The Official Chef Robert Irvine Blog

On August 12th, I‘d like to invite you to join me for all new episodes of Dinner: Impossible, in our usual time slot, Wednesday nights at 10!

We’ve been running from pillar to post around the country to bring you all of the chills, spills and thrills that you’ve come to expect from the show. With the able assistance of George and David, we’ve created enough food to feed any number of armies, against the odds, the stress, the clock, against everything they could think to throw at us, and we came out cooking.

As usual, it’s been great fun and a great honor to be able to present the show to you, especially the readers of this blog, who have been so steadfastly loyal and enthusiastic.

**TUNE-IN ALERT**
DINNER: IMPOSSIBLE DISHES OUT MORE MISSIONS THIS AUGUST
New Season Premieres on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 at 10:00pmET/PT

NEW YORK – July 28th, 2009 – A marvel in the kitchen, Robert Irvine overcomes culinary obstacles in Food Network’s popular series, Dinner: Impossible. Beginning Wednesday, August 12th at 10:00pm ET/PT, Robert and his team conquer extreme menu challenges by catering a utensil-free meal for the women of the Roller Derby, planning a sophisticated candy cocktail party at Dylan’s Candy Bar in NYC, making a menu entirely of amusement park food at Six Flags Great America in Chicago and serving an animal-inspired anniversary meal at the Philadelphia Zoo.

Upcoming episodes include:

Premiering Wednesday, August 12th at 10pm ET/PT– SEASON PREMIERE!
“Roller Derby Debacle”
On the season premiere of Dinner: Impossible, Robert travels to Wildwood, New Jersey to prepare a one-of-a-kind meal for 250 Roller Derby women and their families. His mission to make a meal that the players can eat without utensils gets even messier when Robert learns that his guests are expecting more beyond ordinary finger foods. Can Robert keep up with these rough and tough women, or will this be Dinner: Impossible?

Premiering Wednesday, August 19th at 10pm ET/PT
“Candy Catastrophe”
Robert stops by the world famous Dylan’s Candy Bar in New York City to cater Dylan Lauren’s “Un-Birthday” party. Sadly, the celebration ends for Robert and his team when they realize that candy must be part of every dish! Will Robert successfully marry savory and sweet flavors to make a sophisticated menu, or will this be Dinner: Impossible?

Premiering Wednesday, August 26th at 10pm ET/PT
“Amusement Park Adventure”
Robert heads to Six Flags Great America in Chicago to prepare a thrilling meal for 250 roller coaster fanatics. He has nine hours to create a menu of extraordinary amusement park fare using foods found only in the restaurants and stands within the park. Can Robert hold on for the wild ride, or will this be Dinner: Impossible?

Premiering Wednesday, September 2nd at 10pm ET/PT
“Feeding Frenzy at the Zoo”
For the 150th anniversary celebration of the Philadelphia Zoo, Robert caters a meal for 500 guests based on the diets of four of the zoo’s most popular animals: big cats, primates, birds and reptiles. With a list of unusual ingredients, like crickets, and a makeshift kitchen put smack-dab in the middle of the zoo, Robert and his team give a whole new meaning to “feeding time at the zoo.” Can Robert tame the task at hand, or will this be Dinner: Impossible?

Hope you’ll watch and thanks again for your continued support.

The Russian (Kids) are Coming!

We are going to have a special visitation in the Irvine household in a week or so and I wanted to share their story with you all.

As part of a charitable exchange program, a young gentleman and young lady from Russia will be staying with us for a few weeks.

The young man’s name is Andre and the young lady is Luba, whose name, I’m told, means “love” in Russian.

Luba is eight and Andre is nearly seven. Both are quiet, polite and studious; in fact, it was their fine performance in their academic studies that helped to earn them this trip abroad.

And they are both orphans.

They share the same warm eyes, sweet smiles and a future that is far from secure or certain. In Russia, wonderful children like this are cared for until the age of 15 and then are mostly left to fend for themselves in a place and a time that is difficult enough for adults with many more advantages than they’ll have.

We hope to be able to show them a lot of the great things about America whilst they are here. Of course, you can always depend on the amazing people at Disney to step to the plate and hit one out of the park. We’ll be taking them on a trip to Disney World, courtesy of my good friend Marianne Hunnel and her team.

I hope to be able to talk to Andre and Luba about their likes and dislikes, what they think is cool about the US, to cook for and with them and to talk them both about their hopes for the future.

That’s where I’m hoping you might all be able to do some good.

One of the reasons these kid are coming to America is in hopes of finding real families, of finding themselves a situation where they can just be kids, be loved and work and play the way kids are supposed to. Andre and Luba’s chances of being adopted at home are slim- they’re not babies anymore and they are a matched set, brother and sister, and would never dream of separating.

But here, in America, anything is possible and I hope that’s the most important lesson they will take away from their visit to our shores.

And if you are one of the special people who might consider taking Andre and Luba into your lives, or know someone who might consider it, reach out. It could change your life for the better and it would certainly change theirs.

In the end, it’s all about hope, isn’t it?

If you would like to give to the charity that reaches out to help youngsters like Andre and Luba, please go to:

http://www.firstgiving.com/summerrussianorphanproject

or write to:

International Guardian Angels Outreach
33 Office Park Road #332 Hilton Head Island, SC 29928

I wanted to let everyone know that I will be attending the Culinary Arts Expo, 2009, in Mays Landing, New Jersey, which takes place from June 15 to 19.

The Expo is put on by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps program. I attending last year in Philadelphia to serve as a judge in their “Iron Chef” competition, a role which I will be reprising this year.

I love the back and forth and the fun that comes easily when take that takes place working with great kids who are both willing to learn and not afraid to fail, which is just as important.

Every chance I get to work with young chefs in training, I try to take, because I always end up learning as much as I end up teaching.

These kids aren’t rich, aren’t famous, but their love of food and passion for learning is easy to spot a mile away. Sixty-four aspiring young culinarians will be competing in sixteen teams representing 15 Job Corps centers and academies in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, West Virginia, New Jersey and the District of Columbia.

The winners are competing for the 'Iron Chef' title, professional culinary tools and serious bragging rights amongst their peers. During the competition rounds, each team will have three hours to prepare a meal of nine servings, create a decorative centerpiece and present to a panel of professional judges. Teams will be judged on food preparation and knowledge, taste, sanitation and overall presentation. After the judging, guests and professionals from the food service industry will observe and taste the food. Four teams will compete during the final round on Thursday, June 18 and the winning team will be announced Friday, June 19.

I was really impressed by the dedication, passion and levels of expertise of the students last year. They worked hard, showed imagination and skill, listened to and learned from criticism with courtesy and intelligence. In the end, as I’ve said before, we learn from those we cook with and those we cook for. The day you think you know it all, hang up your apron, because you’re toast. I hope that day never comes, for you or for me.

Kids who are willing to work this hard to make something of their futures deserve your good wishes and support.

The week-long event is taking place at Atlantic Cape Community College's (ACCC) main campus.

The Job Corps is the nation's largest and oldest federally-funded job training and education program for "at promise" youth ages 16 through 24. With 123 centers nationwide, the program trains and educates approximately 100,000 youth each year in more than 75 career areas, including the culinary arts. For more information, call 800-733-JOBS (5627) or visit http://www.jobcorps.dol.gov

Job Corps’ culinary students from nine states and the District of Columbia competing for 'Iron Chef' title at 2009 Culinary Arts Expo held at Atlantic Cape Community College near Atlantic City, N.J.

Students vie for bragging rights during 21st year of annual competition sponsored by Labor Department

MAYS LANDING, N.J. – Sixty-four aspiring chefs currently enrolled in the U.S. Department of Labor's Job Corps program are preparing to compete in the 2009 Culinary Arts Expo June 15 through 19. The week-long event is taking place at Atlantic Cape Community College's (ACCC) main campus at U.S. Route 322, 5100 Black Horse Pike in Mays Landing, N.J. Events generally begin at 8 a.m. and end at 4 p.m.

Sixteen teams representing 15 Job Corps centers and academies in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, West Virginia, New Jersey and the District of Columbia are competing for the 'Iron Chef' title and professional culinary tools.

The Wilmington, Del., Job Corps Center is the defending champion from the 2008 Expo held in Philadelphia.

During the first round of competition, each team will have three hours to prepare a meal of nine servings, create a decorative centerpiece and present to a panel of professional judges. Teams will be judged on food preparation and knowledge, taste, sanitation and overall presentation. After the judging, guests and professionals from the food service industry will observe and taste the food. Four teams will compete during the final round on Thursday, June 18 and the winning team will be announced Friday, June 19.

"The culinary arts expo is a great opportunity for our students to gain recognition for their extraordinary talents, expand their skills and market themselves to potential employers," said Lynn Intrepidi, Job Corps' regional director in Philadelphia. "Competitors will participate in workshops and receive valuable critiques and feedback from the industry’s finest."

Numerous well-known celebrity chefs will serve as guest judges and workshop presenters during this year's event, including Chefs Kelly McClay and Bruce Johns, dean and director respectively, of ACCC; Robert Irvine, host of the Food Network’s “Dinner Impossible”; Chef William Tillinghast, current president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Culinary Federation; Wilma Stephenson, culinary arts teacher from Frankford High School in northeast Philadelphia featured in recent independent film “Pressure Cooker”; and Chefs Jonathan Jernigan and Darius Peacock, the chef duo known as "Twice Baked" who competed on the Food Network’s "Chopped", that was won by Peacock. “Twice Baked” is based out of Trenton, N.J.

The Connecticut Culinary Institute and Clemens College will provide $50,000 in scholarships for all students participating in the Expo.

The Job Corps is the nation's largest and oldest federally-funded job training and education program for "at promise" youth ages 16 through 24. With 123 centers nationwide, the program trains and educates approximately 100,000 youth each year in more than 75 career areas, including the culinary arts. For more information, call 800-733-JOBS (5627) or visit http://www.jobcorps.dol.gov.

Golden Sunshine to Rising Sun

As I always say, and always will say, there’s no place like home, but there’s a great big world out there and a big part of me will always love to get out and see it. When last I posted, I was just coming off of four glorious days in Disneyland, CA, doing live cooking demonstrations and signing what felt like thousands of autographs, at Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival. Thanks to Gary Maggetti, Jim Ames, Debbie our VIP guide and all the cast members who helped to make what could have been a madhouse a truly memorable event.

I have always had a great relationship with the Disney folks, in LA and Orlando, I would be remiss if I didn’t single out Marianne Hunnel at Disney World for the amazing work she does in organizing and running the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, at which I have had the great honor of appearing for three years running now. They take pride in attending to the smallest details and every event is seamlessly run and executed. They are selfless and are always giving credit to their teams; just phenomenal.

And, as always, it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to meet all of you, and thanks to all of you who made the time to come to a demo, to stand on line or who were kind enough to ask for a autograph, to introduce me to your kids or to just stand and chat. I can’t say “thank you” enough for your enthusiasm and support. No wonder they call it the Happiest Place on Earth!

Had some amazing dinners in LA, one at Mario Batali’s Pizzeria Mozzo, and another at a hidden gem in the Disney crown, called Napa Rose. Special kudos to Chef Andrew Sutton and to Master Sommelier Michael Jordan for work that epitomizes excellence and deep knowledge of their crafts. If you ever get a chance, try it out, it’s amazing.

After that we headed off to Japan, Land of the Rising Sun, to a place called Yokosuka, which is about two hours from Narita Airport. Let me tell you, after about 14 hours in a plane and two more hours on a bus, I felt more like a piece of luggage than a badly jet-lagged chef. We were there to create food for Navy service personnel and their families, as part of a thank-you and customer appreciation weekend for Nexcom, the Navy Exchange Service Command. I was accompanied by my long time friend and business partner Randall Williams, Pastor Michael Carr and fellow chef, David Britton. As usual, we proceeded Dinner: Impossible style, cooking on the fly, with the help of a young man named Vince Brown, who helped us pull it all together logistically. In all, we cooked for about 600 active military personnel and their families, the captains and their wives from the base and those from the aircraft carrier George Washington and the USS Lassen(DDG 82).

Nothing is more special to me than cooking for and meeting US service people, at home and especially abroad. We had the help of culinary students from a local school and lots of “weekend warrior” cooks, who all pitched in and did a great job. The food and the company were both a cut above.

I would love to spend more time in Japan. Their culture and history are fascinating and there never seems to be enough time to immerse oneself on a trip like this. Their discipline and reverence for finding harmony in nature offer lessons I would like to have more of a chance to learn about, for sure.

I should let you all know, that when I mentioned “home” at the top of this post, I not only meant home with my wonderful family, but the United States of America, as well. I officially became an American citizen just a few months back (passed the test with flying colors I should add!), so hooray for the Red, White and Blue (and let’s have a quick chorus of Rule, Britannia! for the folks back in the UK) and now I’m off to start shooting more new episodes of DI. How’s that for burying the lead?

Here’s a really nice recipe I demonstrated in Anaheim. Enjoy!

FILET MIGNON OVER LOBSTER BOURSIN MASHED POTATOES WITH A MERLOT REDUCTION
Robert Irvine. All Rights Reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Merlot reduction
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon (1 to 2 cloves) chopped fresh garlic
2 finely diced shallots, or one white onion finely diced
any meat trimmings you may have from the beef (see beef ingredient below)
½ 750 ML bottle merlot wine
½ pint (1 cup) strong beef stock or demi glace
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter

Method of Preparation
1. Heat the 3 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan.
2. Sauté the garlic and shallots over a gentle heat until translucent. (If you have any
trimmings of meat, you would add them at this time).
3. De-glaze the pan with the wine, and add the beef stock and the thyme and rosemary.
4. Allow this mixture to reduce. It could take 20 to 30 minutes (sometimes longer) at a
rolling boil, uncovered. You want the liquid to evaporate to about ⅓ of what you started
with (in order to intensify the flavor).
5. Once the liquid is reduced to the required volume, remove from the heat.
6. Strain the merlot reduction through a chinois (a conical strainer) or some cheesecloth - so
you can remove all the vegetables and herbs, and allow to rest in a warm place.

Lobster mashed potatoes
4 medium to large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 bay leaves
1 pound lobster meat
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (to sauté lobster)
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
½ cup butter (or one 4 oz. stick) – for potatoes
3 ounces Boursin cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh chives

Filet mignon
⅛ cup grapeseed oil
Six 4-ounce. beef tenderloins (filet mignon)
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes with the bay leaves until the potatoes are tender. While the potatoes are cooking, sauté lobster meat in oil and butter until it is no longer translucent, and set aside. Drain the potatoes well and discard the bay leaves, then mash the potatoes and whip butter, salt and white pepper into the potatoes with a beater. Fold the lobster meat into the potatoes and set aside in a warm place.

For the filet mignon, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Season beef with salt and pepper. In a heavy bottomed, oven-safe sauté pan, add just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and heat on medium high heat on the stovetop. When the sauté pan is hot, cook each side of the filets for approximately 2 to 3 minutes, leaving undisturbed for the first two minutes or so. Turn the filets and continue the searing process on the other side of the filets for another 2 to 3 minutes. Place the pan of steaks into a hot oven at 375 degrees. Allow the filets to cook a further 6 to 8 minutes in the oven (depending on the thickness of the steaks and the heat of your oven).

While the steaks are in the oven finish the potatoes by crumbling the Boursin cheese into the lobster mashed potatoes which you have been keeping warm and gently stirring it in to allow cheese to melt.

Remove the pan of steaks from oven and allow them to rest. (Remember to use an oven mitt; the handle of the pan will be hot!)

If necessary, briefly re-heat the merlot sauce, then remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the whole stick of butter.

Plate a portion of mashed potatoes in the center of serving plate. Top with the filet mignon, spoon the merlot sauce over and around and garnish with chopped chives.

got to drive this great vintage car around the block when we shot at Graceland. Sadly, I didn’t get to keep it…”

With a nod to Willie Nelson, it wasn’t that long ago that I used to spend up to 300 out of 365 days a year on the road, in cars, in planes, on trains, in boats, even in fighter jets. Now, since I’m back in harness on Dinner: Impossible, my travel schedule is starting to seriously heat up again. Though I never get used to spending all of that time away from home, I do appreciate the chance to get out and meet all of you who are enthusiastic about food and the show. It’s great to put faces to the names of so many of you and I hope that you’ll come out and say hello whenever the opportunity presents itself.

As this is being written, I’m just leaving the “Happiest Place in the World,” the original Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The Disney people have always been the best to work with and they really know how to roll out the red carpet. It was great seeing so many of you, especially the kids!

From Anaheim, I’m winging overseas to Japan to cook for some of my friends and enlisted personnel in the US Military. Since my days in the British Navy, my heart has always been and will always be with the men and women who serve their countries with pride, distinction and honor. I’ll try to bring back some pictures to share with you upon my return.

So, in honor of the road, try these recipes- one from the episode we did in Disney World, and the other that we cooked for an audience of Japanese VIPs and their guests at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC. Enjoy!

MANGO MUSTARD SALMON
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

1 fresh mango, peeled and sliced away from the pit
2 teaspoons stone ground mustard
4 6-ounce salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons freshly minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Puree mango and mustard in a blender and transfer mixture to a shallow container such as a pie plate. Season salmon with salt and lack pepper. Heat grapeseed oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Dip salmon in mango/mustard mixture and coat with breadcrumbs. When the oil begins to shimmer, sauté salmon leaving undisturbed for the first 4 minutes or so to allow the seasonings to integrate into the surface of the fish and to allow the caramelization process to begin to prevent “crusting off” of the coating. When you see the edges begin to turn golden, flip the fillets over and cook the other side in the same way. Remove from heat and set aside to carryover cook, or finish in a 325 degrees oven if necessary.

Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle fresh parsley leaves over.

Yield: 4 servings

MISO GLAZED PINK COD
2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

4 tablespoons miso (soy bean paste)
½ teaspoon salt.
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 6-ounce pink cod fillets, skin removed (or substitute white cod)
1 tablespoon fresh minced chives

Over medium-high heat, boil miso and salt in 2 cups water until miso is diluted in the water, about 5 minutes. Add brown sugar and let reduce to about 1/4 cup syrup. Remove from heat and let cool.
Lay cod fillets in a nonreactive shallow container such as a glass baking dish. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the reduction over each fillet, cover and let sit in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the cod until it flakes, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest.
Garnish with chives.
Yield 4 servings

Spring is springing up all over and you may want to start thinking about putting away the braises, stews and heavy offerings that sustain us all through the winter and start thinking about food that is more appropriate to the coming season. When you are deciding what to cook, you want to strive for balance, for the perfect mix of elements that will provide the ideal foundation for the seasonal enjoyment of a dish. One has to take into account the matters of textures, flavors, salty versus sweet, spicy versus mild, unadorned versus complex.

Some foods are just perfect for the springtime, as the cold weather finally gives way and can give us a taste of the first flavors of summertime that’s just around the corner. Jerk Chicken, one of my favorites from my days working in Jamaica, tastes incredible in warm weather, made hot and spicy by the scotch bonnet peppers (the hottest in the world) and washed down with an ice cold beer. You want to pair it with something fresh and cool, like a vine-ripened tomato salad with fresh basil and a splash of red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Avocados are creamy, delicious and nutritious and never more tantalizing than when they’re featured in a creamy, smooth guacamole. You can serve it up with chips, over rice or in some nice, warm soft tortillas. Fold the jerk chicken in them with a dollop of guac and you’re in business. I’m also sending along a dead-simple recipe for Peppered Shrimp, which are deep-fried and delicious. Same as the jerk, you can serve them up over rice, in a tortilla, just go ahead and dip them in the guacamole or eat them plain out of the fryer.

But don’t forget that cold beer.

Thanks to all of you who watched the debut episode of the new season of Dinner: Impossible at the X-Games in Aspen.

NOW

Tune in: Wednesdays April 15 at 10pm/9c on Food Network for my Yahoo Search Scramble


JERK CHICKEN AND TOMATO SALAD
Copyright, 2006, Robert Irvine, All Rights Reserved


4 teaspoons ground allspice
3 teaspoons ground nutmeg
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 cup fresh thyme leaves
2 white onions finely chopped
1 cup chopped scallions
2 hot scotch bonnet peppers
2 cups low sodium soy sauce
8 lbs. of cut up chicken – say 8 drumsticks and 8 thighs

1½ pounds juicy tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 red onion, cut julienne
½ cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place the limes in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until the essential oils in the skin are released. These limes will be hot coming from the microwave, so set aside and let them cool before squeezing them.

Using a blender (or a food processor), blend all the dry ingredients - allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, thyme, onions, scallions, peppers (while wearing gloves) - together to make a pulp. Return to the limes and squeeze the juice into the blender through the feeder tube. Make sure you use the lime oils which were released by microwaving, as well as the juice you’ve squeezed. Then add the soy sauce through the feeder tube. Mix well.

Place the chicken pieces and lime skins in a container which you will be able to cover tightly. Pour the marinade over the chicken and rest in the refrigerator overnight (or a minimum of 4 hours). Keep tightly covered and away from other foods, as it will taint them.

Roast in the oven in a covered pan at 300 degrees for 2 hours plus another 30 minutes uncovered at 400 degrees. The important thing is that you “check for doneness.” When the chicken is done, the flesh will feel firm and the juices will run clear. You can also use a meat thermometer which should register an internal temperature of at least 180 degrees.

To make the tomato salad, mix tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, red onion, basil in a mixing bowl. Toss gently and season with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature family style.

Yield: 8 servings

SALT AND PEPPER SHRIMP
Copyright 2007, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

1 liter canola oil, or enough as needed to deep fry
2 pounds 21-25 size shrimp, peeled and de-veined
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons Irvine Spices Roasted Garlic Pepper Seasoning
1 to 2 teaspoons salt
1 fresh lemon
12 “lobster” rolls (with slit on top)
2 cups fresh lettuce (such as red leaf or green leaf), rinsed and dried with a salad spinner
and sliced julienne
2 large ripe tomatoes, seeds removed and diced

Heat oil in deep fryer to 375 degrees. Shake flour, cornstarch, Roasted Garlic Pepper Seasoning, and salt together in a plastic bag. Add shrimp to bag in small batches and shake to coat with flour mixture. Deep fry until golden brown.

Remove to paper toweling to drain and squeeze fresh lemon juice on top.

Places into lobster rolls with shredded lettuce and tomato. Serve with your favorite seafood sauce.

Yield: 6 servings of two sandwiches each


GUACAMOLE
Copyright, 2006, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

2 ripe avocados
½ cup red onion, diced
1-2 Serrano chilies, stems and seeds removed and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 ripe tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
2 cloves garlic, roughly diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Slice each avocado in half lengthwise, pop out seed and slip off the skin. Smash the avocado in a bowl and add onion, chilies, cilantro, lime juice, tomatoes, and garlic and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and let sit in refrigerator for a couple of hours to allow flavors to combine.

Yield: 4-6 servings

We’re closing in on the date for the first airing of the new shows I just finished shooting for Dinner: Impossible.

With the help of two great friends and chefs, George and David, and many friends I have made during each challenge. These new shows are exciting and some of the hardest challenges I have ever faced. We have pulled out all the stops and I think came up with some impressive results.

Tune in April 8th and see for yourselves
All the best

Thanks for your continued support.

Here is the link to foodnetwork www.foodnetwork.com/dinner-impossible/index.html

Thought you might like to have a look at this TUNE-IN ALERT from Food Network. Hope you’ll watch and thanks for your continued support.

**TUNE-IN ALERT**

ROBERT IRVINE RETURNS WITH NEW SEASON OF
DINNER: IMPOSSIBLE
New Season Premieres on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 at 10:00pmET/PT

NEW YORK – March 11, 2009 – A marvel in the kitchen, Robert Irvine overcomes culinary obstacles in Food Network’s popular series, Dinner: Impossible. Robert returns with six new hour-long episodes premiering Wednesday, April 8th at 10pm ET/PT, accepting missions like an extreme dinner for 200 Winter X Games athletes, preparing odd but tasty combinations of food for 450 Yahoo! employees and taking a gamble on a mission at the renowned casino at Mohegan Sun.

Upcoming episodes include:

Premieres: Wednesday, April 8th at 10:00pm ET/PT – SEASON PREMIERE!
“X Eats at the X Games”
In the season premiere of Dinner: Impossible, Robert heads to Aspen, Colo. to cook for 200 action sports athletes at the Winter X Games. Robert works in severe outdoor conditions, and has just seven hours to make his most extreme menu ever. Can he overcome spills, hills and chills, or will this be Dinner: Impossible?

Premieres: Wednesday, April 15th at 10:00pm ET/PT
“The Yahoo! Search Scramble”
Robert visits Yahoo! headquarters in the heart of Silicon Valley to celebrate the anniversary of Yahoo! Search. His mission: make the top 15 most-searched dishes, with a catch – each dish must be made with a randomly assigned top-searched ingredient! Can Robert overcome the strange pairings and successfully feed 450 Yahoo! employees in just eight hours, or will this be Dinner: Impossible?

Premieres: Wednesday, April 22nd at 10:00pm ET/PT
“Casino Craziness”
Robert takes on a real gamble at Mohegan Sun. In a special casino, Robert spins the roulette wheel to see how many people he will serve, rolls the dice at the craps table to see how many hours he will have to prepare and plays three games of blackjack in hopes of winning three crucial ingredients: oil, sugar and salt. Will Robert make a jackpot meal, or will this be Dinner: Impossible?

Premieres: Wednesday, April 29th at 10:00 pm ET/PT
“NBA All Star Stress”
Robert attends the NBA All-Star Weekend Cares and Cooks fundraising event, where he has just 10 hours to create nearly 30 different NBA-inspired dishes for 2,000 fans! Robert creates a menu inspired by five teams from the Western Conference and five from the Eastern Conference. Can he beat the buzzer on his All-Star mission, or will this be Dinner: Impossible?

ABOUT ROBERT IRVINE:
Born in England, Robert Irvine began cooking at the age of 15, when he joined the Royal Navy. As part of his service, he worked on board the Royal Yacht Britannia where the Royal Family and their entourages regularly dined. In addition, Robert participated in a guest chef program, allowing him to cook at the White House. In his 25 year-long career, he had the opportunity to serve 6,000 servicemen and women on a US aircraft carrier and plan the menu at a spectacular celebrity-studded after-party at the Academy Awards. Robert also wrote a cookbook entitled “Mission: Cook!” (Harper Collins, 2007). He currently owns his own multi-faceted company.

In the United States, Mardi Gras is inextricably linked with New Orleans, the city that is a national treasure and the birthplace of jazz. Thanks to the spirit of the people who rose to the occasion to rebuild when the flood waters brought by Hurricane Katrina receded, New Orleans is by many reports returning as a vibrant force in American culture. The hurricane affected people in many surrounding areas as well, and I had the great honor of meeting and cooking for some of them in a season 2 episode of Dinner: Impossible in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Many people seem to have a special place in their hearts for what they consider “home” having to do with the comfort of familiar people, things, and places. For disaster victims, much of what was familiar is often destroyed beyond recognition, leaving only a hazy memory. And yet, the people I met seem to have a connectedness with their home area that perhaps surpasses the norm. I think it has something to do with living on the delta or among the tidal pools, and experiencing the ebb and flow of nature that most people experience only minimally and occasionally in vacations by the seaside. Maintaining that bond with nature perpetuates a personal pride in being able to deal with whatever nature has to offer or “dish out” as the case may be. Despite having lost their homes and all their possessions, and enduring hardships such as living without utilities and/or in temporary shelters for incredibly long periods of time, many of the folks typified the spirit of Gulf shore residents who are determined to stay in the place that they know as home. Of course, debates are held about the economic wisdom of repeatedly re-building in a vulnerable area. But, one thing is for sure, we never want to lose their rich culture and cooking traditions.

