Domestic Violence Services Private Chef Dinner

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I was auctioned off to charity this spring at the annual Domestic Violence Services charity auction. It was a very tense moment for me as I was really wondering just who would place the highest bid. It ended up being our Global Spectrum Marketing Director for XFINITY Arena, Tammi Bryant Olson. Who, by the way, just happens to be married to my boss! As a birthday gift to her mother in law, Tammi gave the Chef’s Dinner to Mrs. Olson. It was so much fun! I must admit that I was a little nervous however once I settled in everything flowed.

We started with an Amuse Bouche - Lemon Scented Mushrooms in a Crisp Gyoza Cup. We then went on to everyone’s favorite soup - Moroccan Butternut Squash with Chopped Chives and Crème Fraiche. Next the Salad - Grilled Spring Asparagus and Fennel Salad with a Raspberry Vinaigrette. 

Grilled Spring Asparagus and Fennel Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

For the Entrée- Saffron Seafood Paella with Jumbo Shrimp, Dungeness Crab, Petite Calamari, Grilled Andouille Sausage and Grilled Chicken Drumettes in a Saffron Citrus Sauce Topped with Grilled Ahi Tuna. 

Saffron Seafood Paella

Saffron Seafood Paella Plated

Last but not least for dessert- Dessert Trio of Mini Chocolate terrine, Blueberry Tartlet and Strawberry Tartlet on Crème Englaise with Toasted Coconut Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce.

Beautiful Dessert Plates

All of this paired with some really wonderful wines that also flowed course after course after course. All in all everyone had a really great time and we all enjoyed the company as much as the food and the wine. I hope to be able to repeat this fantastic dinner in the future as it is for such a great cause.

The Belmont Stakes in New York

I had the experience of a lifetime in June, when my company, Centerplate, sent me to New York to do culinary assist at the Belmont Stakes, one of our premiere venues. Which it turned out was a Triple Crown event. Attendance was high and so was the mood. The atmosphere was electric! I saw on the news that evening that there were around 175,000 people in and around the race track. Everyone was buzzing about California Chrome who had the potential to win the first Triple Crown 36 in years. It was EXCITING!!!!!!

Beautiful Animal

The Prized Trophy

I was asked to be Saucier, the person to make all of the stocks and sauces. 40 gallons of savory turkey gravy, truffle cream sauce, demi glace, chardonnay cream sauce, red sauce sort of like a marinara, beef au jus, saffron cream sauce and a few barbecue sauces including an espresso flavored barbecue sauce that was really tasty. I also made a fantastic seafood paella and saffron seafood scented rice for a few thousand hungry folks.

My 60 Gallon Kettle

If that seems like a lot it is because it is! Of the many huge buffets we had, I ran two. One was at the entrance side of the building and the other was in the center of the building so needless to say I literally walked a few miles that day. My buffets had filet mignon carved to order, beautiful risotto cakes, awesome chicken osso bucco, amazing salads and spectacular desserts. My company, Centerplate, really knows how to put out a spread!

Chefs Pre Planning Meeting

California Chrome did not end up winning, however the experience was one that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. Thanks Centerplate!

School Tour 2014

Client Party

Each year, we host an event for our clients, suiteholders and supporters to showcase new menu items just before the Everett Silvertips season. The party was a resounding success with more than 200 people enjoying the delicious food our team created. Jeremiah and I live demo'd Jamaican Jerk Wings and everyone went home with the recipe and a whisk to whip it up on their own.

Seattle Surf and Turf

Interviews. I happen to enjoy them.  Both being the interviewee and the interviewer. Most people cringe when they hear the word. I have always enjoyed the interaction and the exchange between a prospective employer and the fellow team members on the panel, if the interview process reaches that point. So when my current GM asked me to fly up to interview with Centerplate here at Comcast Arena at Everett I was pretty pleased regarding the job opportunity and excited to see new lands. As part of the process of becoming an Executive Chef at a corporate setting you are required to perform what Centerplate refers to as a “Black Box” or a mystery box. Basically a box filled with a wide variety of ingredients that you have to create a fabulous four-course meal from including an amuse bouche (A single, bite-sized hors d’œuvre that is a gift from the Chef to stimulate the palate and get the guest excited about the rest of the meal), a salad, an appetizer and an entrée. Similar to the TV show Chopped.

