Teen Cuisine Cookbook
March 31st, 2011 by chefkevinHi There Foodie!
When I got home off the road Tuesday night there was a great cookbook waiting for me that I got in the mail. It’s called “Teen Cuisine” by Matthew Locricchio, and it a beautiful book.
I’ve only had time for a quick look so far, but from what I’ve seen this will be a best seller. It focuses on encouraging teens to take over the kitchens that their parents are too busy to use, and gives step-by-step instruction on how to do so. I’m all about bringing new people to the kitchen, so I support Matthew’s approach 100%!
There are lots of nice recipes in the book, including “Fresh Fruit Tostados”, Stuyvesant Corn & Potato Chowder (recipe below), Pizza Coast to Coast, and many others.
Check out this one…
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STUYVESANT CORN AND POTATO CHOWDER
By Matthew Locricchio,
Author of Teen Cuisine
Fresh picked corn cut off the cob gets royal treatment in this classic chowder. The sweet corn that grows in and around Stuyvesant, a small agricultural community nestled along the Hudson River in upstate New York, is some of the best on the planet. A good friend who worked at one of the local farm markets asked me to come up with a recipe for chowder using local corn and potatoes. Just in case you can’t get fresh picked corn, this recipe works perfectly with frozen.
SERVES 6 TO 8
8 ears fresh corn, or 4 cups frozen kernels
1 small yellow onion
5 small Yukon gold potatoes
4 slices thick-cut bacon, or 2 tablespoons
salted butter
5 cups whole milk
4 tablespoons salted butter
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper,
plus more if needed
1 to 2 jalapeño peppers
3 to 4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
On your mark . . .
Husk the corn and remove the silk strands.
Slice the kernels off the cob, reserving as much of the corn liquid as possible. To do this, stand the ear of corn on the stem end in a wide flat bowl or pan. Using a sharp knife, slice down in even rows to remove the kernels. Set the corn aside.
Peel and chop the onion into small chunks, and set aside.
Wash and peel the potatoes, chop into small chunks, and place in a medium-sized bowl. Cover with cold water and set aside.
Get set . . .
If you are using the bacon, place the strips in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry for about 3 minutes on each side or until just crispy.
Remove the bacon from the pan, lay on paper towels to drain, and let cool.
Cut the strips into small pieces and set aside.
If you are not using the bacon, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the onions to the bacon fat or melted butter and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes over medium heat until soft and translucent. Using a metal slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a heatproof bowl and set aside.
Drain the potatoes in a colander.
Combine the onions and the potatoes in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan. Add enough cold water to just cover the potatoes.
Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat; do not cover the pan.
Reduce to low and simmer the potatoes and onions for 15 minutes or until just tender, but not falling apart, when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
Drain the potato and onion mixture and set aside.
Cook!
In a 6- to -8 quart saucepan, combine the milk, corn, butter, potatoes and onions, chopped bacon, salt, and pepper.
Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until heated through and simmering, stirring occasionally.
While the soup cooks, slip on a pair of latex kitchen gloves. Remove the stems and cut the jalapeños in half lengthwise. Rinse under cold water. Scrape out the seeds with the tip of a teaspoon and discard. Chop into small dice and place in a small serving dish.
Rinse the gloves and remove.
Wash the parsley, shake off the excess water, and dry the sprigs by rolling them in paper towels. Coarsely chop and put in a small bowl.
Serve the chowder hot, and pass the jalapeños and parsley at the table to sprinkle on top.
Copyright © 2011 Matthew Locricchio, author of Teen Cuisine
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Author Bio
Matthew Locricchio, author of Teen Cuisine, was born into a restaurant and catering family and has worked in the food industry most of his life. Included in his resume as a professional cook are stints at the well-known Gandy Dancer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the West Coast Stock Exchange’s private club in San Francisco, and the legendary Barbary Coast restaurant.
Matthew has taught culinary classes and given cooking demonstrations at culinary schools throughout the country as well as the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
James Peterson, photographer for Teen Cuisine, is a renowned cookbook author and photographer, and a James Beard and International Association of Culinary Professionals award winner.
For more information please visit Cookbooks and Kids
Posted in Foodie Ramblings..., Recipes & Repairs || 69 Comments
Wild Game Chef Demos
March 14th, 2011 by chefkevin
Hello There…
Back home again after another successful event. This time I was doing live Chef Demos at the Atlantic Outdoor Sports & RV Show in Halifax on March 11, 12 & 13th.
Everything was wild game, and all turned out really good. On the menu for the weekend was:
- Spice Rubbed Wild Steak Sandwiches, Caramelized Onion Jam & Chipotle Mayo
- Game Bird and Bacon Stew, Herb-Roasted Winter Vegetables
- Lapin a la Chasseur (Braised Rabbit – French Bistro Style)
- Beer Braised Venison with Sour Cream-Cheddar Biscuits
- Cooking around the Fire – Trout Packets served with Backpack Tomato Risotto
- Seared Duck Breast with Roasted Garlic Mash & Mushroom Ragout
I’d like to thank Matthew, Natalie, Susan, Wayne & Liz for making me feel so at home from the get-go. Everyone else that had a hand in the show too that I haven’t mentioned above. You guys did a fine job running everything and I had no issues to deal with in getting my show to run smoothly. If there were glitches, I certainly didn’t see or hear of any. Well Done!
A huge thank you goes out to my son Jason, who worked as sous chef for the entire weekend. Without him by my side I’d have been one overworked and stressed out Chef. Thank You Buddy!!!
I’d also like to thank all of my personal foodies who came all the way to Halifax to see me. It always humbles me to see the support that you folks always show me by your actions 
And last, but certainly not least, I want to thank Sobey’s, and in particular Brian Perro at the Mumford Road store in Halifax, for supplying us with all the products outside of the wild game I sourced elsewhere. Your sponsorship was greatly appreciated by all!
I made a lot of new friends at the show, some who will remain in close contact throughout the coming years I’m sure.
With any luck, I can get back next year in some capacity. One never knows which way the winds will blow in life, but I’ll be there if it blows me that way…
As Always… Yours in Food & Friendship,
Chef Kevin
Posted in Foodie Ramblings..., Recipes & Repairs || 81 Comments
Seared Duck Breast with Roasted Garlic Mash & Mushroom Ragout
March 14th, 2011 by chefkevin
Makes 4 servings / Prep time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients:
2 bulbs of garlic
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste throughout the recipe
1 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 1/2 lb of duck breasts, skin on
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 lb hearty mushrooms, chopped (Portobello, Cremini or other)
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 tsp dry)
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sour cream
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400º F. Cut garlic bulbs in half crossways and place cut side up on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Wrap up tightly and roast for 45 minutes, or until soft and brown. Set aside when done.
Season the duck breasts with a bit of poultry seasoning, salt & pepper. In a bit of olive oil, sear them very quickly on both sides in a large sauté pan. Remove when quite rare. Set aside and cover with foil.
Time now to turn on your potatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer until done.
Add a bit more oil to the sauté pan if necessary (probably not due to the duck fat). Sauté the mushrooms and onions until tender. Add the thyme and white wine. Reduce the wine to a couple tablespoons to intensify the flavour. Stir in the cream, and then return the duck breasts to the pan to finish cooking… DO NOT OVERCOOK. Taste and season as necessary.
Squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins. Drain and mash the potatoes well. Add the roasted garlic, butter and sour cream. Season with salt & pepper and combine until smooth.
Slice the duck breast and serve along with the potatoes, a generous serving of mushroom ragout, and your veggie of choice.
Recipe Courtesy Chef Kevin Wagner
Posted in Recipes & Repairs || 32 Comments