I often think of all the wonderful people I met in Biloxi, Mississippi, as they continue to rebuild their lives especially those who generously pitched in to help me cook for their neighbors.

Gulf Coast Gumbo
Copyright 2009 Robert Irvine, All rights reserved.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound crawfish, rinsed well in several changes of cold water and eviscerated
1½ quarts (6 cups) chicken stock
1 pound 31-40 size shrimp, deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Chorizo sausage
1 large white onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, diced medium
1 green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and diced medium
½ cup flour
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
5 or 6 fresh or defrosted fresh frozen okra, stem-end removed and sliced
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
3 or 4 fresh scallions, white and tender green parts only, sliced
1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and diced medium
3 large fresh tomatoes, seeds removed and medium diced
2 dozen shucked oysters
1 pound cooked lump crabmeat, picked over for shells
2 cups cooked white rice
1 to 2 tablespoons filé powder
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Method:
Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the crayfish a little at a time so as not to stop the boil, and let cook until pink. Using a slotted spoon remove the crayfish and set aside until they are cool enough to handle. (Skim off and discard any impurities that have risen to the surface of the stock.) Now, remove the shells from the shrimp and add the shells to the pot of chicken stock, reserving the uncooked shrimp on at utility platter. Allow the shrimp shells to cook in the broth until pink, then strain the stock into another container and discard the shells.

While the shrimp shells are boiling, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Brown the sausage and remove to a platter until it is cool enough to handle. In the sausage drippings over medium heat, sauté the onion, celery, and green bell pepper until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Reduce the heat to medium low and whisk in the flour to make a roux. Let cook for about 15- 20 minutes until it becomes a dark brown roux, monitoring to prevent burning.

While the roux is browning, slice down the sausage into ¼ inch to ½ inch pieces. Put the tomato paste in a small bowl and add some of the warm stock to make a slurry. Gradually whisk the warm stock and the tomato paste into the roux. Add the garlic powder, crushed red pepper, okra, parsley, scallions, red bell pepper, tomatoes and sausage. Cook over low heat until the okra – which contains a thickening agent – is tender, about 15 minutes, and the sausage is cooked through. While the mixture is cooking, remove the crayfish from their shells. (This is done by cracking the tail with both hands and forcing it back out through the curve of the tail.) Add the oysters and shrimp to the pot and cook about 5 minutes until the oysters are plump and the shrimp are pink. Remove pot from heat and carefully fold in the crab, trying to avoid breaking up the lumps.

To serve, place some rice on serving dish and spoon some gumbo over. Sprinkle with file powder and garnish with parsley.

Many of us are more history-minded these days than usual with the inauguration of President Barack Obama, and there has been a lot of talk of who the greatest presidents of the U.S. might have been. A number of published lists of the greatest U.S. presidents represent the opinions of historians, scholars, and everyday people. Two of the presidents who routinely appear at the top of any of those lists are Washington and Lincoln, and kids will be happy to have some time off of school this month for Presidents’ Day weekend, the celebration of their birthdays.

I am not a historian or scholar, but I can say that it seems to take a really special person to serve as the American President. More than being the first president of the country or issuing a proclamation that emancipated millions of people, Washington and Lincoln, despite their human faults, were very principled men. They stood up for the rights of others, even if it was to their own detriment. This is a very rare trait indeed. So many people stand up only for themselves to the exclusion of their fellow man, that other gentler souls are forced to respond in kind lest they be trampled. But, every once in a great while you see someone stand up for the rights of someone else, and it is indeed a shock.

As an example, we’ve all been in the circumstance of standing for 20 minutes in a long line at the bank or at the grocery store. When another teller or cashier opens his or her station or register, the people who have been waiting only 2 minutes at the back of the line rush to the front leaving those who have previously arrived “in their dust.” But, on a very rare occasion that newly-arrived person will defer to those who were there first, saying something akin to, “You go next, you were here before I was.” What a pity that this behavior is unusual when it should be the norm! All the more often we see people rationalizing their self-serving conduct, taking advantage of others simply because they can. I propose that in honor of their birthdays we follow the example of Washington and Lincoln and do something for the rights of another. Even if that something goes unrecognized, we can rest in the assurance that to do so would be to rise above our baser selves and achieve a small measure of personal greatness.

Speaking of George Washington, consider trying one of the meals he may have eaten back in the day. When we cooked for the episode in Colonial Williamsburg, we prepared meals using 18th century ingredients, techniques and equipment and served it to a panel of experts in old-ways. This is one of those dishes we made, tailored for use in your home kitchen, of course. Enjoy.

Rump Steaks Braised with Mushrooms and Onions in Porter Sauce
Copyright 2009 Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
6 eight-ounce rump steaks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup grapeseed oil
1 cup flour
2 large onions, sliced
3 cups mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (your choice of type of mushrooms)
1 quart chicken broth or beef broth
8 ounces porter (dark beer)
2 teaspoons dark molasses
1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
3 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
2 bay leaves
¼ cup (½ stick) butter, cut into cubes
5 ounces crème fraiche or sour cream
¼ cup chopped fresh chives

Method:
Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat ⅛ cup of the canola oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan, reserving the rest of the oil. Dredge the steaks in flour, and allow any excess flour to fall away. Sear the steaks, leaving each side undisturbed for about 2 minutes before flipping to allow the seasonings and flour to integrate into the surface of the meat so they don’t “crust off.” Remove the steaks from the pan and set aside on a utility platter. Add the other ⅛ cup of canola oil to the same pan, reduce the heat to medium, and sauté the onions until they become translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Then, add the mushrooms and sauté them until they begin to give up their juices, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the chicken or beef broth, porter beer, molasses, thyme, Tabasco sauce and bay leaves to the onion/mushroom mixture. Reduce the heat to low and return the steaks to the pan. Simmer covered for at least 2 hours, adding enough water (only if needed) to keep the steaks immersed in a liquid throughout the cooking process. Rump steaks are a tough meat and will require slow cooking (braising). You may wish to transfer the ingredients to a crock-pot for this process. When the steaks are fork tender, remove them to a platter, cover and keep in a warm place. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Using a slotted spoon scoop out the mushrooms and whatever onions remain intact and reserve them in a small bowl, covering them to keep warm. Strain the rest of the liquid temporarily into a bowl, wipe out the pan, and return the juices to the pan. The juices in the pan may have evaporated somewhat, and this is what you want in order to intensify the flavor. Over medium high heat reduce the pan juices to 1 ½ cups with the intent of thickening the juices into a sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually whisk in the butter, allowing each addition to melt before whisking in the next. Return the mushrooms and onions to the sauce. Stir in the crème fraiche (or sour cream) to finish the sauce. Place the steaks on a serving dish and spoon the sauce over the steaks. Garnish with the fresh chopped chives.

Ah! Valentine’s Day, with the expectations bounding about in the ether on or about the 14th of February. The barometer readings of the health of one’s significant relationship can, paradoxically, render the day a source of dread. Are doing a good job for your partner? Is your partner doing a good job for you? These are the questions.

I’m of the opinion that it can be a good thing for a person to strive to rise to the level of the expectations of those around him or her. The expectation of reasonable material, emotional, and mental demonstrations of affection between partners is all to the good. We need to be able to count on one another. If you can comfortably fulfill expectations and have your expectations comfortably fulfilled, you – as are couple - are probably “all right.” If not, things can get a little bit stressful this time of year.

Let’s say your relationship is like a cake. Expectations set too high- such as the expectation of gifts that the giver can’t afford or is not ready to give – are like the oven door that you bang too hard, causing the cake to fall. On the other hand if the cake is left too long in the oven, it will surely dry out. Attention must be paid. I’m no psychologist, but just let me put this suggestion out there: Be fair to the person in your life. The golden rule applies in romance as well as any other situation.

So, here is where I am going to be very specific with some well-intended advice. If you can afford to go out to dinner at a nice place and you and your partner like to dine out, please do so. If dining-in is the only financial option or if you prefer to dine at home, and your gift is to cook a Valentine’s Day meal for your partner, do NOT expect him or her to clean up the kitchen. Believe me when I tell you that being relegated to scullery duty after being given the “gift of a gourmet meal” diminishes its effects as a nice gesture. At the very least, clean as you go and finish the washing up together. If you have children, maybe you can pay the kids a couple of bucks to clean up the kitchen for mom and dad (without complaining!).

Okay, now that the behavior issues have been addressed, here’s the menu:

Filet Mignon over Lobster Boursin Mashed Potatoes with a Merlot Reduction
Copyright 2009 Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Serves: 6

Ingredients for merlot reduction:
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallot cloves, minced
any meat trimmings you may have from the beef (see beef ingredient below)
1 ½ cups merlot wine
2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, cubed

Ingredients for lobster mashed potatoes:
4 large potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks, and placed into a pot of water to prevent oxidation
2 bay leaves
1 pound lobster meat, usually in found in the freezer section
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
5 tablespoons butter (1 tablespoon to sauté lobster and 4 tablespoons for the potatoes)
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
3 ounces Boursin cheese, crumbled
¼ cup chopped fresh chives

Ingredients for filet mignon:
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, as needed
6 four-ounce beef tenderloins (filet mignon)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Accompaniment:
Steamed baby carrots or asparagus tips

Method for the merlot reduction:
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan, and sauté the garlic and shallots over a medium high heat until translucent, stirring frequently to prevent burning. If you have any trimmings of meat, you would add them at this time and allow the fat to render, about 5 more minutes. De-glaze the pan with the wine, and allow it to reduce by half, about 5 minutes. Add the beef stock, thyme, and rosemary, and allow this mixture to reduce to about 1 cup, about 10 minutes in order to intensify the flavor. Remove from the heat and strain the merlot reduction through a chinois (a conical strainer) or some cheesecloth and allow to rest in a warm place.

Briefly re-heat the merlot sauce, then remove the pot from the heat and gradually whisk in the butter, allowing each addition to melt before adding the next.

Method for the lobster mashed potatoes:
Boil the potatoes with the bay leaves until the potatoes are tender. While the potatoes are cooking, sauté the lobster meat in the oil and one tablespoon of the butter until it is no longer translucent, and set aside. Drain the potatoes well and discard the bay leaves, then mash the potatoes by hand. Then, using an electric beater, whip the butter, salt and white pepper into the potatoes. Fold the lobster meat into the potatoes and set aside in a warm place.

(Begin the steaks.)

While the steaks are in the oven finish the potatoes by crumbling the Boursin cheese into the lobster mashed potatoes which you have been keeping warm and gently stirring it in to allow cheese to melt.

Method for the filet mignon:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Season the beef with salt and pepper. In a heavy bottomed, oven-safe sauté pan, add just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and heat on medium high heat on the stovetop. When the sauté pan is hot, cook each side of the steaks for approximately 2 to 3 minutes, leaving undisturbed for the first two minutes or so to allow the seasonings to integrate into the surface of the meat and to prevent tearing of the flesh. Place the pan of steaks into a hot oven at 375 degrees. Allow the filets to cook an internal temperature of 112 to 115 degrees as measured with a meat thermometer for medium rare, or to your preferred level of doneness, about 6 to 8 minutes depending on the thickness of the steaks and the heat of your oven. Remove from the oven and let rest. (Remember to use an oven mitt; the handle of the pan will be hot!)

Return to the merlot sauce to re-heat.

Presentation:
Plate a portion of mashed potatoes in the center of serving plate. Top with the filet mignon, spoon the merlot sauce over and around and garnish with chopped chives.

Warm Chocolate Gateaux topped with Sour Cream Quenelle and Raspberry Sauce
Copyright 2009, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Serves: 6

Ingredients for the cake:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Pinch salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, slightly softened
6 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate pieces
18 Cherry kisses (Cherry cordial crèmes®)to be placed inside the chocolate cake

Ingredients for the topping:
1 cup sour cream
1 lime
1 tablespoon kirsch
½ cup confectioner’s sugar
6 teaspoons raspberry sauce (the kind used for ice cream)
6 fresh raspberries
6 mint leaves

Method for the cake:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil 6 individual cake tins (each about 4 ½ inches in diameter) and dust with flour.

Use a spoon to combine the flour, sugar and salt in the large bowl of an electric mixer, making sure they are well mixed. Use the electric mixer to cream in the butter at low speed, until evenly combined. Then add eggs and egg yolks and melted chocolate and mix until well combined. Increase speed to high and beat for 2 minutes.

Fill each cake tin half full, then place 3 cherry kisses in the center of the surface of the poured batter. Then cover the kisses with the remaining batter to a level of 2/3s full in each tin.

Bake until the surface of the cake springs back when touched, approximately 35 minutes.

(Make the topping while the cake is in the oven.)

Remove the cake from oven and let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then remove the cakes from pans, dust off the crumbs from the sides, and transfer to serving dishes.

Method for the topping:
Mix the sour cream, the juice of the lime, and the kirsch in a small mixing bowl. Sift in the confectioner’s sugar gradually, mixing well after each addition to keep smooth.

Presentation:
Spoon quenelle-shaped dollops of the sour cream/sugar mixture on top. Add a teaspoon of raspberry sauce, and a raspberry paired with a mint leaf. Serve warm.

It’s no coincidence that Ground Hog Day occurs 6 weeks before the first day of spring because, as the legend goes, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be 6 more weeks of winter. The truth be told, in the natural course of events, there will be 6 more weeks of winter anyway!

The dark days of winter tend to get oppressive and by the beginning of February, we long for the better days of warmer weather, more daylight, and the promise of renewed life of which spring reminds us. The effects of global warming, whereby the extremes of each season supposedly tend to be more extreme, (that is, the cold of winter is colder and the hot of summer is hotter), exacerbate our February 2nd feelings of “get me outta’ here… I need some Spring!” We gather ‘round the ground hog for the reminder of the light at the end of the tunnel, and for the hope of the slight possibility that warmer weather could conceivably occur sooner rather than later. But the cold weather and the low points are a part of life, and because of their inevitability, we need to take care to avoid using the dark days as an excuse for shabby behavior. We all go through good times and bad times. There is no question that it is very difficult to be at our best when times are tough, weather-wise or otherwise.

Unlike Bill Murray’s character in the movie, none of us gets a do-over, making it all the more important to get it as right as possible the first time. Of course we all make mistakes. That’s not the point. The real message is simply to live our lives mindful of the proven maxim to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. And, if there is a mistake you can fix, fix it.

This time last year, my team and I were up against it in Punxsutawney on Dinner: Impossible, with all the wrong food, the wrong helpers (!), no time, but we did our fighting best and accomplished the mission. We are well advised that when life gives us lemons, we should make lemonade. Since it is not lemonade season, I would advise you that when life gives you beef shoulder, make Mock Beef Tenderloin.

Never give up!

Mock Beef Tenderloin
Copyright 2009, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Irvine Spices Smokey Rotisserie Seasoning
2 tablespoons Irvine Spices Garlic Pepper
1½ to 2 pound beef shoulder
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (1 tablespoon to sear the beef and 1 for the onions and mushrooms)
1 large red onion, sliced
2 cups white mushrooms (about 6 ounces), cleaned, trimmed and sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:
Rinse the beef shoulder to remove any unwanted residue, pat dry with paper toweling, and place on a clean work surface. In a small bowl, make the rub for the beef by combining Smokey Rotisserie Seasoning and Garlic Pepper. Rub the seasonings into all surfaces of the beef, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and set aside overnight in the refrigerator or for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours at room temperature. (The seasonings will actually begin to “cure” the meat.)

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. In an ovenproof skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat (reserving the rest), and sear all sides of beef. Cover the pan (with a lid or aluminum foil) and transfer to the oven to finish the beef, bringing to an internal temperature of 115 to 120 degrees F as measured with a meat thermometer, about 30 minutes.

While the beef is in the oven, heat the reserved oil over medium high heat and cook the onions until they are translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until they soften and begin to give up their juices. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove the beef from the oven and let rest to carryover cook to an internal temperature of 132 degrees for medium rare, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Slice the beef into steaks, and transfer to a serving dish. Top with mushrooms and onion.

I recently returned from doing an episode in San Francisco, the site of the largest annual Chinese New Year parade outside China. Almost a fifth of the residents of the metropolitan area are of Asian heritage, many being descendants of Chinese railroad workers or mine workers of the 1849 California Gold Rush. January 26th is the first day of this year’s 15-day celebration marking the beginning of the Year of the Ox when prosperity is thought to be brought only through fortitude and hard work. Preparations for the Chinese New Year holiday typically include the purchase of new clothing and a thorough housecleaning in anticipation of the family reunions which will, of course, be centered around a dinner. New Year menus will usually include a fish as well as dumplings, both symbols of wealth. Glutinous rice pounded into a paste and molded into shape will likely be served in one of its various forms – in a soup, in a stir fry, or possibly in a dessert rice cake. This preparation of rice is often referred to as nian gao – a name which means “higher and higher,” and is representative of the universal hope that the upcoming year will be better than the last.
“He whose wisdom brings him into power, needs goodness to secure that power. Else, though he get it, he will certainly lose it.” Confucius

Stop and think before you leap into your work…

Pork Pot Stickers
Copyright 2009, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 72 dumplings, 6 to 12 servings

Ingredients:
72 round wonton skins (approximately 3” diameter)
2 to 3 liters canola oil, as needed for deep frying
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
3/4 pound ground pork
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
9 scallions, white and tender green parts only, sliced thinly on the bias
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root, covering scraped off with the tip of a spoon
2 tablespoons soy sauce plus 1 cup of additional soy sauce as an accompaniment
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Method:
Lay the wonton skins out on a clean dry surface such as wax paper.

Heat the grapeseed oil in a skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers, add the pork, and season with salt and pepper. Cook the meat until it begins to brown, stirring often. Pour or spoon off any excess fat from the pan and add 3 tablespoons of the scallions (reserving the rest for the garnish), ginger, and soy sauce. Cook until the flavors are well integrated. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Create a slurry in a small bowl by gradually whisking two tablespoons water into the cornstarch.

Bring a shallow pan of water to boil.

Spoon 1 teaspoon of the cooked pork mixture onto each of the wontons. Brush the edges with the cornstarch slurry, fold each wonton over to enclose and pinch to seal shut.

Boil the filled dumplings in batches for 2 or 3 minutes and carefully transfer with a slotted spoon to drain on a wire rack.

Serve warm with soy sauce and garnished with scallions.


Salmon over Creamed Leeks with Apple Butter Sauce
Copyright 2009, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients for apple butter sauce
½ cup (1 stick) butter
2 apples (your choice of variety), peeled, cored and diced small
2 cups apple juice
½ cup orange juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Salt, to taste

Ingredients for cream sauce for leeks:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, chopped
1 cup white wine
6 leeks, white and tender green parts only, split into 12 pieces lengthwise and thoroughly soaked in salt water to release grit
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for fish:
6 eight-ounce salmon fillets
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, as needed to sauté
¼ pound rice noodles, deep-fried OR 2 tablespoons chopped lemon thyme, for garnish

Method for the apple butter sauce:
Melt the butter in a sauté pan and add the apples, cooking over medium heat for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add apple juice, orange juice and rice wine vinegar, cover and allow the apples to cook until very soft. Then uncover and allow liquid to reduce to about 1/3 of what you started with. Bring to room temperature and puree in a blender or food processor. Create a slurry by gradually whisking cornstarch into about ¼ cup water and blend the slurry into the sauce. Return the sauce to the pot and allow to cook for a few minutes to thicken. Season with salt if needed.

Method for the creamed leeks:
Begin the creamed leeks while the apples are cooking. Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat and sauté onion until translucent. Deglaze the pan with wine and reduce until the liquid is almost all gone. (While you are waiting for the wine to reduce, start steaming the leeks.) When the wine has mostly evaporated, stir in the cream, season with salt and pepper, and reduce heat to a simmer to allow to reduce and thicken. Strain this sauce and pour over the steamed leeks and set aside briefly in a warm place.

Method for the fish:
Season the salmon fillets with coarse sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Place a little oil into the sauté pan and bring to smoking point (you need a hot pan in order to get a crispy outside). Cook the salmon, skin side down leaving undisturbed (no peeking) for about 5 minutes, or until the skin begins to get crispy, then turn and begin cooking for 4 minutes more. This allows the surface of the fish to “caramelize.” (You may need more time on the salmon depending on the thickness). You can, if you wish, finish the salmon in the oven at 375 degrees. However, DO NOT OVERCOOK THE SALMON. Once you touch the flesh and it springs back up, it’s cooked. Remember, because of carryover cooking, the fish will continue to cook after it is removed from the heat.

Presentation:
Re-heat the apple butter sauce if necessary. Place 4 lengths of the creamed leeks on one side the serving plate, with a salmon fillet on the other. Spoon apple butter sauce on the fish and garnish with fried noodles or lemon thyme.

Having hailed from the United Kingdom, I am perhaps more aware than many of Robbie Burns Day, celebrated in honor of the famous Scottish poet, whose birthday is celebrated in January. As inspired by the poems of the man himself, the tone of the traditional Robbie Burns supper is one of remembering and reflecting on the old year just past, and resolving to think in refreshed and more mature terms in the new year just begun. The idea is to express gratefulness for the experiences of the past year as well as for the friendships of those who have stuck by us. This attitude is perpetuated from the first moment of such a supper with the reciting of The Selkirk Grace:

Some have meat and cannot eat,
And some would eat that want for it;
But we have meat, and we can eat,
So let the Lord be thanked for it.

The most famous aspect of the Robbie Burns supper is the haggis - a traditional pudding of organ meats stuffed into the stomach of a sheep and boiled. This would follow the soup course, such as Potato Soup or Cock –a-Leekie. The main course is, of course, the haggis, and is traditionally served with mashed potatoes (tatties) and mashed neeps (turnips). A dessert may be something like cranachan (a mixture of whipped cream, whiskey, honey, and fresh raspberries topped with toasted oatmeal).
Many toasts and speeches tend to follow including toasts to those who cooked the meal and a toast to the health of the monarch or the leader of the country. After the toasts, poetry by Burns is often read. Such a poem may be To A Mouse which seems a particularly appropriate reading for this new year with a new American president where we are in the midst of a global economic crisis. It is about a farmer who, during his plowing, inadvertently destroys the winter’s nest of a mouse. In doing so he ponders the unpredictability of life; the challenge of enjoying the present while bad events of the past remind him of the necessity of preparing for the future; and the fact that fear of the future prevents him from enjoying the present. Following are a few recipes for your Robbie Burns supper. I’ve taken the liberty of replacing the traditional Scottish recipes with ones that may be more pleasing to you.

“Time to break out the old kilt again, Your Majesty…”

Lamb Stew
Copyright 2009, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
¼ cup grapeseed oil
4 pounds cubed lamb
2 white onions, roughly diced
4 clove garlic, chopped
4 carrots (washed, but not peeled), roughly diced
1 bunch celery, roughly diced
6 sprigs fresh rosemary, left whole
1 bottle red wine
¼ cup tomato paste
1 quart vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
6 Idaho potatoes, scrubbed and roughly diced
¼ cup stick butter

Method:
In a large dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat until it begins to glisten. Stir in the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and fresh rosemary, and cook until the onions are translucent, stirring frequently to prevent burning, about 3 minutes. Add the lamb and stir until all sides of the meat are seared. Stir in the wine and tomato paste and allow to cook down for about 10 minutes. Then add the vegetable stock, and season with salt and pepper. Return to a boil, reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer until fork tender, about 2 hours, periodically checking to make sure the liquid doesn’t dissipate, and adding water if needed. When the meat is beginning to become tender, add the potatoes and cover the pot. When the meat is very tender (the flavor should be intense and very tasty), adjust salt and pepper as needed. Remove the rosemary sprigs, and whisk in the butter just before serving to make the sauce a little richer.

Potato Leek Soup
Copyright 2009, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:
6 potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
8 leeks, whites only, soaked in salt water to remove grit
3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock
½ cup butter
½ cup flour
1 cup heavy cream
1½ teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped fine
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
To a large pot add potatoes, 4 of the leeks (reserving the rest), celery, onion, bay leaf and chicken stock. Let boil until the potatoes are soft. Chop the remaining 4 leeks. In a small saucepot melt the butter over medium heat and gradually whisk in the flour to make a roux. Add the roux, remaining leeks, cream, fresh thyme, and salt and pepper to the large pot. Blend the soup with an immersion blender making sure to keep the blades immersed to prevent splashing. Simmer for 20 more minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Fruit Yogurt Parfait
Copyright 2009, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
¾ cup granola
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 eight-ounce container plain yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1 eight-ounce package cream cheese, softened
⅔ cup seedless red grapes, halved
⅔ cup seedless white grapes, halved
⅔ cup blueberries
2 bananas
1 lime
⅔ cup raspberries
¾ cup Nutella (hazelnut & chocolate paste)
6 sprigs fresh mint

Method:
Spoon even amounts of granola into the bottom of 6 parfait glasses. Whip the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form, and set aside briefly. In another bowl, use an electric mixer to whip together the yogurt, honey, and cream cheese. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese yogurt mixture. Divide the cream mixture in half (reserving the balance) and spoon even amounts of half of the cream mixture on top of the granola in each glass. In another bowl, combine, red and white grapes, and blueberries. Slice in the bananas and squeeze lime juice on top to prevent oxidation. Gently fold in the raspberries. Divide the fruit mixture in half (reserving the balance), and spoon even amounts of half of the fruit mixture over the cream in each glass. Then repeat with a layer of the reserved cream followed by a layer of the reserved fruit. Spoon ⅛ cup Nutella into each glass as the top layer and garnish with mint sprigs.

Happy New Year! Everyone knows that the New Year is a time to think about beginnings, so I thought I’d share some thoughts and ideas about dishes that come at the beginning of the meal or of the event, the “starters.”

Pictured below is one of my favorite starters as a boy, recalled from my childhood Sunday dinners (which I’ve written about in Mission: Cook), my interpretation of my mother’s Shrimp Cocktail. It’s a bit different from the classic American version, which is typically done up with fresh shrimp, a little lemon and a “cocktail sauce” made primarily of horseradish and ketchup. This homey, “Anglicized” version is done in more of a sweet and savory style, and I think, if I may be so bold, has more depth of pure enjoyment. The base here (which in the American version is often crushed ice and a little lettuce) is made up of a salad of red onion, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce and chopped hard-boiled egg, dressed in a kind of Thousand Island-inspired dressing. The beautiful, briny taste of the shrimp pairs wonderfully with the rest, they complement each other, and as you eat them together, the flavor of the shrimp infuses the dressing and after the last one is gone, you’re left with the tasty salad. As a starter, it provides a great, tangy, fresh-tasting contrast with the big roast, the endless parade of potatoes and the sweet desserts that always followed at our house.

