Cooking Basics

What Everyone Should Know

Chef Sean Kahlenberg
The Culinary Institute of America
Published by

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 Sean Kahlenberg, CHE, AOS
Chef-Instructor
The Culinary Institute of America
at Hyde Park

S
ean Kahlenberg is a Chef-Instructor at The Culinary Institute of
America (CIA) at Hyde Park, New York, where he also earned his AOS
in Culinary Arts. Additionally, he is a Certified Hospitality Educator.
Chef Kahlenberg began his cooking career in his hometown of Wollongong,
Australia. Starting at a small bistro, the Downtown Eatery, and later working
at the City Pacific Hotel, he learned the trade of hospitality and management
of hotel and restaurant properties. After meeting guests and staff from all over
the world, Chef Kahlenberg was inspired to travel abroad, which brought him
to The CIA at Hyde Park.

While in school and after graduating, Chef Kahlenberg worked at the famed
Café des Artistes in New York City. He later moved to Las Vegas and worked

i
at Commander’s Palace as the executive sous chef. While in Las Vegas, Chef
Kahlenberg also worked at the Michelin-starred restaurants of Bradley Ogden
and Daniel Boulud. He then served as the executive chef for Louis Osteen and
oversaw his two Las Vegas locations. Transitioning from southern cuisine to
contemporary American cuisine, Chef Kahlenberg then became the chef de
cuisine of Society Café at Wynn Resorts.

After several years at Society Café, Chef Kahlenberg took the position of
senior restaurant consultant and corporate chef for Blau + Associates. For
the next several years, he worked on projects for numerous clients, including
the Edgewater Casino, River Cree Resort and Casino, Turning Stone Resort
Casino, IHOP, Riviera Resort, and Rainbow Room. At the same time, he
oversaw the operations of Simon Restaurant & Lounge, Honey Salt, R Steak &
Seafood, and Buddy V’s Ristorante.

After his time traveling as a consulting chef, Chef Kahlenberg returned to his
alma mater in Hyde Park, where he has taught numerous classes, including
Intraventure Operations. He also oversees the innovation kitchen on campus
and serves as the executive chef of the school’s Italian restaurant, Ristorante
Caterina de’ Medici.

When Chef Kahlenberg is not in the kitchen, he can be found running on a trail
or hanging on the side of a mountain with his wife and two children. ■

ii
 About This Book

T
his book lists the ingredients needed for each of the course’s recipes and
provides general tips on cooking the dishes. For detailed instructions,
refer to the video lessons. The portion yields and ingredient lists
in this book may vary from those used in the videos because of the videos’
demonstrational nature. The book’s ingredients lists are meant for general
reference only.

The course’s dishes come from Chef Kahlenberg’s personal recipes, but as an
expert chef, he often changes recipes depending on what is fresh or what he is
in the mood for on a particular day. Viewers should feel free to modify recipes
in the same manner, especially to take into account portion needs, supply
availability, or allergies. ■

iii
 Table of Contents

Introduction
Professor Biography�������������������������������������������������������������������������� i
About This Book�������������������������������������������������������������������������������iii

Lesson Guides
LESSON 1
Risotto and What to Do with the Leftovers��������������������������������������� 1
LESSON 2
Choosing the Best Method to Cook Vegetables������������������������������� 5
LESSON 3
An Elegant Corn Soup with Lobster������������������������������������������������� 8
LESSON 4
Sautéed Scallops with Roasted Cauliflower����������������������������������� 12
LESSON 5
How to Poach an Octopus��������������������������������������������������������������16
LESSON 6
How to Break Down and Roast a Chicken������������������������������������� 19
LESSON 7
Braising Short Ribs and Making Polenta���������������������������������������� 24
LESSON 8
Pork Milanese and the Art of Breading������������������������������������������� 28
LESSON 9
Grilled Salmon: Breaking Down a Round Fish������������������������������� 31
LESSON 10
One-Dish Cookery: Coq au Vin������������������������������������������������������35
LESSON 11
Monkfish: From Bycatch to Haute Cuisine������������������������������������� 38
LESSON 12
How to Make Rack of Lamb Persillade������������������������������������������� 42

iv
 Table of Contents

LESSON 13
Making Your Own Pasta: Potato Gnocchi��������������������������������������� 47
LESSON 14
Making Your Own Pasta: Butternut Agnolotti���������������������������������� 51
LESSON 15
Cooking the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey�������������������������������������� 54
LESSON 16
Seafood Delight: How to Make Cioppino ��������������������������������������� 60
LESSON 17
Finding Your Roots: Maple-Roasted Celeriac �������������������������������� 65
LESSON 18
How to Make Great Paella �������������������������������������������������������������69
LESSON 19
Smoking Pork with Mexican Street Corn���������������������������������������� 73
LESSON 20
Dover Sole: Breaking Down a Flat Fish������������������������������������������ 79
LESSON 21
You Too Can Make Ratatouille�������������������������������������������������������83
LESSON 22
Making Roast Beef and Potato Gratin�������������������������������������������� 87
LESSON 23
Patience, Pickles, and Crispy Fried Chicken���������������������������������� 91
LESSON 24
My Big Steak: Executing a Three-Course Meal������������������������������ 95

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL
Recipe List������������������������������������������������������������������������������������102

v
vi
 Risotto and What to Do
with the Leftovers
Lesson 1

T
his lesson covers rice cookery. Rice is one of the most versatile grains in
the world, and this lesson teaches you how to make a risotto dish with
it. For risotto, a three-to-one liquid-to-rice ratio is ideal. This lesson uses
chicken stock to cook the rice all the way through. The lesson also touches on
how to use leftover risotto to make arancini.

Specifically, this lesson’s type of risotto is called risi e bisi, a traditional risotto
has a particular nature: When placed on a plate, it relaxes. Risi e bisi is a bit
thinner, so it forms a flat, even surface before it’s cooked.

Risotto and Risi e bisi

Ingredients

Yield: 16 portions

risi e bisi pea puree

• 1200 g rice (vialone nano) • 240 g peas, fresh
(use frozen if unavailable)
• 240 g butter
• 180 g spring onions,
• 400 g Parmesan cheese
white, washed and julienned
• 800 g peas, fresh
• 180 g butter
(use frozen if unavailable)
• 320 g pancetta (small dice,
#30 on slicer) arancini
• chicken stock, as needed • leftover risotto
• vegetable oil, as needed • flour, as needed
• eggs, as needed
• panko breadcrumbs, as needed
• fresh mozzarella,
cubed, as needed

For risotto, a three-to-one liquid-to-rice ratio is ideal, and this lesson uses
chicken stock to cook the rice all the way through.

1
Cooking Method: Pea Puree
To begin the pea puree, start with the green onions. Remove the root at the
bottom and then chop the onions into small pieces. You will use the white part
as a flavoring ingredient for the risotto. The light green part will be used for the
puree. The dark green part can be used as a garnish.

Next, melt butter in a pan, but not too quickly. Do not turn the butter brown,
and jiggle the pan to avoid burning milk solids in the butter. Add the green
onions, giving them a toss to coat them. Cook for 30 seconds, jiggling the
pan occasionally.

Add the peas and toss to coat in butter. Wait for the center of the pan to reach
265 degrees, at which point boiling will occur in the center. At that point, turn
off the heat and pour the mixture into a blender. Puree the mixture, and then
pour it into a bowl and set it aside to chill.

Cooking Method: Risi e bisi

To start the risi e bisi, bring the stock to a boil. Keep warm. Add the pancetta
to a pan with oil. Don’t use metal tools in the pan; instead, use a rubber, nylon,
or wooden spatula.

Heat the pancetta until it starts to sizzle, and then turn the heat down and render
the fat out of the pancetta. Don’t overcook the the pancetta. Once the pancetta
is rendered, tilt the pan forward to let the fat roll down. Use a spoon to take the
pancetta out of pan and place it on a plate.

Add the white part of the green onions to the oil in the same pan. Cook them
until they are translucent. This should take about 30 seconds. Next, add the
rice, using one espresso spoonful per person. Coat the rice with the fat from the
pancetta. Heat it to a very high temperature to parch the rice.

Once the rice is very hot, add the stock to it at a ratio of three cups of stock per
one cup of rice. Bring this to a boil. The rice will absorb the water and swell
up. Take the heat down to simmer at 185 to 205 degrees. Add a bit of salt and
pepper, and then simmer for 22 minutes. After 10 minutes, check to see if it
needs more stock. Add if the rice is becoming uncovered.

When it is three to four minutes away from being fully cooked, carefully add the
pancetta, peas, salt, and pepper. Add the pea puree as well as Parmesan cheese.

Give this mixture a gentle stir, which releases starches from the rice. Make sure
nothing sticks to the bottom. The risotto should have a creamy nature. Plate it,
knocking the bottom of plate to spread out the risotto. Garnish with Parmesan
cheese and green onions.

2
Cooking Method: Arancini
With leftover risotto, you can make arancini. Spread the leftover risotto on a
baking sheet, and refrigerate it overnight. When you’re ready to begin making
the arancini, use a small ice cream scoop to portion out balls of risotto. Insert
a cube of fresh mozzarella to the center of each portion, and then roll each
portion into an even ball.

Make an egg wash by cracking eggs, adding salt, and beating them. To bread
the arancini, roll each ball in flour, egg wash, and panko breadcrumbs. Place
the portions in a refrigerator for 20 minutes. Finally, in a small pot, fry the balls
for 3–5 minutes in oil at 350 degrees. Once finished, place the arancini on a
wire rack to drain. Sprinkle with salt while still hot.

3
4
 Choosing the Best Method
to Cook Vegetables
Lesson 2

T
his lesson focuses on some basic topics that will be useful for the rest
of the course. In particular, the lesson discusses cooking tools as well as
best practices for cooking vegetables. It also discusses two ways to cook
asparagus and three ways of cooking cabbage. The different cooking methods
show how desirable (or undesirable) certain approaches can be.

Knives
This course will involve the use of many cooking tools. The most important
are the knives that you use. For example, if you have large hands, a smaller
knife might not work as well for you. There are many types of knives used for
different purposes. For instance, a petty knife is a classic tool for fine-cutting
techniques, while a nikiri is a knife for slicing vegetables. The modern home
version is called a santoku knife, which is an interesting hybrid of the other
two. It is a little less intimidating for a lot of people because it is missing the
tip part of the knife, making it smaller and more manageable. The classic chef
knife is a general workhorse in the kitchen. As far as the blades are concerned,
most commercial blades work well.

Salt and Pepper

Salt is an amazing ingredient, which enhances taste in food. While salt enhances
other flavors, pepper actually adds a distinct flavor to the food. Generally
speaking, it is wise to add pepper first and salt second. There are many kinds of
salt, but generally, kosher salt can be used for nearly everything.

Vegetable Cooking Basics

In general, there are two cooking techniques for vegetables: wet and dry.
Wet cooking techniques include boiling (or blanching) and steaming. Dry
techniques include roasting and sautéing. High-moisture vegetables like
zucchini are more well suited to dry cooking techniques that do not introduce
additional moisture.

Asparagus Preparation
This lesson now turns to provide some tips on cooking asparagus. To prepare, place
a small mat under your cutting board. This will provide a stable place to work.

5
Examine the asparagus. The head should be closed and tight, and the asparagus
should have a blue tinge. Avoid asparagus that is overly thick or thin. Flex a
piece of asparagus to find out where it naturally breaks. It is likely that your
asparagus came from the same field or plant, so the other spears will have a
similar breaking point. Do not use the bottom part of the stem. Use a petty
knife to cut the remaining stems at the same point on a bias. The first piece of
asparagus you broke can serve as a measuring tool.

Asparagus has chlorophyll, and the maximum cooking time for vegetables
with chlorophyll is roughly seven minutes. After that time, the structure of the
vegetable will deteriorate. Therefore, you should break the asparagus down
into pieces that are small enough to cook in seven minutes.

Next, peel the asparagus. Keep some of the green on the asparagus, but take
the fibrous outer layer off. Break it down into manageable sizes by cutting the
larger pieces in half lengthwise and the smaller pieces in half the other way.

Cooking Asparagus
This lesson involves cooking asparagus in two different ways: in boiling salted
water and in oil. First up is the boiling salted water method. In terms of weight,
the water should weigh four to six times as much as the asparagus. This limits
the amount of time inserting the asparagus will interrupt the boiling. Add salt
to the water at a ratio of one ounce per two quarts of water. Add the asparagus
to cook while you begin preparing the sautéed asparagus.

To begin the sautéing method, heat a small amount of grapeseed oil in a pan.
Look for a shimmer in the pan. Once that comes, add the asparagus. Shake the

6
pan to coat the asparagus in the oil. Line the asparagus up and season it with
a small amount of salt. Turn the heat down. Check on the boiled asparagus. It
should have a bright green color. At this stage, you will probably have cooked
it for two or three of the seven maximum minutes.

Use tweezer tongs to flip the asparagus in the sauté pan, facing them in the
same direction. These, too, will need roughly seven minutes of cooking time.
Each batch of asparagus will be ready once it is fork-tender.

To see the difference between the cooking methods, perform a taste test on
each batch.

Cooking Cabbage
This lesson now turns to information on cooking a red cabbage. You will see
the effects of cooking it with three different methods, using salted water, water
with red wine vinegar, and water with baking soda.

Breaking a cabbage down can be awkward because they are round and
unstable, but to increase stability, you can remove the stem scar and stand the
cabbage upright. Next, cut the cabbage in half from the top down. Cut each of
these into fourths and then into smaller pieces to cook. A chef's knife will be
your best tool.

Cabbages contain the opposite enzyme of chlorophyll: anthocyanin.

Anthocyanin is completely water and oil soluble. It is closely related to
anthoxanthin and betaxanthin, which are in beets.

To see this lesson’s cabbage cooking methods in action, prepare three different
pots with a quart of water in each. Add salt to one, red wine vinegar to the
second, and baking soda to the third. The salted water will have a pH of 7.2.
The water with the red wine vinegar will have a lower pH of 5.4 to 5.5. The
water with the baking soda’s pH will range between 8.0 and 8.2.

Bring the water up to a boil. Place cabbage inside each pot. Let them cook for
three to four minutes.

Take the cabbage out of the water. Note the differences between the cabbage
produced by each pot: The cabbage cooked in the vinegar solution will have an
intact structure and should taste good. The salted water–cooked cabbage will
start to fall apart in your hands. The baking soda–cooked cabbage will likely be
slimy, mealy, and unappealing.

7
 An Elegant Corn Soup
with Lobster
Lesson 3

T
his lesson’s dish is a cream of corn soup with poached lobster and a fines
herbes salad. This is a classic, simple soup that is quite complex to make.
However, the beauty of the dish comes from the elegance and simplicity
of the finished product. This lesson’s soup is a thick soup, meaning it has a 2-to-1
ratio of liquids to solids.

Corn Bisque with Poached Lobster

and Fines Herbes

Ingredients

Yield: 10 portions

• 15 ea fresh corn on the cob • 3 ea lobster, poached

with shell removed
• 2 ea onions, julienned
• 1 cup corn kernels, fresh
• 10 g thyme, picked
• ½ cup fines herbes
• 4 qt corn stock, from cobs
• Espelette, to taste
• salt and white pepper, to taste
• extra virgin olive oil, as needed
• 1 pt cream
• butter, as needed

8
Initial Steps
The first step in this recipe is to break down the corn. Remove the husks and
use a towel to gently rub the silk off the corn. Then, gently shave the kernels
off the corn using a vegetable knife. Next, milk the corn and discard the husks.
Once it is ready, put the corn in a bowl.

To make corn stock, cut the cobs crosswise in half or in thirds. Julienne the
onions. Place the corn cobs and a mirepoix of onions, carrots, and celery in a
pot with cold water. Let it simmer for 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, to cook the lobster, boil two gallons of water in a pot. Add two
ounces of salt to the water. Squeeze 1 lemon and drop it in the water. Drop
the lobster in and cook it for 7½ minutes. At that point, the lobster will be 90
percent cooked. Remove from water and set aside at room temperature.

For the soup, melt butter in a pan. Add the julienned onions, shaved corn, and
thyme stems. (Reserve about two and a half cups of the shaved corn for garnish.)

Cook until the onions are very soft. Remove from the heat and set aside while
you wait for the stock to finish.

9
Preparing the Lobster
To prepare the lobster, wait for it to cool. Take off the claws and separate the
head and the tail. Remove the elastic bands to work on the claws. Separate the
arms from the claws. Remove the feather joint from each claw.

There are two ways to remove meat from the claws: using scissors or a lobster
opener. Cut the shell on the outside, and then flip it over and do the same across
the ridge. Pull the two halves apart and pull the claw meat out.

The arms are best prepared with scissors. To prepare the tail, straighten it and
squeeze it to break the connection between the exoskeleton and the meat. Peel
off each segment, cut the belly on each side, and take the whole tail out.

Inside the head, there will be a tomalley, which can be used in sauces or
garnishing. Additionally, the legs will contain a small amount of meat, which
you can remove with a rolling pin.

Cut the tail in half and remove the large intestine. Then, cut the tail up at
each compartment.

10
Cut each claw in half, and then down to bite-size segments. The fingers are a
different texture from the hand of the claw, so keep the fingers separate from
the hand.

Final Steps
Once the stock has simmered for 35 minutes, strain the stock into an empty pot.
Heat up the corn and onion mixture, add the stock, and simmer for 25 minutes.

