Years ago, I ate there with Denise and I was totally enamored of the chef portraits on the wall. I thought that was the coolest thing (I still do!) to have you picture in your chef’s coat hanging on the wall for everyone to see. It’s a great tribute to the work these chefs have done for their own businesses and for FareStart. I wanted that for myself. Chef Gabe was the Guest Chef that night, so I got in touch with him, and the rest is history.

Then I was back as the Guest Chef myself, a couple years later, and I got my own picture on the wall. It felt great, just like I imagined. FareStart is a fantastic place, focused on food, teaching, and self-improvement – Everything that I value. I got to cook as the Guest Chef four times, and participate in their summer fundraiser Guest Chef on the Waterfront four times as well.

So as Starry Nights comes to an end, I have to figure out what my next step was going to be, and FareStart was at the top of my list. I reached out to my contacts there, just to test the waters, and they seemed very excited about the possibility. I found myself having to put together a chef’s resume for the first time, and going in for my first interview ever as a chef. I was nervous! But they asked me back for a practical interview a couple days later, so I must have been close to what they were looking for!

The interview was JUST like the apprentice lunches that Nadia and I used to do for Chef Gabe, way back when. I had to serve a starter, main, and dessert, two portions each.

For the starter, I did my version of Salade Lyonnaise, but with a fried egg on top instead of a poached egg. Better texture, and Chef Tamas seemed to agree with my choice. Nit-pick on the salad was that I completely forgot to include my carefully pickled red onions!

The main was a duxelle-stuffed chicken breast with wilted kale and a veloute sauce. The chicken was just a tiny bit over-cooked (it needed to come out a little earlier and rest a little longer), and the veloute was actually a vegetable sauce, no chicken stock available. But Chef Tamas seemed to like the sauce (no flour grit, yay for long simmer times on that!).

Dessert was delicious, but the plating left a lot to be desired. I served chocolate, vanilla, and raspberry mousses, with a caramel sauce. I tried quenelling the mousses, but just couldn’t get it right. Another chef there casually demoed a one-spoon quenelle technique that I’m going to have to pick up for next time. He made it look beautiful; presentation worthy of my mousse!

After the interview, the HR manager said things went well and that the Chef had already put my name on the schedule. And so now I’m going to be an employee at FareStart! The position is part-time as-needed, which means 15-40 hours per week. This is perfect for me now, especially as I sort through the remaining contracts with Starry Nights clients, as well as other cooking opportunities.

I’ll be working as a catering chef, helping with weekly production and catered events, just like I did here at Starry Nights. There will be a strong component of instruction, since I’ll be working with students, but the goal will be production and tangible results, so it’s a perfect combination. I may even get to do some pastry work at some point.

I’m really looking forward to this new stage of my career. I feel very lucky to have been able to meet FareStart’s expectations, and I’m excited to be part of the team!

SMOKED SALMON CAKES
Yield: About 25 ea

METHOD
1. Carefully flake the smoked salmon apart and remove any pinbones. Set aside.

2. Combine all the rest of the ingredients (except those for the coating) and mix thoroughly. Add the flaked salmon and mix until the salmon has really broken apart and the whole mixture nearly resembles a chunky paste.

3. Pull out about a tablespoon of the mixture and fry it in a pan as a tester. Adjust seasoning as necessary.

4. Once the seasoning is good, scoop mixture into balls, about the size of a golf ball. Arrange on a sheet pan.

5. COATING: Place the panko in one container/bowl and the beaten eggs in another container/bowl. Drop a salmon cake into the eggs, coat evenly, transfer to the panko, coat evenly, and then shape into a thick disc by flattening the top and bottom. Place on another sheet pan. Do this for all the salmon cakes.

6. The cakes can be held like this for about 12 hours in the refrigerator before the panko gets too soggy. When ready, bake at 375F for about 20 minutes until the panko is nicely golden. Serve immediately.

NOTES
Smoked salmon – There are two types of smoked salmon, hot smoked and cold smoked. Cold smoked salmon often isn’t even smoked, it’s cured which means it’s still technically raw. Cured salmon is also known as lox and is usually made with Atlantic salmon, which isn’t even real salmon. Hot smoked salmon is cooked and smoked, which sets the proteins firmly and allows the fish to flake, which is what we need for this recipe.

