Scallion Pancakes and Dipping Sauce

For the Master Chef cooking show audition, I made a plate that I call Sichuan Street Food. It had four components:

Pan Sauteed Shrimp Dusted with Ground Sichuan Peppercorns

Scallion Pancake Ribbons

Spicy Sichuan Dipping Sauce

Marinated Roasted Vegetables

I'm happy to share the Scallion pancake recipe I created, because it requires no special ingredients (kind of - see *** below) and are surprisingly easy to make With a simple dipping sauce, it might make a good addition to a Super Bowl party or for the next time you want an interesting appetizer.

Let's start with the dipping sauce. The one I made for the audition is a complex blend of peppers in multiple forms, and requires some exotic specialty ingredients only available in Asian markets or made at home. That's not the kind of recipe I'm sharing in this newsletter, so here's a version you can make out of ingredients you can find anywhere. It also is good for dumplings or spoon a little over white rice.

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Simple Asian Dipping Sauce

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and diced finely

2 scallions (green onion), chopped into 1/4 inch pieces (use the dark green parts, a few light green parts are OK)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (not the seasoned type).

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Stir together all the ingredients.

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Scallion Pancakes

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup rice flour (***or substitute with more all purpose flour, if necessary)

1/2 teaspoon salt

A pinch or two of cayenne pepper (***if you happen to have ground Sichuan peppercorns, use them here)

1 cup water

1 whole egg and one egg white

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Vegetable or peanut oil

5 scallions

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk eggs, then add water and sesame oil, then whisk again and add to the dry ingredients, whisking until the batter is smooth. Add the scallions and stir.
3. Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Dip a 1/2 cup measuring cup into the batter, filling it not quite all the way. Pout the batter into the skillet, holding the cup about 8 inches above the pan (to create a more uniform pancake.
5. Cook pancake about 2 minutes. Bottom side should be golden, but not dark brown, except in a few small spots, if desired.
6. Flip pancake and cook for 1 minute. Drain on a plate lined with a paper towel. If you see any oil visible on the top surface, blot it off with another paper towel.
7. Make additional pancakes in same manner.
8. Cut pancakes into strips, approximately 3/4 inch.

Toss pancake ribbons on a serving plate, accompanied by the dipping sauce.

My Audition for Master Chef - Sichuan Street Food

The food judge appeared in front of me. She was an attractive Asian woman named Kim, about 30 years old. She was quite comfortable to talk to, despite the nerves I could feel running through me.

She asked what I cooked, and quickly said she'd not be tasting any more shrimp. She'd already had enough for the day. I mentioned that if she knew the wonderfully numbing taste of Sichuan peppercorns, she'd understand the shrimp easily. Thankfully she was familiar with the magical peppers.

The highlight of my dish was the dipping sauce, which is what I wanted her to focus on. I mentioned that it was made in an authentic Sichuan manner, building up multiple types of pepper and spices to create a unique overall taste. I had five kinds of pepper in my sauce: red Sichuan peppercorn infused oil, Sichuan chili black bean paste, a pinch of dried roasted red peppers, a pinch of ground roasted Sichuan peppercorns and a tiny dash of white pepper. While this sound incredibly spicy, it actually is not.

She dipped her fork into the sauce and tasted. She complimented me on it (good sign) and asked what I used to balance against the spicy flavors. It was ShaoXing Rice wine, which tastes a lot like dry Spanish sherry. There's also soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil. The only other ingredients were finely diced ginger and a smattering of scallion slices. Kim asked if I had used Chinese 5-spice powder - she thought she could taste it. But I had not. All those flavors built up on their own to create a wonderfully complex mix that causes your mouth to tingle slightly, the characteristic of Sichuan peppercorns.

The next component on my plate were scallion pancakes. I told Kim that they were a common street food, which I thought would match this dish well. I had cut the pancakes into wide ribbons so they could be picked up individually and dipped in the spicy sauce. She ate a half inch portion off the end of one. Of course she did - how could anyone taste so much food in a day?

I also mentioned that I had never made several of the components of my dish before, including the pancakes. She complimented my on my bravery to cook something new for the audition. Yet that's indicative of how I cook. I certainly wasn't going to bring a signature dish, because I don't have any. As I composed this dish, I knew that the pancakes were a good component to contrast the shrimp and to use the sauce. Plus, I fried up some store-bought scallion pancakes as a backup, just in case.

Kim tasted my marinated vegetables, choosing a small zucchini, I'm guessing mostly because it was small. She complimented me on the vegetable, and now that I think about it, the pancake too. I was definitely feeling good, because I didn't hear that praise when she tasted the speckled trout dish next to me.