At the 25-minute mark, season lightly with salt. In two batches, transfer to a
blender (use a ladle to transfer the vegetables first so they do not splash). Do
not fill the blender more than halfway when working with hot soup.

Create two batches. The first batch will be thicker. Blend for two minutes,
slowly increasing the blender speed to high. Check the consistency by using
a ladle and rubbing your finger across it. Blend for one more minute, and then
strain it into a pot, using the ladle to push particles through.

Blend the remaining soup, using the same process. Bring the soup back up to a
simmer. Check its thickness and seasoning.

Add half a cup of cream, and adjust the seasoning as needed while letting the
soup return to a simmer.

Next, put butter in small frying pan. Add a bit of water to keep the temperature
low for cooking lobster. Add the reserved corn and lobster. Season this with
salt and Espelette pepper.

Make the fines herbes salad. This uses non-resinous herbs: tarragon, parsley,
chervil, and chives. Put equal parts in a small bowl. Add salt and olive oil, and
then mix. This will be a garnish on the soup.

Once the lobster is ready, plate it using a slotted spoon. Top with the fines
herbes salad. Put the soup in a glass gravy boat, and then pour an appropriate
amount around the lobster.

11
 Sautéed Scallops with
Roasted Cauliflower
Lesson 4

T
his lesson’s recipe involves sautéing scallops. The scallops are served
with cauliflower in two forms: puree of cauliflower with vanilla beans
and a roasted cauliflower with turmeric, served with a truffle sauce made
from demi-glace.

Note: Making the demi-glace yourself is very time consuming. It takes eight
hours to make each of the two types of sauce involved: brown veal stock and
espagnole sauce. Reducing them takes another eight hours. Take this into
account before beginning this recipe.

Sautéed Scallops with Turmeric-Roasted

Cauliflower and Truffle Jus

Ingredients

Yield: 10 portions

scallops • 1 ea cauliflower
• 50 ea scallops • olive oil, as needed
• turmeric
puree
• 1 ea cauliflower, leaves sauce
and stem scar removed • 500 ml demi-glace
• cream, scorched, as needed • truffle salsa, to taste
• 1 t vanilla puree • salt and white pepper,
• blanc, as needed to taste
• mirepoix, as needed • olive oil, as needed
• butter, as needed,
cold and cubed
• veal stock, as needed
• espagnole sauce,
as needed

roasted cauliflower

12
Cooking Method: Cauliflower Garnish
Make sure the cauliflower isn’t bruised. To break it down, remove the stem and
most of the outer leaves. Remove the stem with a twist, and then remove the
inner leaves. Break the cauliflower apart, taking care not to damage the florets.
Once you get down to the smaller florets, remove the center stem and finish
breaking off the florets.

Select the best florets and set them aside for garnish. Remove their stems and
arrange them how you’d like. The other pieces will go into the puree, so keep
them in a separate pile. They should all be roughly the same size for cooking
purposes, so cut them in half if needed.

Once your cauliflower pieces are separated, start with the garnish. Put this
cauliflower in a small bowl. Use white pepper to season it, and be aware that
white pepper is stronger than black pepper. Also add a pinch of turmeric and
a small amount of oil, and then toss to coat the cauliflower. Transfer to a sheet
tray. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees, stirring halfway through.

Cooking Method: Cauliflower Puree

Season boiling water with salt, and then squeeze lemon juice into the water.
The acidity will help keep the cauliflower white. The acid is a bit strong in
flavor, so add a small amount of flour for basicity, and then stir.

Put a mirepoix of onions and celery in a sachet. Tie a butcher’s knot and drop
the sachet in the water. Simmer for 15–20 minutes to steep flavors. Then, add
cauliflower, season with salt, and simmer until fully cooked. Also add a pinch
more salt. The cauliflower will be fully cooked when it is completely tender
and produces no audible click when bitten.

This puree involves the use of a bourbon vanilla bean. Inside is a vanilla caviar.
Split it down the middle, running your knife all the way down, and get the
caviar out with the back of the knife.

Use a slotted spoon to strain the cauliflower into a bowl, and then put
cauliflower in a blender with half a cup of cream and the caviar from half of
a vanilla bean. Blend for one to two minutes. Add a small amount of salt and
white pepper while mixing on high. Check its thickness. The puree should be
quite thick. Put it in a small saucepot and cover.

Cooking Method: Sautéing

The next step in this recipe is sautéing, and for that, you will begin by making
the sauce. This recipe calls for demi-glace, which is sauce that has been

13
14
reduced by half. To make it, add one part veal stock to one part espagnole
sauce. Reduce the veal stock and espagnole sauce to half.

Place the reduced demi-glace in a small pot. Bring the mixture to 165 degrees,
but don’t boil it. (Keep in mind that steam begins to rise at roughly 163 degrees,
which can be a helpful sign.)

Next, add a small amount of cream, truffle salsa to taste, salt, and white pepper. Add
butter for flavor and to add a fat layer to the top of the mixture. This will prevent the
sauce from forming a skin. Taste the mixture four times, using two spoons. Add more
cream and butter if the seasoning is too strong, and cover the mixture with a lid.

Check on the cauliflower. It should have a beautiful yellow hue. Test it to be

sure it is tender. Remove from the oven if ready.

After that, it is time to cook the scallops. The video lesson uses U-10 scallops,
meaning each pound of scallops contains fewer than 10 pieces. Each scallop is
roughly 1.6 ounces in weight.

When seasoning scallops, never salt the show side of a scallop, because salt
pulls moisture out. Put the scallops on a rack to season them. Use pepper first,
applying it from two feet in the air, and then add salt, using an even coating.

The next step is to get a pan very hot to sauté the scallops. Additionally, turn
low heat on under the sauce and puree to keep them warm.

Once the scallop pan is hot, add oil, coating the pan well. Add scallops to the
pan and baste them. Make sure everything is coated in oil. Cook the scallops
for 30 seconds after basting them. Then, baste them again and flip them over.
Add butter to the pan, and once it melts, baste the scallops with the butter and
cook for 30 more seconds.

Lower the heat and check the scallops. Roll them around the pan to coat them
on all sides.

Plating
To plate this meal, start off with the cauliflower puree. Mix it so that its heat
is evenly distributed, and then take a kitchen spoon and place it on the plate,
using the swoosh technique. After that, place the roasted cauliflower in the
center of the puree, and then add the scallops. Finally, add truffle demi-glace
around the plate and over the scallops.

15
 How to Poach an Octopus
Lesson 5

T
his lesson’s focus is making a dish with a classic combination of
ingredients: potatoes, romesco sauce, and octopus. You will learn how
to poach the octopus and sauté it, and you will also learn techniques for
preparing bread and potatoes to go with it.

Poached Octopus with Fingerling Potatoes

and Romesco Sauce
Ingredients

Yield: 12 portions

octopus • 2 ea garlic cloves

• 4.5 lb octopus, whole, thawed • 1 C almonds, toasted
• 1 ltr red wine • 1 T Espelette
• 1 cup red wine vinegar • 30 g parsley, chopped
• chicken stock, as needed • salt and pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste • thyme, as needed
• herb stems • extra virgin olive oil,
as needed

additional ingredients
• 60 ea olives
• 36 fingerling potatoes,
cut on bias and slow roasted
• romesco sauce, as needed
(supplemental recipe)
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Romesco sauce
• 500 g red bell peppers
• 500 g tomatoes, canned
• 100 g bread

16
Cooking Method: Octopus
To begin cooking the octopus, prepare a large stockpot by adding red wine, red
wine vinegar, herb stems, and salt. Bring a separate pot of water to a boil, and then
reduce heat.

Hold the octopus by the head and dip its legs into the water three times.
Transfer to the pot with the red wine mixture and add enough stock to cover.
Bring to a gentle simmer.

Instead of a lid, cover the octopus pot with a cartouche. Maintain a temperature
of approximately 175 degrees, and do not boil. Cook the octopus until it is
fork-tender, which will take approximately 90 to 105 minutes. Do not throw
away the liquid.

Cooking Method: Romesco Sauce

The next step is to begin the romesco sauce. Place a whole red bell pepper in a
bowl, then toss it in oil to coat the pepper with a small amount of oil. Set it on
a grill or gas burner on high. Blacken it completely on the outside. This should
take about five minutes. Turn the pepper as needed. While you’re waiting on
the pepper to roast, you can check on the octopus.

At this stage, you can prepare a baguette by toasting the bread. Do not put olive
oil on it before toasting. Instead, rub garlic on the bread’s surface, and then put
the bread on a pan and broil it at 450 degrees.

While the bread is toasting, gather tomatoes, espelette, parsley, thyme, red
pepper flakes, and almonds. Meanwhile, remove the top and bottom off of the
charred pepper. Remove the burned skin as well as the ribs and seeds.

Take the bread out of the oven. It should be slightly charred and dry. Break the
bread up and add it to the blender along with the other gathered ingredients. Blend
this with the lid off, slowly adding oil. Push down with a spoon. Blend again for a
minute or two, and then add salt and pepper before placing the lid on and blending
once more at high speed. Once the sauce is ready, transfer to a saucepan, cover, and
warm it to 120 degrees.

Cooking Method: Potatoes

Check the octopus once more, and then start the potatoes. The video lesson uses
Russian banana fingerling potatoes, which are good multipurpose potatoes. Cut
them on a bias. Put oil in a pan on high heat. Wait for a shimmer to appear in
the oil, then add the potatoes with their cut sides down. Season the potatoes
with salt and black pepper. Cook them in this way until they have a golden
brown color. After that, roast the potatoes in an oven at 350 degrees for 15
minutes until they are completely fork-tender.

17
Final Steps
Check on the octopus one more time. You can test it with a knife, which will
meet no resistance when the octopus is ready. Once it is ready, lift it by the
head onto a cutting board. Remove the head and flip the octopus over, and then
remove the beak and brain with a V-cut.

Heat oil in a pan to sauté. Warm the romesco sauce in a pot. Check on the
potatoes: They should be hot and completely tender. Be careful, as the pan’s
handle will be very hot.

The oil in the sauté pan should develop a shimmer. It shouldn’t become
smoky, but it should get close to that point. Make sure the bottom of the pan
is completely coated in oil. Put the octopus in the pan for 10 seconds before
you move it, giving it a shake to make sure nothing sticks. After roughly 90
seconds, the octopus will be ready to plate.

Plating
Drop one or two dollops of romesco sauce on a plate and make a swoosh.
Add three potatoes, then top with octopus. Finish with olive oil and balsamic
vinegar to serve.

18
 How to Break Down
and Roast a Chicken
Lesson 6

T
his lesson’s dish is made up of roast chicken, broccoli rabe, and andouille
smashed potatoes with pan gravy. The dish’s beauty lies in its relative
simplicity.

Roasted Chicken with Smashed Potatoes

and Broccoli Rabe

Ingredients

Yield: 2 portions

chicken • butter
• chicken, whole, • green onion, thinly sliced
2.25 to 2.5 pounds • salt and white pepper
• herbs (rosemary, thyme,
and sage)
broccoli rabe
• grapeseed oil
• broccoli rabe,
• salt and pepper, as needed cleaned and trimmed
• mirepoix • garlic, sliced
with germ removed
potatoes • shallots
• Yukon Gold potatoes, • red pepper flakes
large dice, skin on • salt and pepper
• andouille, small dice • olive oil
• sour cream

19
Cooking Method: Chicken and Smashed Potatoes
To begin, examine the chicken. There should be no odor inside of it. Keep in
mind that one in three chickens in the United States has salmonella. Do not
wash the chicken, as this just spreads salmonella. Instead, to kill the salmonella,
the chicken needs to reach a temperature of 165 degrees. Use a boning knife to
remove the wings; set them aside for gravy. Truss the chicken, keeping in mind
that pulling the string tight plumps the chicken up.

Season the chicken with pepper first inside the cavity, and then add salt,
rosemary, sage, and thyme. Do not use bread stuffing, as it doesn’t cook well.
Coat the chicken with grapeseed oil, massaging it in. Apply pepper and then
generous amounts of salt to the outside of the chicken, making sure to coat all
areas of the chicken’s exterior.

Prepare a sauté pan to roast the chicken in. The goal of roasting the chicken
be to produce a Maillard reaction—that is, the browning that occurs on
proteins. This happens when chicken's exterior passes 320 degrees. Start off
by oven-searing the chicken at 450 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Put a probe
thermometer in the thigh of the chicken, keeping in mind that the inside needs
to reach 165 degrees.

While the chicken cooks, you can begin the smashed potatoes. Cut the potatoes
using a large dice, meaning the potatoes will be three-quarters of an inch on
each side. These cuts do not have to be perfectly precise, because the potatoes
will be smashed later on. Leave the skin on. Put the potatoes in a pot with cold
salted water and bring them to a boil for 25 minutes.

Next, prepare the andouille sausage. Remove the skin and cut it into small
pieces. Place the diced sausage in a bowl. Also prepare diced onions, sour
cream, butter, and green onion for the garnish.

Return your attention to the chicken. After 20 to 25 minutes have passed, reduce
the heat from 450 to 325 degrees. Remove the chicken and add a mirepoix to
the pan with chicken wings. Return to the oven until it is 165 degrees.

Cooking Method: Broccoli Rabe

At this point, it is time to par-cook the broccoli rabe. Remove most of the
leaves to keep it from being too bitter. Cooking it in heavily salted water will
help too. Add one ounce of salt per gallon of cooking water. Get the water to
boil at a high rate, then par-cook the broccoli rabe for about five minutes.

Check on the potatoes. You can take one out and stab it with a paring knife.
There should be about 10 minutes left of cooking time for the potatoes,
assuming they have been cooking for 50 minutes.

20
At the appropriate time, remove the broccoli rabe and drain them as much as
possible. Then, plunge it in ice water to stop cooking, giving it a stir to eliminate
hot spots. Keep the broccoli rabe in the ice water for one minute, then remove it,
holding it by the stem. Place it onto a tray and allow it to air dry.

Cooking Method: Andouille and Pan Gravy

Drain the potatoes into a colander, and then place them on a sheet tray. Place
them in the oven with the chicken for five to six minutes to dry. In the same
pot, start heating a small amount of oil. Begin slowly rendering the fat from the
andouille in this pot.

Take the chicken out of the oven. Pick it up and tip any excess moisture onto
the chicken wings and the mirepoix mixture; this will be used to make a pan
gravy. Allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes.

Add onions to the andouille and cook them until they are translucent. To the
chicken drippings and mirepoix, add tomato paste. This recipe calls for two
cups of gravy, which in turn means you need two ounces of roux. That is
made up of one ounce of flour and one ounce of fat. The fat should already be
in the pan.

Add the flour in two steps. Stir after each step to absorb all of the fat. Add
stock to the pan, and then use a whisk to mix the flour up. Bring this to a

21
full boil to produce gelatinization. Stir the mixture once this is complete, and
adjust consistency with water or flour if needed. As the mixture cools, stir it
occasionally over a period of 20 minutes.

Final Steps
Take the potatoes out of the oven. Place them in a mixer. Add the sausage and
onions to the potatoes. Also add butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Using
the mixer with a paddle attachment, mix these ingredients gently. Transfer the
mixture into the andouille pan to keep it warm.

Once the gravy is ready, strain it. Use the back of a ladle to press out as much
as possible through the strainer.

Break down the chicken. With a boning knife, remove the string. Next, remove
the legs and thighs. To do so, break the skin under the so-called oyster on
the underside of the chicken, and then carve the chicken out and break the
hipbone. Slide the knife down to finish removing the leg. Do the same thing on
other side.

After that, cut on both sides of the sternum to let steam vent out. De-bone the
thighs, twisting to remove each bone. Finish cutting the breast off. The knife
will scrape along the ribs of the chicken down to a joint. Place your knife at an
angle on the joint and cut toward the spine of the chicken. Do the same thing
on the other side to remove the other breast. Place the chicken back in the pan,
and then place the pan in the oven.

To finish the broccoli rabe, heat a pan with grapeseed oil. Wait for the oil to
shimmer. Add the broccoli rabe, giving the pan some movement. Also add
shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the pan. Add a small amount of salt.
Once these are fully heated through, it is time to plate the meal.

Plating
Remove the chicken from oven. Place the smashed potatoes on the plate first.
The broccoli rabe comes next. Put the roast chicken on the plate, leg first, and
then plate the breast. Next, plate the pan gravy. For garnish, place the green
onion on the potatoes.

22
23
 Braising Short Ribs
and Making Polenta
Lesson 7

T
his lesson involves making braised short rib with creamy polenta and
roasted root vegetables. Keep in mind that time and patience are critical
in making a braised item with large cuts of meat.

Ingredients

Ingredients

Yield: 4 portions

beef • 1 oz sharp cheddar cheese

• 3 lb short rib, bone removed • 2 oz butter
• 8 oz mirepoix, diced large • 4 oz cream
• 1 oz tomato paste
• 1 btl red wine root vegetables
• beef stock, as needed • 4 oz parsnips, diced small
• 4 oz rutabaga, diced small
polenta • 4 oz turnips, diced small
• 8 oz polenta • grapeseed oil, as needed
• 1 oz fontina cheese • salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 oz Parmesan cheese

24
Cooking Method: Beef
Check your short rib. You will want one with the bones removed, because the
bones absorb heat. The connective tissue will break down during cooking, but
take care to remove any visible nerves and nerve endings.

Season the beef. Use pepper first, heavily applying it to all sides. Add a
generous amount of salt, applied from two feet in the air. Let the beef sit at room
temperature for about an hour. The closer the meat is to room temperature, the
faster the Maillard reaction will occur.

