a water bath at 300˚F for about 20 to 25 minutes until the custard has set. Let cool then stamp into cir­cles.

[Beef sauce] 20 lb beef neck bones + any beef scrap/trimmings

1 pt shallot, roughly chopped 1 head of garlic, split at the equator 1 bunch of thyme 2 Tbsp cracked black pep­per 6 cups red table wine Veal stock

METHOD Roast bones until nicely

browned. In a large Ron­deau, caramelize the beef scraps and shallot scraps until very dark but not burned. Add garlic. Deglaze with red wine (about 2 1/2 quarts) reduce by half. Just cover the bones with veal stock. Simmer about 2 hours then strain. Reduce the liquid to sauce consis­tency while skimming off any fat or foam that appears. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cool and store.

ASSEMBLY When ready to serve, as­

semble all components on plate, making sure they are at the proper temperature. Season dish if necessary.

Executive Chef & Owner Roland Passot

La Folie San Francisco, CA

RICK CAMARGO PHOTOGRAPHY

BEEF TENDERLOIN & BÉARNAISE CROQUETTES WITH TARRAGON CHIPS, PICKLED CHANTERELLES, MARROW CUSTARD & CONFIT POTATOES

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When did you start cooking? About age 15, in France. My parents were not in the business. I just loved to eat, I guess. It was more the passion of eating and what we call in France a gourmand.

What was it like, apprenticing? My first few jobs were still [using] coal stoves, where you have to go start the fire early in the morning – put your paper, put your wood, put the coal, and keep it going. A lot of time kitchens were in the basements. It was not the best places to work. It was a hate/love relationship!

How’s it different now? You didn’t have the fame that you have today. It’s uncontrollable, with the television and everything else. Paul Bocuse is the one who got chefs out of the kitchen. He got the media out to talk about him, his restaurant, his personality. He’s the one who put French cuisine and chefs on the map. At the time, it was amazing! To me, he was a hero.

How did your heroes like Bocuse, Roger Vergé, Lenôtre, influence you? My goal was, I’m not going to do it halfway – I’m going to try to work at great restaurants, to become one of the best. My goal was to be successful, not to end up in a cafeteria, cooking. I was looking at the path.

How did you end up in the U.S.? At age 19, I was working for Pierre Orsi, and he told me eventually he wanted to send me to the United States, to have that experience. His friend Jean Banchet (of Le Francais, near Chicago) came in, spent some time in the kitchen and he asked me, “Would you like to come?” I left for Chicago in 1976. Imag­ine being in your early 20s and going to America! It was a huge adventure!

See Chefology, Continued on Page 40

Chefology, continued from Previous Page 38

How did it turn out? Banchet was so demanding, he was so much looking for perfection that you didn’t know if you knew how to cook anymore. It was never good enough. If I would have signed up for the Marines, it would have been as difficult! Banchet was demanding. He was abusive. He literally beat you up. One day he threw a saddle of lamb in my face right out of the oven.

Where were you first the chef? Le Castel in San Francisco, 1980. It was still the time when French cuisine was very much the leader in Amer­ica. I was a kid, 24 years old, and I became the chef and got great reviews. Just like at Le Francais, all the fish was coming from France, the foie gras was coming in­side the belly of the fish.

Foie gras in the belly of a fish? It was being smuggled? Yes! It was amazing, because we were getting haricots verts, raspberries, fraise des bois – everything was com­ing from France. I was doing cool things. I was not doing traditional things. I’m going to say this and you’re going to laugh, but I was using things like rasp­berry vinegar, pink peppercorns, things that at the time were cool.

You’ve talked openly about how you used to be abusive with staff. It’s like having an abusive father. I was really a screamer, a yeller, even violent. I remember throwing knives in restaurants. It was like you lose your mind. Because you’ve been so abused, you feel like it’s OK. And one day I realized, I need to stop that.

What made you realize you needed to stop? I realized it because I lost my job at the French Room, in Dallas. I was not afraid of anybody. I would go to the general manager’s office and punch a hole in his office wall. I would threaten to punch the owner in the face. They had to stop me but they didn’t know how to stop me. One day they gave me a check and escorted me out the door with security at gunpoint.