NO SALT! – Notice the lack of salt listed in this recipe. That’s because true smoked salmon is already pretty salty. Make a batch of this recipe and fry a tester before you decide if it needs salt. It will vary based on the salmon you’ve selected, but chances are you won’t need it.

Panko bread crumbs – Available in any Asian grocery store. It’s barely even real bread, but flakes of bread-like dough sprayed out of a machine and dried/baked. Because of the large flake size, they afford a nice crunchy texture as a coating.

COMMENTARY
This recipe was a fairly popular item on menus at Starry Nights. We didn’t always do them as often as the chicken satay with peanut sauce, but nearly so. There’s no real secret to this recipe, just make them as written.

When we’d serve these, we’d top with a little red bell pepper aioli. I’ll post that recipe another time. Until then, you could serve these with a standard tartar sauce for dipping.

You can substitute crab for the salmon in equal parts (which will now require the addition of a little salt, to taste). Crab meat is fairly bland in flavor compared to smoked salmon, so try this alternate once and I can almost guarantee you’ll go back to the salmon version!

Methven Family Vineyards
2009 Pinot Gris, 2009 Riesling, 2007 Citizen’s Cuvee Pinot Noir, 2007 Estate Cuvee Pinot Noir, 2008 Estate Cuvee Pinot Noir, 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Reserve.
Denise liked the ’09 Pinot Gris, and I thought it was pretty nice, too. The ’09 Riesling was a bit sharp, but nice. Would have been great with a cheese platter. ’07 Estate was very good! the ’08 Estate was young and reminded me of the last syrah we had at Dobbes. ’06 Willamette was on oak for 8 months and the Reserve of this vintage was on oak for 22 months. I liked the Reserve version better. I also bought a jar of honey here! Yum!

Yamhill Valley Vineyards
2008 Pinot Gris, 2008 Pinot Blanc, 2008 Pinot Noir Estate, 2008 Pinot Noir Reserve, 2009 Pinot Noir Tall Poppy, 2009 Riesling.
This winery had a DeLorean parked out front! the ’08 Pinot Gris was “sparky”; their word and I agree. I liked the 2008 Pinot Noir Estate better than the Reserve, and I bought a bottle for Seth.

Maysara
2011 Autees Pinot Blanc, 2011 Roseena Pinot Noir, 2008 Jamsheed Pinot Noir, 2008 Asha Pinot Noir.
When we were there, they were in the middle of building a new processing building and tasting room. It was HUGE and felt like something right out of the Lord of the Rings. The ’11 was VERY grapefruit and acidic. The ’11 rose was good to drink. The ;08 Jamsheed was good too. The ’08 Asha was like a syrah but with extra fruit.

I just got done swimming with bottlenose dolphins in The Bay of Islands (Paihia) in New Zealand. I got so close I could have easily touched them. But I didn’t. I was able to restrain myself. So while it’s not a food-related thing, I just wanted to note it. It was very exciting and I’m glad I got the opportunity!

New Zealand lamb chops
Yield: Serves about 2

METHOD
1. Go to New Zealand. Buy lamb chops. Cut into sections of two chops each. Season with garam masala, salt, and pepper.

2. In a shitty saute pan provided by a hostel that clearly knows NOTHING about cooking, drizzle a little oil, and heat over high heat.

3. Sear each side of lam chop, turning with fingers, since it’s a shitty hostel without proper cooking tools like tongs.

4. Reduce heat to medium and cover pan with a pressure-cooker lid, since there are no other proper lids for shitty saute pan. Let chops cook through until desired doneness has been reached. Medium rare might be about 5 minutes, but your shitty cooking tools might be different than mine were.

5. Remove lamb chops and let rest for about five minutes. Eat chops like a caveman by holding the bone, since there are no proper steak knives available.