Select a pot that is adequately sized for your meat. Add the oil and mirepoix to
the pot and cook over medium heat.

If you want to oven sear the meat, place it in an oven at 425 degrees for 15–20
minutes. If you want to pan sear it, add a generous amount of grapeseed oil to
a stainless steel or cast iron pan on high heat. Meanwhile, check the mirepoix,
giving it a stir. The onions will caramelize first, and they will enhance the
flavor of the braise later in the recipe.

When the grapeseed oil is hot, sear the meat. Move it after 10 seconds so that it
does not stick. You should see the Maillard reaction occur, meaning the outside
of the meat is passing 200 degrees. Turn the meat slowly, searing each side.
Turn down the heat to medium, and turn the meat once more to absorb heat. At
this point, you can also begin basting the meat.

Add tomato paste to the mirepoix to form the pinçage. You will cook this until
it deepens in color. Deglaze the mirepoix with red wine and reduce until the
pan is dry but the food is still moist. Move the mirepoix to the back burner, and
once the liquid is nearly evaporated, turn down the heat.

After searing the short ribs, remove from the heat and transfer to the mirepoix
pan. Add beef stock until it reaches halfway up the meat.

Make a cartouche and press it around the beef. Put the lid on and place the
meat in the oven at 275 degrees for at least two hours. The goal is for the meat
to reach 190 degrees internally to break down connective tissue.

Cooking Method: Polenta

To prepare the polenta, start with one cup of polenta and four cups of boiling
water. Add a tablespoon of salt to the water. Whisk using the raining method—
that is, sprinkling polenta in as you go.

25
26
The gelatinization will begin once it reaches a certain temperature, and all
starches have to come to a full boil. The polenta will look thin at first, but
it will thicken. Once it has gelatinized, switch to a spatula to stir the polenta
frequently until it is ready.

Cooking Method: Roasted Root Vegetables

To start the root vegetables, heat a small amount of grapeseed oil in pan. Put
diced turnips, rutabagas, and parsnips in the pan. Toss them. Add pepper first,
then salt, and toss again. Then, heat them in the oven for 10 minutes.

Final Steps
Check the beef. So that you don’t burn your hand, use a towel to remove the
lid. Pull on a corner of the short rib with a large tweezer tool. If it is soft and
tender, it is ready to go. Lift it onto a cutting board. Bring the braising liquid to
a full boil.

Break down the short rib. Cut it into three portions, or a different number of
portions if that makes more sense for the meat. Put the beef portions in the
sauté pan to keep them warm.

Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce. Pour some of the sauce on top
of the beef. Place the beef back in the oven for 5–6 minutes to glaze on the top
shelf at high heat.

At this point, the polenta should have cooked for about 1.5 hours. There
shouldn’t be any graininess in polenta. Instead, it should be very smooth, and
each piece should break down fully if it is ready. To the polenta, add butter,
fontina cheese, sharp Cheddar cheese, and Parmesan. The goal is to make the
polenta creamy and cheesy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Plating
Plate the polenta first with a large kitchen spoon in the center. Next, add the
braised beef in the center, topping it with sauce. Finish by adding the roasted
root vegetables.

27
 Pork Milanese and the Art
of Breading
Lesson 8

T
his lesson’s recipe is the classic dish of pork Milanese. You will learn
how to make a pork jus lié. (Jus lié is thickened sauce.) Topping that
will be dandelion greens and arugula in a simple salad. Gremolata
garnishes this dish.

Pork Milanese with Dandelion Greens

and Arugula Salad
Ingredients

Yield: 20 portions

pork gremolata
• 3600 g pork loin, bone out, • parsley
cleaned and pounded • roasted garlic
• 240 g all-purpose flour • zest of grapefruit
• 500 g eggs • salt
• 1000 g breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper, as needed pork jus lié
• 1 lt pork stock or veal stock
salad • 2 oz onions
• arugula, cleaned • 1 oz carrots
and stems removed
• 1 oz celery
• grapefruit, supremed
• 1 oz tomato paste
• red onion
• all pork trim, roasted
• 2000 g dandelion greens,
cleaned and stems removed • 2 oz white wine
• prosecco vinaigrette • 8 ea black pepper, cracked
• pecorino Toscano • 2 ea bay leaves
• 1 oz arrowroot
sauces
• 1 ltr pork jus lié
• 200 g grematola

28
29
Cooking Method: Pork
Clean the pork loin and cut it into 120-gram pieces. Wipe down a counter
with sanitizer. While it’s still wet, cover it neatly with plastic wrap. Place the
portioned pork loin on the plastic wrap with four inches of space between each.
Cover all of the pork with another piece of plastic. Pound it out with a chef’s
mallet. Cut out squares and store in pans for later use.

When ready cook, bread the pork by dredging in flour, then egg wash, then
breadcrumbs. Pan-fry it until it is golden brown and cooked through. Place it
on a holding rack and season with salt and pepper.

Cooking Method: Salad

To make the salad, place the salad ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Season
to taste. Dress it by dressing the bowl first and then tossing the salad into the
sides of the bowl.

Cooking Method: Pork Jus Lié

Heat a small amount of grapeseed oil in a pot. Separate carrots and onions
from celery. Start the mirepoix with the carrots and onions. Smash garlic and
add that next. After a few minutes, and once caramelization is occurring, add
celery to the mirepoix. Next, add tomato paste and stir until it is a rusty brown.
Wait for the fond to build, and then deglaze it with white wine. Reduce this
down to au sec—that is, when the pan is dry but the food is moist.

Add a sachet of bay leaves to the sauce. Also add black peppercorns broken
up with a knife handle. Add the stock. Stir the sauce and let it simmer for 40
minutes with no cover. It should reduce to one-third of its size.

To finish the sauce, strain it from one pot to another. You can thicken it by
adding arrowroot starch with a bit of water.

Cooking Method: Gremolata

The gremolata consists of parsley, roasted garlic, and zest of grapefruit. Crush
the garlic and use salt to help break the garlic apart. Add the other ingredients
and chop it together.

Plating
Place the sauce on the plate first, using a generous amount. Place the pork on
top of that. Then add the salad, either on top of pork or on the side. Serving
the salad on the side will keep it from making the pork soggy. Garnish with
the gremolata.

30
 Grilled Salmon: Breaking
Down a Round Fish
Lesson 9

T
his lesson’s dish is grilled salmon with a quinoa salad and chimichurri
sauce. The longest cooking time in this recipe comes from the quinoa,
so it is recommended that you begin with that. Additionally, this lesson
spotlights a technique for breaking down the salmon.

Grilled Salmon with Quinoa Salad

and Chimichurri Sauce

Ingredients

Yield: 4 portions

salmon • 2 ea thyme sprigs

• 4 ea salmon filets, 5 oz each, skin off • 1 ea shallot, small
• ras el hanout, if desired
• salt, to taste chimichurri sauce
• black pepper, to taste • garlic, as needed
• grapeseed oil, as needed • shallot, as needed
• parsley, as needed
quinoa salad • oregano, as needed
• 8 oz red quinoa, cooked pilaf style • green onion, as needed
• 8 oz black quinoa, cooked pilaf style • red wine vinegar,
as needed
• 1 ea fennel, shaved
• red pepper flakes,
• 2 ea oranges, supremes
as needed
• 2 oz dried cherries
• olive oil, as needed
• 2 oz pistachios, roasted
• 1 ea avocado, sliced
• orange juice, as needed
• extra virgin olive oil, as needed
• salt and pepper, to taste
• vegetable stock
• 2 ea bay leaves

31
Cooking Technique: Quinoa Salad
To cook the quinoa, heat up two pans for the black and red varieties. The black
variety should be cooked separately. Heat grapeseed oil to a high cooking
temperature. Cook the shallots until translucent, and then add the quinoa,
placing the red in one pan and the black in the other. Toast the grains in the
oil with the shallots. Add bay leaf and thyme. Add vegetable stock at a 1.5-to-
1 ration to the quinoa. Cover and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper before
putting the pans in the oven for 20–25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Make orange supremes. Shave the fennel and place the shaved pieces in a bowl.

Cooking Technique: Salmon

To evaluate the salmon, check the eyes, which should be clear, and the gills,
which should be removed. Also check its smell. There should be almost no
odor. Finally, examine the scales. To prepare the salmon, you'll need pin-bone
tweezers and a very sharp knife.

A salmon is a round fish. To begin fabricating the fish, check to see if its insides
have been removed cleanly. Cut under the fin and around the back of the head.
Once you reach the spine, make a sharp left turn. Cut through the rib bones all
the way down to the spine. Remove the filet. Repeat this process on the other
side of the fish.

This should produce two large filets. Clean and dry your work surface. To
continue to prepare the filets, remove the ribs with a knife. Remove the fins
as well. Look for pin bones in the top third of the fish. Rub them with a knife
to make them stand up and remove them with tweezers. Throw the pin bones
away and wash your hands.

Remove skin from the filet, including blood vessels near the skin. You can
make a small incision and stick a finger in to hold the fish. Cut through with the
knife from the tail to the head. Remove the remaining bloodline. Do the same
to the other filet. Cut the fish into blocks. Cover and put in the refrigerator.

Cooking Technique: Chimichurri Sauce

For the chimichurri sauce, prepare your grill for medium-heat cooking. Start
by heating it. Take a small cloth and roll it up tight, and then tie one end with
a butcher’s knot. Wrap the string all along the cloth and tie it at the other end.
Cut off excess string. Dip the roll in oil with tongs, and then rub it onto the
grill. For this purpose, a linen-like towel works well. It will burn, but not easily.

To test the grill, add green onions in a pan and cook until charred. Use this to
figure out the grill’s hot spots and cool spots. The hottest part will be used for
the salmon.

32
33
Put the charred green onions in a blender. Add cilantro with stems, shallots,
one garlic clove, red pepper flakes, salt, and a pinch of sugar. Also add red
wine vinegar. Start the blender. Slowly drizzle in oil. Keep the blender at low
speed. Halfway through, stop the blender and scrape down the sides of blender.
Blend again.

Final Steps
Check the quinoa, removing it from the oven, keeping in mind the lids are hot.
Remove the bay leaf and thyme. Fork and fluff the quinoa. Allow the quinoa
to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the fennel, cherries, and orange supremes with their
juice. Chop the pistachios and add them to the salad. Add both types of quinoa
and toss with a large spoon. Add the avocado last. Cut the avocado in halves,
open it, remove the seed, and then cut it into quarters. Dice the avocado while it
is still in its rind (and don't cut through the skin). Scrape out the diced avocado
with a spoon and add it to the salad. Mix the salad and then season with salt,
pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. Check the seasoning. Mix and adjust as
necessary.

Take the salmon out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before you grill it. To begin
grilling the salmon, coat the grilling pan with oil. Look for smoke coming off
before the fish goes on. To handle the fish, use a flexible spatula rather than
tongs. Season as late as possible, using black pepper and then salt on both sides.

Place the salmon on the pan at an 11 o’clock angle for cross marks. Once the
Maillard reaction begins and the fish is beginning to brown, turn the fish to
a 2 o’clock angle. When the protein is cooked about halfway through, wait
roughly 30 seconds and then flip the fish over. Repeat the angle adjustment on
this side. The goal is to have it reach 120 to 125 degrees. Once the salmon is
nearly cooked, you can turn off its heat source.

Plating
Once everything is ready, plate the quinoa salad first, and then place chimichurri
sauce around the edges. Finally, plate the grilled salmon.

34
 One-Dish Cookery:
Coq au Vin
Lesson 10

T
his lesson involves the classic dish of coq au vin with pomme puree and
grand-mère garnish. It requies marinating a chicken and then cooking it
and other items the next day. For a detailed breakdown on preparing the
chicken for marinating, refer to the video lesson. All in all, this lesson provides
a primer on one-pot cooking.

Coq au Vin with Pomme Puree and Grand-Mère Garnish

•
Ingredients

Yield: 4 portions

chicken potatoes (pomme puree)

• 1 whole chicken, • 24 oz potatoes, russet,
approximately 3 lbs large dice, peeled
• 1 ea onion, yellow, small dice • 12 oz butter
• 1 ea carrot, large, small dice • 2 oz milk, hot
• 2 st celery, small dice, peeled • salt and white pepper, to taste
• 6 oz bacon, slab, lardons
• 1 btl red wine, Burgundy grand-mère garnish
• chicken stock, as needed • 16 ea pearl onions, peeled
• 3 thyme sprigs • 4 cl mushrooms, button,
quartered
• 2 ea bay leaf
• 0.25 bu parsley,
stems and leaves separated
• 2 cl garlic, brunoise
• 1 T tomato paste
• flour, as needed
• 2 oz brandy

35
36
Cooking Method: Chicken
In a small bowl, season the broken-down chicken. Combine with parsley steams,
bay leaves, and thyme sprigs. Cover with red wine and let it sit overnight.

Remove the chicken and pat dry, removing as much moisture as possible.
Lightly coat the chicken in flour and sear to a golden brown using grapeseed
oil. Place the larger pieces in first with the skin side down. The goal is to
capture the fond in the bottom of the pan, which should be golden brown and
not burned. Periodically scrape the fond off to avoid burning. Remove the
chicken when done and reserve the oil.

Add the bacon to the same pot, along with the mirepoix, with onions and
carrots first. Stir and add celery after. Add tomato paste and cook to a rusty
brown. Deglaze with brandy. Be careful to step away, as the brandy will flame.
Cook for about one minute.

Add the chicken on top of the mirepoix mixture. Pour the marinade over the
chicken, and then add red wine and chicken stock to cover. Bring to 165–170
degrees. Make a cartouche and use it to cover the pot contents. Place in an
oven at 300 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Check it 30 minutes into the
cooking time.

Cooking Method: Potatoes (Pomme Puree)

Peel and cut the potatoes. Place them in a large pot covered with cold water.
Season them with salt and cook until fork-tender. Strain them, return them
to the pot, and then dry them in a low-temperature oven for seven minutes.
Following the chef’s demonstration, mill the butter and the potatoes into hot
milk. Gently mix and season to taste. Cover and keep warm.

Cooking Method: Grand-Mère Garnish

In a small sauté pan, render the remaining lardons. Add halved pearl onions
followed by mushrooms after a minute. Cook until golden brown. Season to
taste and garnish with fine-cut parsley.

Final Steps and Plating

To finish up, check the chicken. Be careful when removing the cartouche, as
steam might escape. If the chicken is ready, it should be fork-tender and easily
fall apart.

To plate the potatoes, use a spoon to push through one way, and then come
back and gently scoop a portion of potatoes out. Gently place the potatoes on
the plate to make a smooth surface.

Put the chicken on top of the potatoes, followed by the vegetable sauce. Finish
with the grand-mère garnish.

37
 Monkfish: From Bycatch
to Haute Cuisine
Lesson 11

T
his lesson’s dish involves pan searing and oven roasting monkfish. The
fish is served with a whole grain pilaf and other sides. The dish requires
soaking the garbanzo beans—also known as chickpeas—overnight, so
do that before beginning the rest of the recipe, and then dry them. The farro
should also be pre-soaked, but only for an hour.

Monkfish with Whole Grain Pilaf and Lemon

Ingredients

Yield: 10 portions

fish • 1 ea chili pepper

• 2000 g monkfish, cleaned • 2 ea garlic cloves
and portioned into 140 gr pieces
• 20 g parsley, cleaned and fine cut • ras el hanout, as needed
• extra virgin olive oil, as needed • 1 ea cured lemon
• 00 flour, as needed • chicken stock, as needed
• salt
legumes • white pepper
• 100 g chickpeas, pre-soaked
• 175 g lentils, green
• 100 g farro
• 45 g carrots, small dice
• 45 g celery, small dice
• 65 g onions, small dice
• 200 g tomatoes,
canned, fine cut and peeled
• 3 g sage
• 8 g rosemary, marjoram,
and thyme
• 100 ml extra virgin olive oil

38
Cooking Method
Cook the soaked and drained chickpeas with a pinch of salt. In a separate pot,
cook the farro with a pinch of salt. Bring them to a boil to soften them up on
the outside before adding them into the rest of the vegetable mix.

To start the lentils, heat grapeseed oil in a medium-sized saucepan. This step
also involves sweating mirepoix. Cook until the onions in the mirepoix are
translucent, and then add a small amount of garlic. Wait for that to aromatize,
which usually takes around 10 seconds, and then add the canned tomatoes. Use
a spoon to break the tomatoes apart.

Add a touch of chili flake. Bring to a simmer, and then add the lentils and stir
to cover in tomato sauce. Add a bit of water so that everything is covered in a
quarter-inch of liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil,
then bring it down to simmer.

Meanwhile, prepare the fish. Monkfish sometimes carry a parasite called

anisakiasis. The only way to kill anisakiasis is to cook the monkfish to 135
degrees. As you prepare it, check the fish to see if it has any anisakiasis visible.
Also check the quality of the fish: It should have almost no scent.

Use a fillet knife to divide the fish into two fillets. This is a good time to
check the spine for anisakiasis. Next, remove the skin from each fillet, and
then remove the bloodlines. Finally, portion the fillets to finish breaking the
monkfish down.

Check on the farro. It should have expanded in size. Check its readiness by
placing a small amount on the back of your hand and pressing down. Check the
readiness of the chickpeas by pressing on one with a spoon; if it is still raw on
the inside, it needs a few more minutes. Once it is ready, drain the excess water
from the farro. Keep the lid on to keep the moisture inside so they don’t dry out.