Whether you’re creating a single, self-contained biteful, like an amuse bouche, an appetizer, a refreshing salad or a warming soup, you have an opportunity to set the tone for the combinations of flavors to come with these smaller dishes. The more complete and well-considered they are on their own, the better. Think of them almost like a meal within a meal. A classic like Clams Casino can either provide a counterpoint to a nouvelle dish you may be trying, or can prime the taste buds for an absolute classic to follow, like boiled Maine lobster and a baked potato. With salads, freshness and sharpness of flavors are important, and should serve as a wake-up call to the appetite. And nothing beats a deeply warming and satisfying, well-flavored and intense bowl of soup to prime the senses for what’s coming next.

Here are some easy variations on a theme for you to try, if you are so inclined. And here’s wishing you all a prosperous and joyful 2009.

I also wanted to let you know that I am back in the saddle again. We will be starting production on new Dinner: Impossible shows in the next couple of days. I’ve been working out faithfully(!) and I’m pumped in more ways than one to be back on the job. I hope you’ll keep checking in to the blog for updates. Thanks to you all! I promise we’ll be working as hard as we can to make each episode as awesome as possible!

CLAMS CASINO
Copyright 2007, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved..

24 cherrystone clams. well scrubbed
6 strips bacon
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
24 small sprigs parsley for garnish

Steam clams in a covered skillet filled with a small amount of water. Discard any clams that do not open. Split top shell off and discard. Leave the clam on the remaining half-shell, but loosen the meat by slicing it at the point where it is attached to the shell. Place on a baking sheet and set aside.

Fry bacon until crisp and set aside on paper toweling to drain. Pour off most of the bacon drippings except for about 1 tablespoon (enough to coat the bottom). In these remaining bacon drippings, sauté scallions, parsley and thyme for a couple of minutes to integrate flavors. Remove from heat and stir in breadcrumbs. Crumble in bacon and combine. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Preheat the broiler. Spoon herb mixture over the clams on the half shell and sprinkle a small amount of parmesan cheese on top of each. Toast in the broiler and serve garnished with parsley sprigs..

Yield: 6 to 8 servings of 3 to 4 clams each

ROMAINE SALAD WITH CARPACCIO OF TOMATO & CUCUMBER
Copyright 2007, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved.

Thousand Island Dressing:
¼ cup ketchup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 fresh lemon, zest grated off and juiced
1 tablespoon finely minced chives
1 tablespoon finely minced parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad and Tomato & Cucumber Carpaccio:
1large ripe yet firm fresh tomato, very thinly sliced with a mandoline
1 English cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced with a mandoline
1 ½ cups mixed greens (organic mesclun mix such as arugula, maché, chicory, sorrel) soaked in
salt water to remove grit, thoroughly rinsed, dried in a salad spinner, and shredded into
¼ inch wide pieces
1 heart of romaine, separated into individual leaves
1 tablespoon shaved red onion

To make the salad dressing, whisk together, ketchup mayonnaise, rice vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, chives, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

To assemble the carpaccio, place a large tomato slice on each serving plate to be used as the base. Top with 4 thin slices cucumber, distributing evenly atop the tomato. Put a quarter-teaspoon of salad dressing in the center of cucumbers to anchor a romaine leaf placed curved side up. Top romaine with a small amount of shaved red onion.

Place ½ cup of greens alongside carpaccio. Drizzle dressing on and around and serve additional dressing on the side.

Yield: 6 servings


POTATO LEEK SOUP
Copyright 2007, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

6 potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
8 leeks, whites only, thoroughly washed
3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock
½ cup flour
4 ounces (1 stick) melted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1½ teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped fine
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, place potatoes, 4 of the leeks (reserving the rest), celery, onion, bay leaf and chicken stock. Let boil until potatoes are soft. Chop the remaining 4 leeks. Mix flour and butter in small bowl to make a roux for thickening the soup. Add the remaining leeks, roux, cream, fresh thyme, and salt and pepper. Blend soup with an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender or food processor). Simmer for 20 more minutes Remove bay leaf and serve.

Yield: 8 servings

For many, if not most of us, this holiday season will likely not be among “the best ever,” at least in the old-fashioned sense, as worries about our financial well-being and as a world community mount each day. However, it is still one of the “times of our lives” and, as such, should not be frittered away by dwelling on “what could have been” or “next year.” Who among us has not wished to “be a grown-up” when we were children, only to look back now as adults and wish we could be back in those childhood years enjoying every second as youngsters? Time is the one thing we can never get back and we owe it to ourselves to be in the moment. The material gifts we give may be simple, few, or even non-existent, but we can resolve to give the gift of kind words. Part of being “in the moment” is the conscious act of thinking first before we say things. As you see friends and family this holiday, make an effort to take your words off of autopilot and instead think about the effect of your comments and questions on those with whom you grew up or whom you raised. Instead of being judgmental, dogmatic, or smug, try being supportive, open, and compassionate. Breaking our old habits in the ways we have related to others may be hard to do. But in doing so, you may give a gift to someone which is greater than any bow-wrapped box, because it is the gift of respect.

World Peach Soup
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
6 large ripe peaches, peeled and pit removed and sliced into a pot OR 2 29-to-32-ounce cans canned peaches, drained
4 large sprigs fresh mint, left intact but well washed and dried in a salad spinner or with
paper towels, plus 12 small sprigs for garnish
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
1 liter mango juice
1 pint heavy cream

Method:
In a large deep pot, cover the peaches with water (about 2 cups). Add mint, salt and white pepper, and bring to a simmer. Cook until peaches are very tender and flavors infuse, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Discard the mint sprigs, and puree the peaches with an immersion blender. Be sure to have the blades of the immersion blender completely under the surface of the liquid. This can also be done in batches in a conventional blender with the cap removed from the feed opening to release steam and with a clean kitchen towel firmly held over the opening to contain splashing. Add mango juice and cream and blend using the same safety precautions. Adjust salt and pepper if needed, and chill.

Ladle into serving bowls and serve garnished with mint sprigs.

Garden Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons apple cider
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cup canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups loosely packed mixed torn greens such as romaine, red or green leaf lettuce, or radicchio, washed and dried
2 cups assorted berries: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and/or blackberries
2 Granny Smith apples (or apples of your choice), cored and sliced
1½ cups crumbled blue cheese

Method:
In a bowl or jar with a tight fitting lid combine cider, vinegar, honey, cinnamon, oil, salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss lettuce, berries, apples, and blue cheese with enough dressing to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

New Zealand Rack of Lamb with Sweet Potato Mash and Three Bean Ragout
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
4 pounds sweet potatoes or yams
One 16 ounce can dark red kidney beans
One 16 ounce can white kidney beans
One 16 ounce can black beans
4 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
⅛ cup olive oil
4 pounds domestic rack of lamb, left whole with silver skin removed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small red onion (chopped fine)
3 cloves garlic (chopped fine)
½ cup dry red wine
½ pound butter (2 sticks)
¼ cup cream
1½ cups demi-glace (brown sauce)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh chives (chopped fine)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Drain and rinse all the liquid off beans. Combine the beans in a bowl and set aside. Begin cooking bacon in a sauté pan. Begin roasting yams in oven until soft, and remove to let cool enough to handle.

Heat the olive oil in another large sauté pan for the lamb. Season the rack of lamb with salt and pepper. Place the lamb into hot pan and sear meat all around.

Remove the bacon to drain on paper toweling, leaving about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan. In the same pan lightly sauté onion and garlic in bacon fat until translucent. Add red wine and reduce by half.

Place the lamb in a roasting pan and roast in the oven until done to your liking, about 15 to 20 minutes for medium rare, an internal temperature of 125 degrees (this means that because of the 5 to 8 minutes of carryover cooking while it rests, you pull it out at 120 degrees so it will end up at 125 degrees for medium rare).

When the yams are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and add the butter and cream, and mash by hand. Whip with an electric beater and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Remove the lamb to a utility platter and let rest before slicing.

Add the demi-glace and tomato paste to the pan with the onion, garlic, and bacon fat, then incorporate all beans with mixture. Lower the heat and simmer. Add rosemary and chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place some sweet potatoes in the middle of a serving platter. Surround the potatoes with bean ragout. Slice the rack of lamb in between the bones and lay over potatoes. Spoon demi-glace sauce over and serve.

Queen’s Bread Pudding with Yogurt Berry Dressing
Recipe Courtesy Robert Irvine with Brian O’Reilly,
Harper Collins Publishers, copyright 2007, All rights reserved.

Serves: 6 to 12

Ingredients for queen’s bread pudding:
1 tablespoon butter
4 cups leftover Danish or donuts, cut into ½ inch cubes
3 cups milk
½ cup dried apricots, chopped
½ cup chopped dried cranberries, Craisins and/or sultanas (small seedless raisins)
¼ cup amaretto, whiskey, or warm water
3 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Ingredients for yogurt berry dressing:
1 cup fresh strawberries, cleaned
½ cup fresh raspberries
½ cup fresh blackberries or boysenberries
1 banana
1 peach, peeled, pit removed, and sliced
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
1 pint vanilla frozen yogurt or vanilla ice cream, softened
6 sprigs fresh mint, for garnish

Method:
Grease a 2 quart baking dish with butter. Spread the cubed baked goods evenly in the prepared baking dish. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it is scalding. In a separate small saucepan, heat the apricots and cranberries with the liquor (or water) and let simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the dried fruits begin to soften. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the hot milk, a small amount at a time, to the egg mixture and whisk together (known as a liaison) to temper the mixture by combining gently and gradually without cooking the eggs. Spread the apricots and raisins evenly over the bread in the baking dish, the pour the liaison into the baking dish, distributing evenly. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Let the baking dish stand for about 20 minutes to allow the liquid to absorb into the cubed baked goods.

Prepare a bain marie by placing the baking dish into a larger pan or dish, placing the arrangement into the pre-heated oven, and then pouring hot water into the outer dish (without splashing any into the custard dish). Bake until the pudding firms up and puffs up and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and from water bath and let rest 10 minutes. Serve warm or cooled.

While the bread pudding is baking, add the strawberries, blackberries, peeled banana, peach and lemon juice to a blender. Blend until smooth and strain into a bowl. Return the strained fruit to blender and add softened frozen yogurt, blending to combine. Serve as a topping to the Queen’s Bread Custard, in demitasse cups as an accompaniment, or by itself as an independent dessert soup.

The simplest thing, like the proper application of salt and pepper, can make or break a dish. Salt is one of the most elemental and essential ingredients in cooking. Try a French fry with salt and without it and you will know immediately what I mean. I don’t claim to truly understand the alchemy that exists between the magical combination of salt with black pepper, but I think it is perhaps the greatest gift bestowed by nature on cooks after fire.

Photo courtesy of freefoto.com

In most recipes, I generally suggest that you use “salt and pepper” to taste. This is the simplest instruction in most recipes, yet always one of the most important. It is the one instruction that relies on you, on your taste, your experience and your knowledge of not only your own likes and dislikes, but those for whom you are cooking. The correct proportions of these two key ingredients separate not only good cooking from cooking that is substandard, but at the highest levels of the profession, can separate the good from the truly great in the kitchen.

This is one of the most challenging aspects of cooking on Dinner: Impossible. It is only on the rare occasion that we are not cooking for large numbers of people, certainly many more than you would typically have at your dinner table or even at your typical backyard barbecue. Using too much or too little salt and pepper when you are cooking in a giant pot or an industrial-sized cooking kettle can cause a disaster of epic proportions, ruining meals for hundreds. Luckily I have a lot of experience cooking for large numbers, so I can usually tell by feel how much is appropriate to whatever I am working on, but in general the principles remain the same. A good cook needs to know how much is too much and when enough is just right.

Fleur de Sel, Hawaiian red clay salt, even good old kosher salt are all excellent choices for your home kitchen and each offers a slightly different shading to your flavors. Make sure you grind your black pepper in a good pepper grinder and try to keep your supply of peppercorns as fresh as possible. Sprinkle salt by hand from about your shoulder height over the food you are cooking and you will get even coverage and distribution, just like the perfect snowfall.

Pay attention to the simple things when you are cooking and you cannot go far wrong. Combinations like mirepoix: diced onion, carrots and celery; the trinity: diced onion, celery and green pepper; or in Italian cooking, the quattro evangelistas: diced onion, celery, carrot and finely chopped parsley, are all tried and true beginnings for nearly any savory preparation, soup or stew, even roast, that you may have in mind. Garlic is a beautiful addition to so many dishes, and a head of roasted garlic can transform even a simple slice of bread into a gourmet feast. Go the extra mile an learn how to make a simple pan sauce or an easy gravy and you’ll add a whole new dimension to your mealtime offerings. When you shop, shop for the freshest ingredients that are closest to their natural states.

Most of all, cook from the heart, and you’ll never be lonely when the dinner bell rings!

Entrée: Chicken

CHICKEN BREAST WITH CRAB & ARTICHOKE SOUFFLE
Copyright, 2006, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients for Soufflé Topping:
½ cup butter
1 pound crabmeat, picked through to remove remnants of shells
16 ounce can artichoke hearts, cut into quarters
½ cup flour
1 cup heavy cream

Ingredients for the Chicken:
½ cup vegetable oil
4 pounds chicken breast, boneless and skinless, cut into 4 ounce portions
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Heat oil in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt, pepper and Old Bay seasoning on both sides. Place smooth side of breast into pan and let brown, then flip over to brown on other side. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a separate 2 quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, add crab and artichokes, and sauté. Stir in flour, then add cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let simmer until it begins to become cohesive. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet and top each piece with some of the crab mixture. Bake in oven until “soufflé” is golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Entrée: Seafood

SALT AND PEPPER SHRIMP ROLLS
Copyright 2007, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Ingredients:

1 liter canola oil, or enough as needed to deep fry
2 pounds 21-25 size shrimp, peeled and de-veined
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons Irvine Spices Roasted Garlic Pepper Seasoning
1 to 2 teaspoons salt
1 fresh lemon
12 “lobster” rolls (with slit on top)
2 cups fresh lettuce (such as red leaf or green leaf), rinsed and dried with a salad spinner
and sliced julienne
2 large ripe tomatoes, seeds removed and diced

Method:

Heat oil in deep fryer to 375 degrees. Shake flour, cornstarch, Roasted Garlic Pepper Seasoning, and salt together in a plastic bag. Add shrimp to bag in small batches and shake to coat with flour mixture. Deep fry until golden brown.

Remove to paper toweling to drain and squeeze fresh lemon juice on top.

Places into lobster rolls with shredded lettuce and tomato. Serve with your favorite seafood sauce.

Yield: 6 servings of two sandwiches each

In the middle of October, I had the distinct pleasure of returning to Orlando, home of the “Happiest Place in the World,” for the Disney Epcot Food & Wine Festival. This is our second year doing it and I look forward to it as much as any appearance I am privileged to make during the course of the year. The people who run the show are fantastic professionals at what they do and it’s one of the most exciting and well-organized food events I’ve seen.

Disney World

I performed a couple of demos, signed a lot of books and participated in a huge dining event called “Party for the Senses,” during which chefs from diverse backgrounds, regions and culinary styles serve up their best dishes in tasting portions to roughly 1,500 people. My offering for the evening was Horseradish-Crusted Salmon with Braised Endive and a Beet Reduction. The dish and the event were both great successes and my team and I even managed to steal away and have a great time in the theme parks as well!

Now for some other news. It is true that I will be returning to Food Network as host of Dinner: Impossible and let me say that I’m excited to be getting back in production, which will be starting in the next few weeks. The format of the show will remain the same, ferrying me to varied and different secret locations and challenging me to clear formidable hurdles of culinary creation. I’m certainly looking forward to it and to my continued relationship with Food Network. I want to extend my deepest and most heartfelt thanks to all my loyal fans for your support and prayers. Your encouragement kept me lifted up and excited about my profession on a daily basis, I promise you. I will have you all in mind as we start this next adventure and will strive to be worthy of your support. No dinner is impossible!

Here’s a brace of Disney-inspired dishes that we created during the “Disney Dreams” episode of Dinner: Impossible. Enjoy!

Appetizer: Salad

ALADDIN’S ASIAN SALAD WITH SESAME DRESSING
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients for the sesame dressing:
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
1 shallot clove, quartered
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons tahini or peanut butter
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
½ cup sesame oil

Ingredients for the salad:
6 cups mixed mesclun greens, soaked in salt water to remove grit, dried in a salad spinner and torn into bite sized pieces
1 cup baby corn from a jar or can
1 eight-ounce can mandarin orange segments, drained
1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and sliced julienne
1 four-ounce can water chestnuts, rinsed to remove any tinny taste
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

Method for the dressing:
Add one at a time through the feed tube of a running blender: vinegar, shallot, salt, pepper, tahini, and sesame seeds. Leaving the blender running add the oil in a slow thin stream. Set aside briefly.

Method for the salad:
Toss greens, corn, orange, bell pepper, water chestnuts, and tomatoes together in a large bowl with enough dressing to coat. Serve with additional dressing on the side.

Entrée: Seafood

BIG BAD WOLF BBQ SHRIMP SCAMPI
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 servings of 4 to 5 shrimp

Ingredients for the sauce:
1-tablespoon grape seed oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced.
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon mesquite seasoning
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Ingredients for the shrimp scampi:
1-tablespoon grape seed oil
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced
2 stalks celery, diced small
1 large red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and diced medium
1 large green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and diced small
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 pound 16-to-20 size shrimp, de-veined and shells and tail removed
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Method for the sauce:
Heat grape seed oil in a small saucepot over medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 more minutes. Stir in the ketchup, mesquite seasoning and cayenne pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Method for the shrimp scampi:
Heat the grape seed oil over medium heat in a skillet and add the garlic, celery, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, thyme and parsley. Cook until vegetables soften and flavors are integrated, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and cook until they are just pink and opaque. Do not overcook the shrimp. Remove the shrimp to a platter. Spoon sauce over and sprinkle with parsley.

Entrée: Chicken

CAPTAIN HOOK’S CAYENNE FRIED CHICKEN
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 to 4 liters canola oil, or as needed to fry or deep fry
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
24 bone-in chicken wings and/or thighs, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
1 to 2 cups buttermilk as need to moisten chicken

Method:
Heat the oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees F or as instructed in the manufacturer’s instructions for similar foods. If you wish you can fry the chicken in 1 liter of canola oil over medium high heat in a sauté pan and then finish it in the oven in which case you should pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cornmeal, flour, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper, and mix well to make chicken coating. Add the coating to a plastic food storage bag in batches. Moisten the chicken with buttermilk, shake the chicken in the bag of coating, and allow any excess to fall away.

Deep fry the chicken until crispy and fork tender, about 13 to 20 minutes. Or, pan fry for about 5 minutes and transfer it to a baking pan to bake in 350 degree oven until cooked through and fork tender, about 40 minutes.

Accompaniment: Pasta

MAD-TEA PARTY MAC AND CHEESE
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
½ cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup chopped white onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
½ cup all-purpose flour, or as needed
2 bay leaves
1 cup vegetable stock
½ cup heavy cream
2 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese (8 year-old aged if you can get it)
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
1 pound dried elbow macaroni
¼ cup chopped fresh chives

Method:
Bring a pot of water to boiling for the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente and drain well so that you don’t have excess cooking water which will dilute the flavor. While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, and add the onion and garlic, cooking until translucent, being careful not to burn it. Add the flour a little at a time to make a roux. Do this gradually because some batches of flour absorb more than others and you may not need as much. Add the bay leaves, and then incorporate the vegetable stock a little at a time to form a smooth sauce. Simmer for at least 10 minutes to allow the flour to “cook out,” then remove the bay leaves. Add the heavy cream and cheddar cheese, then season with salt and white pepper. Fold in as much pasta as you need to acquire the right consistency for macaroni and cheese. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped chives.

Entrée: Pasta

LITTLE ITALY MARINARA AND PASTA
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, minced
2 29-to-32 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound penne pasta

Method:
Heat grape seed oil over medium heat in a saucepot. Sauté onion and garlic until onion turns translucent, being careful not to burn the garlic. Stir in rosemary and thyme, add crushed tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Boil pasta until al dente. Drain well and serve with sauce.


Entrée: Beef

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST BRAISED SHORT RIBS IN MOLASSES
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, stems and seed removed
3 tablespoons grape seed oil (1 tablespoon to roast the bell pepper, and 2 tablespoons to sauté the vegetables)
4 pounds beef short ribs, cut into lengths, which will fit into a pan to sauté
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
2 stalks celery, diced small
2 large carrots, peeled and diced small
1 large onion, diced small
1 quart beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup molasses
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves, stripped from 5 or springs
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves, stripped from 3 or 4 large sprigs
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Brush bell pepper with grape seed oil (reserving the rest of the oil) and roast in oven until charred, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place in a covered container or a plastic pepper to sweat. Allow oven heat to drop to 350 degrees F.

Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat remaining two tablespoons of grape seed oil in a large sauté pan with a lid. Sear short ribs on all sides and remove to a utility platter. In the same pan, sauté celery, carrots, and onion until the onion turn translucent. Add beef stock, tomato paste, molasses, rosemary, and thyme, and stir to combine. Return short ribs to pan, cover with a lid or foil and braise at 350 degrees F until the meat falls from the bone, about 1 to 1½ hours.

While the short ribs are braising, peel the roasted bell pepper and cut julienne.

Remember to use an oven mitt when you remove the pan from the oven.

Remove rib meat and bones to a utility platter. Strain the pan juices into a bowl and then return them to the pan over medium high heat. Create a slurry by whisking two tablespoons water into a small bowl of the cornstarch. Whisk the slurry into the pan juices and allow the mixture to thicken.

Arrange rib meat on a platter and spoon sauce over. Garnish with julienned roasted peppers, and sprinkle with parsley leaves.

Brunch

LITTLE MERMAID SHRIMP AND CHEDDAR GRITS
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
4 cups water
2 cups uncooked quick grits
6 ounces raw chopped shrimp
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter (½ stick)
4 tablespoons sliced scallions (5 to 6 scallions)
2 tablespoons diced tomatoes (about 1 plum tomato)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro plus several small sprigs for garnish
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:
Bring water to a boil. Add grits, chopped shrimp, reduce heat to low and cook until grits are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, scallions, tomatoes, cilantro, and cheese. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Accompaniment: Salad

POSEIDON GREEK SALAD
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients for dressing:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 large clove garlic, quartered
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
¾ cup olive oil

Ingredient for salad:
6 cups mixed mesclun greens, soaked in salt water to remove grit, dried in a salad spinner and torn into bite-sized pieces
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
2 English cucumbers, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch disks
1 cup cubed Feta cheese

For the dressing, add the vinegar to a blender, replace the lid, turn it on, and through the feed tube add, one at a time, the garlic, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Leaving the blender running, add the olive oil in a slow thin stream. Set aside until needed.

Toss the greens, olives and cucumbers together with enough dressing to coat. Fold in the feta cheese. Serve additional dressing on the side.

Luncheon

SEVEN DWARVES SMOKED TURKEY AND GREENS
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 8 to 12 servings

Ingredients:
1-tablespoon grape seed oil
24 smoked turkey legs
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 head cabbage, shredded in a food processor
1-pound fresh spinach soaked in salt water to remove grit and dried in a salad spinner
1 pound collard greens
Salt, to taste

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Season turkey legs with black pepper, Heat grape seed oil in a large deep pot over medium high heat. Add turkey legs and brown in batches on all sides. Transfer to a roasting pan, cover with foil, place in oven and roast until fork tender, about 35 minutes.

Add garlic to pot and lightly sauté over medium heat being careful not to burn the garlic. Stir in the crushed red pepper and shredded cabbage and allow to cook about 10 minutes. Add collard greens and cook for 10 minutes more. Add spinach, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook until tender but still bright green. Transfer greens to a platter and top with turkey legs.

Entrée: Beef

MOWGLI’S MUSHROOM ONION FLANK STEAK
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients for marinade and flank steak
1 fresh lemon
1 fresh lime
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and quartered
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, stripped from about 2 or 3 sprigs
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, stripped from 3 or 4 sprigs
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup barbecue sauce of your choice
2 pounds flank steak

Ingredients for mushroom onion demi-glace:
1-tablespoon grape seed oil
1 red onion, minced
1 cup white mushrooms (about 3 ounces), cleaned and sliced
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
1 teaspoon beef base
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:
Microwave lemon and lime in a small bowl to release essential oils and set aside until they are cool enough to handle.

Add soy sauce and vinegar to blender, replace lid and turn on blender. Through the feed opening add, one at a time, the garlic, ground cloves, rosemary, thyme, and black pepper. Halve lemon and lime and leaving the blender running, squeeze juice from each through the feed opening.

Place flank steak in a non-reactive container, add marinade and coat steak. Pour barbecue sauce over and spread to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Heat grill and sear each side of steak. Cook to your desired level of doneness and transfer to a cutting board to let rest for 5 minutes.

Heat grape seed oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, and then add mushrooms and sauté until they begin to give up their juices. Add red wine and allow most of it to evaporate. In a small bowl, whisk together water and beef base and add to pan. Allow to reduce by half. Season with salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat and keep warm.

Slice steak on the bias into ¼ inch thick strips and arrange on plate. Spoon mushroom onion sauce over.

Entrée: Vegetarian

EAT YOUR FRUITS AND VEGETABLE STIR FRY
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
¼ cup soy paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoons peanut butter
2 teaspoon Vietnamese garlic chili sauce
1 cup brown rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced julienne
4 heads broccoli, broken into florets
2 stalks celery, diced
1-tablespoon grape seed oil
1 medium onion, diced medium
½ pound snow peas
1 large red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and diced medium
1 fresh pineapple, peeled and core removed, bottom half sliced crosswise into ¼ inch thick slices and the rest diced medium
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Method:
In a small bowl, combine soy paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, peanut butter, and garlic chili sauce and set aside briefly.

For the rice, bring 2½ cups water to a boil in a saucepot and add rice, salt and butter. Return to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes.

In a wok heat 2 or 3 cups water to boiling and blanch carrots, broccoli, and celery for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside briefly, then rinse and dry wok.

In the same wok, heat grape seed oil over medium high heat and sauté onion until translucent. Add blanched carrots, broccoli, and celery, as well as snow peas, bell pepper and diced pineapple (reserving the pineapple slices). Stir in mixture of soy/sesame/peanut butter/chili sauce. Cook vegetables until tender stirring frequently.

Lay slices of pineapple on serving plates. Top with rice and then top with stir-fried vegetables. Sprinkle with parsley leaves.

Dessert: Crème Brulee

SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON SWEET POTATO CRÈME BRULEE
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients for sweet potato base:
2 sweet potatoes or 1 yam, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Ingredients for custard:
1 quart heavy cream
2 vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped
1 cup sugar (½ cup and ½ cup measured separately)
6 egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter

Method:
Boil sweet potatoes until tender and drain. Add molasses, honey, vanilla, brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mash by hand then beat until smooth with an electric beater.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Pour the cream into a saucepan and add the vanilla beans, including the pods. Over medium low heat slowly bring to a boil, then remove from heat, cover pan and set aside for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and gradually add ½ cup of the sugar whipping until you see a change in color. After 15 minutes remove the vanilla pods from the cream mixture. Then slowly incorporate the cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture a little at a time, whisking constantly as you go.