Some of the challenges involved are not just the ingredients that you find out about immediately before you cook, but also the challenge of being in unfamiliar surroundings as every kitchen has its quirks.  I did my face to face interview here in Everett and was asked to do my cooking demonstration at Safeco field in Seattle, which is also a Centerplate account. David Dekker is the Executive Chef there and he was primarily conducting that part of the interview process. I was to be in the Diamond Club kitchen at 8 AM and have my amuse bouche on the table at noon. So I had four hours to nail it. On my own. All by myself. 

I reasoned that if I left my hotel here in Everett at 6:30 AM that I could be in the kitchen at Safeco sipping coffee by 7:30 to 7:45 AM. I pulled out at exactly 6:29 AM and hit I-5. On my way down the traffic stopped dead right before the exit for the stadium. A Fed-Ex truck had overturned and burst in to flames, completely closing down I-5 south bound. I called and David told me not to worry. He said that whenever I arrived that he would begin the four hour countdown and that he would call everyone scheduled to join us and let them know. I arrived at 9:55 AM and went directly to my ingredients. After looking them over I decided to just go for it. When David came into the kitchen I told him that I would be ready at noon as promised. He said “You don’t have to do this Chef” and I said “A deal’s a deal” so I was off and running. 

I had halibut, scallops, skirt steak, bacon, lentils, red potatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic, shallots, lemons, heavy cream and all kinds of other ingredients. The wild card was the ground hot Italian sausage so I began by making a sausage patty and cooking it on the char broiler. After it was cooked, I crumbled it and put it in the lentils and cooked them in a Turkish curry spice I made from scratch. This was to be the foundation of my amuse bouche. I put the lentils in a soup spoon, topped them with red and yellow cherry tomato slivers, drizzled it all with a roast garlic olive oil and sprinkled it with thinly sliced fresh basil. As promised, they were on the table just before noon. The crowd went wild. Next I made a scallop casino chowder with bacon and bell peppers. The soup bowls came back clean. Then I made a nice frisee salad with dried fruit and sherry vinaigrette. Another crowd pleaser and all courses were flying out of the kitchen looking good and tasting great. I was pleased, so far.

My grand finale, the piece de resistance, was a Seattle Surf and Turf. I crusted the halibut with Romano cheese and pan seared it, then I made a roast garlic lemon cream sauce to go with it. The skirt steak I marinated in fresh herbs and grilled it to a perfect medium rare, then I made a port barbecue au jus for it. My starch was red potato Tuscany home fries and my vegetable was grilled asparagus with lemon zest. I put the potatoes in the center of the plate, the halibut on one side and the steak on the other. I placed the asparagus over the top of the home fries perpendicular to the steak and the fish, then topped the asparagus with thinly fried onion rings. The sauces went down last and out the plates went. They loved the dish and the presentation and I have been doing a similar dish here in the Arena Grill restaurant ever since.  All six guests really enjoyed the meal and guess what? I got the job! I am posting some of these recipes soon and hope that you enjoy them all. See you at the Arena!

Halibut - A Fish Tale

I love halibut. Its beautiful white color, great neutral flavor, and wonderful firm texture make it an extremely versatile fish. That’s why I jumped at the chance to go halibut fishing out of Westport on Tuesday, May 20. The weather gods had frowned upon us for an earlier trip so it was rescheduled for the Tuesday. Then, over the weekend prior to our trip date, the halibut gods frowned upon us as the halibut quota was reached. The halibut season was shut down. So no halibut trip. I was really upset- I love halibut!

Captain Justin of the Samarai is such a great guy, he offered to take me and my co worker out for ling cod and black bass at a cheaper rate and it was going to be just the two of us on board. What a guy! How could we refuse! Less money and less people on board…we pounced on the offer! The weather forecast was perfect, so off to Westport we went, arriving early and eager to set sail at six thirty that morning. I also love ling cod and black bass and they have been nailing them in Westport recently, so we were extremely confident that we would limit out and be back at the dock for lunch by noon.

Well, the wind gods decided to frown upon us and it was blowing twenty five knots. The tide was ebbing and the wind was against the tide so we had a massive chop and some really gnarly conditions going out over the bar. We took several waves over the bow but on we went. When we finally got into the ocean the waves were still pretty big, a few fifteen footers, but for the most part it was just fine. And Captain Justin is a great helmsman so he kept us on our lines. Because of the wind we drifted really fast which meant we had to keep pulling up our lines and head back up the hill to the rock patches we were angling. But catch fish we did. All of us. Even the Captain’s friend who was invited at the last minute. Three guys reeling them in, in big wind and big waves- too much fun!