Check the lentils next. Use a spoon to break one apart. If the inside is still
raw but the outside is breaking apart, they likely need another few minutes.
Add some more water so they can absorb it. Once the water cooks down, they
should be ready to go. Make sure the tomatoes have broken apart. Add sage,
rosemary, and thyme.

Check on the chickpeas. They should be almost completely cooked. Drain the
water out. Add them to the mixture with the lentils. Also add the farro, and then
let them all cook together to the end. Put a lid on top, using a low temperature
to finish this mixture.

39
40
The monkfish will be seasoned with a unique spice called ras el hanout as well as
salt and white pepper. Add the ras el hanout to the flour and mix it lightly. Dipping
the fish in flour before frying will help prevent it from sticking to the pan.

Season the monkfish with white pepper and salt. Flour the monkfish, making
sure the pieces are evenly coated. Wash your hands, and then prepare to sear
the monkfish. Heat a 10-inch pan and add grapeseed oil.

Check the pilaf at this time. If the grains are getting dry, you can add a bit of
chicken stock to them for added moisture and flavor.

Once the pan is hot and shimmering, add the fish. Wait 10 seconds. Shake the
pan; nothing should stick. The goal is to achieve a golden brown on one side of
the fish. You can clean your station while waiting for this to occur.

Use a fish spatula to check the underside of the monkfish. When the pieces are
golden brown, place them in the oven at 350 degrees. Cook them until they
reach an internal temperature of 135 degrees.

Prepare lemon wedges. Cut the ends off and then quarter the lemon. Remove
the center of the lemon as well as the seeds.

Check on the monkfish. White discharge coming from the edge indicates
albumin coming out of the fish. The protein itself is being pushed out. This
means that the outside of the monkfish is done cooking. Test the firmness of
the monkfish, and remember that it should have reached a temperature of 135
degrees. Add leftover garlic to the pan. This will aromatize in the oil.

Check on the whole grain salad. Add herbs and fold those through. If desired,
add more salt, pepper, and chili flakes, and then taste to see if more seasoning
is needed.

Plate the lentils, chickpeas, and farro first, followed by the monkfish. Use some
of the leftover oil and juice from the pan by placing it on top of the dish. Finish
with lemon zest and a wedge of lemon.

41
 How to Make Rack
of Lamb Persillade
Lesson 12

T
his lesson’s dish is a spring rack of lamb with persillade with caponata
and a mustard jus. It involves some supplementary work to make the
meal come together. There is some preparation work required; for
instance, the mustard jus takes several hours to create.

42
Rack of Lamb Persillade with Caponata and Mustard Jus
Ingredients

Yield: 25 portions

main dish • 120 g olives, Castelvetrano,

• 5500 g rack of lamb, cut in eighths
cleaned and split • 10 g basil
• salt, to taste • 100 g red wine vinegar
• black pepper, to taste • 50 g sugar
• 25 g thyme • salt, as needed
• 35 g rosemary • black pepper, as needed
• 12.5 ea garlic clove • garlic, as needed
• extra virgin olive oil, as needed • butter, as needed
• 2500 g caponata
• 500 ml mustard jus persillade
• 500 g crispy fried onions • panko breadcrumbs
• Dijon mustard • parsley
• bruoise garlic
mustard jus • salt, as needed
• mirepoix • pepper, as needed
• tomato paste • oil, as needed
• white wine
• lamb trim crispy fried onions
• lamb bones • 500 g yellow onions,
• chicken stock sliced #14
• arrowroot • buttermilk, as needed to cover
• Dijon mustard • 500 g all-purpose flour
• sachet • 55 g trisol,
10 percent of flour weight
• 50 g spice mix
caponata
• 90 g extra virgin olive oil
spice mix
• 1400 g eggplant, Japanese,
medium diced • 1 C paprika
• 400 g onions • 1 C light chili powder
• 240 g celery, central part, peeled • 1 T cayenne
• 490 g canned tomatoes, • 1 T garlic powder
pureed in blender, no juice • 1 T onion powder
• 50 g pine nuts • 1 T salt
• 90 g raisins, gold • 1 T white pepper
• 50 g capers

43
Cooking Method: Lamb Mustard Jus
To make the mustard jus, roast bones and trim. Meanwhile, in a pan, caramelize
the mirepoix. Add the tomato paste and cook until it deepends in color. Deglaze
the pan with white wine and reduce until the pan is nearly dry.

Add the bones and trim, cover with stock, add a sachet, and cook for six hours.
Once cooked, strain it and add Dijon mustard. Blend with an immersion blender.
You can adjust the consistency to nappe with arrowroot slurry if needed.

Cooking Method: General Steps

To begin this lesson’s dish, small-dice the eggplant, salt it, and let it sit for one
hour. Moisture will come out of the eggplant. A bit of the liquid will start to
turn brown, and that is when you need to rinse.

The next step is to fine brunoise the garlic. Cut a piece of garlic in half. Remove
the germ, and then cut the garlic as finely as possible. Divide the results in half.
One portion will be used now and half will be used later.

After that, begin the caponata, which will take about an hour to make from
start to finish. In a medium-sized pot on medium heat, add a small amount
of olive oil. Add onions and peeled celery before it gets hot. Heat this until
the onions become translucent. Once that occurs, add the brunoised garlic.
After 10 seconds, the garlic will aromatize. Add tomato puree—that is, canned
tomatoes crushed by hand. Once it is all cooking, add a pinch of salt. From
here, the mixture is going to take roughly 35 minutes to cook, so turn the heat
down low and keep an eye on it.

Portion the rack of lamb, creating even pieces of lamb that are ready to cook.
Put this on a seasoning tray—that is, a rack with a pan underneath it.

Next, make the persillade. Add breadcrumbs to a food processor, giving it a

short spin. After that, add the parsley and garlic, and then spin the mixture. Add
salt and pepper while it spins. Next, add enough olive oil to coat the ingredients
without becoming too greasy. Stop the processor and push everything that has
gathered around the edge back down, and then process everything for another
minute. Once the mixture is ready, you can put the breadcrumbs into a pan.

Season the lamb by adding the pepper first. Flip it over and repeat on the other
side, also adding salt. Flip it once more and add salt to that side as well.

Heat a pan to a very hot temperature. Also make sure your oven is turned on
and heated to 400–425 degrees.

44
Once the pan is hot, add grapeseed oil. Coat the entire bottom of the pan. Let
the oil heat up for another 30 seconds. Get a spoon ready for basting. Place
the lamb in the pan with the show side down. Wait for about 10 seconds and
then give the pan some movement. Both pieces of lamb should move, with
nothing sticking to the pan. Add some aromatics to the pan, placing thyme and
rosemary in the oil. Also add a crushed clove of garlic.

The bones of the lamb are full of blood, and it is important to help get the
blood out of the bone and keep the moisture in the actual protein. Tilt the pan
on angle to pool the oil on one end. Using your basting spoon, run the oil over
the bones of each piece of lamb.

After the Maillard reaction begins, the lamb should have roughly 30 seconds
of searing left. Then, flip the pieces over and baste. Next, add some butter to
the pan and baste the pieces again. Turn the heat off when adding the butter. At
this point, the lamb should have a golden brown hue. Take it out of the pan and
place it on the roasting rack. Let it sit for a minute, and then brush both sides
with a generous amount of Dijon mustard.

Check the caponata. It should still have plenty of moisture. Dip the lamb into the
persillade to get an even crust on the outside. Clean your hands, and then remove
the herbs from the lamb’s searing pan. Put lamb back in the pan before placing it
in the oven. (If there is charring in the pan, use a different one instead.)

Place a probe thermometer in the larger of the two pieces. You will remove the
smaller piece before the larger one is ready. The goal is to cook the lamb to an
internal temperature of 123 degrees.

Frying the Eggplant

Once the eggplant has been sitting for approximately one hour, the water should
have started to extract from the eggplant. Rinse the eggplant, then drain it.

Use a small pot with oil on a stove to fry the eggplant. Test the oil by adding
one piece of eggplant. Once the oil reaches a good temperature, add a handful
of eggplant at a time. This controls the amount of water that gets into the oil.
Move the food around as it fries. Fry the eggplant above 212 degrees to help
the water evaporate.

Fry until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a parchment paper-
lined sheet tray, and set aside to cool. Add the eggplant to the tomato base,
giving it a gentle mix.

45
Finishing the Lamb
Once the lamb has been in the oven for 30 minutes, it should come to a medium-
rare level, so check on it. Remember that the temperature goal is 123 degrees.
You can also feel the lamb as another way to check on its status. Also keep in
mind that it is not a good idea to put multiple holes in the lamb with the probe.
Remove the lamb from the oven and set it aside to rest. Carryover cooking from
heat stored in the bone will continue to cook the meat. Additionally, blood that
has been pushed to the center of the meat will have a chance to redistribute. Let
the meat rest for six to seven minutes. Take it out of the pan and let it rest in a
warm area, like next to a stove.

Finishing the Caponata

Returning to the caponata, the next step is to add olives, golden raisins, pine
nuts, red wine vinegar, and capers. Also add a small amount of sugar. The
final step is to add basil, using scissors to cut the basil above the pot. Once the
caponata is done, turn off the heat. Let the mixture sit at room temperature.
Check the seasoning before you serve.

Plating
To prepare the lamb for serving, cut it. The video lesson contains a
demonstration on how to best do this. Let it sit for a minute; blood will start
coming out. While that is resting, it is time to put the caponata and the jus on
the plate. Plate the rack of lamb, crossing the bones from each piece. Put sauce
at the bottom at the bottom of the plate.

46
 Making Your Own Pasta:
Potato Gnocchi
Lesson 13

T
his lesson’s dish is potato gnocchi, a classic Italian dish. There are many
varieties of potato, and they vary when it comes to moisture and starch
content. The best potato for this lesson’s dish is the Idaho (or russet)
potato, which is a low-moisture, high-starch potato. That type of potato will
become fluffy in this recipe.

Potato Gnocchi, Tomatoes,

Green Olives, and Mozzarella
Ingredients

Yield: 12 portions

gnocchi • 80 g extra virgin olive oil

• 2000 g Idaho potatoes, • 0.75 t nutmeg
pureed • 1 T salt, kosher
• 500 g 00 flour
• 100 g grana padano, tomatoes
grated
• 4 pt cherry tomatoes,
• 1 ea egg yolk blistered and peeled
• 3 ea eggs, whole • 1 C basil, hand ripped at pickup
• 1 C oregano,
cleaned and picked
• 5 ea shallot
• 5 ea garlic, fine brunoise,
germ removed
• 100 g green olives,
pitted and halved
• 200 g mozzarella ovalini,
small dice
• extra virgin olive oil,
as needed
• butter, as needed

47
Cooking Method: First Steps
Start with cold water in a pot. Add salt to the water at a ratio of one ounce per
gallon.

Put diced and peeled potatoes in the water. (It is important to start cooking the
potatoes in cold water. If cooked in hot water, they will cook unevenly.) Bring
the water to a boil. Let the potatoes cook for about 25 minutes.

To make the confit tomatoes, place them on a roasting tray and broil them at
the maximum temperature possible for a short time. Once they start to blister
on the outside, remove them and peel the skin off. Heat oil to 220 degrees and
pour it over the tomatoes. Leave the tomatoes and oil at room temperature.

Once the potatoes are ready, take them out, trying to remove as much water as
possible. Put them on a tray and then in the oven. Cook them for about seven
minutes at 350 degrees. The goal is to dry them out as much as possible.

Preparing the Gnocchi

When the potatoes are cooked, it will be time to mill, shape, and cut the
gnocchi. To do that, the necessary tools are a rolling pin, a pizza cutter, a
gnocchi palette, a bench scraper, a microplane, and a food mill. A wooden
table is also recommended. Put the potatoes in the food mill using the scraper.
Before you begin milling, place a small amount of nutmeg on the table. The
wooden surface will help absorb moisture. Mill the potatoes onto the nutmeg
and table.

Once all of the potatoes are through, scrape the excess off of the outside of
the mill. Let the potatoes sit for a minute. Once they have dried and the wood
has absorbed some of the moisture, put them into a bowl. Weigh the finished
quantity to find the correct ratio for the flour. In terms of weight, you will want
a four-to-one potato-to-flour ratio.

Make a well in the middle of the flour. Crack one egg per 500 grams of potato
and place it in the well. Also add a small amount of salt, a small amount of oil,
and a handful of Parmesan cheese. Begin mixing with your hand, distributing the
moisture into the potatoes as quickly as possible, within reason.

Once the mixture is a shaggy mess, take it out of the bowl and mix it on the
counter, using both hands. Mix it so that the ingredients stick together, but not
so much that it becomes doughy. If it is too moist and sticky, add a bit more
flour. Be careful not too mix too much. Perform a finger test: If you poke a
finger into the mixture and the finger doesn’t stick, the mixture is ready.

48
Put flour on the cutting surface. Roll the gnocchi to the thickness of your hand,
using a rolling pin and starting in the center. Next, use a pizza cutter to cut the
dough into long, straight lines. Remove any pieces you don’t want.

Place some more flour on your cutting surface. Take a piece of gnocchi to an
area that has very little flour. Press it into a somewhat rectangular shape, and
then roll it into the flour. Repeat with the other pieces.

Once the gnocchi is rolled out, dust each piece with flour. It is time to cut
the gnocchi. The amount you cut at a time depends on your comfort zone.
Start small with four pieces. Focus on cutting the pieces in an even manner.
Remove any pieces you do not like, and then repeat this process for the rest of
the gnocchi. With time and practice, the process will become faster and easier.

Shaping and Cooking the Gnocchi

Once the gnocchi is cut, the next step is shaping it. The best way to do this is on
a pan. Add a small bit of flour to the pan. Place each piece of gnocchi on the top
third of your gnocchi palette, point the palette down toward the pan, and then
press and roll each piece onto the pan. The goal is to produce a thumbprint on
one side and ridges on the other side of each piece. The ridges will hold sauce.
Repeat until you have used all of the dough.

After the gnocchi pieces have been shaped, it is time to cook them. Bring a
pot of salted water to a boil. Keep in mind that a regular gnocchi serving size
is 15–20 pieces per person. If you have a pasta basket, you can cook roughly
21 gnocchi pieces in each one. Regardless, if the water is above 205 degrees,

49
the gnocchi will take approximately four minutes to cook. Once they begin
floating, cook for another 30 seconds, and then put them on a pan.

Making the Sauce

The next step is making the sauce. Put a small amount of olive oil in a pan. Keep
the heat off for now. Next, add shallots. Turn the heat on and cook the shallots
until they reach a translucent stage—that is, when water begins evaporating.
Once that occurs, add reserved confit tomatoes, using five per portion.

Take the pan off the heat and break the tomatoes apart using a spoon. This will
form the sauce, which will emulsify the pasta water, butter, and oil together
later. Put the pan back on the heat. Add olives, a pinch of oregano, and butter.
Swirl the mixture in the pan to start the emulsion of the sauce. Once the sauce
is ready, turn the heat off and wait for the gnocchi to cook.

Final Steps and Plating

Bring the pan of sauce to the gnocchi so that it is away from heat. Put the
gnocchi in the pan and return to the heat. Season it with salt and cheese, and
then toss the pasta 16 times. This will release starches from the potato and
emulsify the sauce.

Before plating, rub the plate with garlic. This will impart the flavors of the garlic
on the plate. Next, scatter a bit of fresh mozzarella on the plate. After that, place
gnocchi with sauce on the plate. As the gnocchi sits on the plate, the heat will
start to partially melt the mozzarella. Finish with Parmesan cheese on top.

50
 Making Your Own Pasta:
Butternut Agnolotti
Lesson 14

T
his lesson involves making fresh agnolotti, using a few simple ingredients
to make an elegant dish. Classically, agnolotti is a meat-filled dish, but
this lesson’s recipe produces a vegetarian version.

Butternut Squash Agnolotti with Brown Butter and Sage

•
Ingredients

Yield: 4 portions

filling • 00 flour, double weight of eggs

• 6 oz butternut squash
• 3 oz ricotta impastata plate components
• 1 oz Parmesan • filled pasta
• olive oil, as needed • 4 oz butternut squash, small dice
• salt and pepper, to taste • 4 ea fried sage
• 4 ea sage, fine cut
pasta • 3 oz butter
• 4 ea eggs, whole, weighed • 3 oz Parmesan

51
Cooking Method: Pasta
The first step is to make the pasta. When making pasta, it is typical to use
a ratio of two parts flour to one part eggs. Crack your eggs and weigh them
on a scale. Also use the scale to determine the amount of flour you need. For
instance, if the eggs weigh 201 grams, you will need 402 grams of flour.

Put the flour and eggs in the food processor and give it a stir. Thirty seconds is
enough time to process the pasta. Take the pasta out of the processor and push
it together. Let it sit for 30 minutes so that it can relax.

Cooking Method: Butternut Squash

Next, it is time to break down the butternut squash. A nakiri vegetable knife is
recommended. Take the top and bottom off the squash to give it stability when
stood on end. Also remove and peel the neck. Cut the neck in half, starting at
the top and slicing to the bottom. Then, slice the halves into smaller pieces.
After that, small dice enough squash for the garnish.

Put the sliced squash on a tray for roasting. Place the diced squash on a separate
tray. Roast the squash for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Transfer the sliced squash
to a food processor and pulse to break it up. Add 50 grams of Parmesan cheese
and 200 grams of ricotta impastata. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper, and
then process the mixture until it is creamy. If the mixture sticks to the sides,
add a bit of olive oil. Once the filling is ready, put it in a piping bag. Cut half an
inch off the end of the bag.