Lightly grease 6 to 8 four-ounce or six-ounce ramekins. Add even amounts of the sweet potato mixture to the ramekins. Then fill the ramekins each ¾ full with the custard mixture.

Place the filled ramekins in a roasting pan and prepare a bain marie by adding hot water to the pan so that the water level is halfway up the side of the ramekins. Be careful to avoid splashing any water into the ramekins. Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, allow to cool and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. (You can do this way in advance if you wish.) Just before serving remove from the refrigerator and allow to warm up a little. Then divide the remaining ½ cup of sugar among the ramekins sprinkling some on the surface of each cup of custard. Using a blow torch, melt the sugar to form a crispy sugar “crust” on the top of each. This custard could be served with fruits of the season.

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of what I like to call the hearth and home season. This uniquely American holiday inspired by the example of the Pilgrims who thanked God as well as their Native American friends for helping them make it through the first year, is one of my favorites! The Wampanoag found it within themselves to show compassion to the Mayflower passengers who landed on their shores by teaching them farming methods and other ways to survive in their new home. Given today’s state of the economy, it will be more difficult this year for many of us to feel thankful, and very probable that, in contrast to previous years, a number of us may literally lack the ability to give material gifts to others in this holiday season. However, we can follow the example of those Native Americans by resolving to give others our compassion and understanding.

As you know, my team and I travel a lot and, during this election year, we have heard much more than usual of the unfiltered chatter out there on the cooking trail that, frankly, makes us flinch. These days we are surrounded by people who work hard their entire lives but then find themselves unable to afford health insurance. We’ve also had occasion to talk to students who - after actually managing to make their way through to college graduation - find themselves saddled with 4 years worth of student loans, only to enter a work world where one has to hold 2 or 3 menial jobs, because no single employer can be found who can provide enough work hours to cover living expenses. While it is human nature to analyze the circumstances of others through our own prisms, I challenge you this holiday season to compassionately give your support and your prayers to those less fortunate than you in these days. This can mean material support, a kind word or just maintaining a positive outlook. It should be easy to imagine yourself as part of the community of those in whose moccasins you do not walk.

Let’s resolve to set aside our differences, realize that idle chatter that serves no good purpose and that, by coming together, we can achieve anything.. Remember that we are all in this together.

In keeping with the theme of simple compassion and kindness, I have decided to put together a Thanksgiving menu with a few special touches but which has its beauty in simplicity!

Baby Greens Salad with Quail Egg and Maple White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Chilled Beet Soup with Sour Cream and Dill Pickle
Twelfth Night Turkey with Wild Rice Stuffing and Ale Reduction
Cranberry Apple Stuffing (optional for those who simply must have bread-based stuffing)
Garden Peas in a Three-Cheese Sauce
Mashed Molasses Sweet Potatoes
Three Apple Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream

I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have been there to lend kind words and support to me and my team over this most eventful past year. I hope God’s blessings are in store for all of you and all of us.

Appetizer: Salad

BABY GREENS SALAD WITH QUAIL EGG AND
MAPLE WHITE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients for vinaigrette:
⅛ cup white balsamic vinegar (such as that from Colavita)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup (add 1 teaspoon more if you like a sweeter taste)
1 shallot clove, quartered
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Ingredients for salad:
3 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 English cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin, or shredded with a vegetable peeler
1 pound baby greens (such as frisée, arugula, romaine hearts), rinsed and dried with a salad
spinner or patted dry with paper towels
Salt and pepper to taste
1 fifteen-ounce can pre-cooked quail eggs (a can contains about 11 pre-boiled and peeled eggs,
and can be found in Asian markets)

Method:
Make the vinaigrette by adding the vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, shallot and rosemary, one at a time, through the feed opening of a running blender. Then leaving the blender running, pour the olive oil in a slow steady stream into the vinegar mixture very slowly to emulsify. Remove to a container and season with salt and pepper.

Toss the tomatoes, cucumber and carrots with the salad dressing. Toss with baby greens just before serving and garnish with quail eggs cut into halves. Season with black pepper.

Appetizer: Soup

CHILLED BEET SOUP WITH SOUR CREAM AND DILL PICKLE
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade
3 pounds fresh beets, peeled and quartered
2 English cucumbers, peeled and diced
2 cups orange juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper,
Juice of 1 fresh lime
½ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped dill pickle

Method:
Heat the grapeseed oil over medium heat in a large deep pot and add the onion and garlic, sautéing them until they are translucent. Add the beets and cucumber, and cover with 6 cups water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature.

Add the orange juice and blend with an immersion blender, or in batches in a conventional blender. Re-season with salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Stir in the lime juice and chill.

Spoon into serving bowls and serve with a dollop of sour cream which has chopped dill pickle sprinkled onto it.

Entrée: Turkey

TWELFTH NIGHT TURKEY
WITH WILD RICE STUFFING & ALE REDUCTION
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients for stuffing:
2 cups chicken stock (alternatively you can make your own stock from the unused turkey parts if
you are breaking down the turkey yourself and have the time – see turkey ingredient
below and turkey stock instruction below*)
1 cup wild rice (such as the Royal Blend marketed by Rice Select, a mixture of Texmati white,
brown, wild, and red rice)
4 tablespoons butter (1 tablespoon for rice and 3 tablespoons for sautéing)
1 pound sausage, casing removed
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and small diced
1 large white onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil, if needed (approximately as needed to keep the pan oiled)
¼ pound liver, blood vessels removed (in the episode we used the liver from the rabbit that was
cooked for another entree, but you can use turkey and/or chicken livers)
3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (from about 5 or 6 large sprigs)
6 fresh sage leaves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram leaves (from about 5 or 6 large sprigs)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
3 eggs, beaten

Ingredients for the turkey and rub:
1 twelve to fifteen pound turkey, breast and legs cut away from bones and tendons removed but with most of the skin left on (so you can contain the stuffing), and soaked in cold water with kosher salt (You can buy the turkey breast and legs pre-boned or ask your butcher to do it. If you break down a whole turkey yourself in advance, you can boil the unused parts to make turkey stock for the rice to go in the stuffing and for the gravy. See turkey stock instructions below.)
¼ cup olive oil
5 or 6 large sprigs fresh marjoram, leaves stripped from the stems
1 tablespoon anise seed
6 to 8 sprigs fresh parsley leaves cut off (and stems reserved for the gravy – below)
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Ingredients for the ale reduction gravy:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade, then minced
1 shallot, minced
3 or 4 sage leaves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 twelve-ounce bottles ale (such as Samuel Adams Boston Lager)
1 pint chicken stock (or turkey stock you have made)
½ cup cold butter (1 stick or 8 tablespoons), crumbled into flour ingredient below to look like coarse cornmeal
½ cup flour, combined with crumbled butter ingredient above to look like coarse cornmeal
Salt and pepper, to taste

Special equipment:
Kitchen twine

Method for the stuffing:
Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the wild rice and 1 tablespoon butter (reserving the rest of the butter), cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer undisturbed for 50 minutes.

Whilst the wild rice is cooking, melt another tablespoon of butter over medium heat (reserving the rest of the butter) in a large skillet and cook the sausage until browned, about 8 to 10 minutes, keep the meat loose whist you cook it. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage to a bowl. Pour most of the sausage fat from the pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon of fat. Add the apples and sauté until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove them to the bowl with the sausage. To the same pan, add oil if the pan is too dry and cook the onion until translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Cook the liver in the pan until cooked through, but still tender, about 5 minutes, and then remove to a carving board to cool to room temperature. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pan and sauté the celery, thyme, sage, marjoram, and parsley over medium heat until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Cut the liver down into ¼ inch cubes.

Remove the rice from the heat and let stand 10 minutes before removing the lid. Stir and allow to cool to room temperature. Combine the liver with the wild rice, sausage, apples, and sautéed herbs. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Set aside briefly.

Method for the turkey:
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Make the paste to rub on the turkey by adding one at a time through the feed opening of a running blender: oil, marjoram, anise seeds, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Fill the turkey breast and thighs with the rice stuffing and secure with kitchen twine. Rub the paste liberally on the turkey and roast, basting with the pan juice every 30 minutes or so, until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. This will take about 20 minutes per pound (4 to 5 hours.) Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest whilst you are preparing the gravy.

Pour the pan juices into a glass container so you can see the fat layer and pour off or spoon off most of the fat. Strain the remaining pan juices into a bowl and reserve to add to the gravy as described in the gravy instructions.

Method for the ale reduction gravy:
In a deep saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Sauté the garlic, shallots, sage, and bay leaf until the shallots turn translucent, about 3 minutes, monitoring to make sure the mixture doesn’t burn. De-glaze the pan with the ale and increase the heat to medium high, allowing most of the ale to evaporate, about 10 minutes. Gradually stir in the stock and bring to a gentle boil. Then, gradually whisk in the butter/flour mixture (which has been combined to look like coarse cornmeal). Reduce the heat to low and allow the flour to “cook out” and allow the gravy to thicken, about 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in the juices from the turkey pan and cook for a few more minutes to allow flavors to integrate. Remove the bay leaf and strain gravy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve sliced turkey and stuffing with gravy.

*FOR TURKEY STOCK: Place the turkey parts in a large pot and completely cover with water. Add:
1 large quartered onion
1 large carrot cut into chunks
1 celery stalk cut into chunks
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon peppercorns
A sachet d’epices containing: 1 handful parsley stems, a bay leaf, and 5 or 6 thyme sprigs.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and gently boil for about 3 hours skimming off impurities that rise to the top. (Add additional water as needed if water level gets too low.) Remove the bones and discard, and reserve large pieces of turkey (for use in a soup with the extra stock), and strain the liquid into a bowl for the stock for use in your recipes.

Accompaniment: Stuffing

CRANBERRY APPLE STUFFING
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Serves: 8 to 12

Ingredients:
2 sticks (1/2 cup) butter, 1 stick to sauté and one stick to drizzle over the surface of the stuffing
2 shallot cloves, minced
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
4 apples, peeled if you wish, diced into ½ inch cubes and tossed with the juice of 1 lime
½ cup port wine
2 cups fresh cranberries
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 pound crusty French bread (about 2 loaves) diced into ½ inch to ¾ inch cubes
1 to 2 cups apple juice (approximately as needed to moisten the bread)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Special equipment:
An oven-to-table casserole dish, lightly buttered

Method:
In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic cloves and poultry seasoning, and cook until the shallots turn translucent, stirring frequently to prevent burning, about 3 minutes. Stir in the apples and stir to coat with the butter. Cover and let cook until the apples just begin to soften, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the pot lid and increase the heat to medium high, letting most of the juices in the pan evaporate, about 5 to 10 minutes. De-glaze the pan with the port wine and allow the wine to reduce by half, about 5 minutes, then gently fold in the cranberries and cloves. Keep the pan on the heat until the cranberries begin to pop, about 5 more minutes, then remove it from the heat and bring to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F whilst the apple cranberry mixture is cooling.

In a large bowl combine the bread cubes and the apple cranberry mixture. Add just enough apple juice to moisten the bread without making it mushy, and season the mixture with salt and pepper. Mix well, but try to avoid squeezing the bread too much. The goal is to moisten and mix it without making the bread into a too dense mass; this is why we mix all the other ingredients first before adding them to the bread. (You may be well served to do this with your hands. Disposable plastic gloves are useful for this endeavor.) Spoon into the prepared oven to table dish and place the stuffing uncovered in the oven. After the stuffing has been baking for 20 minutes, melt the other stick of butter and drizzle it over the surface of the stuffing as it bakes in order to have it form a buttery crust. Bake until dry and fluffy, another 15 to 20 minutes, then remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes in a warm place before serving.

Accompaniment: Green Vegetables

GARDEN PEAS IN A THREE-CHEESE SAUCE
Copyright, 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 shallots, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 sixteen-ounce package frozen peas, thawed
⅓ cup parmesan cheese
⅓ cup shredded white cheddar cheese
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
Salt, as needed
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, minced

Method:
Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan and sauté the garlic and shallots until they are translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream and nutmeg. Allow this mixture to reduce by about one-third. Remove the pot from the heat and gradually whisk in the parmesan cheese and cheddar. Return to low heat, and cook about 5 to 7 minutes until the flavors infuse. Gently fold in the peas, season with pepper and sprinkle with Romano cheese. Since the cheeses will lend saltiness, add salt only if it is still needed after all the cheeses are added. Cover and return to the warm burner or a warm place and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the peas to heat through. Garnish with mint leaves.

Accompaniment: Potatoes

MASHED MOLASSES SWEET POTATOES
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 pounds sweet potatoes or yams, (approximately 4 to 6 yams or about 12 sweet potatoes
depending on size) peeled and cut into 1 to 1-1/2 inch chunks
1 cup (2 sticks or ½ pound) butter, cut into cubes
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons molasses
¼ to ½ cup cream, as needed to achieve desired consistency
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method:
These potatoes can be steamed to preserve more of the flavor and vitamins (or boiled if you wish), until tender. (To steam them, you can place them in a single layer on a rack placed over a large shallow pan of water with a large pot lid to cover. Replenish water in pan if it boils off before they are tender.) (If you boil them, be sure to drain well.)

Place the tender cooked potatoes and butter in a large bowl and mash by hand. Then, using a beater, whip in the cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses, and enough cream to achieve your desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Dessert: Apple Crumble

THREE-APPLE CRUMBLE
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
6 large apples (2 each of three different varieties: Granny Smith, Winesap, Rome Beauty,
Stayman, Braeburn) peeled, cored and diced medium
6 tablespoons sugar
¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
⅓ cup brown sugar
Juice of one lemon
One pint vanilla ice cream

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the apples and just half of the sugar (3 tablespoons) into a sauté pan and cook over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes or until apples begin to soften. Drain them and set aside.

For the crumb topping, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter in a bowl. Blend with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Coat the apples with the lemon juice and spoon into a deep baking dish. Top with the crumble mix and sprinkle with the brown sugar, and bake until done, about 30 minutes. To minimize oven clean-up, you may want to place foil under the baking dish to catch any spills. The fruit will bubble and will be very hot, so exercise extra care in removing from the oven.

Serve wedges topped with vanilla ice cream.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I had the great honor and pleasure of taping an episode of Ciao! Italia with Mary Ann Esposito at the beautiful Mohegan Sun Hotel and Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. Mary Ann has the distinction of hosting the longest running cooking show on PBS, and, indeed, the longest consecutively running cooking show on the air in the US. There are many special things about Mary Ann, and among them (as pointed out to me by a member of my team who is a long-time viewer) is her ubiquitous approach to the cooking of Italy. When you watch her show week after week, you will not be limited to the cooking of just Rome, just Naples, or just Tuscany. Stay tuned and you will get an eventually get an education on cooking in all of the regions from Trentino-South Tyrol “all the way down” to Sicily. Along with Mary Ann and a great friend of ours, Chef Lynn Mansel from the Mohegan Sun (a Welshman who’s also a great pastry chef- imagine that!), the three of us teamed up to create an easy to manage, great-tasting, “Italian style” Thanksgiving menu based on recipes inspired by our gracious hostess. It was all taped in front of a live audience and our dishes were served later in the evening to a crowd of about 1,500 invited guests and the results were spectacular. You will have to wait until the air date to get the recipe for what I cooked on Ciao! Italia, but, I will tell you I had the privilege of doing the entrée and it was mmm-mm, go-ood! It’s hard not to look good and do your very best when you’re paired with two stellar professionals like Lynn and Mary Ann.

So, rather than being an utter tease and making you wait until next year for the recipes we did on the show, I took inspiration from these photos of me (taken by Jim Lewis) goofing around with a pumpkin I found on the set during the rehearsal (Rehearsal? Who rehearses?), and challenge you to actually cook that pumpkin! My sincere thanks to Mohegan Sun and to Vicky Cirilli (who was a vital part of making it all happen), to Chef Lynn, to the great lady herself, Mary Ann, to her husband, Guy (a true gentleman), to Paul Lally (Mary Ann’s longtime director and friend), and to my old pal, Chef Michael Luboff (who did a great job doing the cooking for the 1,500 guests, giving me a rare night off and the chance to enjoy jokes backstage with comedian Pat Cooper.)

Enjoy, and Ciao!

Entrée: Chicken

CHICKEN BREAST ON PUMPKIN/CRANBERRY RISSOLE
WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE BALSAMIC SAUCE & ASPARAGUS
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients for rissole:
1 pumpkin squash or butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and diced into ¼ inch to ½ inch chunks
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 medium white onion, diced small
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (as needed to sauté the onion and rissole cakes, respectively)
½ cup Hershey’s Premier White Chips® (vanilla white chocolate chips)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 scallions, white and tender green parts only, sliced on the diagonal into ¼ inch thick slices
1 cup fresh cranberries

Ingredients for garnish:
12 asparagus spears, tough ends snapped off
Salt, to taste

Ingredients for sauce:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or ¼ cup) butter (2 tablespoons to sauté onion and 2 tablespoons to whisk into the sauce)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar (such as Colavita brand)
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 medium potato, peeled and diced into ½ inch pieces (as a thickener)
¼ cup Hershey’s Premier White Chips® (vanilla white chocolate chips)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Ingredients for chicken:
6 boneless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon lemon peel powder (such as Spice Islands brand)
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1/4 cup minced fresh fennel fronds

Method for the rissole cakes:
Boil the squash cubes for the rissole cakes until just tender, and drain well. Set aside until needed. At the same time, boil the potatoes in a separate pot until soft and drain well.

In the same pan you used to sear the chicken, heat additional grapeseed oil (if needed) and sauté the white onion until tender. Transfer the onion to the pot of drained potatoes which have been boiled for the rissole cakes, again reserving the sauté pan. Season the potato/onion mixture to taste with salt and pepper, and mash together. Fold in the white chocolate chips, scallions, cranberries, and cubes of squash, trying not to break up the squash.

Allow to cool until cool enough to handle, then use 3 inch circle cutters as molds and form into rissole cakes. In the same pan, heat additional grapeseed oil (if needed) for the potato cakes over medium high heat and sear the potato cakes leaving undisturbed for the first 2 to 3 minutes on each side to let the caramelization process begin and to prevent the cake from breaking apart. When you see the edges of the cake beginning to turn golden brown, flip and sear the other side. Then cook further until the cake is firm. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Method for the sauce:

Begin the sauce while the squash and potatoes for the rissole are boiling. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat in a saucepot (reserving the other two tablespoons) and cook the onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock, vinegar, soy sauce, and potato chunks, and let the potato chunks cook until very soft while the liquid reduces and thickens.

After you have sautéed the asparagus for the garnish, fold the white chocolate chips into the sauce, and transfer the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth. Whisk in the reserved 2 tablespoons butter to finish the sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Method for the chicken:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. While the chicken stock mixture is cooking for the sauce, season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and lemon peel powder, rubbing well into the surface of the chicken. Heat the grapeseed oil over medium high heat in a separate large skillet and sear the chicken, leaving undisturbed for the first 3 minutes or so on each side to let the seasonings integrate into the surface of the chicken and allow the caramelization process to begin. (This will prevent tearing of the chicken or “crusting off” of the seasonings.) After the chicken is seared on both sides, transfer to a baking sheet and finish the chicken in the oven (until fork tender) about 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken. (Reserve the pan in which you sautéed the chicken for the rissole cakes.)

Method for the garnish:
For the garnish, boil asparagus spears until just tender in salt water and set aside.

(Return to the rissole cakes.)

In the same sauté pan you used for the rissole, sear the asparagus spears for a few minutes to add a little color and a nutty flavor.

(Return to the pot of the chicken stock mixture which has been cooking for the sauce.)

Presentation:
Place a rissole cake on each serving plate, top with a chicken breast, spoon sauce over and garnish with asparagus spears.

The autumnal equinox takes place when the center of the sun is stationed directly over the equator near the end of September, by our calendar. According to myth and legend, a very important phenomenon is possible at the precise moment this occurs.

A member of Team Irvine took this photo of an egg standing on its end during the exact moment of the autumn equinox. No trick photography, no chicanery, this really happened. For a few moments, suspended by a confluence of natural forces we can only marginally understand, this egg “magically” balanced on one end. When the experiment was tried before and only a few moments after this photograph, it could not be repeated. We not only live in an age of miracles, but we are surrounded by miracles every day, if only we’d take the time to notice.

As I was looking through some photos, this little egg reminded me of some of the many small miracles we lived through during the filming of episodes of Dinner: Impossible:

- The fact that I didn’t crash my T-38 straight into the plains of Texas when the command at Sheppard Air Force Base were silly enough to give me the controls on the 60th Anniversary episode.

- The esprit de corps of John Lasseter, CEO of Pixar Studios, who innocently showed up in the kitchen to check on our progress making lunch and not only allowed me to enlist his help as a cook, but to order him around like a drill sergeant.

- That the improvised patch job performed by Virginia Vigil on the crack in the horno, our outdoor adobe oven, prevented it from giving way under the rigors of cooking on the Santa Fe episode.

- That I was able to avoid giving myself a massive hernia from pushing an ancient wooden cart loaded with three tons of food up a muddy hill in that same episode!

- That I didn’t freeze any important body parts off my body cooking in that bloody Ice Hotel (Don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful, but I can’t stand the cold!)

So, in honor of its momentous autumnal balancing act, following are recipes from some of the aforementioned episodes – using that small miracle we often overlook, the incredible egg.

Entrée: Omelet/Eggs

FRITTATA LASAGNA
(from the Santa Fe episode at El Rancho de las Golondrinas)
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 8 to 12 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 large white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced
1 medium zucchini squash, sliced into ¼ inch thick slices
1 medium yellow squash, sliced into ¼ inch thick slices
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 16-ounce package frozen white corn, defrosted
3 tablespoons flour
7 tablespoons milk (3 tablespoons for the slurry and 4 tablespoons for the eggs)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 tablespoons butter
8 eggs
3 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

Method:
Heat the grapeseed oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion turns translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the zucchini, yellow squash, oregano, salt, and pepper, and stir to coat. Cover and gently cook for about 15 minutes, then add the corn, cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, make a slurry by adding the flour to a small bowl and gradually whisking in 3 tablespoons of the milk (reserving the rest of the milk for the eggs). Whisk the tomato paste into the slurry until smooth. Gently stir the slurry into the squash mixture to thicken. Further cook uncovered until the squash is tender and the flour is “cooked out,” about 5 more minutes. Remove the pan from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the butter over medium heat in another large skillet (or the same one if you have removed the vegetables and washed it). (You may want to use your non-stick skillet here.) In a small bowl whisk 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon milk together at a time (reserving the rest of the eggs and milk). Spread the melted butter over the bottom of the pan and pour in the two eggs, swirling to coat the bottom. Cook as you would a crêpe, loosening the edges and flipping to brown both sides. When just cooked, transfer to the bottom of a lasagne dish as the bottom layer and trim and rearrange the egg to fit. Spoon one-fourth of the squash mixture evenly over the eggs, followed by one-fourth of the sliced tomatoes and ½ cup of the shredded cheese. Repeat by whisking 2 more eggs with 1 tablespoon of milk and cooking to make a sheet of egg for the next layer, followed by squash, tomato and cheese each time, until you have completed 4 layers.

Heat in the oven for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing into squares.

Serve sprinkled with a dollop of sour cream and minced fresh parsley.

Entrée: Beef/Pork/Game

TOURTIERE (MEAT PIE)
(from the Ice Hotel episode)
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All Rights Reserved

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
¼ cup red wine
1 pound pork loin, diced into ½ inch pieces
1 pound sirloin, diced into ½ inch pieces
½ pound venison, diced into ½ inch pieces
¼ cup canola oil
1 medium onion, diced small
1 teaspoon garlic, lightly crushed with the side of knife blade and minced (1 or 2 cloves)
1 cup celery, diced small (2 or 3 stalks)
1 cup carrots, diced small (3 or 4 carrots)
1 medium potato, peeled and diced small
2 cups chicken broth
2 nine-inch rounds of prepared pie crust
1 egg, beaten

Method:
Combine the salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, parsley, and thyme in a large bowl. Stir in the red wine to make a marinade. Add the meat cubes and, using your hands if necessary, mix to make sure all the meat is covered by the marinade mixture. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hours.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the canola oil over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Sauté the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes until the onion turns translucent, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Then add the celery and carrots, and cook for an additional 5 to 8 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the meat and brown slightly, while stirring constantly. Then add the potato to the pot, stirring briefly, reduce the heat to low and add the chicken broth. Simmer for about 30 minutes, remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Ease the pie crust into the pie pan and spoon in the meat mixture. Cover with the top crust, seal and flute. Cut steam-release slits in the top crust, then brush with egg wash.

Place the pie onto a foil-lined baking sheet to catch spills, and bake for 45 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving warm.

Entrée: Poultry/Game

PHEASANT COLETTE EN CROÛTE
(from the Pixar episode named in honor of the character from the movie Ratatouille)
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 two-to-three pound pheasant
Salt and black pepper, to taste
½ cup (1 stick or 8 tablespoons) softened butter
1 large red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade
1 cup Marsala wine
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves.
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ cup demi-glace
4 sheets puff pastry dough (these are often sold in 17 or 18 ounce packages containing
two 9 or 10 inch square sheets of puff pastry)
2 eggs, beaten

Method:
Heat the canola oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Season the pheasant with salt and pepper and coat with the softened butter. Brown all sides of the pheasant until golden brown and remove to a utility platter. To the same pan, add the onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. De-glaze the pan with the marsala wine and add the bay leaves and parsley. Lower the heat and return the pheasant to the pan. (Wash and dry the utility platter and keep handy for the cooked pheasant.) Cover and simmer until the pheasant is tender and juices in the thigh run clear when pierced, about 35 minutes. Remove the pheasant to the utility platter and allow to rest until cool enough to handle.

Strain the braising juices into a heatproof glass container (such as a Pyrex measuring container) and skim off any excess fat. Pour the de-fatted juices into a small saucepot, add the balsamic vinegar and demi-glace and cook over medium heat until thickened, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Pull the pheasant meat from the bones and cut into 1-inch pieces, discarding the bones. Remove sauce from heat. In a bowl fold the pheasant meat with enough sauce to coat. Do not feel obligated to use all of the sauce. The mixture should not be soupy .

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out the pastry dough and, using an appropriately sized cereal bowl or small mixing bowl as a template, cut 4 rounds 8-inches in diameter.
Spoon the pheasant mixture evenly into 4 individual ovenproof 6-inch bowls (onion soup bowls are ideal for this), and brush the edges of the bowls with egg. Top each with a circle of pastry, draping the crust over the rim. Brush the tops of the pastry with the egg wash and bake until golden, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Dessert: Cake

PEAR CHOCOLATE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
(from the Air Force Anniversary episode)
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients for pears:
½ cup brandy
2 to 3 fresh pears, ripe but still firm

Ingredients for chocolate cake batter:
¼ cup cake flour
¼ cup plus one tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 eggs at room temperature
5 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla

Method for the pears:
In a skillet, bring 1 cup of water and the brandy to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Peel the pears with a vegetable peeler, cut in half lengthwise and remove the core, the stem and the fibers that run down the center. Slice lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices and add to the simmering brandy mixture. (Add enough hot water to cover the pears if necessary.) Poach for about 10 minutes, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature while you are preparing the batter.