She asked what lead me to choose this dish. I indicated that I figured there wouldn't be too many Chinese dishes at an audition in New Orleans, that I loved these flavors, and that I learned about them as a result of travelling to Sichuan to adopt my youngest daughter.

Kim moved on, and a while later - a nerve-wracking while later - a producer came over. We quickly established that she was the person who had called me the night before to confirm that I was coming to the audition. How cool - I wanted to meet the person I talked to. Serendipity? I sure hope there's plenty more in this process.

She asked my why I wanted to be on Master Chef. I told her that I've loved food and cooking all my life, have dreamed of it being my career, but never have had the nerve to open a restaurant due to my lack of actual restaurant experience. She tasted a shrimp and a pancake strip and liked each! She seemed ready to go, but I wanted to sell myself one step further. So I repeated to her that this was not a specialty dish, and that I had never made the scallion pancakes or this exact version of the vegetables before. She didn't seem too impressed and I could tell she wanted to move on.

But to my relief, before she left, she leaned in closer to me and quietly said, "After you pack up your dish, please go see the girl in the blue shirt across the room". While I didn't immediately assume it meant I'd passed, I knew it had to be good.

When I got to meet the blue-shirt girl, I was truly nervous - this had to be very good. The first thing she said to me after finding my application was, "Congratulations - the judges liked your food.". Wow!! I had made to the next stage. She and I determined a time slot for an on-camera interview.

Though I focused on remembering her name when she introduced herself, I had become so excited after getting the news that I forgot it. Nor can I remember it now. So I've forgotten the name of one of the most important people in the process. Nice. Well, I'd bet most of the people who got their "green tickets" were in the same state I was.

That's where this story pauses. My interview is tomorrow in New Orleans. I'll be sure to share what happens next. And because for the next day or so I'll be in "another place" - in many respects - I'm dashing off this story in place of the traditional weekly newsletter. I hope you enjoy the substitution.

Next up: Recipe for Scallion Pancakes

My Audition for Master Chef - The Audition

The audition for Master Chef required that each contestant present a single plate to the judges, served at room temperature. We'd have 5 minutes to plate our dish, but no ability to cook or warm the dish. I chose to compose a dish in which three of the four components were supposed to be served at room temperature; in fact, were better at the temperature. All I had to do was transport a small jar of cooked shrimp and keep it chilled in the hotel refrigerator overnight.

When I got to the audition site, I found a line of 50-75 people bearing all manner of coolers, warmers, boxes and even grocery bags. I settled into the back of the line and eventually struck up pleasant conversations with my fellow cooks. We were all nervous, and it was apparent that everyone loved cooking immensely. But we clearly had different levels of experience and approaches.

One fellow contestant was an attractive Hungarian-born girl, Nikoletta, who seemed as well prepared as I was. She was toting a portable refrigerated cooler like the one I used to transport my chilled shrimp safely from Houston to New Orleans. Another was a middle aged character in a tan suit, with brown and white saddle shoes and a snappy fedora. Mardi Gras beads hung around his neck. I wrote him off as an attention seeker and doubted he'd present a decent dish.

After about an hour and a half wait I entered a courtyard to submit my application, photos of myself and of my dish. TV cameras and boom microphones began to show up sporadically. The crew took a few shots of some applicants and returned to the audition area. They briskly hustled back when a (very) buxom brunette in a tight sweater, tight black pants and stiletto heels arrived at the application desk. No surprise there.

I was issued number NOLA-64 and then waited anxiously for the next spots in the judging area to open up. When my number was called I entered a room containing seven folding tables covered with white table cloths. Three contestants were situated at each. Food judges and production staff were engaging with the participants in a somewhat unhurried manner. That made me feel good - they weren't rushing through this thing.

I had expected that at a New Orleans audition there would be a plethora of etouffee's, pan fried fish, maybe some gumbo or dirty rice and an overdose of shrimp and crawfish. With a quick glance around the room, it turned out to be an accurate guess.

The fellow set up next to me had a crusted speckled trout atop "creole spaghetti". His presentation was excellent, as he used a squeeze bottle to fill, then overflow cherry tomatoes with a remoulade. It looked like a great dish, but it also looked very much like many other dishes I could spy around the room.

I wrapped up my plating, hands not too steady, but not truly shaking either. I saw the camera lights go on. They were interviewing Nikoletta. She was clearly quite nervous when speaking. The producer even asked if she was nervous and why. I couldn't hear her answer, but did I notice that her dish was beautifully arranged, with steam rising above it. Ahh....she had used the heating function, not the cooling function on that portable device.

The camera next went onto Fedora guy. Not a surprise, really. But what was a surprise was his dish. He had four shrimp, skewered dramatically lengthwise, balancing atop a half ear of corn on the cob. The plate was filled with a traditional "mache choux", a Cajun corn and vegetable stew. He too was asked if he was nervous, which he was.