Cooking Method: Pasta, Part 2

Next, it is time to cook the pasta. You will need a cutting board and a pasta
roller. Once the past has been resting for 30 minutes, cut it into fourths so that
you can roll one-quarter of it at a time. Wrap the pasta that you are not working
with so that it doesn’t dry out. Put some flour on your cutting board so that
nothing sticks.

Take one piece of dough and press it down so that it is thin enough for the pasta
roller. Fold this piece through the roller several times. Continue folding until it
is ready; refer to the video lesson for more information on using a pasta roller.
The goal thickness for the dough is roughly 1.5 millimeters. You should be
able to see your hands through the dough.

Trim the edges of the dough and brush off any flour on the top surface of the
dough. Position the dough in two rows. Brush water along the outer edges of
the dough as a binder. Place the filling in the dough, starting about the width of
two fingers from the edge. Repeat on the second piece of dough.

52
Next, fold each piece of dough over one time. Apply a small amount of water
with the brush, and then fold each piece one more time. After that, pinch the
dough at one-inch intervals. Using a pizza wheel, trim the front of the dough.
Separate the dough at the pinched intervals. Line the pieces up on a floured
tray. Repeat this process until all of the pasta is ready. Put the agnolotti into a
pasta cooker and boil them.

Finishing Steps and Plating

While the pasta is boiling, you can start the sauce. Put butter into a cold
pan, heat it, and let the butter melt completely. Once the butter has melted
completely, the water will start to evaporate.

Once the water has completely evaporated, the milk solids that are left in the
butter will start to brown and toast on the bottom. Wait for the boiling noise
to stop, remove it from heat, and then add the butternut squash. Leave it off
the heat for a minute and add sage. Place the pan back on the heat to cook the
butternut squash completely through, and then bring the pan over to your pasta.

Once the pasta dumplings are floating, they are cooked. Take them out and dump
them in the pan with a small amount of water. Put the pan back onto the heat.
Add a small amount of Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Toss this 16 times.

At this point, the dish is ready for plating. Arrange the pasta around the plate so
that the plate isn’t too crowded. Put some of the brown butter from the pan on
top. Add Parmesan cheese to complete the meal.

53
 Cooking the Perfect
Thanksgiving Turkey
Lesson 15

T
his lesson involves tackling a turkey. You will learn how to make the
brine, prepare the turkey itself, and also create gravy. Keep in mind that
the turkey needs to soak in brine for up to 24 hours as part of this recipe,
and the turkey will require an additional four to five hours of cooking time
beyond that.

54
Thanksgiving Dinner

Ingredients

Yield: 10 portions

turkey brine cranberry sauce

• 2.5 gal water, half liquid, half ice • cranberries, frozen
• 8 oz salt • sugar (¼ the weight
of the cranberries)
• 8 oz sugar
• orange juice, as needed
• ½ cup Dijon mustard
• jalapeño, if desired

turkey
stuffing
• 1 ea turkey, broken down
• dry bread cubes
• salt and pepper, to taste
• celery
• grapeseed oil, as needed
• butter

gravy • onions

• turkey bones, as available, roasted • sage

• 1 lb leeks, large dice • carrots

• 8 oz shallots, quartered • chestnuts, small dice

• 2 thyme sprigs • stock

• 20 ea parsley stems
roux
• 3 ea bay leaves
• oil or other fat
• salt and pepper, to taste
• flour
• 1 gal chicken stock
• 8 oz flour
• 2 oz tomato paste

Making the Brine

To make the brine, heat one gallon of water. Add sugar, salt, and Dijon mustard.
The water needs to reach 185 degrees for the sugar and salt to completely
dissolve. Whisk the mixture to help it along. Once the brine is ready, pour it
into a container, and then add an equal portion of ice. Set the brine aside.

Starting the Turkey

Assess the size of your turkey. Generally speaking, turkey cooks at a rate of
about 15 minutes per pound. Break the turkey down, following the chef’s
demonstration in the video lesson. Save the giblets, kidneys, liver, and heart for

55
use in sauce. Once the limbs are off, place the body of the turkey in the brine.
Make sure it is completely covered. Separate the legs from the thighs and put
the legs in the brine.

Remove the bones from the thighs and save them for the sauce. Join the pieces
of thigh meat together using butcher’s netting and put that into the brine as
well. Place the container in the refrigerator and wait. The turkey needs to sit
in the brine for 7 hours for osmosis to occur, but 24 hours is the recommended
soaking time for best results.

Once the turkey is done soaking, take it out of the fridge. Put the turkey on a
roasting rack. Take the turkey out with the cavity down and drain it as much as
possible before placing it on the rack. Dispose of the brine immediately.

Pat down the outside of the turkey with a towel to dry it. Cover the turkey with
vegetable oil. Rub the turkey to make sure all of the skin is covered. Wash your
hands, then season the turkey with black pepper and salt. Once the turkey is
ready, put it in the oven at 265 degrees for three hours.

The legs and the thighs will come out a bit earlier, likely 1 hour and 45 minutes
to 2 hours into the process. They need to reach an internal temperature of 167
degrees, and then carryover cooking will take them to 169 to 170 degrees.

Starting the Cranberry Sauce and Gravy

To begin the cranberry sauce, put frozen cranberries into a pot. Add one quarter
of their weight in sugar, followed by orange juice. For example, if you are
using one pound of cranberries, use four ounces of sugar and four ounces of
orange juice. If desired, add one tablespoon of jalapeño cut into a brunoise
with the ribs removed. The cranberry sauce will likely take 30 to 45 minutes.
Give it a stir and bring it to a boil. Once the sauce is ready, it should sit off the
heat for 15 to 20 minutes to cool before serving.

While the cranberries are working, you can start working on the gravy. Put the
turkey neck, wings, and thigh bones on a rack in an oven for 300 degrees for
30 minutes. Heat a pot with a generous amount of oil in it. Add leeks, shallots,
parsley stems, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook until the outside of the leeks and
the shallots gain some color, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, check on the cranberry sauce. The edges of the pot need to be very
clean, so scrape down as needed. If sugar sticks to the edge, it will burn quickly.

Once the leeks and shallots have browned, add tomato paste. Season both pots
with salt. Add turkey bones to the gravy. Heat the pan that was holding the
turkey bones on a burner; the pan should have a fond on it.

56
Once the cranberry sauce reaches a full boil, turn it down to low heat and let
it cook for 20 minutes. The goal is to get all of the moisture out and break the
cranberries down into a jelly-like state.

Turn the heat off under the pan that was holding the turkey bones. Pour a
quarter of a gallon of the chicken stock into the pan. Use a spoon to scrape the
fond off. Pour the chicken stock and fond into the gravy base. Put more stock
in if necessary to cover the bones. Season with more salt and pepper and let the
mixture cook. Make sure nothing sticks to the sides.

Making the Stuffing

To make the stuffing, cook mirepoix with oil in a pan until the onions are
becoming translucent. Turn the heat down when this occurs.

Meanwhile, check on the gravy. Bring it up to a boil and then turn it down
to a simmer. The goal is to get it to roughly 205 degrees. Also make sure the
cranberry sauce’s pan has liquid in it. If the liquid dissipates, the sugar will
burn, and the sauce will become very bitter. Add water if needed.

When the onions for the stuffing are completely translucent, turn the heat back
up on the mirepoix. Add butter to the mirepoix and stir until melted. Then, add

57
the sage and stir. Fully cook the sage. Add diced chestnuts and stir again. Cook
the water out of the butter. Once the butter begins to brown, add the bread
cubes and stir to coat them. Finally, add enough stock to moisten the bread.

Check to see if the cranberry sauce is done. If it is, turn off the heat and set the
sauce aside to cool. After it has been cooling for about 10 minutes, you can put
it in a bowl.

Stir the stuffing, making sure the bottom does not burn. Season with salt and
pepper, and then remove from the heat.

Finishing the Turkey

Check on the turkey. After three hours at 265 degrees, it should be cooked to
167 degrees internally. Check inside to make sure the juices are running clear,
not pink. Set aside to rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Making the Roux

To make the roux using the technique from the video lesson, use the fat from
the bottom of the pan the turkey is resting in. You could also use whole or
clarified butter, grapeseed oil, or a combination of those. In general, the basic
ratio for thickening a sauce is one pound of roux per gallon of stock. For
example, if you are making one quart of gravy, you will need four ounces of
roux. That, in turn, calls for a 50/50 oil/flour ratio. In this case, that would
mean two ounces of fat and two ounces of flour.

Pour the fat into a sauté pan. Add the flour. With a spatula, mix the two
ingredients together in a cold state. Stir until it reaches a peanut butter–like
consistency. Add more flour if necessary as you stir.

Once it reaches the proper consistency, the next stage is to cook it. Heat the
pan and stir the roux as it cooks. It will begin to tighten up and then relax and
spread out. Keep in mind that the flour needs to cook for at least 20 minutes.

Roux goes through four stages: white roux, blond roux, brown roux, and black
roux. This recipe’s goal is brown roux.

Turn off the heat under the gravy. It needs to be below 185 degrees. Remove
the roux from the heat and cool it down slowly, stirring constantly. As the
protein in the flour pushes the fat out, the roux will become shiny.

Add some more chicken stock to the gravy if necessary to bring the temperature
down. Stir the pot, moving the bones to one side. Using the spatula, add
the roux, and then use a whisk to mix it in. Bring this back up to a full boil.

58
Periodically use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan to prevent the roux
from sticking to it.

Finishing the Gravy

Once the gravy reaches a boil, remove the bones with tongs or tweezers. Turn
the heat down and cook for 10 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper and
continue scraping the bottom of the pot from time to time. When the gravy is
ready, strain it into another pot. You can use a fine mesh strainer and a ladle
for this step, pushing the liquid through the mesh. Discard the material that
remains in the mesh.

To prevent the gravy from developing a skin, put a small amount of butter in it.
The butter will melt and prevent a skin from forming.

Final Steps and Plating

Put on two pairs of gloves for added heat protection before handling the turkey.
Use a carving knife and a pair of scissors to break down the turkey, following
the chef’s demonstration in the video lesson. For the breast, you will also need
a boning knife.

Begin the plating process with a portion of the stuffing. Add a portion of breast
and thigh meat beside the stuffing, followed by gravy around the perimeter.
Finish with the cranberry sauce.

59
 Seafood Delight:
How to Make Cioppino
Lesson 16

T
his lesson involves making the classic dish of cioppino, a Portuguese
seafood stew that made its way all the way to San Francisco and became
what it is today. This lesson’s version involves both Atlantic and Pacific
seafood. Note that the halibut and branzino used in the video lesson were
prepared for cooking ahead of time.

Cioppino
Ingredients

Yield: 10 portions

sauce • 2 lb halibut
• 3 oz grapeseed oil • 50 ea shrimp, 16–20s,
peeled and deveined
• 12 oz yellow onions, small dice
• 2 lb calamari, cut
• 1 ea leeks, whites only, small dice
• 50 ea clams
• 12 oz green peppers, small dice
• 50 ea muscles
• 12 oz fennel, small dice
• butter, as needed
• 1 oz garlic, brunoise
• grapeseed oil, as needed
• 1 qt canned tomatoes,
crushed by hand • salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 qt chicken stock • white wine, as needed
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 1 oregano sprig side dish
• 3 ea bay leaf • bread
• 0.25 bu parsley, finely cut, keep stems
• 2 C white wine
• 2 ea Yukon Gold potatoes

seafood
• 30 ea scallops
• 2 lb branzino

60
61
Making the Base Sauce
Make the base sauce before working with the seafood. Break down the leek.
In a medium pot, heat a small amount of oil and add the leek pieces before it
gets too hot. Once you hear a sizzling sound, add diced onions, diced fennel,
and diced green peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Let this mixture cook
on medium heat. The longer and more slowly it cooks, the more flavor will
develop. An hour is usually enough time from start to finish.

Preparing the Seafood

Following the techniques from the video lesson, peel and devein the shrimp.
Inspect the mussels next, keeping in mind that any shellfish that does not close
after squeezing is mostly likely dead and should be discarded. If a shellfish
remains closed after cooking, it was already dead and should be discarded.
Cracked shellfish should also be discarded. Remove any beard that may be
attached to the mussels.

Next, inspect the clams. Make sure none of them are broken. All of the clams
should be closed. Discard any that you reject. Rinse the clams in cold water.

Clean off a cutting board. Start on the calamari next. Make sure everything
has been removed from the inside of the calamari. Cut the calamari legs into
halves or thirds for ease of handling. Also prepare and position the branzino
and halibut for cooking. Refer to Lesson 9 for guidance on breaking down a
round fish and Lesson 20 for guidance on breaking down a flat fish.

Making the Base Sauce, Part 2

The next step for the base sauce is to add garlic. Flatten a large piece by hand
and place it in the sauce whole. Cook it for a minute. Add bay leaves and
thyme, followed by hand-crushed tomatoes. Bring it up to temperature. There
should be bubbles in the middle. Add salt and pepper, and then add chicken
stock. Bring the mixture back up to a boil. Periodically check on and stir the
sauce throughout the rest of the preparation process.

Preparing the Scallops

The next part of the recipe is seasoning the seafood. Set up a seasoning rack
with a tray underneath. Don’t season the show side of the scallops, but do
season the other side with salt and white pepper. Heat a pan with grapeseed oil.

Prepare another rack with a pan underneath for storing the seafood after cooking.

Put the scallops in the pan with the heated grapeseed oil. Cook them for 10
seconds, then tilt the pan toward yourself, creating a pool of fat in the back of
the pan. Baste the scallops with that. Add a small pat of butter and let it melt.
The goal is to use the milk solids to help brown the outside of the scallops.

62
After another 20 seconds or so, check the other side of the scallops, using a fish
spatula. Start basting this side for 20 seconds. Transfer the cooked scallops to
the rack.

Preparing the Halibut

Replace the pan you cooked the scallops in with a fresh one if necessary.
Season the top and the bottom of the halibut with salt and white pepper. Heat
a small amount of oil. While you wait for it to heat, give the base sauce a stir
and turn the heat down to medium. You are looking for it to reach a simmering
level at this point.

Once the pan is very hot, add the halibut. Wait 10 seconds and move the pan.
Nothing should stick. After 15 more seconds, move the halibut to the top of
the pan, then tilt it back and use the liquid to baste. After 35 seconds, add a
small amount of butter. Turn the heat down, let the butter melt, and baste again.
Flip the fish over and repeat the basting process for 30 seconds. Once they are
ready, turn the heat off and remove them, placing them on the storage rack. The
goal is to cook them halfway through in the pan and finish them in the stew.

Preparing the Branzino

Replace the cooking pan once more if necessary. Season the branzino with salt
and white pepper. Heat the oil in the pan.

Check on the sauce. If it has reduced too much, you can add a small amount
of water.

When the pan is smoking, add the fish. It will immediately curl up. Use a
fish spatula to push it down and flatten it. Hold it for a few seconds. Do this
to each piece. After 10 more seconds, shake the pan to make sure nothing is
stuck. Add butter. You will only cook this fish on one side. The goal is a golden
brown bottom.

Before moving to the next step, add the potatoes to the base sauce. Make sure
they are submerged in liquid. Season with ample amounts of salt.

Preparing the Mussels and Clams

To prepare the shellfish, you will need a 10-inch pan and an 8-inch pan to place
over the larger pan. This will be used to create steam.

Heat the 10-inch pan, add oil, and sweat diced onions. Add crushed garlic. Wait
until the pan becomes silent; this means that the water has been removed from
the onions. After about 1.5 minutes, add the mussels. Cover with the 8-inch
pan and pour white wine over it. You can then remove the 8-inch pan.

63
As the mussels start to open up, remove them from the pan and place them on
the rack alongside the scallops. Pour juice on the mussels to help them open up
if necessary. Once all the mussels are done, add the liquid from the pan to the
sauce base.

Add oil, diced onions, and crushed garlic to the same pan. Repeat the mussel-
cooking process to cook the clams. The clams have thicker shells, so they will
take a longer time to cook. Remove them as soon as they open up. Once again,
add the liquid from the pan to the base.

Preparing the Shrimp and Calamari

Heat a pan again, adding oil. Add the shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. Use
a fish spatula to turn and sauté the shrimp. Crush a garlic clove and add it. Turn
off the heat. Leave them in the pan to finish cooking.

Check on the base to see how close it is to being ready. Test a potato by cutting
it. Continue cooking if necessary.

Final Steps and Plating

If desired, you can serve this dish with grilled bread. The video lesson uses a
sliced baguette. Place it on the grill at an angle. Season lightly with salt and
pepper. Turn it once it is nicely toasted and season the other side. Turn off the
grill once the bread is done and set the bread aside.

Once the potatoes are almost ready, add in the clams and mussels. Add the
juice captured at the bottom of the storage tray as well. Next, add the shrimp.
Stir the mixture gently.

Add more butter to the mixture, followed by the calamari. Stir it together. Wait
until the butter melts and the calamari finishes cooking all the way through.
The protein of the calamari will start to tighten up when it is almost ready.

When you are ready to plate, try to capture as much of every ingredient as you can
into a bowl. Standing mussels and clams up along the sides of the bowl will give
you more room. On top, add a piece of halibut and branzino as well as scallops.
Garnish with parsley and add a bit more sauce. Serve with the grilled bread.