Method for the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil the bottom of a 9-inch round by 2-inch deep pan and lay parchment paper over the bottom. Then brush a thin layer of canola oil on top of the parchment paper. Sift the cake flour and cocoa powder together several times to aerate. In a separate heatproof bowl combine the eggs and sugar. Nest the bowl with the sugar and eggs in another larger bowl filled with about 2-inches hot water. Whisk together the eggs and sugar, being very careful NOT to splash any water into it. The idea here is to raise the temperature of the egg and sugar mixture to between 100 and 120 degrees F. Use a candy thermometer to test the temperature. Once the mixture is warmed, remove the bowl from the water bowl and use an electric beater to beat it until it is about triple in volume and is the consistency of soft whipped cream. Sift the one-third of the flour and cocoa powder into the bowl of beaten eggs and sugar, and fold together. Repeat for each remaining third of the flour mixture, folding together after the addition of each third. Then, gently fold in the melted butter and vanilla.

Drain the pear slices and arrange them in the bottom of the cake pan. Overlap them in a pattern of concentric circles. Pour batter over layer of pears, spreading evenly, but don’t fill the pan any more than within ½ inch of the top edge of the pan. Bang the pan on countertop - one or two times only - to make sure the batter sinks down between the pears, but don’t overdo it or you will undo all your hard work in aerating the batter! Bake in the oven until the surface springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes . Let the cake cool in pan 10 minutes to allow set up, then using oven mitts, press a serving plate firmly on the top edges of the pan, and invert the cake onto the plate. Replace any pear slices that become dislodged. This cake can be served warm or at room temperature.

The world is shaped like a what? I don’t think so, Your Majesty

Many Americans of Italian descent (or who are just Italian at heart) enjoy celebrating Columbus Day, to honor the explorer and fellow countryman of their ancestors who is credited with discovering the lands of America during his search for a trade route to India. A tradition that aptly pays homage to both their Old World heritage as well as their New World home is the planting of garlic on Columbus Day to be harvested on the 4th of July. Choose the largest unblemished cloves from an organically grown head of garlic from the grocery store. Plant them with the pointed end up in holes that have been dug at least 2-inches deep (or up to 4 inches deep in the colder northern climates) and 2 inches apart in well-drained organic soil in full sun. The experts describe the best soil as being “sandy silty loam,” meaning that clay soil needs to be lightened with well-decomposed compost or that sandy soil needs to be enriched with the same. “Full sun” means 6 hours or more per day of direct sun (which occurs on the south side of the house if the shade from trees doesn’t obliterate it). You’ll dig up a head of garlic for each clove that successfully grows. Brush them off and keep in a cool dry place and they will last for quite a long time.

This is a fun project for the kids because it’s easy and a good activity for teaching the use of a compass to identify where the garden lies in relation to the cardinal directions. The other thing it teaches is delayed gratification, certainly a valuable lesson in life. A lot of things can happen in a 9-month period of time. It’s the length of a traditional school year and the length of time it takes for a baby to be born. (Wow, is that too much information for kids?) When one thinks about all that is taking place under the ground as the plants fortify their root systems during the fall and winter months, we realize the fall and winter can hardly be considered the time of dormancy at all. My team and I have been fortifying our root systems over the last few months; I hope you will all enjoy seeing what blossoms in the high season. Stay tuned.

Entrée: Chicken

CHICKEN STUFFED WITH SMOKED MOZZARELLA,
ROASTED TOMATOES & BROCCOLI RABE
OVER POTATOES WITH MARSALA SAUCE
Copyright, 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
8 Roma plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
4 bunches broccoli rabe (rapini), divided into 8 sections
½ cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 finely diced shallots, or 1 white onion, finely diced
1 750 mL bottle Marsala wine
1 cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
8 six-ounce boneless chicken breasts, skin on
8 ounces smoked mozzarella, sliced
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
½ bunch fresh chives, chopped
6 to 8 white potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ¼ inch thick slices, placed in water to keep them
from oxidizing

Method:
Pre-roast the vegetables for the stuffing. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the tomatoes and rapini on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, and coat with ¼ cup of the olive oil (reserving the rest of the oil). Roast them until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes, then remove them from the oven and allow to cool. (Allow the oven temperature to drop to 350 degrees.)

Whilst the vegetables are roasting, begin the Marsala sauce by heating ¼ cup of the remaining oil (reserving the last 2 tablespoons) over medium heat in a sauté pan, and cooking the shallots or onion gently until translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. De-glaze the pan with the wine and add the stock and fresh thyme. Allow to reduce by two-thirds, about 10 minutes, remove from the heat and strain into a small saucepot. Cover and reserve.

For the stuffed chicken, make sure the oven is preheated to 350 degrees F. Lay a long piece of plastic wrap over a large cutting board and tuck it underneath the sides of the board. The chicken breasts should be placed on the covered cutting board, skin side down, with enough space between them so they can lay flat after you “butterfly” them. To make the butterfly cut, carefully slice open (without slicing the chicken all the way through) and spread the flesh of the chicken out so you will be able to pound it out into a single thin piece on which you will place stuffing to be rolled into the chicken. Season the breasts with salt and pepper. Then put another length of plastic wrap over the seasoned chicken breasts and flatten with meat mallet to integrate the seasoning into the chicken. (Covering the chicken with the plastic will also keep the mess down when you pound with the meat mallet.) Pound the chicken thin and remove the plastic. Lay sliced smoked mozzarella on each breast followed by broccoli rabe and roasted tomatoes. (If the skins slip off the roasted tomatoes discard them.) Fold in each end of the chicken breast as you go and roll tightly, securing with toothpicks as needed, and placing on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and brush with the remaining olive oil. Place in the oven and roast until fork tender, about 45 to 50 minutes, basting occasionally with pan drippings or olive oil.

During the last half hour of baking time for the chicken, drain the potatoes and pat them dry with paper towels. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet, season them with salt and pepper, and coat with ¼ cup of the olive oil. Add this baking sheet to the oven and roast the potatoes until they too are fork tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest about 5 minutes. Remove any toothpicks securing the chicken.

Re-heat the Marsala sauce, remove from the heat and, to finish, whisk in the cubed butter a little at a time, allowing each addition to melt before adding the next. Season to taste with salt and pepper as needed.

Presentation:
Slice each chicken roll to reveal the stuffed interior. Place on a serving plate with roasted potatoes. Spoon Marsala sauce around chicken. Garnish with chopped chives.

Entrée: Beef

Yield: 6 to 8 servings, depending on size of beef shoulder

Ingredients for beef:
2 tablespoons Irvine Spices Smokey Rotisserie Seasoning (available at
www.ChefRobertIrvine.com )
2 tablespoons Irvine Spices Garlic Pepper (available at www.ChefRobertIrvine.com )
1½ to 2 pound beef shoulder
1 tablespoon olive oil (not extra virgin because of the low smoke point)

Ingredients for sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil (not extra virgin because of the low smoke point)
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and sliced julienne
1 green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and sliced julienne
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 large can (29 to 32 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
¼ cup pepperoncini from a jar, for garnish

Method:
Rinse the beef shoulder to remove any unwanted residue, pat dry with paper toweling, and place on a utility platter. In a small bowl, make the rub for the beef by combining Smokey Rotisserie Seasoning and Garlic Pepper. Rub the seasonings into all surfaces of the beef, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and set aside for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours at room temperature. (The seasonings will actually begin to “cure” the meat.)

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. In an oven proof skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over high heat, and sear all sides of beef. Cover the pan (with lid or foil) and transfer to the oven to finish beef, bringing to an internal temperature of 115 degrees F for medium rare (about 30 minutes).

For the sauce, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan and cook the onions and garlic until the onions begin to turn translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning the garlic. Add the red and green bell peppers and further cook the mixture until the peppers begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley, basil, and oregano. Add the crushed tomatoes and bay leaf. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes.

Whilst the sauce is simmering, remove the beef from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

Slice the beef into steaks, and transfer to serving dishes. If necessary, re-heat the pizziola sauce. Remove and discard the bay leaf (that’s in the sauce). Spoon some 3 or 4 tablespoon sauce over the meat and garnish with pepperoncini.

Accompaniment: Pasta

SWEET GARLIC & GOAT CHEESE PENNE
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil (1 to roast the garlic and 1 to sauté the shallot)
1 whole head garlic
1 pound penne pasta
1 cup milk
1 shallot, minced
½ cup white wine
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 small parsley sprigs

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the root end off the entire head of garlic and turn it upside down, wrapping it in aluminum foil and molding the foil so it supports the garlic to allow the cut end to stand upright in the oven. Pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on the garlic (reserving the other tablespoon) so it slips between the skin and the cloves and wrap with the foil so it is enclosed. Roast for about 1 hour and set aside until it is cool enough to handle.

Bring a large pot of water to boiling for the pasta. Salt the water and boil until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Heat the milk in a small saucepot and keep warm. Squeeze the garlic cloves into a small bowl and mash them. Add a small amount of the warm milk to this bowl and whisk until smooth.

In a separate large sauté pan, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat and sauté the shallot until translucent. De-glaze the pan of shallots with the white wine and allow most of the wine to evaporate, then reduce heat to low, and add the garlic mixture to the pan. Whisk the goat cheese and Parmesan cheese into the remaining hot milk, and add this to the pan with the garlic and wine sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold the drained pasta into the pan of sauce, transfer to serving dish and garnish with parsley sprigs.

Accompaniment: Salad

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM SALAD
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ sup soy sauce
1 cup chicken stock
4 Portobello mushrooms, cleaned, gills removed, quartered, and cut into slices ⅛” to ¼” thick
1 red onion, diced
1 cup baby spinach (packed), soaked to remove grit, well rinsed and dried in a salad spinner or
with paper towels
2 large ripe fresh tomatoes
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste and salt if needed
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced

Method:
Heat vinegar, soy sauce, and stock in a skillet over medium high heat and add mushrooms, allowing them to poach while the sauce reduces by two-thirds, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. In a mixing bowl toss the onions with onion, spinach and tomatoes. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper, and salt, if needed. Serve warm or chilled, family style, garnishing with fresh dill.

Dessert: Pastry

ZEPPOLE
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 24 small zeppole

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups warm water, between 100 and 120 degrees F as measured with a candy thermometer
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 packet fast-acting yeast
3 cups flour
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 eggs, beaten
3 to 4 liters of canola oil, or enough as needed to deep fry
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Method:
Stir the sugar, salt and yeast into the warm water and allow about 15 to 30 minutes for the yeast to proof. The yeast will be activated and have the appearance of a head of beer. If it does not, it should be discarded and replaced with fresh yeast. (Improper storage temperature will sometimes destroy yeast even if the date on the package indicates it has not yet expired.)

Add the flour and nutmeg to a food processor fitted with a dough blade (or the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook). Turn on the food processor and through the feed tube, gradually add the yeast mixture. (Or turn on a mixer fitted with a dough hook and gradually add the yeast to the bowl of flour.) Then add the olive oil and eggs. Mix until the dough comes together.

Transfer the dough to a large bowl and cover with a clean damp towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour. Punch down the dough and let rise a second time in the same way. This will make the texture of the dough finer. Please note that the dough will not rise as much the second time.

Heat the oil in deep fryer to 375 degrees F. or as directed on the manufacturer’s instructions for similar foods. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled marble slab and knead for a few minutes. Divide the dough into eighths. Divide each eighth into thirds and roll each piece into a cylinder about ½-inch in diameter and 8 inches long. Connect the two ends of the cylinder and press firmly to make a circle. Grab the circle on each side and twist twice. Add zeppole to basket immersed in oil in deep fryer and fry until golden. Remove and drain on paper towels. Sift confectioner’s sugar over them while they are still warm.

Entrée: Sandwiches

SWEET & SAVORY ITALIAN SAUSAGE WITH PEPPERS
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 pounds hot sausage
2 pounds sweet sausage
½ cup olive oil (avoid extra virgin because of its low smoke point)
8 red onions cut julienne
6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 red bell peppers, cut julienne
4 green bell peppers, cut julienne
½ bunch basil, chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped

Place sausage on a hot grill, or in a grill pan and cook until cooked through over medium high heat. This may take about 25 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium high heat in a sauté pan and cook the onions and garlic, until the onions turn translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Reduce the heat to medium, add the bell peppers and cook until softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Add basil and scallions and cook for about two more minutes. Once cooked, cut sausage into 2 inch long pieces, and arrange on serving platter with the pepper and onion mixture. Serve with crusty bread or rolls.

Never underestimate the power of a good beer.

The most ancient and friendliest drink known to man can also be one of the most versatile in the kitchen. Wine is revered, and rightly so, for its aristocratic character, but beer is the true champion of the people. Ale, nut brown or India pale, lager, bock, porter, stout, pilsner, barleywine, can all provide a wonderful palette for the creative cook.

Hops, yeast, pure water and grains, mainly barley and wheat, sometimes rice or even rye, have been the basic elements that have provided a jumping-off point for the experimentation and the ingenuity of brewers stretching back not for hundreds, but literally for thousands of years. Every culture brings their own sensibility to the basically simple brewing process. The English love malty ales, cloudy bitters and chewy porters; the Germans, thundering bocks and lightning-sharp wheat beers; the Czechs and Scandinavians, pale and sparkling pilsners; the Japanese, the driest and cleanest-tasting lagers. The Irish settled long ago on the roastiest, creamiest stout ever made.

The Belgians have done for beer what Beethoven or the Beatles did for music, in their respective generations; they ran wild with diversity, creativity and a touch of genius. With their lambic beers alone, they have spent the past few centuries marrying flavors as different as cherries, peaches and raspberries with the essentials of beer, with all of its depth and history, fermented with wild yeasts, to achieve what must be one of the highest expression of the brewer’s art.

America, properly, has become the truest melting pot for brewmasters great and small, from the august halls of Anheiser-Busch to the alchemists of Dogfish Head to the impresarios of Anchor Steam and Samuel Adams, to garages and basements all over the country. They will stop at nothing. Once they cumulatively accomplished mastery of all of the styles known to man, they abetted matters by conniving brews featuring pumpkins, currants, pine needles, apricots, licorice and anything else they could get their hands on. Their obsession also includes a simultaneously thrilling and embarrassing competition between two of the most elite breweries in the game (you know who you are) to produce the most drinkable beer with the highest scientifically achievable alcohol content. Have they no shame?!

That’s why I have no choice but to agree with the words of the philosopher: the worst beer I ever had was… fantastic.

Think of the uses of wine in cooking, in sauces and as a medium for braising, then rethink your approach with beer in mind. Reimagine Boeuf Bourguignon with porter or stout as Beef Carbonnade; for Coq au Vin, try substituting a nice, sour Belgian Rodenbach Grand Cru; in pan sauces, try wheat beer and citrus with your shallots instead of Chardonnay and see how it goes. You can use porters, stouts, fruity ales and lambics in desserts, too- don’t limit yourself. Trust yourself and your own cooking instincts. If you recognize a flavor in a beer that you think you can take advantage of in a dish, go after it.

I think that autumn is the best time of year to explore the world of beer and ale. There’s just something in the air. All of Bavaria agrees with me and likes to throw a massive party, pretzels included, called Oktoberfest. Look for one in a big field near you.

Benjamin Franklin said, “Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” I never argue with Benjamin Franklin.

The best accompaniment for the dish you just cooked is the beer you just cooked with. And the only reliable way to find out if the flavor profile of the beer you are working with is working with the dish you have in mind is to crack a few open and try them. Cheers and Bon Appetit!

photo courtesy of freefoto.com.

Entrée: Seafood

GARLIC MANILA CLAMS IN MÄRZEN BEER
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil (not extra virgin)
6 cloves garlic, minced fine
2 red onions, chopped fine
8 dozen small Manila clams, well-scrubbed
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
½ bunch fresh basil
24 ounces Märzen Oktoberfest style wheat beer
1 to 2 loaves crusty bread for dipping

Method:
Heat the oil in a large stock pot. Gently sauté the garlic and onions until the onions turn translucent, stirring frequently to avoid burning the garlic, about 3 minutes. Place the clams in pot and season them with salt and pepper. Add the fresh basil and pour in the beer. Cover the pot and bring to boil over medium heat, cooking until clams open, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the clams to a platter or large serving bowl, discarding any that do not open. Pour the broth into a serving bowl for dipping with crusty bread.

Appetizer: Salad

BABY GREENS, APPLE-SMOKED CHICKEN & GOUDA/PEPPERJACK SALAD WITH AMBER BOCK DRESSING
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients for candied pecans:
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
⅓ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Ingredients for salad dressing:
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup Amber Bock beer
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
¾ cup canola oil

Ingredients for salad:
1 three-pound Smithfield apple-wood smoked chicken
4 ounces gouda cheese, placed into freezer for 2 hours
4 ounces pepper-jack cheese, placed into freezer for 2 hours
6 cups mixed baby greens, iceberg, and romaine, stems removed and torn into bite-sized pieces and dried in a salad spinner

Method for candied pecans:
Mix corn syrup, sugar, water, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Heat until candy thermometer says “soft ball stage,” about 238 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in pecans, vanilla, and cinnamon. Turn out on waxed paper and pull walnuts apart while cooling, being very careful to avoid getting burned! Refrigerate until chilled.

Method for salad dressing:
Through the feed tube of a running blended add, one at a time, vinegar, beer, salt, pepper, and thyme, and leaving the blender running, add the oil in a slow thin stream to emulsify. Set aside until needed.

Method for salad ingredients:
Pull chicken away from bones, and cut into thin strips. Set aside until needed.

Use a vegetable peeler to peel several curls of cheese for garnish and then use a box grater to shred the rest of the cheese. In a mixing bowl, toss together the chicken, greens, grated cheese and walnuts with enough dressing to coat.

Presentation:
Transfer the salad to salad bowls and garnish with curls of cheese. Serve additional dressing on the side.

Entrée: Beef/Pork

TOBACCO ONION BANGERS AND CHEDDAR MASH WITH GUINNESS ESSENCE
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients for bangers and Guinness essence:
1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
2 pounds English or Irish sausage
24 ounces Guinness beer
1 medium onion, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Ingredients for mash:
6 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large white onion, diced
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
½ cup heavy cream

Ingredients for tobacco onions:
3 to 4 liters canola oil as needed for deep frying
¼ cup flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 white onion sliced thin

Method for the bangers and Guinness essence:
Heat the grapeseed oil over medium high heat in a sauté pan with a lid. Sear the sausage on all sides. Add the beer and onion to pan, turn the heat down to low and braise until sausage is cooked through, about 50 minutes.

(Whilst the sausage is cooking, begin the mash and onions.)

Remove the sausage to a utility platter and let rest. Strain the braising liquid through a chinois and return to the pan. Let reduce by two-thirds to make the sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Method for the mash:
Boil the potatoes and onion until potatoes are tender and drain well. Return the potatoes to the pot and stir in the cheese, butter, and heavy cream. Mash the potatoes by hand, then whip with an electric beater, cover, and keep warm in a warm oven.

Method for the tobacco onions:
Heat the deep fryer to 375 degrees F or as directed by manufacturer for similar foods.

Make the tobacco onions, by combining flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Dust onions with mixture and deep fry until crispy. Drain on paper towels.

Presentation:
Slice the sausage on the bias. Spoon some mashed potatoes into the center of each serving plate. Place the sausage on the potatoes and spoon some sauce over. Top with tobacco onions

Entrée: Chicken

BAVARIAN BEER ROASTED HERB CHICKEN
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoons Irvine Spices Garlic Pepper Seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon very finely chopped fresh parsley
1 whole 5 or 6 pound chicken, any giblets removed and well rinsed
12 ounces Bavarian wheat beer (such as Allagash White, Sierra Nevada Wheat or Samuel
Adams)

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees F. Combine the garlic pepper seasoning, salt, rosemary, thyme and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Place the chicken onto a a roasting pan. Pour about 2 tablespoons of the beer into the cavity of the chicken and swirl it around to coat the inside. Rub another tablespoon of beer onto the outside surface of the chicken, rubbing it into the skin. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the herb/spice mixture into the inside cavity of each chicken and rub the balance of the mixture over the outside of each chicken. Place the chicken into the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the skin to begin to crisp up. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow the oven temperature to drop to 350 degrees F. Pour the beer into the roasting pan and cover it with a tent of aluminum foil to allow the beer to steam the chicken. Remove the aluminum foil from the chicken and allow it to roast uncovered until fork tender, another 15 to 40 minutes. When cooked, remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes. Carve into portions and serve.

Dessert: Trifle

RASPBERRY PORTER TRIFLE
WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE & WHIPPED CREAM
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients for raspberry layer:
1 three-ounce package raspberry gelatin
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup boiling water
¼ cup ice water
½ cup Porter

Ingredients for creme Anglaise:
½ cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, or vanilla extract to taste (approximately 3 tablespoons)
¼ cup sugar
4 egg yolks

Ingredients for fruit layer:
1 large can (29-to-32-ounces) fruit cocktail, drained
1 twelve-ounce Sara Lee pound cake, thawed and cut into ¾ inch cubes
2 bananas, sliced and tossed with lemon juice

Ingredients for ganache:
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate pieces OR chocolate squares, finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream

Ingredients for topping:
½ cup heavy cream whipped until light and fluffy with an electric beater

Special equipment:
4 sixteen-ounce or larger wine glasses or snifters (note that the idea of a trifle is to see the layers)

Method for the raspberry layer:
Dissolve the gelatin and sugar in boiling water. Add the cold water and porter. Loosely cover with a clean paper towel and set aside at room temperature.

Method for the crème Anglaise:
Pour the milk and heavy cream into a heavy bottomed saucepot and scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pot (or add vanilla extract). (If using a vanilla bean, put the vanilla pod in the pot as well.) Add half the sugar to the pot and bring to a simmer (just below a boil). In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar and temper it by adding a small amount of the heated milk mixture to the bowl while whisking constantly (known as a liaison). Now pour the liaison (egg mixture) into the milk pot, stirring constantly. You are only heating it. Do not boil. Do not cook. The idea of a liaison is to incorporate the eggs and avoid making them into scrambled eggs! You want the mixture to begin to thicken so it will coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then remove vanilla pod and discard, and refrigerate until chilled.

Assembly:
Spoon fruit cocktail into each glass as a base layer. Follow with a layer of cubed pound cake, then a layer of sliced bananas. Spoon about 1/3 cup gelatin/porter mixture on top of the fruit and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours until the gelatin is set.

Method for the ganache:
A few minutes before serving, make the ganache. Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to just under a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for a minute or two. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is melted and smooth. If the chocolate is not melting readily, nest the bowl in another bowl of very hot tap water.

Presentation:
Spoon crème Anglaise over the chilled trifle and drizzle ganache over. Spoon whipped cream on top to finish.

Serve immediately.

EPCOT Food and Wine Festival 2008, Orlando, Florida
Thursday thru Saturday, October 16 thru 18, 2008

Thursday, Oct. 16th 2:00 PM Kitchen Conversation
(I’ll be cooking a recipe from Mission: COOK with a tasting for 75 people)
3:30 PM Autographs
5:45 PM Culinary Demonstration
(Demonstrating a recipe for 6 with a tasting for 100 people)
6:30 PM Autographs
Saturday, Oct. 18th 6:30 PM Party for the Senses
(An incredible array of chefs – including “yours truly” – cooking for over 1200 people!)
For reservation information go to http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ and look under special events

SUN WINE Fest 2009 at Mohegan Sun
West Hartford, Connecticut
Friday & Saturday, January 17 & 18, 2009
Celebrity Chef Dine-Around Charity Gala
Autographs
Culinary Demonstration
For reservation information check out SunWineFest.com

There is a curiosity deep inside every cook that is fascinated by the relationship between food and fire. Scratch any one of us with a roasting fork and you’ll find a culinary pyromaniac waiting to break free. It’s hard to be around a blazing open fire without wanting to spear what’s for dinner with a sharpened stick and set to charring and caramelizing the outside to smoky sweetness, roasting the inside to tender and moist perfection, the whole while listening to the music of its juices popping and dancing in the flickering flames.

Ask any backyard barbecue rôtisseur; food tastes better with fire. The first great encounter I had with fire on Dinner: Impossible was in Colonial Williamsburg, when we cooked in brick fireplaces over great, crackling wood cooking fires.

The second really amazing flammable experience was cooking for the “king” of the Maryland Renaissance Faire. Up to that point, we’d flirted with fire a few times, whilst grilling at our tailgate party, cooking for cowboys out on the open range and with my little bonfire on a “deserted” island in the Bahamas.

But when we dialed up the “way back machine” for the Middle Ages, we got right to the heart of the matter. Mastery of fire was a prerequisite for the medieval cook and if you wanted to get the feast on the table (and avoid spending time in the dungeons) you had to possess a very profound understanding of fire, your only practical source of heat, and have an innate skill at controlling it.

You can’t just take a haunch of venison and stick it into a blaze. You have to know what parts of the fire are hotter than others, how and when to avail oneself of the power of “orange” versus “blue” flames; when to slowly heat over smoldering embers versus braising over glowing embers. You have to know your product, know that venison is leaner than beef or pork and that fowl and poultry are the leanest of all. You have to be a prudent judge of when to take advantage of the juices inherent in the foods you are roasting and when to baste and how; when to baste in butter, when to use a goodly flagon of wine. You have to know when to use direct heat, when to use indirect. Early ovens, which reflected the heat from wood firs off of their interior walls, allowed for the baking of incredible breads. The boules we made that day were right up there with the best bread I’ve had out of a bakery. The crust thumped beautifully, the insides were lacy and steamy and flaky. Being out in the fresh air sharpens your senses of smell and taste, both so critical to good cooking. Real fire can unleash your creativity and your own inner cooking fires in a way that modern stoves and microwave ovens never will.

Plus, you look almost always look cooler cooking with fire, even wearing a kilt. Actually, now that I think of it, maybe you look even cooler with a kilt. Yes, definitely go and get a kilt; just be wary of sudden crosswinds. These recipes have been adapted from our experience in the distant past, so you can do them in your home kitchen. But don’t let me stop you grabbing an ax, chopping some wood and having some fun with combustion.