COMMENTARY
OK, snarky comments aside about the lack of decent cooking circumstances, these simple lamb chops were the best I’ve ever had. The lamb here in New Zealand is amazing, and truth be told, I nailed the cooking technique on these little things. Results may vary, but I would highly recommend flying the 18 hours to NZ for the chops.

Ngatarawa Estate
Merlot Cab, Syrah, Pinot Noir.
They had several different labels including: Glazebrook, Stables. Greek-style horsehead logo. One of their product lines was specifically paired with local food producers. Kinda of a cool concept.

Ash Ridge
Sauv Blanc, Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, bordeaux blend.
Was this the one where we were going to rent bikes? (Yes, it was). The chick behind the counter was pretty cute and selling the bikes hard!

Seleni
Pinot Noir, Merlot blend (78% Merlot, 22% Cab Franc).
I really liked the blend. Look this one up. I remember something about this tasting room… After looking it up at home, this is where Denise found her favorite gargantuan wine glass.

Te Awa
Sauv Blanc, Sauv Semillon, Left Field Chardonnay, Merlot-Malbec blend (79% Merlot, 11% Malbec, 10% Cab Franc), Cab Merlot, Left Field Syrah.
We ate lunch here. I had the Te Awa Syrah with my lunch of pork belly. Is the Merlot blend like my Starry Nights blend? It was juicy and a little like black pepper. We chatted with a tour-guide here for awhile. He was really into rugby, and gave us a good dinner recommendation of Killim, Lebanese take-away.

Trinity Hill
Sauv Blanc, Viognier, Tempranillo, Syrah, The Gimblet 2008 (43% Cab Sauv, 41% Merlot, 6% Malbec, 3% Cab Franc, 7% Petit Verdot).
I liked the Tempranillo and The Gimblet 2008.

Church Road
Rose, Sauvignon Gris, Marzemano (100%), Cab Merlot (50.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49.5% Merlot).
The Sauv Gris is a pure varietal, not a blend of Sauv Blanc and Pinot Gris. The Marzemano is Italian.

Mission
Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Cab Merlot, late harvest Semilllon, late harvest Pinot Gris (with Chardonnay).
The Syrah was VERY black pepper forward. Not a huge fan, actually. This place had a sparkling wine bottle set into the floor at the entry, from 1950’s. Apparently the last one of its line. Until the 90’s when they started doing sparkling again, apparently.

It’s 11pm here and we finally got situated. Weather in NZ and Oz has beem worse than Seattle winters, and it’s supposed to be early summer in this region.

More details at Denise’s blog. I’m typing this on my smartphone, and it’s taxing on my adult (non-teenager) fingers.

Denise’s travel blog

PEANUT SAUCE
Yield: About 2 C

METHOD
1. In a small saucepan, heat the peanut oil over medium heat. When hot, add the red curry paste and sautee until aromatic and slightly browned.

2. Carefully pour in half the coconut milk and whisk until smooth. Add the remaining coconut milk, peanuts, brown sugar, and peanut butter. Stir to combine.

3. Taste the peanut sauce at this point. Evaluate for salty, spicy, and sweet. Adjust as necessary. Only add the fish sauce if you need it, which you may not. I rarely need to add it due to the peanuts and peanut butter I use.

4. Heat thoroughly, being very careful to not let the sauce boil; it will separate and become greasy.

5. When hot, add cilantro, stir, and serve.

NOTES
Red curry paste – The key to this sauce. I do use a commercially produced paste (Mae Ploy), but it’s amazing. I also have my own red curry paste recipe that’s very good, but it’s just a hassle to make, considering the commercial alternative is about $4 for two cups.

Brown sugar vs palm sugar – If you know me at all, and are familiar with Thai cuisine, you’ll be wondering why I cheat and use brown sugar instead of the traditional and authentic palm sugar. The answer is simple: Cost, both time and money. I already have tons of brown sugar around the shop so it’s very easy to scoop and go, whereas the palm sugar is needed in very few recipes AND it has to be chopped off a large block before using.

The flavor profiles of brown sugar vs palm sugar are very similar. Both are sweet and have a slight bitterness to them from molasses. The palm sugar is more mellow in its sweetness, so if you try this recipe with palm sugar, you’ll probably need to increase it by 25% or so. But taste as you go, once it’s in, there’s no removing it!