64
 Finding Your Roots:
Maple-Roasted Celeriac
Lesson 17

T
his lesson’s dish is a vegan recipe. It is made up of maple-roasted
celeriac, trumpet royale mushrooms, peas, carrots, and pearl onions. The
preparation work involves a variety of techniques, including boiling,
blending, sautéing, and oven roasting.

Maple-Roasted Celeriac, Trumpet Royale Mushroom,

Peas, Carrots, and Pearl Onions
Ingredients

Yield: 4 portions

celeriac • 2–4 oz vegetable stock

• 1 lg celery root, • nutritional yeast, to taste
cleaned well with scrub pad • Espelette, to taste
• grapeseed oil, as needed
• 4 oz maple syrup mushrooms
• salt and pepper, to taste • 1 ea trumpet royale mushroom
• 1 bu thyme • grapeseed oil, as needed
• chervil, to taste • salt, as needed
• pepper, as needed
pea puree
• 1 lb peas, fresh preferred
but use frozen if necessary
• lemon juice, as needed

carrots and pearl onions

• 20 ea baby tri-color carrots,
peeled, cleaned, and halved if large
• grapeseed oil, as needed
• 14 ea pearl onions
• balsamic vinegar, as needed
• sugar, as needed

65
66
Cooking the Celeriac
Start with the celeriac, or celery root. Clean it very well, soak it in water, trim
its roots, and then peel it. The remaining piece should be fairly smooth, and the
root system should be completely gone. Remove any remaining points. Use a
knife to shave one end of it to give it a base to stand on.

Put the celeriac in a small pan and add enough vegetable stock to cover the
bottom of the pan. Top with salt, pepper, and maple syrup. Place it in an oven
for 350 degrees for 90 minutes. Check it every 15–20 minutes. Baste it when
you check.

Cooking the Onions

This recipe calls for agridoce onions. The term agridoce means “sweet and
sour.” Peel your pearl onions and cut them in half. Line a tray with parchment
paper and coat it with sugar. Add salt and balsamic to the tray. Place each
onion cut-side down into the mixture. Slide them down to make sure they
are all covered. Place the tray in the same oven as the celeriac and cook for
12 minutes.

Cooking the Baby Carrots

Next up are the baby carrots. Use a paring knife and a peeler to clean, trim, and
peel the carrots. Once that is done, select the smallest carrot as a model. Cut
the bigger carrots down to match its size.

The next step is to sauté the carrots. Heat grapeseed oil in a medium-sized pan.
Once the oil develops a shimmer, add the carrots to the pan. Give the pan a toss
to coat the carrots in oil. Then, put the pan in the same oven as the celeriac and
onions. Cook the carrots for 15–20 minutes at 350 degrees.

At this point, you can also check on the onions. Look for the outer shells to
begin softening up. Also make sure the mixture hasn’t reduced too much; if it
has, add more balsamic. Check the onions once more in four minutes.

Making the Pea Puree

The next phase involves beginning the pea puree. Boil a pot of salted water.
If you are using frozen peas, cook them in the water for about 30 seconds. If
you are using raw peas, cook them for about a minute. Next, put the peas in a
blender. Add vegetable stock. Blend the peas and add more vegetable stock if
necessary. Also add a bit of oil to make the mixture smooth and creamy.

Pause the blender and check the seasoning while it is still in the blender. Add
more salt and pepper if necessary. Also add a small amount of lemon juice.
Resume blending for a short time, and then check the seasoning again. If the
mixture is ready, put it in a small pot and set it aside.

67
Next Steps for the Celeriac, Carrots, and Onions
Check on the vegetables in the oven. Take the carrots out, toss the carrots, and
put them back in the oven. Remove the celeriac and the pearl onions.

Move the celeriac to one end of its pan and baste it. Add a sprig of thyme. Put
the celeriac back in the oven.

Flip all of the onions over. Put more balsamic on them as well as a touch of
salt. Put the onions back in the oven. At this point, the onions should have
roughly 4 minutes left, and the carrots should have roughly 10 minutes left.
The celeriac should be getting close to ready.

Preparing the Mushroom

The next step is to prepare a trumpet royale mushroom. Remove the fibrous
bottom and cut the mushroom into even pieces. Scores the tops with a knife.
Heat a small amount of oil in a small pan. Once the oil is hot, put the mushrooms
in. Give the mushrooms some movement, and then season immediately with
salt and pepper. When they are golden brown on one side, flip them over.
You can also baste to speed up the process. They should be ready to flip after
roughly 90 seconds. At that point, flip them, add more oil to the pan, and baste
the tops. Place the mushrooms in the oven and remove the onions if they are
ready. Let the onions sit at room temperature.

Finishing Steps and Plating

Check on the celeriac. The maple syrup and the stock should have reduced
down almost completely. Test the celeriac with a fork or knife. Push to the
center; it should be soft all the way through. If the utensil encounters resistance,
the celeriac has not cooked all the way. If the celeriac is ready, let it sit at room
temperature for a few minutes.

When you are ready to cut the celeriac, put on gloves. The maple syrup may be
very hot, even if it has been sitting for a few minutes. Using a knife, you can
break the celeriac down into any size that you want. Try to make the pieces all
the same thickness.

Take the remaining liquid from the pan and heat it up. Add vegetable stock if
needed to help it dissolve. Season the celeriac with salt and pepper. Pour the
liquid from the pan over the celeriac. Place it back in the oven to produce a
glaze on the celeriac. Heat the pea puree back up.

Plate the pea puree off to one side of the plate. Put the mushrooms on top of that,
followed by the sliced celeriac. After that, add the carrots, then the onions. Season
the dish with a small amount of nutritional yeast, espelette, and chervil. Add a small
amount of olive oil to the plate. Balance the oil out with a small amount of balsamic.

68
 How to Make Great Paella
Lesson 18

T
his lesson focuses on the classic dish of paella, an ancient dish from
Valencia, Spain. The dish’s roots go back to classic seafood one-pot
cookery in the summertime. This lesson’s version includes pork and
chicken, but those ingredients can be omitted based on your personal preference.
Also note that the paella needs to be made in a paella pan. Ideally, this will be a
thin, stainless steel pan.

Paella with Shrimp, Chicken, and Chorizo

Ingredients

Yield: 8 portions

sofrito paella
• 1 ea yellow onion, small dice • 1 lb chicken thighs,
bones removed
• 2 ea tomato, concassé
• 1 lb shrimp, (16/20 count),
• 1 ea red pepper, small dice
shells removed and deveined
• peeled celery, small dice
• 1.5 lb mussels, pre-cleaned
• grapeseed oil, as needed and inspected
• 1 T salt • 1.5 lb clams, pre-cleaned
and inspected
• 8 oz chorizo, fresh
• 10 fl oz rice, bomba or calasparra
• 4 ea piquillo peppers,
cut into fourths
• 1 ea cauliflower, cut into florets
• 4 ea artichokes,
cut per chef’s demonstration
• 2 garlic cloves, brunoise
• 1 C peas
• ¼ bu parsley, chopped fine
• 1 ea lemon, quartered
• 2 g saffron
• 6 C chicken stock,
hot and seasoned

69
Starting the Chorizo, Tomatoes, Chicken, and Shrimp
The first step is to sear the meats and begin rendering the fat from the chorizo.
Heat a pan with grapeseed oil in it. Add cut-up chorizo to the pan.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Follow the chef’s demonstration

from the video lesson to prepare the concassé tomatoes. Once the water is
boiling, put the tomatoes in for 10 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to remove and
set aside.

Turning back to the chorizo, try to keep everything in the center of the pan, where
it’s hottest. When the chorizo has begun to brown, tilt the pan. Use a slotted
spoon to push everything to one side of the pan. Turn the heat down. Let the fat
drain. Remove the chorizo and store it in a bowl. Keep the pan with the fat in it.

Line up the chicken thighs on a seasoning try. Season them with salt and
pepper. Add more oil to the pan you rendered the chorizo in. Then, add the
chicken. Turn the heat back up. Don’t forget to wash your hands after touching
raw chicken. Give the pan some movement to make sure nothing sticks. Let the
chicken cook for a few minutes.

Next, use a paring knife and peel the skin off the tomatoes. You will end up
with uncooked tomatoes with no skin. Meanwhile, check on the chicken and
turn it over, giving the pan some movement. After that, cut the tomatoes into
long slices. Remove the ribs and seeds. Check on the chicken.

Following the chef’s demonstration, continue slicing the tomatoes. When the
chicken is ready, take it out of the pan and store it in a bowl. Add some more
oil to the pan. Then, add peeled and deveined shrimp to the pan. Season with
salt and pepper. The goal is to sear them and produce some color, rather than
cooking them all the way through. Take them out of the pan when they start to
curl. Until then, turn them as needed.

Starting the Sofrito

Next, scrape any of the fond that’s on the bottom of the pan. Add a small
amount of oil. To start the sofrito, add white onions, peeled celery, and red
peppers. Try to use the moisture that’s in the vegetables to deglaze the pan and
capture all the fond that’s on the bottom.

Heat a small pot. Add white wine. Get it hot, but don’t boil it. You will use
this wine to bloom the saffron. Remove from the heat and add the saffron.
Meanwhile, add the concassé tomatoes to the sofrito pan and turn the heat down.

If the fond is starting to get stuck on the sides, add chicken stock to deglaze
the pan. Let that cook in the pan for just a second. With a spatula, pick up all

70
that fond that’s on the bottom. When the fond is in the sofrito, let it cook. The
goal is a jam-like consistency. Stir regularly. You may need to add stock if the
cooking process takes longer. Near the end, add garlic and aromatize it. Also
add a small amount of oil.

71
Next, add the rice to the pan. Stir the rice in with the oil and other ingredients.
When the rice is hot, add seasoned stock, completely covering the rice. Stir
again, trying to capture the fond on the bottom. Bring the ingredients up to
a boil, then turn the heat down to low and let the mixture simmer. From this
point, the rice will be cooked in approximately 25 minutes.

Preparing the Artichokes and Finishing the Paella

The next step is to prepare the meal’s artichokes. Follow the chef’s
demonstration to trim the artichokes. Having lemon water on hand is helpful.
You can dip the cut artichoke in the lemon water to prevent oxidization. While
you work on the artichokes, give the paella a stir from time to time.

The paella will eventually reach au sec—that is, it will reduce to the point that
the pan itself is dry but the product is moist. At this point, add stock again.
The stock should be hot when you add it. Continue to stir from time to time,
making sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.

The rice should be absorbing the liquid and expanding its size. It will expand
to three times its original size. The next step is to add the saffron and the white
wine. If needed, add stock to the saffron and white wine to make sure you
capture all of it. Let this cook in for a minute. Bring the paella back up to a
boil. Add more stock, making sure everything is covered.

Turn the heat back up. Begin adding the other ingredients, starting with
cauliflower and artichokes. The cooking time from here will be about 10 minutes.
Try to keep everything submerged, adding more stock as needed. Next, add the
chorizo. After that, rip up piquillo peppers and put them in the paella.

Replenish the stock in the paella, and then add the chicken. Your goal is an
even distribution of the ingredients. At this point, instead of stirring, knock
the pan to help starches fall to the bottom. Use a spatula to make sure nothing
sticks to the edge of the pan.

After that, add the shellfish. The video lesson uses mussels and clams, but you can
use your choice of shellfish. The goal is to get them to fully cook and open up.
Once the chicken fully cooks and the shells of the shellfish open up, you can add
your shrimp and peas. (If any shellfish do not open up, just throw them away.)

The peas can sit on top, and the shrimp can go around the edges, depending
on your preference. Ideally, people should get a spoon of everything whenever
they get a new portion. Finish the paella with a garnish of parsley. Turn the
heat off, let the paella rest for a few minutes, and serve.

72
 Smoking Pork
with Mexican Street Corn
Lesson 19

T
his lesson’s dish is made up of pulled pork sliders, a Mexican street corn
salad, and Virginia slaw. The preparation work involves marinating the
pork for 12 to 24 hours, so you may want to do that step before proceeding
with the rest. Keep in mind that smoking the pork will take an additional 16
hours. The corn preparation will take 12 to 16 hours.

73
Pulled Pork, Corn Salad, and Virginia Slaw

Ingredients

Yield: 10 portions

main dish corn salad, Mexican style

• 1 ea pork butt, • 4 ea white onions
marinated in brine • 6 ea whole corn
• 1 recipe brine • 4 ea onion centers
• 1 C pickle juice • 1 ea green pepper
• 1 C yellow mustard • 1 ea red pepper
• 2 C spice mix • 1 bunch green onions
• Mexican-style corn salad • 2 ea watermelon radishes
(see following recipe)
• 4 oz tomatoes
• 1 ea Napa cabbage,
chiffonade • cheese, as needed
• 2 ea carrots, julienne • lime juice, as needed
• 1 ea red onion, julienne • ¼ bunch cilantro
• 1 oz grainy mustard • 1 T chili powder
• 4 oz apple cider vinegar • olive oil, as needed
• salt, as needed • salt, to taste
• black pepper, as needed • black pepper, to taste
• rolls or Texas toast, • red pepper flakes, as needed
as needed
peach barbecue sauce
spice mix • 1 ea onions
• 2 oz paprika • 1 ea peppers
• 2 oz chili powder • 6 ea peaches
• 1 t cayenne powder
• grapeseed oil, as needed
• 1 t onion powder
• 4 oz light brown sugar
• 1 t garlic powder
• hot sauce, to taste
• 1 t salt
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 t white pepper
• 1 C ketchup
• 1 t dried thyme
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

74
Marinating and Smoking the Pork
To prepare the pork, clean and trim the pork of any excess fat. Submerge in the
brine and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. Once that is complete, remove the pork
and pat it dry. Put it in a mixture of pickle juice and yellow mustard, moving
the pork around to coat it.

Next, put the pork onto a seasoning tray. Season it with a liberal amount of
spice mix, covering every inch of the pork. After that, put it in a pan with a
rack. The smoke should be able to get under the pork.

Set the smoke box to a temperature between 205 and 225 degrees. The most
important factor is that the pork should reach an internal temperature of 190
degrees. Additionally, when you open the door of the smoker, the smoke that
comes out should be white. Place the pork in the smoker and keep it in there
for about 16 hours. Check on it periodically; the pork will be ready when it is
fully tender and breaks apart easily.

Starting the Mexican-style Corn Salad and Slaw

To start the Mexican-style corn salad, begin with corn on the cob in the husk.
The goal is to keep the husk on but remove the silk from the inside. Peel away
the outer leaves. You can remove particularly big or small leaves, but you need
to keep some of the leaves on the outside to protect the corn. Remove the silk,
using a towel. Then, put the husk back on top of the corn. Do this for all of
your corn, and then place the corn in a bucket of water for eight hours. Place
them so that the stalks are up.

After eight hours, take the corn out of the water, keeping a bit of moisture on
the outside. Brush a grill with oil and get it very hot. Get the grill very hot and
put the corn on. Be careful of steam. Leave the corn on long enough to char the
outside and turn the inside bright yellow.

While you are waiting for the corn to grill, you can start the onions. Take off the
top third of each onion and remove the stem scar. Dice the top portion for use later.

Sauté the bottom two-thirds of each onion in a pan. The goal is to char the
onions without burning them. Additionally, periodically check the corn, turning
if necessary.

While you wait for the corn and onions to cook, you can start on the slaw. The
first step is a chiffonade cut of the cabbage. Remove part of the stem scar and cut
the cabbage in half. Put half of it aside. Remove the outer leaves if necessary to
make the cabbage more manageable. Roll up the leaves and shave them down
into very thin slices. Do not use the very bottom of the cabbage. Repeat this
process with the other half, periodically checking on the corn and onions.

75
If the corn is ready, remove it from the grill. If you have more corn to cook,
grill it in the same manner. Once the onions are charred, remove them from
their pan and put them in an oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Once the cabbage is cut, put it into a bowl. The bowl has to be bigger than the
actual product is. Add julienned carrots and julienned onions, salt and pepper,
apple cider vinegar, and a small amount of grainy mustard. Mix all of the
ingredients together. Put the mixture in your refrigerator for 30 minutes. Check
on the corn and onions.

Making the Barbecue Sauce

To begin making the barbecue sauce, heat a small pot. Put a small amount of
oil in the bottom. Grapeseed oil is fine to use.

Put the diced onion tops in the pot, followed by cut-up red peppers. Sweat the
mixture down. Add salt to speed up the process. Adding a lid to the pot can
help speed the process up as well.

Once the onions are translucent and the peppers begin to soften up, add the
peaches. Mix them in. Once the peaches heat up, add the rest of the ingredients:
light brown sugar, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and salt and pepper.
Bring this to a boil, then back down to a simmer. Let it cook for 20 minutes.

Mexican Corn Salad, Continued

Check on the onions in the oven, giving them more time if necessary. Remove
the outer husks from the corn and shave each piece down in a plastic container.
Once the corn is off, milk the cobs using the back of the knife.

You can leave the corn in the container and use the container to make the salad.
Add the onions produced when dicing the onion tops from before. Also add
diced green and red peppers, salt, red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes, cheese,
and lime juice. Mix the ingredients up.

Next, prepare green onions by removing the stem scar, trimming the leaves, and
slicing the rest thinly. Use the white slices for the salad and the green slices for
garnish. Prepare cilantro, keeping as much of the stem as possible and chopping
roughly. Add this and the white portions of green onion to the salad. To prepare
the watermelon radish, cut it in half and then cut the halves into a small dice.