Accompaniment: Bread

FRESH BAKED BOULES
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 2 boules

Ingredients:
1½ cups warm water, between 100 and 115 degrees F, as measured with a candy
thermometer (yeast is an organic leavener and any hotter than this will kill the yeast;
conversely, if the water is too cool, the yeast won’t be activated)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 ¼-ounce packet fresh fast-acting yeast (1 tablespoon)
4 cups all purpose flour, plus some extra to knead the dough
¼ cup melted butter

Method:
Dissolve the salt, sugar, and yeast in the warm water and allow the yeast to proof. (“Proofing” the yeast is testing it for viability. It will develop a foam which looks like the head of a beer. If it doesn’t proof, the yeast is dead and should be discarded.) Proofing takes about 15 to 30 minutes. Place the flour in a food processor fitted with a dough blade, and through the feed tube with the food processor running, slowly pour the proofed yeast mixture, until the dough comes together and is a cohesive mass. Transfer the dough to a floured board, and knead for about 5 minutes. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a clean dish towel, and allow the dough to rise, so that it roughly doubles in volume. (This will take about 30 minutes to an hour). The dough has risen enough if it does not spring back when you make an indentation with your finger.) Punch the dough down and allow it to rise again. (Allowing the dough to rise a second time gives it a finer texture.) Note: It will not rise as much the second time.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Divide the dough in half, and transfer half to a floured board, keeping the balance covered with the towel. Shape the dough into a circle by pulling from the side and pushing the dough under and up from the bottom to form a dome, rotating it to make it circular. Cover with a piece of oiled plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes. Repeat for each section of dough. Grease a round cake pan for each loaf and transfer dough to the pans. (This shape will keep the dough from flattening out while it bakes.) Brush with melted butter and bake until the crust is golden brown and crispy and until the bread sounds hollow when tapped, approximately 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and serve warm or room temperature with butter.

Appetizer: Soup

LEONARDO’S MONA LEEK SOUP
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
6 ounces bacon, chopped (about 6 to 12 strips depending on their thickness)
12 leeks, white and tender green parts only, soaked and agitated several times in salt water to remove grit, and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, minced (from about 1 or 2 large sprigs thyme)
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock (in the episode we used pheasant and turkey stock because we had trimmings from other dishes which we didn’t want to waste)
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup (1 stick or 8 tablespoons) butter, cut into chunks
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives

Method:
In a deep stockpot, brown the bacon until crispy. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour any excess fat from the pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Sauté the leeks, celery, thyme, and bay leaf in the remaining bacon fat until the vegetables start to soften. Gradually add the chicken stock, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer for about 30 minutes, then remove the bay leaf and blend the vegetables right in the pot with an immersion blender. (Remember for safety reasons to immerse the “business end” of the immersion blender in the liquid and keep it there while it is running, or you will have a hot spattered mess on your hands.)

Create a beurre manié (reverse roux) by blending the butter and flour together until they look like coarse crumbs. (Flour molecules would normally clump together in a hot liquid. This combination of butter and flour works to thicken already cooked sauces without making them lumpy.) Add this to the soup and blend again until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve in crocks or bowls, garnished with chopped chives.

Entrée: Beef

MUCH ADO ABOUT MUSHROOM BEEF STEAKS POACHED IN ALE
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons butter (1 tablespoon for the confit and 4 tablespoons, cut into chunks to finish the
sauce)
3 tablespoons olive oil (1 tablespoon for the mushroom confit, 2 tablespoons to sear the steaks)
2 large red onions, diced
2 cups (about 6 to 8 ounces) small button mushrooms, cleaned trimmed and sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 pounds top round steak, cut into 6 portions, seasoned with salt and pepper and
tenderized with a meat mallet
4 twelve-ounce bottles ale such as Samuel Adams Boston Lager (enough to immerse the steaks)
3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Method:
To make the mushroom confit, melt the butter in one tablespoon of the oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan, reserving the other tablespoon of oil. Sauté the onions in the pan until they begin to turn translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook them until they give up their juices, about 5 to 8 minutes. Lower the heat and cook until the mixture caramelizes, then season with salt and pepper to taste and remove to a bowl, reserving the pan. Cover the mushroom mixture and set aside.

In the same pan, heat the other tablespoon of oil over medium high heat and sear the steaks about 2 minutes each side. Reduce the heat to low and add the ale. Maintain the ale at a simmer - just below boiling - and cook uncovered until fork tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove the steak to a carving board to rest while you complete the sauce. Increase the heat under the skillet to high to allow the ale to reduce by two-thirds, about 5 minutes. (Be careful to monitor it so it doesn’t burn.) Season the reduction to taste with salt and pepper, cover, and remove from the heat.

Slice the steak into thin slices and arrange on a platter. Re-heat the ale reduction just before service, remove from heat and gradually whisk in the cubed butter allowing each addition to melt before adding the next.

Presentation:
Spoon the mushroom-onion confit over the sliced steak and spoon the sauce over and around. Sprinkle with parsley.

Entrée: Venison

THE MERCHANT OF VENISON CHOPS
WITH RED WINE MUSHROOM SAUCE & BULGUR PORRIDGE

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients for venison chops:
1 tablespoon juniper berries
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
3 star anise
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
6 six-to-seven ounce venison chops
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/8 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Ingredients for sauce:
2 shallots, minced
2 cups white mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
1 bottle dry red wine (750 mL)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for bulgur porridge:
1 cup bulgur (because it is pre-steamed, it can be soaked in boiling water to make it meal-ready)
½ teaspoon salt

Method:
Spread the juniper berries, coriander seeds, star anise, and peppercorns over a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes.

Rinse the venison chops and pat dry with paper towels. In a coffee grinder dedicated to spices or with a mortar and pestle, grind the roasted spices and salt together into a powder. Rub all sides of the chops with the spice mixture. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan (one that is deep enough to accommodate the chops and sauce) and sear the chops, leaving each side undisturbed for 2 minutes to allow the spices to integrate into the surface of the meat. Remove the chops to a utility platter.

In the same pan, sauté the shallots over medium high heat until they turn translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they give up their juices, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the wine and let cook for about 5 minutes. Then reduce heat to medium low, return the chops to the pan, cover, and let cook until the chops are tender, about 35 minutes.

While the chops are cooking and the sauce is reducing, prepare the bulgur porridge which was traditionally served with venison as a digestive aid. Because it is pre-steamed, it can be soaked in boiling water to make it meal-ready. Put bulgur and salt in a mixing bowl. Add 2 ½ cups boiling water, cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

Transfer the chops to a platter and increase the heat under the pan of mushrooms and sauce to high and allow to reduce by two-thirds. Season this sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, place ½ cup of bulgur porridge in the middle of each serving plate. Top with a venison chop and spoon mushrooms and sauce over and around. Sprinkle with parsley.

Entrée: Game/Fowl

PHEASANT WITH CRANBERRY HONEY
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup raw bacon, chopped (about ½ pound or 6 to 8 slices, depending on thickness)
3 two-to-three pound pheasant, separated into legs, breasts, and thighs
1 cup dry red wine
1 pound pearl onions, blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water and skins slipped off
1 teaspoon cracked peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
Salt, to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
¼ cup honey
¼ cup sour cream
6 small sprigs fresh mint, for garnish

Method:
Render the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pheasant parts and sear them on all sides. (Pheasant tends to be dry, so it will be left to cook with the bacon fat and the excess fat will be removed later.) Add the red wine and onions to the pot. Sprinkle cracked pepper, bay leaves, tarragon, salt and mint over pheasant parts. Reduce the heat to low and cover pot. Cook until tender and juices run clear (no longer pink), about 25 minutes. Remove the pheasant carefully to a utility platter, cover and set aside to keep warm. Transfer the liquids from the pot to a glass container (such as a 2 or 3 cup Pyrex measuring vessel) and allow the layer of fat to rise to the top. Spoon or pour off most of the fat and return the rest of the juices, herbs, bacon and onions to the pot over medium heat. Add the cranberries to the sauce and cook until the berries pop to make a rustic sauce. Remove the sauce from the heat, discard bay leaves, and whisk in the honey and sour cream.

Arrange the pheasant on serving dish, spoon sauce over, and garnish with mint.

Entrée: Game/Fowl

QUEEN’S CHOICE QUAIL WITH FIG AND DATE SAUCE
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 servings of 2 quail each

Ingredients for quail and marinade:
2 fresh limes
8 whole quail (these are normally between 4 and 8 ounces each)
Freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for fig and date sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1 cup dry red wine
8 fresh figs, chopped
8 dates, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/8 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Ingredients for the rub for the quail:
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons salt

Method for marinating the quail:
Early in the day, place the limes in s small bowl and microwave them for about 3 minutes to release the essential oils. Set aside briefly until they are just cool enough to handle. Rinse the quail and dry with paper towels. Set the quail in a non-reactive bowl and squeeze the lime juice over, and then season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Let sit refrigerated for about 3 or 4 hours.

Method for the sauce:
While the quail are marinating, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a medium sauté pan and sauté the shallots until translucent. De-glaze the pan with the red wine, and stir in figs and dates and let sauce reduce by half. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper as needed. Cover and set aside until needed.

Method to cook the marinated quail:
On the episode, the quail were roasted over a spit. If you have a rotisserie arrangement you can roast them that way. Otherwise, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil with the rosemary, thyme, and salt, and rub it over surface of the quail. Roast the quail until tender but still juicy, about 20 minutes. Remove the quail to a serving platter and let rest.

Presentation:
Re-heat the fig and date sauce and spoon it over the quail. Sprinkle with parsley.

Entrée: Rabbit

SPICE ROASTED RENAISSANCE RABBIT
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon mace
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 pinch saffron
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
3 pounds rabbit, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

Method:
In a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices or with a mortar and pestle, grind together the mace, peppercorns, saffron, cloves, and salt. Rub into the rabbit meat and let sit refrigerated for 2 hours.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roast the rabbit covered until fork tender, about 35 to 45 minutes, removing the cover in the last 10 minutes of roasting time. Remove from the oven and let rest. Serve garnished with minced chives.

Entrée: Fish

SWORDFISH WITH CITRUS SALADE “VERONIQUE”
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients for citrus salad:
1 pomegranate, end sliced off, scored and fruits released into a bowl
2 fresh oranges, peeled and segmented
1 ½ cups fresh seedless grapes
1 fresh lime, zest grated off and juiced
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, finely minced

Ingredients for swordfish and lemon butter sauce:
3 fresh lemons, zest grated off and juiced
2 tablespoons lemon pepper
6 six-to-eight ounce swordfish steaks
Salt, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/8 cup (6 tablespoons) butter (¼ cup for sautéing and 1/8 cup cubed for a lemon butter sauce)

Method for the salad:
For the salad, combine pomegranate, oranges, grapes, lime zest, lime juice, and mint leaves. Set aside briefly.

Method for the swordfish:
In a small bowl, make a paste with the ½ cup of the lemon juice (reserving the rest – about ¼ cup - for a lemon-butter sauce), lemon zest, and lemon pepper. Season the swordfish steaks with salt and press some of the lemon paste into the top surface of the fish to make a crust on each. Over medium heat in a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and melt the ¼ cup of the butter in it, reserving the rest of the butter. Starting with the crust side down first, sear the swordfish steaks. (It is important to leave the fish undisturbed for about 3 minutes for the seasonings to integrate into the surface of the fish and for the caramelization process to begin. This will prevent the layer of seasonings from “crusting off.”) Then, flip the fish and sear the other side. Swordfish must be cooked briefly because it easily dries out. Remove fish to a utility platter and let rest. (The fish will continue to cook even when it is removed from the heat because of a process known as “carryover” cooking. It is especially important to be mindful of this with swordfish. Do not overcook the fish. If you cook this fish in the pan until it “looks” done – it will end up being overdone after carryover cooking.)

Method for the lemon butter sauce:
To the pan, add the reserved lemon juice and swirl to get all the bits in the pan. Remove from heat and whisk in cubed butter. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.

Presentation:
Place the swordfish steaks on serving plates and drizzle each with a small amount of the lemon butter sauce. Spoon citrus salad around fish.

Entrée: Vegetarian

TAMING OF THE SQUASH STEW
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced small
1 stalk celery, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
2 zucchini quash, cut unto ½ inch thick slices
2 summer squash, cut into ½ inch thick slices
1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and diced
¼ chopped fresh basil leaves

Method:
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme leaves, and bay leaf and sauté until the onion turns translucent, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the zucchini squash and summer squash, and salt and black pepper to taste. Stir to coat with the onion mixture. Sprinkle the red bell pepper over the squash. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover and cook until tender about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with fresh basil.

Accompaniment: Rice

WILD RICE WITH ALMONDS
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup wild rice blend (such as a blend of long grain brown, sweet brown, whole grain black, etc)
¼ cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Method:
Bring 2 ½ cups water to a boil. Add wild rice, almonds, butter, and salt and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for 50 minutes without removing the lid. Remove from heat and let rest 10 minutes, leaving covered.

Stir to fluff rice, transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with minced parsley.

Accompaniment: Salad

COUNTRY CASTLE SALAD
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients for vinaigrette dressing:
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram leaves
1 garlic clove, quartered
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil

Ingredients for salad:
1 pound spinach, soaked in salt water to remove grit, dried in a salad spinner, stems removed and torn into bite sized pieces
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch discs
8 radishes, cut into wedges
4 stalks celery, cut into ½ inch pieces

Method:
Make the dressing by adding one at a time through the feed opening of a running blender, vinegar, parsley, marjoram, garlic, salt, and pepper. Leaving the blender running, pour in the olive oil in a slow stream. Set aside briefly.

Toss the spinach, carrots, radishes, and celery together in a large bowl and add enough dressing to coat. Serve family style with additional dressing on the side.

Dessert: Fruit/Cheese

SUGARED WENSLEYDALE CHEESE WITH BISCUITS
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 dessert servings

Ingredients:
½ pound Wensleydale cheese made with cranberries
¼ cup sugar
12 pizzelles or sweet crackers such as Nabisco Honey Maid Crackers®
1 cup seedless grapes

Method:
Slice Wensleydale with a cheese plane. Sprinkle with sugar and arrange on a platter with seedless grapes. Serve with sweet biscuits and with dry white wine, beer or cider.

Dessert: Tart

APPLE FRITTER TART
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
¼ cup unsalted butter (4 tablespoons or ½ stick)
2 apples suitable for baking (Granny Smith, Stayman, or your choice), peeled, cored and thinly
sliced
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup grapeseed oil plus 1 tablespoon if need to further coat pan
Powdered sugar, as need to sprinkle over
6 small mint leaves

Method:
Melt the butter in a 10-inch sauté pan (preferably non-stick) over medium heat and add the apples and sugar, cooking gently until caramelized and softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, salt, and oil. Pour the batter over the apples and cover for about 5 minutes until the batter sets up. Remove the cover and cook further until the edges begin to brown, about 5 more minutes. Use a large plate to invert the tart and slip it gently back into the pan. (If the tart sticks when you invert it, use a spatula to scrape off any remnants from the pan and swirl the additional tablespoon of grapeseed oil over the surface, pouring off all but a coating. Return the tart to the pan and cook for about 2 more minutes before transferring onto serving plate. Garnish with powdered sugar and mint.

Dessert: Candy

ALMOND BRITTLE
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 to 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup whole almonds
4 cups brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup water

Method:
Roast the almonds on a baking sheet in a 350 oven for 5 minutes. Remove almonds from baking sheet to a utility plate.

Spread the oil over the baking sheet. Spread the roasted almonds evenly over the surface of the sheet. In a medium heavy bottomed saucepan, stir the sugar and the cream of tartar into the water over low heat until dissolved. When the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to medium and stop stirring. Bring to a boil and allow the temperature, as measured with a candy thermometer, to reach 300 degrees F (hard crack stage). Immediately pour the syrup over the almonds and allow to cool and harden completely. Break into pieces to serve.

All of us can recall significant personal events in our lives, both good and bad, the memories of which are much more vivid than others. It may be impossible to you to recall what you had for breakfast this morning, but the “biggies,” even from decades ago, remain sharp and crystal clear. Among these might be one’s wedding day, the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, a graduation, losing or winning a job.

There are a few memories that we share as a nation because the magnitude of the event changed the way we feel as Americans, possibly in terms of vulnerability, or collective loss of innocence or trust in the ways of the world. It is possible to go into a public place and expect a detailed answer when asking most people (who were old enough to remember) what they were doing when they heard the news of President Kennedy’s assassination. Because of the profound effect on their lives, these same people probably have a memory of the visceral fear they felt when President Reagan was shot. And of course, anyone over the age of 12 in the U.S. (or in much of the world for that matter) can tell you about 9/11.

This past month, we commemorated the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 09/11/2001. Many of us became as emotional as we did on the actual day, unable to watch the video of seeing the towers fall and yet at the same time, unable to turn away from the last moments of life of our countrymen and women. In hearing the stories of some of their children at the dedication of the 9/11 memorial, one is struck by how exponential the effects of the attacks were, affecting not only many, many families but many generations.I want to take this as an opportunity to say “thank you” to our firefighters and their families. On one of my Dinner: Impossible missions this year, I had occasion to spend a day with the members of a fire company in Seattle who had lost their battalion chief. I am honored to call the members of Ladder Company #7 my friends. During my time with them, I was struck by the fact that firefighters are cut from a different cloth. They are remarkably dedicated to the proposition that it is their calling to help people, and they do so without any ulterior motives of public recognition or power.

It is quite astounding, really, to meet people who literally save lives for a living and, instead of considering themselves as special or heroic, they simply think of it as being part of the job. The way they do seem to think of themselves is as being blessed by God with a special knack to face situations that most other people can’t and, without any fanfare, they simply see it as their “mission” if you will, their duty in this life. Who would you run into a burning building for? They’d do it for you. Another one of the Dinner: Impossible episodes was held at a Firehouse in Philadelphia during a farewell to one of the company's team who was being promoted to an elite group of firefighters and was leaving their ranks. Since she was one of their best cooks, it was my challenge to not only prepare her farewell dinner, but to teach them how to fend for themselves in the kitchen. Following are some recipes from that episode, in case you get the chance to invite a firefighter to dinner!

Appetizer: Salad

ROMAINE SALAD WITH CHOICE OF
RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE OR CREAMY ITALIAN DRESSING
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 8 to 12 servings

Ingredients for raspberry vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1 shallot, quartered
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients for creamy Italian dressing:
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade, and quartered
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 pinch crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients for salad:
12 cups romaine lettuce soaked in salt water to remove grit, stiff spines removed, torn into bite sized pieces and dried with a salad spinner (from 2 or 3 heads romaine lettuce)
1 red onion, thinly sliced on a mandolin
1 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced on a mandoline
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 small loaf French bread, sliced, toasted and cut into ¾ inch croutons

Method for the raspberry vinaigrette:
Add the vinegar to a blender, replace the lid, turn it on, and through the feed opening add, one at a time, shallot, black pepper, salt, mustard, and thyme. Then leaving the blender running, add the olive oil in a slow thin stream.

Wash and dry the blender to have it ready to prepare the other dressing.

Method for the creamy Italian dressing:
Add the vinegar to a blender, replace the lid, turn it on, and through the feed opening add, one at a time, garlic, black pepper, salt, red pepper, and cheese. Then leaving the blender running, add the olive oil in a slow thin stream.

Method for the salad:
Toss the lettuce, red onion, sweet onion, tomatoes, cheese, and parsley together in a large bowl. Top with croutons, and serve the dressings on the side.

Entrée: Steak

FILET MIGNON AU POIVRE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO DEMI-GLACE
AND SAUTEED BRUSSEL SPROUTS
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 servings (or 8 servings if paired with the Portobello Crusted Chicken with Warm Red Bliss Potato Salad as part of a duo plate as was done on the episode)

Ingredients for sun-dried tomato demi-glace:
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced
4 scallions, white and tender green parts only, sliced on the bias
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed or re-hydrated in water if dry packed), cut into ¼
inch pieces
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon beef base stirred into 1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, cubed

Ingredients for brussels sprouts:
1 pint (about 8) brussels sprouts, tough outer leaves removed and halved
½ pound bacon
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Ingredients for steak au poivre:
6 garlic cloves, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
4 6-ounce beef tenderloin steaks OR 8 3-ounce steaks if serving as part of a duo plate
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

Method for the tomato demi-glace:
Heat the grapeseed oil in a medium saucepot over medium high heat. Add the garlic and scallions and sauté lightly for one minute. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, beef base and liquid. Let reduce by half, about 5 minutes.

(Begin the Brussels sprouts.)

Strain the tomato demi-glace through a chinois into a small bowl. Cover and keep warm.

Method for the Brussels sprouts:
Whilst the sauce is reducing, blanch the brussels sprouts until just tender, about 3 to 5 minutes, and drain well. (Return to the sauce.)

Fry the bacon until crisp in a large skillet with oven safe handles and drain on paper towels. Pour most of the bacon fat from the pan and melt the butter over medium heat in the same pan. Sprinkle paprika over the cut side of the blanched brussels sprouts and sauté cut side down in the butter, leaving undisturbed for a few minutes (4 or 5 minutes) to let the caramelization process to begin. Transfer the sprouts to a bowl, crumble the bacon over, toss lightly and keep warm. Reserve the pan for the steak.

Method for the steak:
Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Mash the garlic and cracked pepper together with a mortar and pestle and set aside briefly. Heat grapeseed oil over medium high heat in the same oven-safe sauté pan. Season the filet mignon with salt and pepper. Sear the steak leaving undisturbed for the first two minutes or so to let the seasonings into the surface of the meat and to allow the caramelization process to begin. Flip steaks and cook the other side in the same way. Cook to an internal temperature of 115 degrees as measured with a meat thermometer for medium rare, or done to your liking. Remove from heat and press garlic/pepper paste onto surface of steaks. Finish in oven until the crust becomes golden brown, about 2 to 5 minutes. (Remember to use an oven mitt to remove pan from oven.)

Presentation:
Re-heat the demi-glace over low heat, remove from burner and to make sauce silky, gradually whisk in the cubed butter allowing each addition to melt before adding the next.

Arrange the brussels sprouts and filet mignon on each serving plate. Spoon tomato demi-glace over steak.

Entrée: Chicken

PORTOBELLO-CRUSTED CHICKEN WITH WARM RED BLISS POTATO SALAD
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 servings (or 8 servings if paired with the Filet Mignon au Poivre with Sundried Demi-Glace and Sautéed Brussels Sprouts as part of a duo plate as was done on the episode)

Ingredients for marinade and chicken:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil
2 large Portobello mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and gills removed with the tip of a
spoon
4 eight-ounce chicken breasts, halved
1 red onion, sliced
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), cubed
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 fresh sage leaves, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced (from about 3 or 4 large sprigs)
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Ingredients for warm potato salad:
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into uniform ¼ inch thick pieces
½ pound bacon strips
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup olive oil
4 scallions, white and tender green parts only

Method for the marinade:
Add vinegar and lemon juice to blender. Replace the lid, turn on the blender, and through the feed opening add, one at a time, the garlic, salt pepper, and black pepper. Leaving the blender running add the olive oil in a slow thin stream.

Place the mushrooms and chicken breasts in each of two separate non-reactive bowls suitable for marinating and pour half of the marinade mixture over the contents of each container. Add the sliced red onion to the container with the chicken. Cover each container and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Method for the warm potato salad:
About 30 minutes before mealtime, boil the potatoes until tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fry the bacon and drain on paper towels. Add the balsamic vinegar to a blender, replace the lid, and through the feed opening add, one at a time, dill, mustard, honey, pepper, and salt. Leaving the blender running, add the olive oil in a slow thin stream. Drain the potatoes well, add the scallions, crumble in the bacon, and fold in enough of the dressing to coat.

Method for the Portobello crusted chicken:
Heat the grill and grill the marinated Portobello, top surface first for about 5 minutes over indirect heat. Flip and grill the other side for 3 to 5 more mintutes. Remove from heat and let rest.

Grill both sides of the marinated chicken, about 5 minutes per side, and transfer to a baking sheet.

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl mash together the butter, breadcrumbs, sage, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper. Chop the grilled mushrooms finely and combine with butter/breadcrumb mixture to make a paste. Press onto the surface of the chicken breasts to form a crust and finish the chicken in the oven until the chicken is fork tender and the crust turns golden brown, about 2 to 5 minutes.

Presentation:
Arrange some of the warm potato salad and crusted chicken breast on plate and sprinkle with parsley.

Dessert: Mock strudel

MOCK FRUIT STRUDEL WITH ICE CREAM
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine All rights reserved

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
2 fresh granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced fine
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 sixteen-ounce can pears, well-drained and finely diced
1 sixteen-ounce can peaches, well-drained and finely diced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 small Sara Lee pound cake, defrosted, and cut into small cubes
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
20 sheets phyllo dough (based on 18 X 14 inch sheets which are often sold in packs of
18-20 for thickness #4)
1 cup melted butter
1 or 2 eggs for egg wash
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 six-ounce jar caramel sauce (the kind used as an ice cream topping), warmed just before
serving

Method:
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and stir in apples, raisins, and golden raisins. Sauté for about 5 to 7 minutes until they begin to caramelize. Add the pears, peaches, vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. If phyllo was frozen, make sure it is completely defrosted before handling it. Once removed from package, you will need to cover the phyllo with wax paper and a slightly damp clean kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out. Working with one sheet at a time, lay out a sheet of the phyllo dough on a baking sheet and brush on butter. Lay another sheet on top and butter again, repeating for all the phyllo sheets, until you have a stack of 10. Start another stack of 10 on a separate baking sheet and butter in between each sheet in the same way.

Fold the cubed pound cake and Panko breadcrumbs into the fruit mixture. (This will absorb enough of the moisture to prevent the phyllo from breaking down.)

Spread the fruit mixture evenly over each stack of prepared phyllo and gently roll up the dough from the longest side, folding the ends shut as you go. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake in oven until golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Serve at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and warm caramel sauce.

I’ve had the opportunity in my life to travel all over, and I take a lot of pleasure away from meeting new and interesting people. Let me qualify that, because in my experience, it’s nearly impossible to meet an uninteresting person, especially if you are willing to take a moment or two to talk with or just take a good look at the person standing right in front of you. This can apply as well to loved ones and business associates as to total strangers. Making it a habit, working for that little extra moment of connection, however brief, can make all of the difference. Who knows? It might lead to a lifelong friendship (or, alternatively, keep you out of situations that can lead to loads of trouble). Or it could just make your day.

You can train yourself to create mostly positive outcomes on a daily basis in your life by developing good habits. How often have you walked away from some sort of minor catastrophe, disaster or accident, in the kitchen or otherwise, and said, “I don’t know what I was thinking…” Usually, that sentiment hits the nail right on the head. We are what we do and we are what we think every day. And trouble, when it comes, is too often brought on by failing to listen to the little voice each of us has inside our heads. It’s usually only later that we realize we had the chance to avoid a mishap which in hindsight often looked like a locomotive barreling straight at you down the tracks.

Good cooking is the embodiment of good habits. Skills are developed and nurtured by two things: repetition and good outcomes. Practice makes perfect because it opens neural pathways so that our muscles and brains understand what we’re asking them to do at a given moment. Coaches call this “muscle memory,” but I think it probably has as much to do with building a link of confidence between intention and ability. In other words, I think you can be told that you can do something, but when you actually think about the steps involved and then take it a step further by experiencing what it feels like to go through the motions, the process is made “more real.” Good outcomes, of course, reinforce this training with sensations of satisfaction and pleasure. It’s a winning combination. I’ve heard it said that it takes 21 repetitions to build a habit. It must follow that if you practice a technique a million times, it becomes second nature.

I love the phrase, “second nature.” Our native talents and abilities, our gender, our body types, the color of our eyes, certain dispositions of temperament are given to us by nature. We can take these gifts and use them to most effectively serve ourselves and others by building on them as the foundation for our better selves.