Fish sauce – For the love of god: Turn on your brain before making this sauce. This dish is salt with salty, more salt, in a sauce of coconut milk. As will ALL salts, taste your dish before you add the salt, regardless of what the dish is. You may not need the salt.

COMMENTARY
This recipe is one of my most popular menu items of all time. Chocolate Truffle cake, chocolate chip cookies, peanut sauce, and pesto-alfredo sauce are the top four delicious items, in that order.

And so you now have the secret. But I believe it’s more than just the recipe that makes a dish delicious. It’s the chef who executes the recipe, and through that natural interpretation someone else’s peanut sauce will differ from mine just enough that I’m always going to have a job. I’m not worried about it.

TYROPITA
Yield: About 50 pieces

METHOD
1. In a dry saute pan (no oil), wilt the spinach over high heat. Add a little salt to help facilitate the wilting. Saute until completely wilted, then remove to a cutting board and roughly chop.

2. In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the first measure of butter, then sweat the onions. When softened, add the flour and stir to make a white roux. This is extremely hot so don’t touch!

3. When the roux is simmering around the edges, slowly drizzle in about 1/3 of the milk while whisking. Yes, use a whisk to break up all the clumps. Then slowly drizzle in the remaining milk.

4. Bring to a boil for a few minutes until thickened, then remove from heat.

5. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then slowly drizzle in the white sauce (bechamel) while constantly whisking. Add the nutmeg, feta, oregano, and spinach. Season to taste with the pepper (you probably won’t need salt).

6. In a small sauce pan, melt the second measure of butter, but don’t let it boil. remove from heat.

7. Unwrap the filo dough and lay out one sheet on your work surface. Carefully brush with butter, then lay out another filo sheet on top. Brush with butter again.

8. Cut in to 6 strips and scoop about 2 tsp of the filling on the end of each strip. Fold/roll each strip in to triangles (like folding the flag).

9. Lay out the folded tyropita on a sheet pan lined with parchment, and brush each pastry with more butter. Repeat steps 7-9 until all the filo is gone.

10. Bake at 375F for about 15 minutes until the pastry is puffy and golden.

NOTES
Filo is cheap, so buy TWO boxes in case there are damaged sheets in one box. Be careful, but no one’s going to die if you tear one or two.

If you need to, you can freeze these things IQF-style after you roll them and brush them with butter. Bake them off as needed.

COMMENTARY
Wow, no commentary this time. I wonder if I’m feeling ok?

NEVER wander back into the kitchen on your own, without an invitation or an escort. I don’t care who you think you are, we don’t want you there.

Sure, I get that you want to feel like a big man, or a popular host, or whatever, just because you know the chef and you want to show off for your guests by being “in”. Don’t do it. You’re not actually making the chef happy, you’re in fact guaranteeing that the chef and staff actually thinks less of you, as in “What kind of jag-off thinks he can just waltz back into my kitchen unwanted?” And what do you think that attitude is going to do to the overall level of service you get for the rest of the evening?

Not even other professional chefs are welcomed uninvited, but of course, if you’re a professional I would expect you to know the industry etiquette (sadly, though, many professional chefs are even bigger assholes than our guests).

That said, however, we chefs are extremely proud of our kitchens, our team, and the amazing work and effort that goes on here. And we like to show off and be admired just as much as the next guy. The way to do this is to ask your server or one of the floor staff if you can get a tour of the kitchen and meet the chef. If you put on even the slightest veneer of humility, just about every chef will graciously invite you back.

For me, if you ask ahead of time, I can make sure the place is clean, orderly, and safe for non-professionals. Getting invited back to the kitchen is getting to peek behind the curtain, and see how things really work. I know that if I have admiring guests, I love to show them everything and let them sample things, and talk with them about their own cooking experiences. I will talk their ear off! Guests who know and love food as much as professionals are a breed apart, and it’s always great to connect with someone who you’re serving food to.

But so help me god, if you waltz back into the kitchen like you own the place, you definitely run the risk of getting bodily thrown out!