Wow! I realized, that’s not good. It’s not good for my health. It made me realize, what it was like when I was at Le Français, and he was screaming at me. You’re terrified. You don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong. And you’re panicking your staff – the front of the house, the back of the house. People don’t know what to do any­more. They’re blocked.

So now, how do you handle things? I think you can look at somebody in the eyes, sit him down and say, “Look, I’m not happy with your perform­ance. This is what you need to work on or you’re going to be gone.” And it’s a lot more efficient than screaming

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and yelling. You’re a lot more powerful that way. You don’t build a better restaurant by screaming.

So what’s the most recent thing that you’ve learned? Molecular gastronomy! Because I don’t want to be left behind. I want to understand it. Do I use it? Yes, I use some of it. I have a very young crowd working here. If I don’t do some of it – if they don’t do some of it as well – they’ll go somewhere else where they can learn it. So you have to adapt. It’s all about an evolution.

You still cook on the line, too, don’t you? Every day. If you come to my restaurant, you will see me cooking. I like to be there, because first of all, I know what’s going on in my kitchen. If I don’t keep up with it, then I’m out of the game. I want to evolve, I want to learn. So for me, it’s a very big part of it.

How long will you stay on the line? Well, eventually I’ll have to stop cooking. If I’m 80 years old behind the stove, I don’t see how I’m going to be doing it – with a walker or something!

You mentioned molecular gastronomy. What do you think of chefs who are doing the more radical things? Some people look at food as a brain exercise. You have to think about what it is and how you’re supposed to eat it. I think it should be about being at the table with your friends, family and having fun. Being able to laugh and being able to share the food. It should be “My meat is great” or “My duck is wonderful.” But it should not be “Look at my cap­sule, did you see that?” or “My pillow is smoking!”

What about sous vide? Sure, we have the equipment, but we use it for very few things. Aside from chicken, I disagree with cooking meat sous vide. It’s a sacrilege! Sure, it’s perfectly cooked, but as a chef, you want the human touch. The human touch is not perfect, and thank God it’s not! If you’re trying to get perfection from a machine, you’re losing something. I use a cast-iron pan for my beef

because I think it adds a good flavor. You get that crust, that caramelization that you don’t get otherwise. Sous vide is poaching. You abandon it, then you open the bag and sear it. It’s not the same.

What do you want people’s reaction to be when they eat your food? Some people say, “That dish, it’s orgasmic. It’s better than sex.” When you hear those reactions, for me, it’s like, “Wow! I really succeeded.”

What makes food sexy? The “wow” factor – the look of the dish when it arrives at the table. The smell. Your senses should be awakened. I’m more for a cuisine of senses, of emotions, than an intellectual cui­sine. The surprise. For people who are having French food for the first time, they are like virgins!

Where do you get your inspiration? I like to re-think classic dishes, reinvent them. How do you embellish pig’s feet? How do you make it novel? I do a ter­rine of pig’s feet, sweetbreads and lobster. I asked, “What would be good with pig’s feet, flavor- and texture-wise?”

Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night, and I will take notes on a piece of paper. I remember when I did the oyster with the seawater granita. People said, “How did you come up with that?” To be honest, I came up with it in the middle of the night. I just woke up and I wrote it down!

What is your favorite kitchen tool? My little egg-topper, as a gadget tool. Otherwise, a good knife. I like the Korin knives.

What’s the one ingredient that’s a must-have in the La Folie pantry? Salt. You have to have an extremely high-quality salt. If you’re going to buy high-quality ingredients, why cut corners on the salt? I use fleur de sel.

What’s your must-have at home? Cheese! I love cheese! I can live on cheese - cheese and red wine!

[PASSOT’S WIFE, JAMIE, PASSES THROUGH THE ROOM, INTERJECTING, “He loves his cheese more than his wife!”]