Finishing the Barbecue Sauce, Onions, and Salad

Check on the onions in the oven. If the outside is starting to shrink, they have
started to dehydrate. This is a good indication that they are fully cooked.
Remove from the oven and let them sit at room temperature. While the onions

76
are cooling down, you can puree the barbecue sauce. If the sauce is too dry,
you can add more liquid. Water works well. Turn the flame off and use an
immersion blender to puree the sauce, turning the pot for purchase. Once the
sauce is smooth, return it to low heat.

Once the charred onions are cool enough that you can hold them comfortably
in your hand, use a small knife to pull out the center of each. Once a couple
of layers are out, you can use a spoon to scoop out the rest of the middle. Fill
the scooped-out onions with the salad. Garnish them with leftover cheese and
green onion.

Finishing the Meal

Check to see if the pork has reached an internal temperature of 190 degrees.
Squeeze it to see how moist it is, and then see if you can pull the meat apart. If
it is falling apart, it is ready to go, so take it to the kitchen to pull it.

Put gloves on to handle the pork, as it will be hot. Break apart the muscle
groups of the pork and separate them. Remove any large pieces of fat. The goal
is to produce pieces ideal for sliders.

Once the pork is pulled apart, put a small amount of sauce in a pan. Add pork
on top. Add water if necessary to hydrate the food and spread the sauce more
evenly onto the pork. Cook this in the pan at a low temperature.

To begin plating, start off with the slaw, placing it in a serving dish. Cut the
slider buns bigger on top than on the bottom. Put the pork on each slider bun.
Serve the sliders with the slaw and salad-filled onions on the side.

77
78
 Dover Sole:
Breaking Down a Flat Fish
Lesson 20

T
his lesson involves making the classic dish of sole à la meunière with
fondant potatoes and roasted asparagus. The lesson has you begin with
the potatoes, which are relatively simple, before moving on to the
other components.

Sole à la Meunière, Fondant Potatoes,

and Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients

Yield: 4 portions

sole asparagus
• 2 ea sole, skin off and trimmed • 10 ea asparagus, bottoms peeled
• all-purpose flour, as needed • grapeseed oil, as needed
• salt and pepper, to taste • 2 oz butter, diced
• grapeseed oil, as needed • salt and pepper, to taste

sauce potatoes
• 4 oz butter, diced • 2 ea Yukon Gold potatoes,
cut fondant style
• 2 oz lemon juice
• grapeseed oil, as needed
• salt and pepper, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 oz parsley, chopped fine

79
Starting the Potatoes
Following the chef’s demonstration from the video lesson, peel and shape the
potatoes. After that, heat a small amount of grapeseed oil in a small pan. Put the
potatoes in with their flatter sides down. Season with salt and pepper. Swirl the
pan to make sure nothing sticks.

Let the potatoes brown on one side. Check on them periodically as you work
on other components of the recipe, such as the asparagus. When the bottoms
of the potatoes begin to become golden brown, you can turn the heat down and
wait for a couple more minutes. Once the bottoms are golden brown, flip the
potatoes over. Season the tops with salt and pepper. Put the pan in the oven at
350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Starting the Asparagus

Break one piece of asparagus to find its natural breaking point. Line up the rest
of the asparagus and cut the pieces to that length. Next, peel the asparagus,
starting halfway down each spear. Don’t push too hard with the peeler.

When they are ready, put the asparagus on a sheet tray lined with parchment
paper. Season with salt and pepper. Add a small amount of oil and toss the
spears around to coat them. Set them aside to cook later. When the potatoes are
about 10 minutes away from being ready, place the asparagus in the same oven
at 350 degrees. The asparagus will need about seven minutes.

Starting the Sole and Making the Sauce

To begin working on the sole, remove the skin of each fish and break the fish
down, following the chef’s demonstration from the video lesson. Season the
fish with a light amount of pepper and a generous amount of salt. Lightly coat
the fish with flour.

Prepare a pan that fits the fish well. Heat grapeseed oil in the pan. Also prepare
a clean work area and a knife for removing the bones from the fish after they
come out of the pan. Sliced lemon is needed as well. Because the tail of the fish
is thinner than the body, you will eventually put lemon to lift it up and slow
down the cooking process.

Lift the fish up. Shake off excess flour. Put it in the pan. Wait 10 seconds and
then shake the pan to make sure nothing sticks. Let the pan return to high heat
after the pan shock of the fish occurs, and then turn the heat down to medium.
After a minute, check on the fish to make sure the bottoms are not getting
too dark. Once you can see the protein coagulating on the tails, use the lemon
slices to prop them up.

80
Meanwhile, to make this dish’s sauce, gather the items you will need: lemon
juice, butter, salt, pepper, and parsley. Line up the items in this order: parsley,
lemon juice, and butter, with two piles of salt and pepper at the end.

Next Steps
While the fish continues to cook, check on the potatoes and asparagus. If the
potatoes are starting to puff up, they are forming gas, which means the internal
temperature is over 212 degrees. That means the potato is ready. Also check by
inserting a paring knife: If there is resistance, the potatoes may need more time.

Assess the asparagus by grabbing the end of a piece and seeing how soft and
tender it is. It should be able to flex and compress on the stem when pressed
lightly. If the asparagus is ready, you can remove it from the oven and hold it at
room temperature for later.

Once the fish are close to being done on one side, remove the lemon and flip
the fish, making sure that there is oil in the pan underneath. Add more oil if
necessary. Turn the heat up to start the searing on the new side. Give the pan
some movement to make sure nothing sticks. After a minute, the fish should be
halfway cooked. The goal is to cook the fish all the way through. Reposition
the fish if necessary, and then turn the heat down to medium.

Look at the middle of the fish to see how the proteins are coagulating. The
proteins should turn fully opaque. Raw fish will remain translucent.

Once the fish is getting close to ready, add a small amount of butter to the pan.
Once the butter is foamy, baste the fish with it.

Finishing Steps and Plating

Check the potatoes; they should be ready. Place the asparagus back in the oven
to warm it back up, leaving the asparagus for one to two minutes at most.

Put the lemon slices back under the tails of the sole. Check for a golden-brown
color on the bottom side. Also check to see how cooked the thickest part of
each fish is. Continue to baste every chance that you get. Once the fish are
ready, remove them from the pan. Take the asparagus out of the oven.

Using a palette knife and following the chef’s video-lesson demonstration, cut
the fish in half and remove the bones. Put the fish back together. Carefully
transfer it to a plate, using a fish spatula and the palette knife.

To make the sauce, take everything out of the sole pan. Heat the pan over
medium heat.

81
Plate the potatoes and asparagus next to the sole. Once the pan is hot, add
butter and let it brown. Listen for the sound to stop. Once that occurs, wait 15
seconds and remove the pan from heat. Add lemon juice and seasoning. Swirl
this over the heat and turn the heat off. Add parsley and swirl the pan again.
Then, use a spoon to pour the sauce over the plated fish.

82
 You Too Can Make
Ratatouille
Lesson 21

T
his lesson’s dish is made up of branzino, sauce grenobloise, a classic
ratatouille, and a tapenade. The ratatouille will take roughly 45 minutes
start to finish, making it the lesson’s most time-consuming component,
so it is advisable to begin with the ratatouille. Additionally, there is some
prep work: Char peppers on a burner or grill, let them cool in a bowl covered
with plastic wrap, and then peel the skins. Also rinse the capers used for the
tapenade for 20 minutes.

83
Branzino, Ratatouille, Tapenade, and Sauce Grenobloise

Ingredients

Yield: 4 portions

branzino • 1 oregano sprig

• 2 ea branzino, whole • salt and pepper, to taste
• grapeseed oil, as needed
• salt and white pepper, to taste sauce grenobloise
• potato • 8 oz Yukon Gold potatoes,
small dice
• 2 oz capers
ratatouille
• 2 oz lemon juice
• 2 oz olive oil
• 1 oz parsley, cut fine
• 8 oz onion, small dice
• 6 oz butter, browned
• 2 ea garlic, brunoise
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 ea zucchini, thin sliced
• 4 thyme sprigs
tapenade
• 1 ea red and green peppers,
roasted, with skin removed • 4 oz manzanillo olives
• 1 ea Japanese eggplant, • 4 oz Castelvetrano olives
sliced thin, salted, and fried • 1 oz capers
• 1 ea yellow squash, sliced thin • 1 ea anchovy
• 10 oz canned tomatoes, • 1 ea black garlic clove
crushed by hand
• lemon juice, as needed
• 2 ea bay leaf
• olive oil, as needed
• white wine, as needed
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 C chicken stock

84
Making the Ratatouille Base Sauce
and Preparing Vegetables
The first step of the ratatouille is making the base sauce. Heat a medium-sized
pot with a small amount of oil inside. Sweat onions in the pot.

Gather the charred, peeled peppers and position them nearby. Cut the zucchini,
yellow squash, and the eggplant. Use a mandoline positioned over a bowl to
cut the vegetables. Be careful while using the mandoline. Cut three-quarters of
the zucchini first and save the excess for use later. Then, cut the squash. All of
the pieces should be the same thickness.

Check on the onions and add brunoise-cut garlic. Cook for 10 seconds. Once it
has aromatized, deglaze the pan with white wine. Let the mixture reduce to a
syrupy consistency. Then, add crushed tomatoes.

While that cooks, continue slicing the vegetables. Next up is the eggplant. Slice it
and then salt the slices. After that, slice tomatoes by hand. Once the tomatoes are
done, slice the charred and peeled peppers, following the chef’s demonstration in
the video lesson. A ring mold is helpful here. Roughly chop the scraps and add
them to the sauce. Turn the heat down and let the sauce simmer.

Rinse the vegetables off. Season them with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Also add
oregano, thyme, and basil. Mix the vegetables and seasoning well.

Check on the sauce base. Season with salt and pepper and stir.

Building the Ratatouille

To begin building the ratatouille, put the sauce base in the bottom of a pan.
(The video lesson uses a dish called a cazuela.) Layer the vegetables around
the pan. Season with small amounts of oil and herbs. Place the pan in an oven
and bake it for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Making the Branzino

Before preparing the branzino, inspect it. The eyes should be clear, and the
gills should be red. Additionally, the smell should be mild. Check the fish for
scales, and scale the fish if necessary. Following the chef’s demonstration from
the video lesson, break down the fish. When the fish is broken down, store it in
your refrigerator. Store the pieces either skin-to-skin or flesh-to-flesh.

Making the Tapenade

Before you begin the tapenade, check the ratatouille to make sure it is not
overcooking or too dry. If it does become too dry, you can add a small amount
of chicken stock.

85
To start the tapenade, put the olives, one anchovy, some capers, salt, black garlic,
and pepper in a food processor. Use the processor to break everything down.
Pause the processor, and then use a spatula to push everything down into the
processor. Turn the processor back on and add olive oil and lemon juice. Stop
the processor once more. Check on the mixture, tasting it. If it is ready, take
everything out and put it in a small bowl. Check on the ratatouille once more.

Cooking the Fish, Making the Sauce,

and Plating the Meal
Before moving on, gather the ingredients for the grenobloise sauce: potatoes,
capers, lemon juice, parsley, brown butter, and salt and pepper. Prepare the fish
on a seasoning tray. Season it with salt and white pepper, hitting the skin side
first, then the flesh side. Heat a pan with a small amount of grapeseed oil in it.
Swirl the pan to make the coating of oil even.

When the pan reaches its smoke point, turn the heat down a bit and add the
fish. Push the fish down with a fish spatula, making sure the skin has complete
contact with the pan. Check to make sure the fish is not stuck to the pan. Add a
small amount of butter. Tilt the pan to get butter underneath the fish.

Cook the fish three-quarters of the way with the skin side down. When the fish
is almost ready, it will be golden brown on the skin side. At that point, flip the
fish, letting it cook for a brief period of time. Remove from heat and transfer
the fish to a plate.

Add potatoes to the pan and return the pan to heat. Sauté the potatoes.
Meanwhile, take the ratatouille out of the oven and set it aside to rest.

To the pan with the potatoes, add two pads of butter. When the sound of the
butter has almost stopped, take the pan away from the flame and add lemon
juice, parsley, capers, salt, and pepper. Put the pan back on the heat and swirl.
Once the sauce is emulsified, it is time to plate the meal.

Move everything in the pan to the front. Using a saucing spoon, scoop the
contents onto the fish. Spread the butter sauce around the fish. Plate the
tapenade using the quenelle technique demonstrated in the video lesson. Serve
the ratatouille on the side.

86
 Making Roast Beef
and Potato Gratin
Lesson 22

T
his lesson focuses on roast beef. Roasting beef is a relatively simple
process with a few basic steps. To prepare, let the meat sit out for
approximately one hour before you begin roasting it. Additionally, as
side dishes, this lesson has you create potato gratin and green beans.

Roast Beef Au Jus, Scalloped Potatoes au Gratin,

and Green Beans

Ingredients

Yield: 4 portions

beef au jus
• New York strip • leftover beef fat
• grapeseed oil, as needed • 1 ea shallot
• salt and black pepper, as needed • 1 ea garlic
• 4 oz red wine
potatoes au gratin • 4 oz demi-glace
• 2 lb russet potatoes • 1 qt beef stock
• 0.5 t nutmeg • 1 T soy sauce
• 1 ea garlic clove
• 1 ea shallot
• 1 C cream
• salt and white pepper, as needed
• 2 oz gruyere
• 2 oz Parmesan cheese

green beans
• 1 ea shallot
• 1 lb green beans
• 3 oz butter
• salt and black pepper, as needed

87
88
Preparing the Beef
Following the chef’s demonstration from the video lesson, use a knife to
prepare your cut of beef. Keep the fat cut off during this process for use in this
recipe’s sauce later. Additionally, tie the meat so that it pushes up instead of
flattening during the cooking process.

Once the beef is ready, put it into a roasting pan with a rack on the bottom.
Season generously with salt and pepper. When the beef is prepared, put it in
the oven. Roast it at 450 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. At that point, turn the
heat down to 325 and let the beef cook until it reaches an internal temperature
of 120 degrees.

Preparing the Potatoes

To start the potatoes au gratin, heat butter in a medium-sized pot. Peel your
potatoes. Once the butter has fully melted, add some shallots and sweat them.
Also add a small amount of garlic. Cook for another 10 seconds, and then add
heavy cream. Grate some nutmeg into the mixture. Add a generous amount of
salt and pepper, and then turn the heat to medium. Slice the potatoes into the
pot. A Japanese mandoline is a helpful tool for this. Make sure the potatoes
are completely covered in the cream. Cook them for a couple of minutes,
until they begin to become fork-tender. The goal is to cook them halfway. Stir
periodically to release the starch, but do not break up the potatoes. Season with
more salt as necessary.

Select a pan with high walls. When the potatoes are ready, begin layering them
evenly into the pan. Tap the bottom of the pan on the counter to get rid of air
bubbles. With a damp towel, wipe the edges of the pan to clean it and ensure
nothing will burn. Cover the potatoes with Gruyère and Parmesan cheese. Add
a bit of butter to the top. Put this pan in an oven at 375 degrees on the top shelf.

Preparing the Green Beans

To start the green beans, bring a large pot of water to a boil. You should have
at least a four-to-one water-to-beans ratio; for example, if you are cooking one
pound of beans, you should have four pounds of water. Add a generous amount
of salt to the water. Boil the green beans for six to seven minutes, swirling
them on occasion. Try to never lose the boil.

Once the beans are ready, take them off the heat and fully submerge them in
ice water for a few minutes. Let them stay in the ice water long enough to cool
down. Then, remove them and put them in a container. Try to keep them all
facing in the same direction. They will be ready to heat up before serving.

89
Preparing the Au Jus
To prepare the au jus, start with a small, cold pan. Turn heat on under the pan
and add the beef fat that you trimmed earlier to the pan. Also add some oil.
Once the fats render out, add shallots. Sweat the shallots.

Next, add sliced garlic and turn the heat down. Let this mixture cook for a
minute. Then, deglaze with red wine. Be careful with the alcohol; it may catch
on fire. Cook this down to au sec—that is, reduce it until the pan is nearly dry.

Once the pan’s contents are au sec, add demi-glace and beef stock. Bring the
mixture up to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer and let it reduce. Finish with
two splashes of soy sauce. Bring the pan to temp.

Finishing Steps and Plating

Next, check on the potatoes and beef to see how close to finished they are.
Once the beef has reached 120 degrees, take it out and let it rest for an hour. It
will continue to cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees.
Continue to cook the potatoes and au jus until they are ready. You can use a
paring knife to check the potatoes. If there is no resistance, that is a sign the
potatoes are cooked. Set them aside to cool slightly.

When the sauce is ready, strain it into a pot through a fine mesh strainer. Put a
lid on it and store it in a warm area.

Finish the green beans in a sauté pan. Heat a small amount of butter. Let it
melt. Sweat some shallots, and then add a small amount of water. This creates a
simple sauce called beurre fondue, which will stop the milk solids in the butter
from browning. This method will also coat the green beans with the butter and
water solution. Season the beans with salt and pepper. When they are ready,
turn the heat off and keep them in a warm area.

The next step is to prepare the roast. Following the chef’s demonstration in the
video lesson, remove the string and carve the beef.

To plate this meal, position the green beans on the plate first. Next, add the
potatoes, followed by the beef. Add a small amount of salt on top. Serve the au
jus on the side.