He also stated that the dish was his "go-to dish" for entertaining. That's just what I wanted to hear - that this dish might be the best he's got, and it was simply a good version of a local dish. I think the contestants are going to need much stronger "chops" in the kitchen, and not be quite that nervous with a camera on them.

As the interviews continued, I waited around listening to the questions from the food judges and producers. My favorite conversation:

Producer: So why do you want to be on Master Chef?
Middle Aged Female Contestant: Well, I'm 45 years old......(pause, as she's thinking)......
Producer: Well, I'm 45 years old too, so I guess I should be on the show.

Next up: My Audition Dish

My Audition for Master Chef - Preparation at Emeril's

This Saturday I went to New Orleans to audition for a reality TV cooking show. It's currently titled Master Chef (but that could change before it airs). The star is Gordon Ramsey and it should be shown on Fox this summer. The idea of the show is that you have to be a rank amateur. No experience in a profession kitchen. They ask if you have culinary school experience, but I'm not sure if that disqualifies you or not.

When I arrived in N.O. the night before the audition I still had to finish a few questions on the 12-page application. So I dropped into Emeril's original restaurant in the Warehouse District for a glass of wine and an appetizer, the application in hand. I also knew there was a food bar - seating that overlooks the open kitchen - and since I was alone it would be great fun to watch the kitchen team in action.

When I started my cooking newsletter, I mentioned that I've never been in a professional kitchen. Sitting in this spot, I was closer than I had ever been, and got to see every station at work. You're so close to the grill station that you get pretty warm sitting there. Once things calmed down toward that end of a night I could chat with the staff, including the grillman, Killer. I think his real name is Jason or Jeremy, but he said there were three of them there with the same name, so he's Killer.

I had ordered an appetizer of baby octopus served over creamy polenta. I'll tell you, people knock Emeril for being so commercialized, but this dish was awesome. With a glass of "The Prisoner", a great red blend from California, I was settling in comfortably.

I got down to business to finalize the important parts of the questionnaire:

• What is your cooking philosophy or point of view? Constant variety in the kitchen - new recipes and ingredients; always looking for highest quality ingredients and techniques that let multiple flavors come through.
• Who influenced your cooking the most. Why? Pierre Franey - he took traditional French cooking techniques and applied them to home cooking in an effective manner - retaining those multiple layers or flavor. His 60 Minute Gourmet column was an important part of courting my wife.
• What are your favorite cookbooks? Gourmet Today, Gourmet, Molto Italiano (Batali), Cuisine Rapide (Franey), How To Cook Everything, various by Thomas Keller, Charlie Trotter......

It was a blast, and I gained insight by having to expressly state my views on cooking in that manner. I was excited and couldn't wait to let the judges get a taste of my dish the next day.

Oh - how does this little story help YOU become a better cook? Let me share the key parts of my philosophy / point of view thing with you:

• Use a small number of high quality sources to obtain recipes. Randomly buying cookbooks, or downloading recipes can lead to frustration and average results.
• Challenge yourself to cook new recipes and use new ingredients. Break out of weekly / monthly routines as best you can.
• Find high quality ingredients. Learn which stores around you carry the best produce, meats, seafood. Learn how to pick out the freshest and highest quality items among the ones offered.
• Commit to yourself to improve your cooking techniques - from prepping ingredients, to stovetop skills, to oven and baking techniques. You won't improve unless you try to improve.

The goal of my newsletters and website is to provide information to you in all the areas I just mentioned, so you can become a better cook.

Next up: The Audition

Recipe: Basic Tomato Sauce

Just like the information I provided on cooking pasta, it almost seems silly to write about making a tomato sauce. However, as any college student with some dried herbs in the cupboard and all Italian grandmothers know, not all tomato sauces are created equal. And while there are age-old approaches such as afternoon-long simmering, a really good sauce depends on just a couple things:

• GREAT tomatoes
• A touch of sweetness
• A good balance of herb, aromatic and vegetable flavors

This recipe, adapted from Mario Batali, uses very few ingredients, but delivers impressive flavor. Shredded carrot is the secret ingredient. Basic Tomato Sauce Adapted from Molto Italiano by Mario Batali 1/4 cup olive oil 1 large yellow onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, sliced 4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme* 1 large carrot, shredded with a vegetable peeler into approximately one inch strips Two 28 ounce cans of San Marzano tomatoes

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion and garlic and cook about 10 minutes, letting them get slightly golden
3. Add thyme and carrot and cook about 5 minutes
4. Add tomatoes and juice from the can. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 30 minutes. The sauce will thicken. Add a touch of salt at the end.

The sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for a week, and freezer for up to 6 months.

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