Even the seemingly most insignificant habits, if they are good ones and are practiced with the best intentions over time, can make all of the difference. When I first hired “Little George” as a chef in the hotel I was running at the time, I didn’t actually have a job opening for him. But he dazzled me with his shoes. Sure, his resume told me he was a good cook, but I noticed immediately that his shoes were buffed to a high gloss in strict military fashion. To me, that spoke volumes. I knew I could work with him because great work in the kitchen is nothing if it isn’t based on excellence in the details. (George’s attention to detail is also one of the reasons why he makes the best crab cakes in the world!) He ended up staying with me for eleven action-packed years.

Good habits start early. If you are at school (or even if your school days are far behind you), don’t squander the opportunity to get things done. It’s usually the case that in the time you spend trying to figure out all of the ways to avoid doing a chore, you could get it done and be well on to the next thing. When I was a young man at school, I had a lot of poor study and schoolwork habits that were largely based on my nature. I liked to have fun and play at sports and, frankly, was never crazy about being told what to do. One of my instructors, David Bodfish, took me aside and made me realize that I had other options. By not applying myself and building good habits, I wasn’t pulling the wool over my teacher’s eyes; I was cheating myself and being of no good use to anybody. Soon after, I joined the Navy and they really drove the point home. Good habits in the military not only help you get along with your mates and secure advancement, but are designed to keep you from getting shot or having your boat sunk.

Take pleasure in a job well done, no matter how small, and you’ll find your day is suddenly filled with innumerable tiny victories.

If you decide that you want to learn to be a scratch cook, you can do it easily, by training yourself to take a few small, extra steps Repeat these steps and they’ll become a habit you can rely on. The positive outcome will be better, more delicious and healthier food on your table.

While we are on the subject of school days (and school daze), a simple place to start is with a soup many people associate with school years (next to a nice toasted cheese sandwich). Also are some recipes for hors d’oeuvres which make one realize the beauty in their detail. Enjoy.

Appetizer: Soup

SUMMER TOMATO SOUP

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2¼ pounds vine ripened tomatoes, cored and quartered
2 garlic cloves, chopped
5 thyme sprigs, or ¼ tsp. dried thyme
4-5 marjoram sprigs (reserve some for garnish), or ¼ tsp. dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
3 tbsp. crème fraiche (or if desired, sour cream or yogurt) plus a little extra to garnish
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method
Heat the olive oil in a large preferably stainless steel saucepan or flameproof casserole.

Add the onion and carrot and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until just softened, stirring occasionally.

Add the tomatoes, garlic and herbs (thyme, marjoram, bay leaf). (Remember to reserve your sprig for garnish.) Reduce the heat and simmer the soup covered for 30 minutes.

Pass the soup through a food mill or press through a sieve into the pan. Stir in the cream (or sour cream or yogurt) and season with salt and pepper as needed. Reheat gently and serve garnished with a spoonful of crème fraiche, sour cream or yogurt, and a sprig of marjoram.

Hors d’oeuvre: Seafood

WONTON CRISP WITH CUCUMBER TOBIKO CAVIAR
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved.

Ingredients:
1 to 4 liters canola oil as needed for frying or deep frying
12 three-inch square wonton skins cut in half on the diagonal with a pizza cutter into 24 triangles
1 English cucumber, peeled and cut fine brunoise (julienne then cut crosswise into 1/16th inch cubes)
2 vine ripened tomatoes, seeds removed and cut brunoise (julienne then cut crosswise into 1/16th inch cubes)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons tobiko (green and orange caviar)
24 very small parsley sprigs

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan or deep fryer to 375 degrees F as measured with a candy thermometer (or as recommended by the deep fryer manufacturer for similar foods). Fry the wonton skins until golden brown and drain on paper towels.

Combine cucumber, tomatoes, and mayonnaise in a bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spoon a small amount on each fried wonton triangle and top with ¼ teaspoon tobiko caviar. Finish with a parsley sprig.

Robert Irvine Schedule of Appearances:

October 11th- Taping Ciao Italia! with Mary Ann Esposito at Mohegan Sun, CT
www.mohegansun.com

October 16th- Epcot Food & Wine Festival

2:00 PM- “Kitchen Conversations”
3:30 PM- Autographs

5:45 PM- Culinary Demonstration
6:30 PM- Autographs

October 18th- Epcot Food & Wine Festival
6:30 PM- “Party for the Senses”

January 17th & 18th- Sun Wine Fest 2009 at Mohegan Sun
www.SunWineFest.com

… must come to a close, even the lazy, hazy days of summer vacation.

What did I do on mine? Some day, that’s going to fill volumes. In the meantime, the close of the season, as marked by Labor Day and the kiddies return to their schooling, does put me in mind of beginnings and endings. We’ve had some remarkable endings, in the truest sense of the word, and are on the brink of some truly amazing beginnings. I invite you all along for the ride.

As we all move from the lows to the highs, from the troughs to the crests, from the temporary setbacks to the triumphs of our lives, it’s okay, I think, to bid a fond farewell to what’s gone before and to wholeheartedly embrace what may be coming next. Along the way, it’s nice to be a part of something, whether it’s a couple, a family, a community or a nation. Anything that brings us together in a positive spirit, well, I’m for it. Here’s a nickel’s worth of advice: as much as you can , be a joiner, not a quitter.

Anyway, philosophical digression, completed. Now, just in time for school lunches, family dinners and after-school snacks, here are some recipes from last summer when I went away to camp!

(Chef Britton and I earning our cooking badges !)

Entrée: Chicken

BBQ-GLAZED CHICKEN NUGGETS
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 16 to 24 nuggets

Ingredients for BBQ glaze:
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup honey

Ingredients for chicken:
2 eight-ounce boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup flour, or as needed to coat the chicken
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup olive oil

Method for the barbeque glaze:
Pour the apple cider vinegar into a small saucepan and whisk in the garlic powder, onion powder and chili powder. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes to allow that flavors to integrate. Add the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, molasses, dark brown sugar and honey. Bring the heat down to low and allow to bubble and thicken for about 10 minutes.

Method for the chicken:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a plastic bag, shake together the flour, salt and pepper and add the chicken pieces in small batches to coat. Place on a baking sheet (lined with heavy duty foil for easy cleanup) and drizzle olive oil over them. Bake for about 15 minutes, and then coat each piece with some of the glaze and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes. You can do a second coat of glaze for the last 5 minutes, or serve any additional glaze on the side.

Presentation:
Delicious on Kaiser rolls, or garnished with fresh herbs. Macaroni and cheese is a great accompaniment.


Entrée: Pizza

BUFFALO WING PIZZA ROLL-UP (TEAM ROBERT VERSION)
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 2 fourteen-inch strombolis (rolled pizzas) which can be cut into about 12 slices each

Ingredients for pizza dough:
1½ cups warm water, between 100 and 115 degrees F, as measured with a candy
thermometer (any hotter than this will kill the yeast – but if it’s too cool, the yeast won’t be activated)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 quarter-ounce packet fresh fast-acting yeast
4 cups all purpose flour, plus some extra to knead the dough
¼ cup cornmeal for pizza stones

Ingredients for the pizza sauce and chicken filling:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 cup (1 sixteen-ounce can) tomato chunks or chunky tomato sauce
¼ cup Wondra flour, or enough as need to thicken the pizza topping if it is too runny
1 pound ground chicken
3 ounces blue cheese
½ cup “buffalo wing” sauce (preferably Anchor Bay Wing Sauce made with the recipe
from the place where buffalo wings were originally invented)
1 six-ounce container plain yogurt

Method for the dough:
Dissolve the salt, sugar, and yeast in the warm water and allow the yeast to proof. (“Proofing” the yeast is testing it for viability. It will develop a foam which looks like the head of a beer. If it doesn’t proof, the yeast is dead and should be discarded.) Proofing takes about 15 to 30 minutes. Place the flour in a food processor fitted with a dough blade, and through the feed tube with the food processor running, slowly pour the proofed yeast mixture, until the dough comes together and is a cohesive mass. Transfer the dough to a floured board, and knead for about 5 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover with a clean dish towel and allow dough to rise in a warm place, so that it roughly doubles in volume. (This will take about 30 minutes to an hour). The dough has risen enough if you make an indentation with your finger and it does not spring back.) Punch the dough down and allow it to rise again. (Allowing the dough to rise a second time gives it a finer texture.) Note: It will not rise as much the second time.

Method for the pizza sauce and chicken filling:
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large sauce pan (reserving the rest of the oil). Sauté garlic and onions until they begin to soften, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add the parsley, salt, and tomatoes. Cook for about 20 minutes to allow flavors to integrate. (Begin the chicken as described below, while the sauce is cooking.) Remove from heat and whisk in Wondra flour to thicken. Mix with an immersion blender, then set aside briefly.

While the sauce is cooking, in a separate fry pan, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat, and brown the ground chicken, breaking up the pieces as it cooks. When the ground chicken has browned, remove it from the heat and crumble the blue cheese into the pan, then stir in the buffalo wing sauce and yogurt. Fold this mixture into the tomato sauce. If the mix is absolutely too runny for the pizza filling, add more Wondra flour.

Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Divide the dough in half and stretch out two 14-inch circles. Transfer them to pizza stones sprinkled with corn meal. Top with the buffalo chicken pizza topping. Roll up and seal the ends as you roll. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the dough is nicely browned. Allow to rest to 5 minutes.

Presentation:
Cut into 1 or 1 ½ inch slices and serve hot with beer or soda pop.


Accompaniment: Salad

CAMP COBB SALAD
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients for dressing:
1 lime
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chives
1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered
¾ cup buttermilk
Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for salad:
½ pound bacon
2 pounds turkey breast
Salt and pepper to taste
1 épée loaf
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 head Bibb lettuce, soaked, dried in a salad spinner, spines of leaves removed and torn into
bite-sized pieces
2 large ripe tomatoes or 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 English cucumbers, peeled and sliced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced, or shredded with a vegetable peeler
½ pound fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small wedges

Method for the dressing:
Microwave the lime in a small bowl for about 30 seconds to release its essential oils, and set it aside just long enough so that it is cool enough to handle. Turn on the blender and while the blender is running add, one at a time through the feed tube, the parsley, chives, and garlic, and blend together until a smooth paste has formed. At this point the lime should be cool enough to squeeze. Slice the lime in half and hold the sliced side against your palm to help contain the seeds. With the power still on, squeeze the lime juice through the blender feed-tube, and then very slowly add the buttermilk in a stream until the mixture thickens and can coat the back of a spoon. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Set the dressing aside in the refrigerator at least one hour. (When chilled, the dressing should resemble something like mayonnaise.)

Method for the salad:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large skillet with oven safe handles, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and set it aside on paper towels to drain, reserving the bacon fat to sauté the turkey. Season the turkey breast and add it to the skillet containing the rendered bacon fat and brown the turkey on all sides. Cover and roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 to 165 degrees so that during carryover cooking (the term for any cooking of food which continues after it is removed from the heat source) it reaches 170 degrees F. (This is done in an effort to keep the meat from drying out.) Remove the turkey to a utility platter and let it rest for 10 minutes while you make the croutons. Leave the oven on to toast the bread.

Slice the épée loaf in half lengthwise and place it on a baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the cut side of the bread, and then season it with dried parsley, salt and pepper. Toast the bread in oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until crisp. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool.

Slice the turkey into ½ inch cubes, and cut the bread into small croutons.

Presentation:
Place about a cup of lettuce on each serving dish and place about ½ cup of the turkey cubes in the center of each bed of lettuce. Arrange the tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and mozzarella cheese wedges on top of the lettuce. Break or cut the cooked bacon into pieces and sprinkle on top of the turkey. Distribute the croutons evenly on the salad. Serve with dressing on the side.


Dessert: Snack

CARAMALLOW CAMPBANANA CRUNCHIES
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

The Rice Krispies Treats® portion of this recipe is used courtesy of Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies®

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients for Rice Krispies Treats®:
3 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 10-ounce package (about 40) regular marshmallows or 4 cups miniature
marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies®

Ingredients for caramallow campbanana topping:
1 cup milk
½ cup sugar
3 to 6 tablespoons Wondra flour, or enough as needed to adjust the thickness of the sauce
1½ cups (1 12-ounce jar) caramel topping (the kind used to top ice cream)
3 or 4 bananas
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 quart vanilla ice cream

Method for the Rice Krispies® treats:
Melt the margarine in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from the heat and add the Rice Krispies® cereal. Stir until well coated. Using a buttered spatula or waxed paper wrapped around your hands, press the mixture evenly into a 13-inch X 9-inch X 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. When cooled, cut into 12 pieces by cutting into thirds lengthwise and fourths crosswise.

Method for the caramallow campbanana topping:
Heat the milk in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Stirring constantly, add the caramel topping until all the ingredients are combined and the mixture becomes a sauce the consistency of which – although thick - will coat the bananas you fold in without mashing them. If necessary, use Wondra flour to thicken or all more milk if the sauce is too thick. Slice the bananas directly into the sauce and fold in gently.

Presentation:
Spoon the caramel-coated bananas over the Rice Krispies® treats. Top with mini-marshmallows and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.


Entrée: Chicken

CHICKEN PICCATA
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients for chicken:
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
1 pound chicken breasts, sliced thin and pounded into 2-inch wide by 4-inch long cutlets
3 tablespoons butter
1 fresh lemon, halved crosswise and seeds removed
2 teaspoons capers
2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley leaves, minced

Ingredients for sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
½ cup hot chicken broth

Method for the chicken:
Shake the flour, salt and pepper together in a plastic bag. Add the chicken pieces in batches to coat. Heat the butter over medium heat in a skillet and brown each side of the coated chicken. Keeping the sliced side of the lemon against your palm to contain seeds, squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the chicken and add the capers, just to give the chicken a hint of these flavors. Remove the chicken to a platter and set aside in a warm place.

Method for the sauce:
To the same pan add the butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour to make a blond roux. Gradually add the chicken broth and stir to combine. Allow to thicken for about 10 minutes.

Presentation:
Place a chicken breast in the center of each serving plate and spoon some of the sauce over each piece. Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon parsley leaves.

Entrée: Pizza


ENDLESS SUMMER STROMBOLI
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 2 fourteen-inch Stromboli pizzas which can be cut into about 12 slices each

Ingredients for the dough:
1½ cups warm water, between 100 and 115 degrees F, as measured with a candy
thermometer (any hotter than this will kill the yeast – but if it’s too cool, the yeast won’t be activated)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups all purpose flour, plus some extra for the dough board
¼ cup cornmeal for pizza stones

Ingredients for the filling:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 cup (1 sixteen-ounce can) tomato chunks or chunky tomato sauce
½ cup packed fresh chopped basil leaves
½ pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

Method for the dough:
Dissolve the salt, sugar, and yeast in the warm water and allow the yeast to proof. (“Proofing” the yeast is testing it for viability. It will develop a foam which looks like the head of a beer. If it doesn’t proof, the yeast is dead and should be discarded.) Proofing takes about 15 to 30 minutes. Place the flour in a food processor fitted with a dough blade, and through the feed tube with the food processor running, slowly pour the proofed yeast mixture, until the dough comes together and is a cohesive mass. Transfer the dough to a floured board, and knead for about 5 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover with a clean dish towel and allow dough to rise in a warm place, so that it roughly doubles in volume. (This will take about 30 minutes to an hour). The dough has risen enough if you make an indentation with your finger and it does not spring back.) Punch the dough down and allow it to rise again. (Allowing the dough to rise a second time gives it a finer texture.) Note: It will not rise as much the second time.

Method for the filling:
While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a deep sauce pan (reserving the rest of the oil). Sauté the garlic and onions until the onions turn translucent, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add the parsley, salt, tomatoes, and basil. Cook for about 20 minutes to allow flavors to integrate. Mix carefully with an immersion blender or in a conventional blender with the cap to the feed opening removed for ventilation of the steam, but with a double layer of paper towel folded into fourths and held firmly over the opening to prevent splashing. Set the filling aside briefly.

Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Divide the dough in half and stretch out two 14-inch circles. Transfer them to pizza stones sprinkled with corn meal. Top with the tomato sauce as you would a pizza topping. Lay an even amount of mozzarella cheese slices on each. Roll up and seal ends as you roll. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the dough is nicely browned.

Presentation:
Let the Stromboli rest about 5 minutes before slicing into 1 to 1 ½ inch slices. Serve warm with your favorite beer or soda pop.


Dessert

FUDGE, NUT & FLUFF APPLE DESSERT PIZZA
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 slices

Ingredients for the dough:
1½ cups warm water, between 100 and 115 degrees F, as measured with a candy
thermometer (any hotter than this will kill the yeast – but if it’s too cool, the yeast won’t be activated)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 ¼-ounce packet fresh fast-acting yeast
3 cups all purpose flour, plus some extra for the dough board
2 tablespoons corn meal for the pizza stone

Topping:
2 tablespoons butter
3 to 4 apples, peeled, cored and sliced, and tossed with a little bit of lemon juice to
prevent oxidation (good choices are Braeburn, Gala, Jonathan, Rome Beauty)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup sugar
¼ cup lemon juice
6 tablespoons caramel topping (the kind used as ice cream topping)
6 tablespoons Nutella (hazelnut & chocolate paste)
½ cup mini-marshmallows
¼ cup chocolate syrup
1 pint vanilla ice cream

Method for the dough:
Dissolve the salt, sugar, and yeast in the warm water and allow the yeast to proof. (“Proofing” the yeast is testing it for viability. It will develop a foam which looks like the head of a beer. If it doesn’t proof, the yeast is dead and should be discarded.) Proofing takes about 15 to 30 minutes. Place the flour in a food processor fitted with a dough blade, and through the feed tube with the food processor running, slowly pour the proofed yeast mixture, until the dough comes together and is a cohesive mass. Transfer the dough to a floured board, and knead for about 5 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover with a clean dish towel and allow dough to rise in a warm place, so that it roughly doubles in volume. (This will take about 30 minutes to an hour). The dough has risen enough if you make an indentation with your finger and it does not spring back.) Punch the dough down and allow it to rise again. (Allowing the dough to rise a second time gives it a finer texture.) Note: It will not rise as much the second time.

Method for the topping:
While the dough is proofing, begin to prepare the topping. Melt the butter over medium heat in a pan with a lid. Add apples and stir gently to coat with the warm butter. Combine the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the apples. Stir in the lemon juice. Cover and cook over low to medium heat until the apples are cooked through and tender, for about 25 to 35 minutes.

Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Stretch the dough out into a 14-inch circle which is thicker around the perimeter. Transfer the dough to a pizza stone sprinkled with corn meal. Using tongs, top the dough evenly with the cooked apple slices. Since the caramel topping and Nutella are thick and awkward to spread, distribute spoonfuls of them evenly over the surface of the apple slices so the heat from the oven will make them melt onto the surface. Sprinkle with mini-marshmallows and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the dough is nicely browned. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

Presentation:
Using a pizza cutter, cut into wedges as you would any pizza. Serve warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream.


Entrée: Steak/Pasta

FUN IN THE SUN-DRIED TOMATO-ALFREDO OVER PENNE WITH CAJUN STEAK
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1½ to 2 pounds top round steak, cut into 8 pieces and pounded with a meat mallet
1 tablespoon to ¼ cup Irvine Spices Cajun Blackening spice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup (about 8 ounces) sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil or if de-hydrated soaked in
warm water, chopped
1 medium onion, minced
½ cup flour
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup hot chicken broth
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 pound ziti
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced

Method:
Rub Cajun spice into the surface of the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit while you prepare the sauce and pasta. (The rub will actually begin to “cure” the meat.)

Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Cook the sun-dried tomatoes for a few minutes, then with a slotted spoon transfer them to a utility plate. Reserve the skillet and all the bits in it for the meat.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a large sauce pan which will be large enough to accommodate the pound of pasta once it is cooked. Sauté the onion over medium heat until it becomes translucent, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Whisk in the flour to make a blond roux. Gradually add the chicken broth and increase the heat to medium high. Allow to thicken, about 10 minutes.

Begin boiling the pasta whilst the sauce is thickening. Cook until al dente.

Remove the pot of thickened sauce from the heat and whisk in the parmesan cheese and the sun-dried tomatoes. Immediately cover the surface of sauce with a sheet of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and set aside briefly.

Over medium high heat, sear the steaks in the reserved skillet, about 3 minutes per side or cooked to your liking.

Drain the cooked pasta and fold it into the pot containing the sauce and fold to coat the pasta. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Presentation:
Place some pasta and sauce into the center of each serving plate. Slice the steaks into bite sized pieces and serve over pasta. Sprinkle with parsley.


Accompaniment: Salad

KALEIDOSCOPE SALAD
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 to 10 accompaniment-size servings

Ingredients for the dressing:
2 limes
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, minced (about 8 sprigs)
2 tablespoons fresh snipped chives (about 12 strands)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
1½ cups buttermilk
Salt and pepper to taste

Salad:
1 head iceberg lettuce, core removed, spines of leaves removed, rinsed and dried with a salad
spinner, and torn into bite sized pieces
1 pound bag fresh spinach, soaked several times to remove grit, tough stems removed, dried in
a salad spinner, and torn into bite-sized pieces
1 red onion, thinly sliced and slices quartered
3 stalks celery, scrubbed and sliced
6 garlic chives, white and tender green parts only, chopped
2 English cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 8-ounce bag fresh frozen peas, blanched, drained and allowed to cool
1 8-ounce bag fresh frozen corn (preferably shoe-peg), blanched, drained, and allowed to cool
OR 3 ears husked sweet corn, boiled for 15 minutes in salt water, cooled & cut from cob
1 16-ounce can pineapple chunks in their own juice, drained
1 8-ounce bag dried cranberries
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges

Method for the dressing:
Microwave the limes in a small bowl for about 30 seconds to release their essential oils, and when they are still warm but cool enough to handle, cut them in half and with the sliced side against your palm (to contain seeds), squeeze the lime juice through the feed opening of a running blender. With the blender still running, add the parsley, chives, and garlic through the feed opening, and blend together until a smooth paste has formed. Then, very slowly add the buttermilk until the mixture thickens and can coat the back of a spoon. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside in refrigerator until needed. (When chilled, the dressing should resemble something like mayonnaise.)

Method for the salad:
Toss together the lettuce, spinach, onion, celery, chives, and cucumbers. Fold in the peas, corn, pineapple, cranberries, grape tomatoes, and tomato wedges.

Presentation:
Serve family style with dressing on the side.


Dessert: Snack

MILKSHAKES
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 2 milkshakes of each flavor

Ingredients for strawberry shakes:
½ cup milk
½ cup white chocolate chips
1 cup fresh strawberries, cleaned and sliced
1 pint strawberry or vanilla frozen yogurt

Ingredients for chocolate shakes:
½ cup milk
½ cup milk chocolate pieces
¼ cup chocolate syrup
1 pint chocolate frozen yogurt

Ingredients for vanilla shakes:
½ cup milk
½ cup white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pint vanilla frozen yogurt

Method for the strawberry shake:
Through the feed opening of a running blender, pour in the milk, followed by the white chocolate chips, and the strawberries (reserving a few slices of the strawberries for garnish, if desired). Blend until smooth, then scoop in the frozen yogurt, a little at a time until it is a smooth, but still a frozen consistency. Garnish with reserved slices of strawberry if desired, and serve immediately.

Method for the chocolate shake:
Through the feed opening of a running blender, pour in the milk, followed by the milk chocolate chips (reserving about a half dozen of the chips for garnish, if desired), and the chocolate syrup. Blend until smooth, then scoop in the chocolate frozen yogurt, a little at a time until it is a smooth, but still a frozen consistency. Garnish with reserved milk chocolate chips if desired, and serve immediately.

Method for the vanilla shake:
Through the feed opening of a running blender, pour in the milk, followed by the white chocolate chips (reserving about a half dozen of the chips for garnish, if desired), and the vanilla extract. Blend until smooth, then scoop in the vanilla frozen yogurt, a little at a time until it is a smooth, but still a frozen consistency. Garnish with reserved white chocolate chips if desired, and serve immediately.

Entrée: Pasta

PASTA ROSA
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, minced
½ cup flour
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup hot milk
1 eight-ounce can chunky tomato sauce
8 ounces soft cream cheese
¾ pound Norwegian smoked salmon, sliced into 1-inch long strips
1 pound penne pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh chives, chopped

Method:
Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a deep saucepot which will be large enough to accommodate the pound of pasta once it is cooked, and sauté the onion until it becomes translucent, stirring frequently to prevent burning, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the flour to make a blond roux. Gradually add the milk and allow to thicken for about 7 to 10 minutes.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.

Stir in the tomato sauce and heat through. Remove the saucepot from the heat and add the cream cheese. Blend carefully with an immersion blender on in a conventional blender with the cap to the feed opening removed to allow venting of the steam but with a double layer of paper towels folded into quarters and firmly held over the opening to prevent spattering. Immediately cover the surface of the sauce with a sheet of plastic wrap and set aside briefly.

Drain the pasta and add it to the pan containing the sauce along with the strips of salmon. Fold gently to coat the pasta and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Presentation:
Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with chives.


Entrée: Pasta

PENNE PARMESAN ALFREDO
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, minced
½ cup (1 stick) butter
½ cup flour
1 cup hot milk
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 pound penne pasta
1 eight-ounce package frozen peas, blanched in salt water
Salt and white pepper
¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Method:
Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta.

For the sauce, melt the butter over low heat in a sauce pan which will be large enough to accommodate the pound of pasta once it is cooked. Sauté the onion until it becomes translucent, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Whisk in the flour to make a blond roux. Gradually add the milk and allow to thicken over low heat, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Boil the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.

Remove the pot of sauce from the heat and whisk in the parmesan cheese. Immediately cover surface of sauce with a sheet of plastic wrap to and set aside briefly.

Drain the pasta and add it to the pot of sauce along the blanched peas. Fold gently to coat the pasta and season with salt and pepper as needed..

Presentation:
Place the pasta on a serving platter and sprinkle liberally with parsley.


Accompaniment: Potatoes

“SAY CHEESE” MASHED POTATOES
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
6 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (about 1 ½ to 2 pounds), and placed in a pot of water
½ cup butter (8 tablespoons OR 1 four-ounce stick)
6 scallions, white parts only (but use the tender green parts for garnish below), finely sliced
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
2 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup milk approximately if needed to smooth out potatoes
Tender green parts from scallions above, finely chopped OR ¼ cup chopped fresh chives

Method:
In a large sauce pot, boil the potatoes until they are tender, about 10 minutes.

Whilst the potatoes are boiling, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over low heat in a small fry pan, and sauté the white parts of the scallions until soft, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Drain the potatoes well, add the sautéed scallions, then mash everything together by hand. Add the butter, salt and white pepper and whip in with an electric beater. Fold the cheese into the potatoes and allow it to melt. Stir to evenly distribute cheese. If needed for a smooth mixture, whip in the milk.

Presentation:
Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with finely chopped tender green parts of scallions or fresh chives.

A lot of the regular followers of this blog have written in with questions regarding my workout routine. It’s funny, but I don’t really think of myself as a weightlifter or a bodybuilder or as an athlete (though I have unbridled respect for anyone who pursues these tracks, either as a pastime or as a profession). I do think of myself as a fit guy, and as a practical matter, I would find it difficult to do my job if I weren’t physically fit.