90
 Patience, Pickles, and
Crispy Fried Chicken
Lesson 23

T
his lesson’s dish is fried chicken and coleslaw with pickles. This
recipe takes some patience: Though many people view fried chicken
as a quick, easy dish, it can actually be quite time consuming. Keep in
mind that the pickles should be prepared well before you wish to eat them, as
pickles take two weeks to ferment. Additionally, the chicken takes three days
to prepare.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Coleslaw

Ingredients

Yield: 4 portions

chicken • 1 oz cider vinegar

• 1 ea chicken, broken down • 1 t Dijon mustard
into 9 pieces • 0.3 oz sugar
• 2 qt water, half ice and half liquid • 0.3 t celery seed
• 2 oz salt
• 2 oz brown sugar pickles
• 1 qt buttermilk • 1 qt apple cider vinegar
• 2 C flour • 1 ea shallot
• 2 oz spice mix (garlic powder, • 1 t red pepper flake
onion powder, salt, pepper,
and dry mustard) • 5 ea allspice
• oil, as needed • 10 ea black peppercorn
• 4 oz sugar
coleslaw • 2 ea bay leaves
• 12 oz cabbage, chiffonade • 4 spr thyme
• 2 oz carrots, julienne • 1 oz salt
• 1 oz red onions, julienne • 1 lb pickling cucumbers
• 3 oz mayonnaise • additional water
to cover if needed
• 1 oz sour cream
• 1 t horseradish

91
92
Cooking Method: Pickles
To begin this lesson’s pickles, start boiling water in a pot. Add apple cider
vinegar, shallots, red pepper flakes, allspice, black peppercorn, sugar, bay
leaves, thyme, and salt. This forms the brine.

While that comes to a boil, you can begin fabricating the cucumbers. You will
need a heat-proof container to store them in. Lexan works well for this purpose,
as does glass. Avoid plastic, which will melt. Cut the cucumbers according to your
preference. Options include slices, wedges, and spears. Put them in your container.

Once the brine has come to a full boil, pour it over the cucumbers. Be careful;
it will be very hot. (Cucumbers should reach 98 to 105 degrees to keep bacteria
from growing.) Make sure all of the cucumbers are covered. Let this sit at
room temperature for an hour, and then put it in the refrigerator for two weeks.

Cooking Method: Chicken

The first step is to brine the chicken. Begin heating water in a pot. Add brown
sugar and an equal amount of salt. While you wait for that to heat, fabricate the
chicken following the chef’s demonstration in the video lesson. Chicken shears
are recommended. Be sure to wash your hands each time you handle the chicken.

As with the pickles, you will need a heat-proof container for the chicken.
Put ice in the container. Once sugar and salt in the brine are dissolved, take
it off the heat and pour it over the ice. Give the ice and brine a mix. Check the
temperature; it should be cold. Place the chicken pieces in the container. Place
that in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Once the chicken has brined for 24 hours, drain the brine. Replace the brine
with buttermilk. Mix it with the chicken so that the buttermilk coats everything.
Put the chicken back in the refrigerator for another 24 hours.

After that time has passed, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it
come up to room temperature. Heat up oil in a cast-iron skillet. The oil needs
to reach 325 degrees.

Cooking Method: Coleslaw

To make the coleslaw, begin with the dressing. In a mixing bowl, mix
mayonnaise, sour cream, celery seed, Dijon mustard, horseradish, sugar, and
salt. Spread the dressing onto the side of the bowl. Next, add the cabbage,
julienned carrots, and julienned onions. Mix all of this together well, massaging
the dressing into the cabbage. Let this sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

93
Cooking Method: Chicken, Part 2
For the next phase of cooking the chicken, prepare a large container with flour
in it. Season the flour with black pepper, salt, dry mustard, onion powder, garlic
powder, and other spices if desired.

Once the flour is ready, prepare a sheet tray to help with any spilled flour, and
then put the seasoned-flour pan on top of that. Prepare tweezers or a pair of
tongs to handle the chicken. Place the chicken in the pan with the seasoned
flour and toss to coat evenly.

Once the oil has reached 325 degrees, place the chicken in it. Leave the burner
at the same intensity. The chicken needs to reach 165 degrees internally, which
will take roughly 45 minutes. Move the chicken around from time to time as it
cooks. If the chicken becomes too dark while it’s cooking but has not reached
165 degrees, you can finish the chicken in the oven.

Plating
When the chicken is ready, you can strain the oil and use the leftover fond to
make gravy, if desired.

Begin the plating process with the coleslaw. Mix it and taste it, adjusting the
seasoning if desired. Once it is ready, plate the slaw. It can go directly on the
plate or in a ramekin. After that, plate the pickles and then the chicken beside
the coleslaw to complete the meal.

94
 My Big Steak: Executing a
Three-Course Meal
Lesson 24

T
his lesson involves making a three-course meal: a spinach salad, steak,
and a chocolate tart. Potato hash forms an additional component.
Prepare the salad ingredients ahead of time. Also prepare potatoes by
peeling and cutting them. Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork-tender.
Additionally, soak thinly sliced onions in buttermilk overnight.

95
Spinach Salad, Steak, and Chocolate Tart
Ingredients

Yield: 4 portions

steak Chantilly Cream

• 4 ea cut of choice • 1000 ml cream
• 100 g sugar
potato hash • 10 g vanilla paste
• 700 g Yukon Gold potatoes,
peeled, large dice, and cooked raspberry coulis
• 50 g pancetta, • 450 g raspberries, cleaned
slice #20 and small dice • sugar, as needed
• 75 g sour cream • Grand Marnier, as needed
• 75 g trinity (onions, celery,
and red peppers)—small diced red wine vinaigrette
and par-cooked • 50 g extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ea garlic clove
spinach salad • 100 g tomatoes
• red wine vinaigrette, as needed • 2 g basil
• 240 g spinach, cleaned and stems • 15 g bread
removed • 30 g red wine vinegar
• 32 ea butternut squash, • salt and pepper, to taste
medium dice and roasted
• 20 ea candied walnuts sauce béarnaise
• 28 ea grapes, thinly sliced • butter, as needed
• 100 g goat cheese, whipped • 2 fl oz tarragon, dry
and held in piping bag • 3 ea tarragon stems,
• 120 g farro, cooked pilaf method, fine chopped
held cold • 90 ml tarragon vinegar
• 20 g shallots, pickled • 8 ea black peppercorn,
• salt and pepper, to taste mignonette
• balsamic reduction, as needed • 45 ml white wine
• 40 ea pepitas, seasoned • 750 gr lipids, cool and cubed,
and toasted medium dice
• 10 ea egg yolks
chocolate hazelnut tart • 9 g tarragon leaves, cut fine
shells • 5 gr chervil, plushes, cut fine
• 2.5 C flour • lemon juice, as needed
• 8 oz butter, cold and cubed • 90 ml water
• 2 oz water, iced (if using fat other than butter)
• 1 t salt, kosher • salt, to taste

filling crispy fried onions

• 2 C cream • 500 g yellow onions, sliced #14
• 1 C sugar • buttermilk, as needed
• 4 ea eggs • 500 g all-purpose flour
• 1 C milk • 75 g trisol
• 12 oz chocolate • 50 g spice mix
• 8 oz hazelnut praline
• hazelnuts, as needed, roasted onion garnish
and rough chopped • all-purpose flour
• seasoning mix
garnish (paprika, cayenne,
• 250 ml raspberry coulis onion powder, garlic powder,
• Chantilly cream, as needed thyme, salt, white pepper)

96
Starting the Tart
Start with the tart’s crust. Put flour in a mixer with a paddle attachment, along
with butter and salt. Mix at a low speed. Once there are pea-sized pieces of
butter in the flour, add a small amount of ice water. Strain the ice out first so
that chunks of ice don’t enter the dough.

The next step is to roll the dough into a ball. Make sure everything is mixed.
Next, take a knife and divide the dough into fourths. Each piece should be
between 65 and 75 grams. Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap, and then
put in a refrigerator for one hour.

When the dough is ready, take it out. Put flour on a board. Beat the dough
down flat, and then roll it. When rolling, start half an inch in on one side, roll
the dough, stop half an inch before the other side, give the dough a quarter
turn, and repeat.

Once the dough is thin, spray your mold with a neutral pan-coating spray. Put
the dough on top of the mold. Following the chef’s demonstration in the video
lesson, push the dough into the mold. Repeat the process for the rest of the
dough. Put a cartouche in each dough mold, and then put beans on top. This
will keep the dough from puffing up during the baking process.

Place the molds on a small tray. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 8 to 10
minutes.

97
Making the Tart Filling, Sauce, and Cream
Next up is the filling. In a small bowl, add chocolate, sugar, and two eggs. In a
tall pot, place milk, cream, and sugar. Bring this to a boil. While you are waiting
for the cream to boil, you can begin the sauce, which is a raspberry coulis.

Put raspberries in a small bowl, adding sugar if desired. Add a small amount
of Grand Marnier and mix the ingredients together. Let that bowl sit until it is
time to plate the meal.

To make the Chantilly cream, put cream in a bowl with a 10 percent ratio of sugar.
For instance, 500 grams of cream would call for 50 grams of sugar. Add 5 grams
of vanilla paste. Use a whip attachment to whip to soft peaks. Finish whipping to
medium peaks by hand. Cover and refrigerate.

When the other portion of cream is up to a boil, pour it over the chocolate,
mixing constantly. Use a small amount of cream at first, mix it in, and then add
the rest. The gradual adding of the liquid is called tempering, which prevents
curdling. Continue to mix until all of the chocolate melts. Once it has melted,
use a whisk to continue mixing. When it is ready, put in the refrigerator for a
couple of minutes to help the temperature come down.

Finishing the Tart Shells

Check on the tart shells. Take a look underneath the cartouches. You shouldn’t
see any raw dough. Take the cartouche and beans out. Store the dough molds
in a cool area.

Cleaning and Preparing the Steak

To begin working on the steak, use your hands and a boning knife, and follow
the chef’s demonstration in the video lesson to clean and prepare the meat.
If you are preparing a filet, try to end up with portions of 6 to 8 ounces. An
8-ounce piece of meat will be three fingers thick in the center. Position them
standing on their sides. Flatten them if necessary to make them round.

Cooking the Tart

For the next step of preparing dessert, use praline paste. You can buy this or
make this. It is hazelnuts and sugar that have been roasted and then made into
a solid block. Place a small amount of hazelnut praline on the bottom of each
tart shell. Next, retrieve the chocolate base from the refrigerator and fill up
each shell. Stop an eighth of an inch from the top. Put hazelnuts on top. Put the
shells on a tray and cook them in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Starting the Potato Salad and Searing the Meat

Next, start the potato salad. If you are cooking a filet, this is the time to sear it
off. In a pan, heat a small amount of grapeseed oil. Render small-diced pancetta.

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Heat up a second pan. Add grapeseed oil. It is recommended that you sauté a filet.
If you have a ribeye or New York strip, those would do well on a grill, but filets
are better sautéed. Season the meat on all sides. Once the pan is smoking, add
the meat and sauté it. Periodically move the meat. Once one side has a Maillard
reaction, turn the meat over. From start to finish, the meat will take around 35
minutes to cook to medium rare, or an internal temperature of 125 degrees.

In the first pan, once you’ve rendered out the pancetta, turn the heat down. Add
the trinity—that is, onions, celery, and peppers. Cook on medium heat.

Next Steps
The next step is to get the onions ready for the garnish. In a large bowl,
combine all-purpose flour and a seasoning mix of paprika, cayenne, onion
powder, garlic powder, thyme, salt, and white pepper. Mix these together. Also
add trisol, which is a pure starch that keeps fried foods crunchy for an extended
period of time. Use 10 percent of the weight of the flour in trisol.

Check on the trinity. If there is color forming, add the precooked potatoes.
Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook on a low temperature. Check on
the beef as well, flipping if necessary.

Retrieve your onions from the buttermilk and squeeze the buttermilk off of
them. Add the onions to the flour. Mix the ingredients and shake the bowl to
coat the onions in flour. Wash your hands. Check on the beef, potatoes, and
tarts once more. If the tarts are fully cooked, hold them at room temperature to
let them cool.

Give the meat another turn if necessary. To finish the potato salad, add sour
cream and green onions. Mix the ingredients through. Store in a warm area.

When the beef is ready to go in the oven, remove the fat from the pan so it
doesn’t burn. Place the beef in a 325-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Making the Vinaigrette and Preparing the Salad

The next phase involves making the vinaigrette. This lesson uses a
semipermanent emulsion. The ingredients are diced tomatoes, white bread,
basil, and vinegar. Season this with salt and pepper. Blend it at a low speed.
Drizzle in oil. Turn up the speed in stages until the blender reaches a high
speed. This will produce a thick vinaigrette.

Refer to the ingredients list at the top of this chapter and the video lesson for
guidance on the other components of the salad. Preparing those will take about
20 minutes. When they are ready, gather them in one place.

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Finishing the Meat and Preparing the Sauce Béarnaise
Check on the meat. If it is nearly done, remove it from the oven and put it on a
resting rack so that it can finish carryover cooking. If it is not yet done, give it
some more time in the oven before taking it out to rest.

The next component of this meal is the sauce béarnaise. In a small pan, melt
butter until it reaches 220 degrees. Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan, make a
reduction with tarragon, tarragon vinegar, peppercorns, white wine, and chervil
and tarragon stems. Reduce until the mixture reaches au sec.

Meanwhile, check on the raspberries. Moisture should have been drawn out of
them. Give the raspberries a mix to speed the process up. Use an immersion
blender to create the coulis.

Place some tarragon reduction and water in a container. Once the butter in the
sauce béarnaise pan is nearly to 220 degrees, put egg yolks in the container
with the tarragon reduction and water. Add fresh tarragon and chervil.

When the butter mixture reaches 220 degrees, transfer it to a container with
corners to make it easier to pour. Then, begin mixing the tarragon, chervil,
water, and egg yolks with an immersion blender. Pour the butter mixture in
as you do so. After 30 seconds, stop and season with salt, pepper, and lemon
juice. Continue to mix until it is done.

Final Steps and Plating

The final steps are frying the onions and sautéing the spinach. Prepare a pan
with a rack as well as oil heating in another pan for the onions. Once the frying
oil is hot, place the onions inside. Use a utensil to move them around. When
they are golden brown, turn the heat off, take the onions out, and put them
on the rack. Season them immediately with salt. Take the frying oil to a safe
location to cool down.

Put grapeseed oil in another pan and begin sweating diced onions. Once they
are translucent, add spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté the spinach.
Once it is ready, you can begin plating the meal.

Plate the salad first, putting it in a mixing bowl. Add the farro and walnuts next,
followed by the pepitas, sliced grapes, and pickled shallots. Add the butternut
squash, then season with salt and pepper. Put the dressing on the side of the bowl.
Mix the salad into the dressing. Once everything is dressed, add goat cheese and
lightly mix it in. Layer the ingredients into smaller bowls for serving.

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Next, put a serving of potato salad in the center of a plate. Put sautéed spinach
on top of that. The beef goes on top of the spinach. Press down to make it sit
evenly. Top with béarnaise sauce. Finally, place crispy fried onions on the top.

For each dessert plate, begin with the raspberry puree. Put a portion on the
plate. Gently tip a raspberry tart out and place it in the center. Next, with a
warm spoon, put cream on top of the tart.

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 Recipe List

Lesson 1
Risotto and Risi e bisi����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������1

Lesson 3
Corn Bisque with Poached Lobster and Fines Herbes���������������������������������������8

Lesson 4
Sautéed Scallops with Turmeric-Roasted
Cauliflower and Truffle Jus������������������������������������������������������������������������������12

Lesson 5
Poached Octopus with Fingerling Potatoes and Romesco Sauce��������������������16

Lesson 6
Roasted Chicken with Smashed Potatoes and Broccoli Rabe�������������������������19

Lesson 7
Braised Short Ribs and Polenta������������������������������������������������������������������������24

Lesson 8
Pork Milanese with Dandelion Greens and Arugula Salad������������������������������28

Lesson 9
Grilled Salmon with Quinoa Salad and Chimichurri Sauce����������������������������31

Lesson 10
Coq au Vin with Pomme Puree and Grand-Mère Garnish�������������������������������35

Lesson 11
Monkfish with Whole Grain Pilaf and Lemon�������������������������������������������������38

Lesson 12
Rack of Lamb Persillade with Caponata and Mustard Jus������������������������������43

Lesson 13
Potato Gnocchi, Tomatoes, Green Olives, and Mozzarella�����������������������������47

102
Lesson 14
Butternut Squash Agnolotti with Brown Butter and Sage�������������������������������51

Lesson 15
Thanksgiving Dinner���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������55

Lesson 16
Cioppino�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������60

Lesson 17
Maple-Roasted Celeriac, Trumpet Royale Mushroom,
Peas, Carrots, and Pearl Onion������������������������������������������������������������������������65

Lesson 18
Paella with Shrimp, Chicken, and Chorizo������������������������������������������������������69

Lesson 19
Pulled Pork, Corn Salad, and Virginia Slaw����������������������������������������������������74

Lesson 20
Sole à la Meunière, Fondant Potatoes, and Roasted Asparagus ���������������������79

Lesson 21
Branzino, Ratatouille, Tapenade, and Sauce Grenobloise�������������������������������84

Lesson 22
Roast Beef au Jus, Scalloped Potatoes au Gratin, and Green Beans���������������87

Lesson 23
Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Coleslaw����������������������������������������������������������91

Lesson 24
Spinach Salad, Steak, and Chocolate Tart��������������������������������������������������������96

103
Notes