The Fretz Kitchen
January 31, 2005
Last week I taped another nine shows as the host of The Fretz Kitchen. For those who may not know, The Fretz Kitchen is a half hour cable cooking show that features some of the nation’s top chefs preparing a dish of their choice. I had the pleasure of working with several excellent regional chefs.
I always have fun with Alison Barshak, chef/owner of Alison at Blue Bell in Blue Bell, PA. Alison came on board and made Truffled Smoked Salmon Tartare in 3 different preparations. I have since stocked my pantry with black truffle oil and smoked salmon, and will now be able to impress company (what company?) at the drop of a hat.
Dominique Filoni, recently of Savona (where he earned the distinction of Food and Wine’s Best New Chef of the Year for 2004) opened his new restaurant, Bianca about three months ago in Bryn Mawr, PA. He warmed everyone’s heart and stomach with his Wild Striped Bass and Fork Mashed Fingerling Potatoes in Bouillabaisse Broth with Manilla Clams and Mussels. After a snow storm like the one we recently had on the East Coast, this dish was a welcome repast.
Despite the terrible weather that hit Boston, David Blessing of Boston’s Four Seasons and Gabriel Frasca of Spire both made it to Philadelphia to bring us some Atlantic shellfish. Chef Blessing prepared Maine Crab and Lobster Ravioli with Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime and Thai Basil Shellfish Broth. Gabriel Fasca gave us his version of a New England Clam Bake.
I was very excited about working with Sylvia Weinstock of Sylvia Weinstock Cakes in New York City. Sylvia is used to making cakes for celebrities like Donald Trump (although she did not make it, a copy of one of her designs was replicated for his most recent wedding), Cindy Lauper, and Michael Douglas. Last week, however, she spent half an hour with lil’ ol’ me, teaching me how to make flowers out of sugar dough. That was quite an opportunity, and one that I won’t forget anytime soon. She even sent me home with sugar dough so that I could get some practice. Apparently I need it!
I had a delicious dish of Elysian Fields Lamb Loin with Beets, Iced Spinach, Black-Eyed Peas and Truffle Balsamic Vinaigrette, made by Chef Richard Hamilton of the Spiced Pear at the Chanler Hotel in Newport, RI. Iced spinach is spinach that has been harvested after the first frost, resulting in an increased sugar content - in the same way that leaving grapes on the vine until after the first frost increases their sugar content.
British born chef, Christopher Brooks from Blantyre in Lennox, MA introduced me to a beautiful sheeps’ milk cheese. It came in the form of a quenelle (made cleverly with one hot spoon) on a Warm Cured Duck Salad with Buttered Lettuce, Baby Greens Bluemoon Shrooms and Spiced Focaccia. Have I mentioned that after the chefs prepare the food, I am the first to taste it? It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.
The Fretz Kitchen is all about professional chefs showing us tips and techniques in the kitchen, and chef Craig Shelton from The Ryland Inn in Whitehouse, NJ showed us his way to cook a dry aged cote de boeuf. Instead of cooking at a relatively high temperature, Chef Shelton sears the meat in a cast iron pan and then lowers the heat, and with the pan away from the heat, finishes the steak by constantly basting it with boiling butter. With a piece of meat that expensive (he let us know that his wholesale cost of one fillet was about $20), it would be a crime to mistreat it, and Chef Shelton’s finished product was certainly tender and delicious.
Finally, I was also allowed to indulge in one of my alltime favourite ingredients with Executive Chef Rocco Lugine from Miel Patisserie in Cherry Hill, NJ. Together we made a Chocolate Mousse Cake with Chocolate Raspberry Ganache, Chocolate Mousse and Crème Anglaise. Can there be too much of a good thing? In this instance, I don’t think so.
The Fretz Kitchen reaches over 8 million viewers across the Mid-Atlantic and New England. Check your local listings to see if it is available in your area. You won’t get to taste the food, but in my privileged postion as host, I’ll vouch for it all. It was a delicious experience for me and hopefully will be an entertaining one for you.