It was my lucky day as I caught the most black bass, six, and I limited out on ling cod catching my quota of two. But the best surprise of the day was the massive wrenching tug on my line that bent my rod and started my reel singing as the line played out and whatever it was that ate my bait began to run. And run. And run. I finally came to my senses and tightened the drag on my reel and began the arduous but fun process of reeling whatever it was on the end of my line in. I reeled. And reeled. And reeled as my fellow fisherman made some really funny jokes like “What did you hook, Moby Dick?” and “It must be a halibut!” It turns out that catching a halibut where we were drifting is pretty rare so I figured I had a monster ling cod. Visions of winning the derby danced in my head……

Then suddenly we could see color beneath the waves and guess what I caught? That’s right, a halibut! Woo hoo!!!!!! The Triple Crown! The trifecta of fishing! It was a really nice sized fish, just right, about twenty five pounds. Perfect for me to enjoy for quite some time. We landed the beauty in the boat and I was ecstatic. So was everyone on board. We all high fived and everyone congratulated me. It was awesome. I asked the deck hand to save me the carcass as I wanted to make a fish stock. I also asked him to save me the liver as they are really tasty. The filets are the perfect size and Brian, the deck hand, did a great job of filleting all of my fish.

Steve, Deck Hand Brian, Chef Stu and Bruiser

I will add the recipe for my fish stock to the blog soon. I am also putting on the recipe of the halibut dish I prepared when I did my Chef interview for my current Executive Chef position here at Comcast Arena and Event Center. Ah yes, my Executive Chef interview. What a day THAT was. That will be one of my next blogs, so please stay tuned!

Black Bass on the Barby

Roasted Winter Pumpkin Soup with Roast Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese

45 Gallons Pumpkin Soup

600 Bowls of Soup

Soup Recipe:

2 pounds roasted pumpkin
1/2 pound celery- small dice  
1/2 pound carrots- small dice  
1 pounds onions- small dice  
1 1/2 quarts heavy cream 
½ quart vegetable stock
1 bunch parsley – finely chopped
1 bunch sage– finely chopped 
2 branches Rosemary – finely chopped 
½ bunch thyme – finely chopped 
1 TBL butter
1 TBL olive oil

Sweat out the vegetables in the butter and olive oil.
Add the heavy cream and bring the heavy cream and vegetables to the boil.
Add the pureed pumpkin and blend well.
Add the finely chopped herbs.
Season with kosher salt and white pepper to taste.

Garnish:

1/2 pound roast butternut squash- dice small
1 pound of onions julienne- caramelize in two to three tablespoons of butter 
1/2 pound of goat cheese- crumbled  
1 bunch chives chopped fine

• In each soup bowl place a small mound of the roast butternut squash.
• Top the squash with some caramelized onions.
• Top the onions with some crumbled goat cheese.
• Ladle in the hot soup being careful not to go directly on the goat cheese until the goat cheese is almost covered.
• Sprinkle on some chives.

ENJOY!!!!!!

100 Pounds Roast Pumpkin

Components

Components 

Who ever would have thought that in the kitchen we deal with components? We do. When planning a plated dinner for, oh say, six hundred guests it is really important to know how many things are being placed on each plate. For example, a salad can have a chicken breast, grilled vegetables, cheese, edible garnish and dressing. That is approximately six components. Why six you ask when the math says five? Because I didn't add the salad greens! Ah ha! Something as simple as this can ruin your entire day if you are one pair of hands short when it comes time to plate six hundred salads!