How do you keep creating the buzz for a restau­rant that’s been around for 23 years? First, you have to keep up, be aware of what’s happening. You have to evolve. Otherwise you become the “old guy.” We opened a lounge a year and a half ago. That created buzz, be­cause it’s a new generation. I wanted to target a young clien­tele. The idea was to offer bar food, but also the La Folie menu as well. They go there, they have a great time and say, “OK,

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The MenuFavorite Recipes

The Menu

Chefology, continued from Previous Page

we’ve been to the lounge at La Folie. Let’s try the restau­rant.” And it’s working really, really well.

What about staff? I know I have to hire kids who are going to be very much involved with haute cuisine but also bring a little bit of their style. I want them to bring some of their style – I’m not afraid of it. I’ll have to control it, but I’ll have to embrace it. Because it is the next generation. I have them pushing me like I push them!

It’s like with music. The Beatles have aged well. That’s what I’m trying to do with my restaurant – age well. I’m still hip, but I’m not techno!

You really love interacting with your guests, don’t you? I would have no problem being the front of the house. For New Year’s Eve, I get on the top of the bar and I saber the Champagne. It’s a party!

What about at home? I entertain a lot. Two weeks ago, Jaques Pepin came to my house to celebrate our birthdays, and I invited a

bunch of chefs. KQED [the local PBS station] came to film it. I sabered nine liters of Champagne!

What’s down the road? I don’t want to stop cooking, but eventually I’d like to slow down. I want to have an inn – maybe four or five rooms and a small dining room, like staying in my house. It will be open just for people that I like, not for pretentious people. I’ll say, “Send me your bio! I’ll tel you if you can come for dinner and stay in my house!”

What’s your “last meal?” Of course, I will splurge! I will have caviar, a nice bottle of Krug – hopefully not by myself, but if I have to drink it by myself, I will! Then some black cod – with truffles – why not? Crushed Yukon Gold potatoes, melted leeks and a nice jus with it. I’d open a Mersault or a good Chablis. Then a côte de boeuf. That’s usually for two, but I will eat it all – it’s my last meal! For wine, a Nuits­Saint-Georges or a Romanée-Conti. And then with my cheese, a ’61 Margaux. For dessert, maybe an apple bread pudding with rum-raisin ice cream. Oh, yes! Kill me then!

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Favorite RecipesFavorite Recipes

[Serves 4]

INGREDIENTS [venison] 2 lb venison loin Salad oil Salt/pepper

[Sauce] 4 figs, diced 1 cup port wine 2 cups veal demi-glace Few drops of lemon juice

[Potato and squash gratin dauphinois] 3 medium-sized sweet potatoes 1 butternut squash 1/2 cup-3/4 cup hot milk 5 Tbsp butter 1/2 cup Gruyère 1 cup of cream Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD [venison] Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place a heavy skillet on high

heat and add just enough salad oil to coat bottom of pan. While pan is heating, season venison loin with salt and pepper.

When pan is hot, sear off venison on all sides. Transfer to oven and roast for approxi­mately 10 minutes (medium rare) or until desired. Re­move venison from oven and allow it to sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

[Fig and port wine sauce] Add figs to pan and cook

over low heat until soft; add port wine and reduce in vol­ume by 3/4. Add veal demi­glace and simmer until it has reduced by half. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. Keep the sauce hot.

[Potatoes and squash gratin] Preheat the oven to

375°F. Generously butter a

9-by-12-inch gratin dish. Peel the squash and trim top and bottom.

Cut off seed-filled bottom, half it and remove, discard­ing the seeds. Slice neck of squash into 1/8-inch-thick rounds and slice base into 1/8-inch-thick half circles. Peel potatoes and cut them into 1/8-inch-thick slices.

In a small bowl, combine thyme, marjoram and sage. Beginning with half circles of squash (reserve the more at­tractive rounds for the top layers), layer about 1/3 of the squash slices in the gratin dish.

Sprinkle with some of the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Layer 1/2 the potato slices over the squash layer. Sprinkle with some of the herbs and 1/2 of the gar­lic. Season with salt and pepper.

