You Won't See Me on TV

In late January and early February I shared with the readers of this newsletter that I auditioned for a new reality TV show for home cooks. It's call Master Chef and scheduled to appear on Fox this summer, with Gordon Ramsey as the star.

The idea is that you can have no professional culinary background in order to be on the show. Well, after test cooking, on-camera interviews, 52 pages of forms and background checks, and an hour long home video, when all was done.......I came close.

Apparently, based on comments made by the casting director, I was one of the very last people cut before the final selection. I don't know how many people will be on the show, but usually these shows start with 12-16 people. So out of over 5000 contestants, I'm pretty proud of how far I got.

On the other hand, I don't know what my gut is going to feel like when the show finally airs. It might be hard to watch. But one consolation, and this will hardly surprise you, they were far less interested in cooking skill than they were "the rest of your story". Since I have a few interesting stories to tell, and our family situation is somewhat unique in some ways, I HAD stories. Just not enough.

In the process of auditioning, I had to verbalize and write quite a bit about my cooking approach. One of thing that my have held me back from a cooking perspective is that I don't have a specialty - either a specialty style or specialty dish. While on the one hand that proves my flexibility and range, it also makes me a little harder to categorize. I described my cooking philosophy as:

• Use very fresh, high quality ingredients



• Develop lots of flavor without using tricks or shortcuts



• Continuously be on the lookout for new and interesting recipes



• Cook in a way appropriate for the season and your guests / family

Sounds a little vague, doesn't it? Well, I DID cook authentic Sichuan Chinese dishes both for the audition and on camera. And I DID explain the 9 course meal I made for high school homecoming last fall. The menu appeared to be kids food, but each dish was actually a high-end gourmet preparation (frozen red vinegar vinaigrette, anyone?).

All in all it was a great experience that made me look at myself, my cooking and my dreams in a way I had never done before. Plus I spent a couple nights in New Orleans eating in great restaurants.

I also became a fan of Gordon Ramsey. I mean, if I was going to cook for the guy's show, I'd better know more about him. His TV reputation in the US is far from his reality. I recommend his book A Chef for All Seasons. The recipes and presentations are a little advanced, but they are fresh and bold. In paperback it's not much of an investment, either.

Lately I've had quite a taste for simple, spring flavors. We've spent a good bit of time outside on our patio before it gets too warm and buggy in Houston to do that much more. Pleasant appetizers we've tried are a turkey and ham pate with Cointreau, and homemade Fromage Blanc cheese, each on homemade herbed flatbreads.

But those dishes are pretty complex and time consuming to make. (Drop me a note if you want me to share the recipes, though). So in the spirit of cocktails on the patio, this week I present a recipe for flavored olives. Try to get high quality fresh or jarred brine cured olives. Working them up with your own flavors will be far superior to the flavors from the ubiquitous olive bars in the supermarkets. I'm sure you'll be pleased.

Orange Rosemary Gremolata

This topping is great for steak, chicken, or even a simple bruschetta! My personal favorite is on top of an Italian braised veal shank. Mmm!

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsley chopped
Zest from one orange
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine the first four ingredients in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, then pulse several times again. Yep. That's all.

Roasted Garlic

Roasted garlic is SO easy to make. It can be used alone as a topping for bruschetta, pizza or grilled vegetables. As an ingredient buried in a complex dish, it adds an earthly sweetness, not the bite of raw or lightly cooked garlic.

1. Take the whole bulb of garlic and chop the top part completely off about 1/4" from the top, exposing the cloves. If you aren't sure which part is the top...it's the skinnier end of the bulb.


2. Set the bulb in an oven safe dish lined with aluminum foil. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil - about 2 tablespoons.


3. Liberally salt and pepper it and pop it in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until you see a deep caramelized color.

The cloves will just pop right out of the skin and you can then smash it all together and add it to your favorite pasta sauce or simply spread on some crostini!

Fried Garlic Chips

A little bit trickier way to play with garlic, but worth it!

1. Take one clove of garlic, skin off, and this time do not smash it when peeling.
2. Slice the clove as thinly as possible, making each slice close the same thichness as the others.
3. Add 1/4 cup olive oil to a small shallow pan,over medium high heat.
4. Add the garlic slices and fry until they just turn golden brown. This is the tricky part: be careful not to burn them. Once perfectly brown and crispy, remove from the oil and set on a paper towel to dry.

The chips can be used to garnish anything from soup to potatoes and is just a fun way to work with the ingredient.

Garlic: Not Just for Warding Off Vampires!

This week we hear again from Rebecca VanDolzer, with her thoughts on Garlic. Thanks for contributing again, Becca.

- Tom

Garlic is found in almost every cuisine imaginable. It can be linked culturally or horticulturally to every single country somehow, someway. It is consumed, produced, and used all over the world.

The main purpose for garlic is culinary, although it has many added benefits along with that yummy taste. Garlic can fight the common cold, prevent heart disease and keep pesky vampires at bay. Beware though, after consuming garlic you might ward off more than just the vampires. It doesn't exactly help with fresh breath so you might want to avoid it before an important interview or date! I never really minded the smell of garlic though, I guess it's the Italian in me!

Heidi Klum even swears by the stuff. She claims to eat at least a clove of garlic every day, raw or prepared in food, to keep her looks and health in tip top shape. Now, I don't know about you, but if Heidi Klum looks like that from garlic.... then count me in!

OK, all of that aside, I find garlic to be a necessary addition in most all of my recipes. It is a main aromaic flavor for almost all the sauces, soups, and toppings in my repertoire. I absolutely love the stuff! I have to say that there are some ways to prepare garlic that are better and easier than others, so I'll share a few ways with you now.

• Prepping: I never use less than 4 large cloves (told you I love the stuff!) Take the individual cloves of garlic, with the flat side of your knife pound the clove as if you are banging down the gavel in a court room. This will do most of the work for you in removing the skin. It should peel right off! Once you have thrown it away you can then begin to mince the garlic, either by knife or food processor.


• Minced Garlic: The workhorse of the kitchen, simple minced garlic is great for sauteing to start (or finish) a dish, or raw to become a topping like Gremolata!


• Roasted Garlic: Doesn't need much else, it can actually be used as a topping of its own.


• Orange Rosemary Gremolata - a mixture of fresh herbs, garlic, oranze zest and oilive oil.


• Fried Garlic Chips - Very thin garlic slices fried until crispy brown. They'll tast salty even thouhg no salt has been added.

Detail reicpes for each of these dishes follow below.

I hope you have gained some knowledge about garlic from this and cannot wait to try it at home!

Yours Truly,
Rebecca VanDolzer