When we do a large event, a lot of pre-planning is involved. We need to know how many guests we are to feed, how much to order, how much to prep a day out, how much to prep the day of the event and how many fellow worker bees it will take to execute the vision of the Executive Chef. My Sous Chef and I have been working together now since my arrival here in June and we are pretty solid when it comes to all of this. It didn't happen overnight but it didn't take very long. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, just refine it. We are doing things now that no one thought possible upon my arrival. Our plates have more components, more flavors, more beauty and what matters the most - more guest satisfaction. Why is this? Because all of the components are just right…

Components

What does all of this have to do with recipes? A recipe is a list of components or ingredients that make up a well balanced meal. If one component is too strong or too weak it upsets the balance of the outcome. That is why following a recipe is so important. If you need more salt, add it. If you need more sweetness, add it. If you need more spice, add it! The recipe is the foundation that you can refine. Please feel free to modify any of my recipes to suit your taste. Some people say my chili isn’t hot enough. Some say it is way over the top. Isn’t America great? We have the ability to make it any way we want. I am just providing a solid foundation for all of you to begin with. Enjoy!

Thai Chicken Stir Fry

2 TBL sesame oil
1 TBL chopped ginger
1 TBL chopped garlic
1 small white onion julienne
1 ea red green and yellow bell pepper julienne
2 TBL scallions small cut
8 oz cooked chicken breast fine julienne
1 tsp toasted white sesame seed
1 tsp black sesame seed
2 TBL white wine
2 TBL ponzu
4 TBL peanut sauce- see my recipe on this blog

Optional- half a cup of blanched broccoli and half a cup blanched cauliflower

•Get a skillet or wok hot on a medium high heat
•Add the sesame oil and vegetable oil
•Add the ginger and garlic and give it a quick stir
•Add all vegetables and chicken and stir
•Add white wine and stir
•Add peanut sauce
•Add soy sauce
•Stir all ingredients
•Add all sesame seeds and scallions
•Serve piping hot over Jasmine rice

Thai Peanut Sauce

2 cups smooth or chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
•Combine all ingredients with a whisk until smooth. •Refrigerate half an hour and serve. 

Seared Scallops

Looking for a special recipe to make your special someone for Valentine's Day?  Here's how I make my Seared Scallops.  Enjoy! 

Shanghai Wok

I Love Chili

I love chili. I mean REALLY good chili with complex flavor profiles and LOTS of spice. One of the first things I made growing up, before I was a chef, was chili. I race sailboats and while growing up back east as a kid every year, we would deliver my friends race boat by water to Annapolis, Maryland for the Annapolis Spring Series. It was usually pretty cold, so hearty chili was a staple on the delivery meal menu. Over time, I perfected what I thought to be the best chili ever. All of my friends and family love my recipe as long as I tone it down a bit and not make it too hot. Especially for my mom! 

Way back in the 90’s, when I made it for a chili competition that required the use of a well known brand of tequila, I flamed the ground beef with tequila and put it out with Lone Star beer. Since moving to the northwest and Everett, I modified my recipe to use more local ingredients. Blue Water vodka is perfect and so is Scuttlebutt beer, and both are available right here in Everett. So I flambé the hamburger meat with the vodka, then put it out with a bottle of Scuttlebutt. It tastes great and I get to have a brew or two while enjoying my chili. If you are nervous about the vodka part of the recipe simply skip it (and the beer), if you are so inclined. 

If you make it during the peak of the tomato season, please use local fresh tomatoes. As well as all of the other local ingredients you can find. The produce here is amazing and I am taking full advantage of it all as much as I can. I hope you enjoy my chili! Make it as hot or not as you want! It is screaming hot in the Arena Grill so please come in and check it out!

Seahawks Super Bowl XLVIII

Game On!  

Just in time for Superbowl, I'm sharing some recipes for all the 12th Man parties going on this weekend!

Check out my first segment on Everett Channel and learn how to make my Five Alarm Fog Horn Chili with methods even a rookie could handle!  Find the recipe here.

Go Hawks!  #Superbowl #WhosGonnaWin #Seahawks

Salsa Recipe

6 ea Roma Tomatoes
6 ea Scallions (Green onions)
12 ea Small White Onions
2 ea Jalapeno Peppers
6 medium cloves garlic
½ Cup Olive Oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

2 ea Avocado
1 bunch Cilantro
3 ea Limes
1 ea Lemon
1 TBL Kosher Salt
1 tsp black pepper


1- Toss all vegetables, fruit and garlic in olive oil (except avocado)
2- Season all with salt and pepper
3- Put vegetables under broiler or place on BBQ and blister
4- Roast garlic in remaining olive oil until light brown
5- Chop cilantro
6- Cut avocado
7- Put all grilled vegetables, fruit and garlic in food processor and blend to                   chunky/smooth
8- Add lime and lemon juice, cilantro, salt, pepper and pulse
9- Add sliced avocado and pulse leaving some chunks of avocado
10- ENJOY!!!!!!