ROAST VENISON WITH POTATO & SQUASH DAUPHINOIS GRATIN

See Web site for complete recipe: www.culinarytrends.net

Executive Chef Sophiane Benaouda Grand Café Brasserie & Bar

San Francisco, CA PHOTO BY SARA KRAUS

[Serves 4]

INGREDIENTS [glazed duck legs] 4 Maple Leaf Farm Duck Legs 8 star anise 3 Tbsp hoisin sauce 1 Tbsp honey 3 shallots, sliced 2 oz fresh ginger, sliced 2 lemongrass, sliced 1 tsp butter 1 tsp sesame oil 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped 1 cup chicken stock Salt & black pepper

[Soba noodle] 12 oz soba noodles 1 carrot, julienne 1/4 Napa cabbage, julienne 6 shiitake mushrooms, juli­enned & sautéed crisp with sesame oil 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp rice vinegar Salt & black pepper

[Duck] 2 Maple Leaf Farm Duck Breast 1/2 hot house cucumber, julienned 1 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped 1 tsp fresh butter Salt & black pepper

METHOD [glazed duck legs] In a pan on medium fire,

put butter and sesame oil to heat. As the butter foams, place seasoned duck legs, skin down on the pan. Let them slowly gain color on the skin and render their fat. When skin is a light brown, add star anises, honey, shallots, ginger, lemongrass and hoisin sauce. Turn legs, meat down, and let cook for a few minutes.

Add cilantro, cover with parch­ment paper and put in an oven pre­heated at 350°F. After 30 minutes, take them out of oven and turn then again, skin down. Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock, cover again and back in oven reducing temperature at 300°F.

After 30 minutes, repeat same process and reduce the oven temperature at 250°F for the last 30 min­utes. When finished, remove from pan to rest, stain sauce and poor it over the duck legs. Reserve the legs to keep hot.

[Soba Noodles] Bring bowl of salted

water to a boil. As the water boils, cook soba noodle until tender; when cooked, poor into iced water bath to cool.

ASSEMBLY Sear Maple Leaf Farm

Duck breast, skin down on a

sauté pan until the skin is crispy and fat is rendered. Turn it around and cook for a minute on the meat side. Set aside.

Executive Chef Christian Monchâtre

Maple Leaf Farm

ANISE & HOISIN-GLAZED MAPLE LEAF FARM DUCK LEG AND CRISPY MAGRET SOBA NOODLE WITH ASIAN SLAW

See Web site for complete recipe: www.culinarytrends.net

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The MenuFavorite Recipes

The Menu

Favorite RecipesFavorite Recipes

[Serves 6]

INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 lb gluten-free spaghetti or linguine 1 Tbsp garlic, thinly sliced 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 cup chardonnay or other white wine Vegetable Spray 16 to 18 fresh squash blos­soms 1/2 cup clam juice 50 little neck clams 1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

ASSEMBLY Set oven to 330˚F degrees. Clean half of the squash

blossoms with a towel. Open each blossom and spread

out on bakery paper that has been lightly coated with veg­etable spray. Place bakery paper and blossoms on a 9x13 sheet pan. Lightly spray the flowers with vegetable spray and add another sheet of paper. Place a second sheet pan on top to press the flowers. Bake in the oven at 330˚ F for 20 to 25 minutes.

In a large sauté pan, sauté 2 tablespoons of oil, garlic and clams for about 3 min­utes. Pour white wine and clam juice into pan. Cover and let the clams steam over medium heat until open. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and add pasta. Cook until pasta is tender.

Add opened clams and re­maining fresh squash blos­soms cut into 1 inch pieces. Add remaining oil and mix together.

Plate the pasta with the clams positioned around the plate. Add the dried squash blossoms on top of each plate along with a pinch of parsley.

Chef Mario Cassineri BICE Ristorante San Diego, CA

CALAMARATA WITH CLAMS AND SQUASH BLOSSOM

PHOTOS BY WWW.AMYKFELLOWS.COM

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Trends

Magazine

Early Winter 2010 Copyright 2010 by Neubauer & Associates, Inc.

Reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission is prohibited.

Visit us online at

www.culinarytrends.net

Brandt Beef and the entire Brandt family graciously thank all attendees of our first-ever Celebrate the Chef event held this summer at the Del Mar Racetrack. The passion shared among our customers and longtime supporters was amply

celebrated through spectacular food, drink, exciting horse races and the gathering of friends and culinary professionals.