Moroccan Scallop Spoons

Moroccan Spice-

2 TBL Kosher salt
1 tsp Ground black pepper
2 TBL Cumin
1 TBL Cinnamon
1 TBL Garlic powder
1 TBL Onion powder
1 TBL Dark Chili powder  
1 TBL Smoked paprika
1 TBL Curry powder
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Chipotle powder
1 tsp Habanero powder
Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and thoroughly mix, can use right away or store

Salsa-

1 Mango peeled and cut in to small cubes
1 Papaya peeled and cut in to small cubes 
2 Avocados cut in to small cubes
4 scallions cut in to small pieces
2 Roma Tomatoes cut in to small pieces
1 Bunch Cilantro chopped fine
2 Limes juiced
1 Lemon juiced
2 pinches salt and pepper
Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and thoroughly mix, refrigerate 30 minutes

Scallop Spoons-

12 Large Scallops 
3 TBL Blended olive oil
Moroccan spice to coat one side of each scallop

1- Heat a skillet on a medium flame
2- Add the blended olive oil
3- Add the scallops to the pan without any seasoning and cook approximately two minutes until golden brown and the sides look cooked not raw
4- Season the top of each scallop with Chef Stu’s Moroccan Spice 
5- Turn each scallop and continue cooking about one minute
6- Place level amount of salsa in each spoon
7- Top each spoon with a scallop, seasoned side up
8- Enjoy!!!!!!

Marinara

Whole Tomatoes in Juice- one 29oz can
Tomato Sauce- one 29oz can 
Tomato Paste- two 6oz cans
Water- one 6oz can (Use a tomato paste can after emptying out the paste)

Chopped Garlic- 2 TBL
Salt- 2 TBL
Pepper- 1 tsp
Cayenne Pepper- 1/2 TBL (More or less depending on your palate)
Garlic Powder- 1 TBL
Onion Powder- 1 TBL
Oregano- 1 TBL
Basil- 1 tsp
Ground Bay Leaf- 1 tsp (Or six whole)
Fennel Seed- 1 tsp

Sugar- 3 TBL

Olive Oil- 4 TBL

1- open all cans and slightly crush whole tomatoes with a fork.
2- put olive oil in a stock pot on medium heat.
3- brown garlic (Be careful not to burn. If you burn the garlic, immediately start over).
4- add all tomato product to garlic and oil in pot EXCEPT paste.
5- add all dry ingredients (Spices).
6- Stir well and bring to a medium simmer.
7- turn down flame and add paste and water.
8- cover and simmer twenty minutes to allow dry herbs to bloom.

Cook your favorite pasta and toss with my sauce or use the sauce to make my Five Alarm Chili!

Quick tip- For a more rustic sauce cover and simmer on extreme low heat so the sauce barely simmers, for three hours, stirring occasionally.

Five Alarm Fog Horn Chili

2 Pounds Ground Beef 
2 TBL Blended Olive Oil

1 Large Yellow Onion- Large Dice
1 Red Bell Pepper- Large Dice
1 Green Bell Pepper- Large Dice

3 Jalapenos- Large Dice (Do Not Seed)

2 TBL Kosher salt
1 TBL Ground black pepper
4 TBL Cumin
2 TBL Garlic powder
2 TBL Onion powder
4 TBL Chili powder dark  
2 TBL Smoked paprika
1 TBL Cayenne pepper
1 TBL Chipotle powder
1 TBL Habanero powder
2 TBL Mexican oregano

2 Cans Kidney Beans drained and rinsed

1 Cup blue water Organic Vodka
6oz Scuttlebutt Amber or Dark Beer

6 Cups Chef Stu’s Marinara



1 Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat
2 Add beef and brown- drain off most of the grease
3 Add vegetables and sweat until onions are clear
4 Add all spices and stir mixing well
5 Add Vodka and ignite standing back being careful not to burn yourself
6 Add beer dousing the five alarm flames and stir well
7 Add kidney beans and simmer five minutes high heat to reduce the beer stirring constantly
8 Add the marinara and simmer on medium heat 20 minutes uncovered to thicken
9 Serve with tortilla chips and plenty of ice cold adult beverages