The key word for me in the preceding paragraph is routine. It’s easy to maintain a certain level of fitness as a younger person, when you’ve got loads of energy, a seemingly infinite ability to recover from effort and a lot more time on your hands. As you get older and take on more responsibility, for work, for family, for making a living and the like, the best weapon you have in your arsenal is discipline. The more you turn working out or taking regular exercise into a habit, the more solid your foundation becomes for staying fit over the course of a lifetime. In many ways, and this applies to other facets of life, you are what you do every day.

When I was at school, I was a much more enthusiastic sportsman than student. I was a good swimmer, played soccer and rugby and found that I had an aptitude for athletics. My dad was a professional footballer for a while and maybe if I’d been a step or two (or three!) quicker, I might have tried to go in that direction. Instead, I was drawn to cooking and enlisted in the Royal Navy early on, and since they are sort of insistent about regular exercise habits in the military, performed incessantly at ungodly hours, finding time to stay in shape was never a problem. My personal goal was to exceed their expectations, especially since I was often considered a kid in the ranks and in the kitchen, relative to a lot of my peers. I was always looking for a competitive edge and I found one in the gym.

This ultimately led to my being drafted for a very prestigious post in the English Navy. I was selected for Field Gun Competition. I won’t go into chapter and verse here on the particulars,but in brief, two teams of sailors recreate a legendary Naval battle on a field of play by physically lifting, hauling, dragging and flat-out muscling a 1,200 pound cannon hundreds of yards over a walled obstacle course, firing it at points along the way, all in four minutes or less.

(That’s me, Leading Cook Irvine, on the wheel with my back to the camera)

Without a doubt, this period was the fittest of my life. We trained constantly, because if you didn’t you could easily break a limb, lose a finger, or worse, cause an accident to another competitor. Letting the side down was not an option. I was a “wheel man,” which meant that my main job was to grab one of the great wooden wheels of the cannon, which weighed a couple hundred pounds, take off as fast as I could from pillar to post, jumping walls, swinging over chasms like Tarzan, pulling it off and reattaching it to the gun as we went.

It was one of the most punishing tests of aerobic and anaerobic fitness you can imagine, and it was ultimately deemed so dangerous that the competition was finally banned just before the millennium. It was a glorious sight to see, though.

The real turning point for me came after I left the military. My first big job was as executive chef at a hotel and resort in Jamaica. The days were packed and if ever there was a chance to slack off on my workout routine, it was whilst working 14 hour days and having the option of spending any available time off in an island paradise. Luckily my boss at the time had the same philosophy that I did, and insisted that time be set aside every day to stay in shape. Since then, the pattern has been firmly established.

My goal and regular routine is to work out six days a week, working a different muscle group, arms, chest, back, etc., every day. I don’t lift with heavy weight. Instead I do high repetitions of lighter weights until failure. By cycling from one body part to another, I allow for recovery while still registering gains on a day to day basis. I work in a little cardio and core training, but for the most part, weightlifting along these lines has served me in good stead for quite some time now.

Showing up and committing to doing the work is half the battle. The other half is finding a workout or activity that you enjoy, and for the right reasons. The best reason to stay in shape is to create a better quality of life for yourself and by association, for those around you. It’s hard to take care of those you care for if you don’t take care of yourself, too.

Like anything else in life, when you make up your mind to reach for the brass ring in an athletic endeavor, and not only achieve your goal, but surpass your own expectations inreaching a level of success, you have transformed the “task at hand” into your passion. The secret to a good life is, after all, enjoying the process.

I have very happy memories of developing the following recipe. The bean salad was a takeoff of one described to me during some halcyon days at the shore as a childhood favorite by some friends. As delicious as it is, it is also remarkably healthful.

Pan-Seared Salmon, Haricot Vert Salad, and Herbed Mustard Dressing
Serves 6

This is a great, “eat for fitness” recipe with a wonderful balance of flavors.

Ingredients for the Bean Salad
1 lb. haricot verts (very thin string beans)
1 medium red onion (finely diced)
2 tomatoes (seeds removed and finely diced)

Ingredients for the Mustard Dressing
2 limes
¼ cup fresh rosemary
⅛ cup fresh tarragon
¼ cup fresh cilantro
3 tbsp. stone ground mustard
⅛ cup rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
½ cup grapeseed oil (or your choice of olive or canola oil)
2 oz. bottled water
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Necessary equipment
Blender
Large bowl of ice water

Method
First blanch the haricot verts in salted boiling water until al dente (or cooked to your liking). Once this is done, drain the beans into a strainer or colander and then they should be shocked by dunking the strainer of beans into a waiting bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process, which will also help them retain a great color. Drain and set aside in refrigerator until needed.

Place one of the limes in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave it until the essential oils in the skin are released. (This usually takes 30 seconds to 1 minute. Listen whilst it is microwaving and you will actually hear the “whoosh” sound when the oils are released, after which you can remove it and see the oils in the bottom of the bowl.) Then repeat with the second lime. I am having you microwave them one at a time, because the ripeness and size of each lime may be different, requiring a different amount of time for the “whoosh” to occur for each lime. These limes will be hot coming from the microwave, so you can let them cool, before squeezing them. Make sure you use the oils in the bottom of the small bowl, as well as the juice squeeze.

Turn on the blender and through the feed tube, add the rosemary, tarragon, cilantro, stone ground mustard, rice wine vinegar, and fresh ginger, and blend together until a smooth paste has formed.

At this point the limes should be cool enough to squeeze. With the power on, add the lime juice through the blender feed-tube, and then very slowly add the oil and water until the mixture thickens and can coat the back of a spoon.

Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside in refrigerator until needed. (When chilled, the dressing should resemble something like mayonnaise.)

Reserve some of the dressing to drizzle on the plate later. Then, mix the beans, onion, and tomato with the dressing (adjusting the amount to your preference) and refrigerate for only a couple of hours. (Don’t mix too far ahead, because the salad ingredients will bleed and you will have a very runny dressing).

Ingredients for the Salmon
6 salmon fillets (8 oz. size for dinner OR 5 oz. size for lunch)
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Oil
Micro-celery for garnish
Fresh lime slices for garnish

Method
Season the salmon filets with coarse sea salt and pepper. Place a little oil into the sauté pan and bring to smoking point (you need a hot pan in order to get a crispy outside).

Cook the salmon, skin side down for about 5 minutes, or until the skin begins to get crispy, then turn and begin cooking for 4 minutes more. (You may need more time on the salmon depending on the thickness). You can, if you wish, finish the salmon in the oven at 375 degrees. However, DO NOT OVERCOOK THE SALMON. Once you touch the flesh and it springs back up, it’s cooked. Remember, the fish will continue to cook a further 15 to 20 minutes after it is removed from the oven. This is called carryover cooking.

Presentation
To plate, you take a little haricot bean salad, and place in the centre of a plate, top with the crispy salmon and drizzle with some of the herbed mustard dressing. Place the micro celery and fresh lime slice on top of the salmon.

You never know where the next crazy culinary idea is going to come from, but if you get out there amongst the people, some pretty interesting things tend to come your way.

Last summer, I was pleased to be invited to make an appearance at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. My “brother from another mother,” Tony Powell, when he retired from his duties at the White House as Deputy Director of Presidential Food Service, went on to continue in government service with the Veterans Administration (he’s the handsome guy in the hat). He arranged for the trip to Milwaukee, where the games took place at a stunning lakeside location, and it was truly an incredible experience.

The games consist of competitions amongst athletes from the various branches of the military, young and old, who, through injury or circumstance, compete in contests of sport and skill in wheelchairs. There are also banquets, picnics and award ceremonies, as well as clinics run by the vets for children who find themselves in the same condition, most often because of illness or accidents. One of the very first events that I watched was a softball game during which veterans coached and pitched to little kids who were just learning to cope with life on wheels. A wonderful time was had by all, and I honestly get a little choked up just thinking back on it now.

When we first arrived, we were greeted by two guys, Michael and Ralph, who were our main VA minders for the duration. They took us out for a nice Italian lunch and when the food arrived, both of them surreptitiously slipped small glass vials of a kind of red powder out of their pockets and started sprinkling it on their food.

I watched them for a few seconds and finally had to ask what in the name of heaven was in these bottles. After furtively looking around the restaurant, Michael finally leaned in and said, “It’s the dust.”

As I sat there wondering if the DEA were about to break down the door, Ralph kindly explained to me that he and Michael had separately invested in food dehydrators, collected fresh habanero peppers by the bushelful, dried them and pulverized them into a fine red powder, which they carried around added to their food wherever they went. He extolled the health benefits, the low cancer rate amongst “users,” the wonderful zip it added to almost any entrée and, finally, asked me if I had a reliable supplier for hot peppers, because all of their “sources” were drying up.

Now, I was a chef in Jamaica for a period of time and I have a lot of experience with jerk pastes and rubs and “scotch bonnets,” and I know for a fact that these guys were playing with dynamite. I tried a little on the tip of my finger and that was enough for me, but they piled it on to pizzas, salads, slices of bread, like it was going out of style. A member of my traveling team (who shall remain nameless because he’s currently fighting a terrible habanero addiction) got hooked almost immediately and asked for a vial of his own to take home, which they eagerly promised him.

We went on with the games. I saw men and women compete like tigers in wheelchair rugby, archery, basketball, swimming, with no seeming regard for their personal safety, let alone admitting to any kind of handicap whatsoever. They were real, hardcore athletes. I was especially moved by a young lady with whom I’ve kept up a correspondence, named Dana. She was injured and lost the use of her legs about ten years ago. She’s impressively recovered quite a lot of function as she’s found help for her condition through stem cell therapy, for which she has to continuously raise money and travel overseas. After watching her play an absolutely bruising hour of rugby, we stopped over to say good-bye. She insisted on standing up from her wheelchair to give me a farewell hug. It took a couple of minutes, but she did it and if you ever think you’re having a bad day with traffic or a troublesome boss or paying the bills, I wish you a moment or two like that one in your life to think back on. Any trouble you have can be overcome (last time I heard, Dana was walking under her own power for over a mile).

The time came for us to leave and, as good as their word, Michael and Ralph slipped my friend a beaker of their wicked concoction. He stashed it in the bottom of his bag and off we went. Now, we’re pretty accomplished travelers and take some pride in breezing through airport security. Not this time. His bag was singled out by the x-ray tech and got tossed by a very thorough and tough-looking screener. He dug down deep and came up with the bottle.

He scrutinized my friend (as I stood by laughing), held the glass tube up for inspection, then called down the line: “It’s okay, it’s powder, not liquid!” As we repacked the bag, the young man looked at us both and said confidentially, “What’s that? Habanero dust?”

Our jaws dropped.
“How did you know that?” I asked.
“We used to make it in the Navy. All my buddies carried it around. It’s great on spaghetti.”

He waved us through and that was that. Never one to let a possible market opportunity go by, I had my spice guys mix up a big batch and if you’ve a mind, you can pick some up and try it from my website, under specialty items. My friend, the recovering “habaneroholic,” nearly has his “dust” dependency licked, though he does assure me that it is, indeed, really good on spaghetti. If you do decide to try some, please be cautious. You’ve only got one tongue and it has to last you a lifetime.

Also, check out the results for this year’s Wheelchair Games at
www1.va.gov/vetevent/nvwg/2008 and if ever you get a chance to reach out and help a vet, do it. They’ve got a good turn coming.

We all come into and go out of this world in the same condition, and I think what distinguishes each of us in our stay is our answer to the question, “What have I learned?”

Life in the kitchen is the end product of the accumulated wisdom of every meal, every dish and every recipe tasted or tried over the span of years. It is also, unquestionably, the result of what we’ve learned at the hands of many, many teachers.

For a lot of us, our first lessons came in the home, in the kitchens of our mothers and fathers. My mother was the type of cook that was common in the days of my youth in Salisbury: she made lots of plain English food, good and hot (if a little overcooked from time to time) and great desserts that cultivated a sweet tooth that I struggle with and celebrate to this day. But she was also a world-class roaster, in my eyes, and it was our incomparable family Sunday dinners that first set me on the path I walk to this day.

My next great teacher was a guy named Robert Roper, a real honest-to-goodness chef, who I met on a class trip of sorts. He gave me my first chef’s kit and knives and taught me that cooking was a profession, not just a way to get fed.

After that, there are too many to count, some incredible military guys, some truly world-class chefs, the world’s greatest baker (thank you, Michel!), some for whom I worked and some who worked for me. Seems like nearly everybody had something to offer along the way, from dishwasher to chef de cuisine.

Once you’ve reached a level of proficiency and perhaps have even developed a certain philosophy of your own, the responsibility changes. You have the responsibility to take on the role of teacher if you are going to continue to grow. You can go and cook alone for yourself in a cabin on a mountaintop if that’s your preference, but if you want to run a professional kitchen, you have to be able to communicate your ideas and techniques if you expect to create exceptional dining experiences, night after night, especially if you are aiming for a level of excellence.

I love the give and take that takes place working with great cooks who are both willing to learn and to bring their own ideas to the table. That’s why I like to travel, to visit chefs in their native environs, to watch them and try their food, to figure out their methods, ask questions, share what I have to offer and take away what might work for me. I also cherish every chance I get to work with young culinarians, with students who are experiencing firsthand the trials and tribulations involved not only in making great food, but in making it your own.

I had the chance not that long ago to visit Philadelphia and work with the young chefs in training at Job Corps. I was invited by Diane Burstein, who works for Cat Cora’s charity, Chefs for Humanity (I sit on their Council of Chefs).

These kids come from mostly humble backgrounds, but their love of food and passion for learning is evident. I spent a great couple of days teaching, criticizing and praising, tasting and judging, telling stories and hearing some from them as well. One incident really blew me away. One of the teams had decided, before they even knew I would be participating as a judge, to prepare as their main offering a version of a dish David Britton and I had created on the “Magician” episode of Dinner: Impossible. It was an illusionary dish, a “trompe l’oeil,” designed to “fool the eye” into thinking it was about to get chocolate layer cake, ice cream and cherry sauce, when it fact the dish consisted of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and poached grape tomatoes in a pomegranate balsamic reduction sauce. It involves not only cooking the potatoes and bringing the reduction to a very specific look and texture, but making a quite complicated forcemeat preparation for the main course, then cooling it and cutting it to look exactly like a piece of cake. Tough stuff, indeed, especially for students.

When I saw it on its way to the judges table, I recognized the plating right away and I located the team who made it and made sure I told them in no uncertain terms that I thought they had something really special going on.

In the end, we learn from both students and masters, from those we cook with and those we cook for. The day you think you know it all, when you’ve stopped learning, that’s the day you pack your knives away and head up to the cabin on the mountaintop. I hope that day never comes, for you or for me.

Here’s a recipe for the demo I did whilst I was with these inspirational students and their teachers. It’s one of my all-time favorite dishes and I hope you’ll give it a try.

Entrée: Fish/Seafood

CAJUN RED SNAPPER & SHRIMP OVER CHEDDAR GRITS WITH RED PEPPER COULIS
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients for the coulis:
3 red bell peppers, stems and seeds removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1½ cups chicken stock
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ cup white wine
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Ingredients for the grits:
2 cups uncooked grits
6 ounces raw 16-20 size shrimp, chopped (see below requirement for shrimp also)
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tomato
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
4 tablespoons cooked bacon, chopped

Ingredients for the fish/shrimp:
2 ounces raw 16-20 size shrimp (6 shrimp, de-veined and peeled)
½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
6 six-ounce red snapper fillets, skin on
2 tablespoons Irvine Spices Cajun Blackening Seasoning (available at IrvineThyme.com)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Method for the red pepper coulis:
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F. Place bell peppers, cut side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Coat them with olive oil and roast until charred, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and – using tongs – carefully place in a plastic food storage bag until cool. (This will allow them to “sweat” and yet preserve all the flavors.) Peel blackened skin from red bell peppers and discard leaving the beautifully roasted red interior.

(Begin boiling water for the grits.)

Simmer the peeled roasted red bell peppers in chicken stock and add onion, garlic and white wine in a deep saucepan. Reduce by half. Gradually whisk in corn starch. Simmer for 20 minutes. Blend sauce using an immersion blender, or in batches in a standard blender, until smooth. Set aside until needed.

Method for the cheddar grits:
Bring 5 cups water to a boil.

(Return to the peppers.)

Whilst the bell peppers are simmering, add 2 cups of grits, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 20 minutes, undisturbed.

(Prepare the shrimp and fish.)

Stir in chopped shrimp, cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese, cover the pot again to allow shrimp to cook and cheese to melt, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in butter, then stir in scallions, chopped fresh tomato, cilantro and bacon, and set aside in a warm place.

Method for the shrimp and fish:
For the fish, pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

For the shrimp, place the shrimp on a rack placed over a shallow pan of water.

Coat both sides of red snapper with salt and pepper and Cajun seasoning, and set aside briefly.

(Return to stir the shrimp and cheese into the grits.)

Sear each side of the fish, beginning with the flesh side first. (When you place the fillet into the pan, leave it undisturbed for a couple of minutes to allow the seasoning to cook into the surface of the fish and to caramelize. If you jostle it prematurely, the fish will tear!) Cook until golden brown, then finish in the oven for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Take care not to overcook the fish. Remove it to rest for 5 to 8 minutes.

Sprinkle the shrimp with Old Bay seasoning and steam until just pink and opaque, about 1 minute per side.

Presentation:
Spoon some cheese grits onto the center of serving plate. Top with the snapper fillet and a whole shrimp. Spoon red pepper coulis around, and garnish with sprigs of cilantro.

The old saying goes, “Luck is the place where preparation meets opportunity.” In my humble opinion, no preparation is ever wasted.

In the culinary world, preparation is the cornerstone of the craft. As in chess, every move you make in the kitchen sets up not only the next move, but any number of moves down the line. Fail to order properly ahead of time and you can lose whole dishes off of your menu. You can’t cook with food you don’t have.

Take too long with your chopping and mixing, you may miss your window for firing, then all of the elements fail to arrive on time, together. You drop one ball and balls start dropping all over the kitchen. It’s a cascading effect from which it’s tough to recover. Prepare and you won’t have to worry about it.

Then there is preparation that goes beyond and precedes the day’s work. That’s the prep that goes into building your repertoire and your character. By that, I mean stockpiling your inventory of skills and knowledge and life experience.

My style of cooking, if I have a style, is characterized by a foundation in a classical European approach with an overlay of the eclectic. I have at least a passing familiarity with the cuisines of many different nations. When I cooked for the Royals, who liked their food very English and relatively quite plain, we had a lot of guests, from pretty much everyplace in the world, and they liked cooking that reminded them of home.

When I left that job, I shipped aboard cruise liners that made ports of call all over the globe and hosted every nationality imaginable. Then I headed food operations in hotels and casinos, which not only means room service, breakfasts and buffets, but the French bistro, the upscale Italian, the big time steak house, the Sichuan palace and the sushi bar, to name just a few.

All of these influences came together on one of the best days I had on Dinner: Impossible, which also happens to be the one day I truly “failed” one of my missions. At the CIA.

The Culinary Institute of America, the home of one of the world’s great cooking schools, has a faculty brimming with master chefs. The challenge that day was to walk into a room, analyze, by taste alone, dishes created by seven renowned chefs in seven different national cuisines, recreate them without recipes, then create seven additional dishes in each of those nationalities assisted only by a team of students. Oh, and you’ve got to make enough of everything to feed the other 80 students who are coming for dinner.

Every chef I polled later on the faculty thought we were nuts. Maybe, maybe if I’d had George and George and David we might have made it. I didn’t think we had much of a chance. Guess what? We didn’t make it. And I had one of the best days ever.

In that hallowed hall of cooking, with those inexperienced but incredibly game teammates, under unbeatable time pressure, we threw everything we had at that challenge.
I know that sauerbraten typically takes three days to make, but I thought that if I could quick-braise the beef, I could make it happen. For the Indian dish, I am a sucker for nothing if not a great lamb curry. We never had close to enough goat for everybody, but had lots of great veal, so I went “Saltimbocca” for the Italian and “Blanquette” for the French. The kids gave it their all, stealing every trick they could muster from their instructors; one showing dogged persistence no matter how many meatballs she was asked to roll, another throwing together enough chocolate cake to feed a small army, a third doing the work of three while softly singing to himself the whole time, “Chef is in the weeds, chef is in the weeds…” just loud enough to be picked up on our microphones.

Did we “fail” the mission? Sure, but that was never really the point. Afterwards I felt a weird sense of elation, not even close to any sense of failure. We got a great show out of it, I was humbled by the graciousness and support of our hosts, took the kids out for refreshments and a chat after and went home feeling deeply satisfied.

Being there felt right, like I had chosen the right profession for myself, that I was on the right path for me and that I was doing okay. Last Christmas, I was invited to return to the site of a great day and a great memory and to speak at the CIA commencement ceremony. On that day I was bestowed the honor of being named an “Ambassador of the CIA.”

Whatever you do on any given day with the right spirit in mind prepares you for these moments.

Whatever you do that develops your way of thinking and kindles the fire inside you, that feeds your curiosity, that sets you in the direction of mastery, is preparation for the as yet unguessed-at events of your life.

You never know what is going to come in handy, what scrap of information, what purloined technique, what chapter of what book you’ve read or TV show you’ve watched or conversation you’ve had, with someone who knows more than you do about a subject and is willing to share with you, will become a valuable part of your development.

No single headache or problem can defeat you. Conversely, triumphs come and go. I think that what will see you through, in the end, is the trust in the voice inside that tells you which is the right way to go. If you follow it, you’ll do just fine.

Entrée: Beef

SAUERBRATEN WITH JULIENNE VEGETABLES
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
4 pounds beef bottom round roast
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup red wine vinegar
1½ quarts water
2 onions sliced
8 whole black peppercorns
10 juniper berries
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
⅓ cup vegetable oil
⅔ cup diced carrots (approximately 2 or 3 carrots)
⅔ cup diced onions (approximately 1 large onion)
⅔ cup diced celery (approximately 2 stalks)
½ cup tomato paste
1 cup flour
1 quart (approximately) vegetable or chicken stock to have on hand to adjust sauce
¾ cup sour cream
6 carrots, peeled, cut julienne and steamed - for garnish
3 stalks celery, cut in half lengthwise and julienned, and steamed - for garnish
Cooked egg noodles as an accompaniment
2 tablespoons fresh minced flat-leaf parsley leaves

Method:
Trim the beef of excess fat, salt it and set it aside briefly. Make a marinade for the beef by combining the red wine, vinegar, water, onions, peppercorns, juniper berries, bay leaves and cloves in a large pot and bringing the mixture to a boil over high heat. Let this marinade cool to room temperature, about 15 to 20 minutes. Place the beef in the cooled marinade, cover, and refrigerate overnight if possible, but for at least 2 hours.

Remove the beef from the marinade and place it on a utility platter. Strain the marinade into a pot and bring the marinade to a boil over medium high heat . Skim any impurities from the surface of the marinade, then reduce the heat to medium low and allow it to cook for 10 minutes at a simmer.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. When it begins to shimmer, add the beef and sear it on all sides, then remove the meat to a utility platter. Combine the carrots, onion, and celery in the same pan to make a mirépoix. Sauté them for 2 to 3 minutes, then deglaze the pan with about ¼ cup of the warmed marinade. Stir in the tomato paste and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a bit more of the warmed marinade to the sauté pan to de-glaze again, and reduce heat to medium. Sift the flour gradually into the tomato pate mixture, stirring constantly until a paste is formed. Then, slowly add the rest of the warmed marinade to the mixture, as though you are making a roux. If the sauce is too thick, which can sometimes happen due to density of flour, gradually add chicken or vegetable stock stirring constantly until you reach the consistency where it just coats the back of a spoon. Return the meat to the pan, reduce the heat to low, cover it and simmer until fork-tender, about 1½ to 2 hours.

Remove the meat to a cutting board and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing the beef.

Strain the sauce and place slices of the meat in the center of the plate. Place some cooked egg noodles onto each serving plate, leaving space in the center for the meat. Spoon sauce over the meat and noodles and garnish with steamed vegetables and dollops of sour cream and fresh parsley.

Entrée: Lamb

INDIAN STYLE LAMB CURRY
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup grapeseed oil
3 medium onions, diced small
4 teaspoons turmeric
6 teaspoons masala powder
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 chiles, diced small (your choice)
5 pounds lean lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups all purpose flour
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1½ quarts vegetable stock
3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced small
2 cups rice
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Note: You can replace the turmeric and masala powder with curry powder

Method:
In a large cooking pot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the chopped onions. Fry until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add the turmeric and masala powder (or curry powder), garlic and chiles, mix well and cook for a couple of minutes to integrate flavors, stirring frequently. Add the lamb, increase the heat to medium high, and sear on all sides. Sift the flour over the meat and spoon in tomato paste. Then, stirring constantly, gradually add the stock. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until meat is tender, about another hour. Check the pot often and stir the mixture so the curry doesn’t burn. If the sauce is thickening too fast during this cooking time, add water to retain the consistency and to prevent burning. (If you prefer, once you have added the stock and the sauce is a good smooth consistency, you may transfer to a covered roasting pan and finish in the oven at 350 degrees until the meat is tender.) In the last 30 minutes of cooking time, stir in the potatoes.

While the lamb curry is in its last ½ hour, bring 5 cups of water to a boil over high heat, add the rice and salt, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes undisturbed. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes with the lid on the pot.

Spoon ½ cup rice onto each serving plate, top with lamb curry and garnish with fresh cilantro.

I’m going to ask you all to do me a favor and when you hear what it is, I don’t think you’ll mind. I have made a friend down in Tampa and he’s a young man named Bobby Rosas.

We first met when I appeared at a benefit for the Children’s Cancer Research Group in Florida, run by a brilliant man, Dr. Cameron Tebbi (www.drtebbi.com), at St. Joseph’s Hospital. They do amazing work there and are battling cancer as it affects children every day.

Bobby has been fighting cancer for a while now. He’s had some difficult times, but he’s tough and fearless and I know he is going to win through.

(Here’s a picture of Bobby and his dad, Robert, and Bobby appearing on Fear Factor, end of the line on the right, looking pumped up and ready for action!)

He’s just had a relapse and has to go through some more surgery and chemotherapy and, with his family’s permission, I’d like to ask you all to keep him in your thoughts and prayers as you go about your business in the next few days and weeks. I believe it can really make a difference. Guys like Bobby, his family and Dr. Tebbi are my heroes.

A big part of being a chef is the constant search for excellence, in matters both great and small. There is a thrill of satisfaction in looking out over a grand ballroom and seeing people enjoying hundreds and hundreds of dishes you’ve created only minutes before. There is an equal measure of satisfaction when you perfectly sear one side of a fillet of sea bass or when you look down at the tourné cuts you’ve just done and note that they are all exactly the same size. It’s axiomatic in our profession that you are only as good as your last plate.

But how to consistently achieve excellence? One of the best strategies you can use is to work as hard as you can at the little things. That means developing your craft, demanding improvement from yourself every day, expecting a lot from others and more from yourself- which takes hard work.

The kitchen can be fun place, but it is not a playground. I came up through the ranks, literally, in the military and that initial experience informs a lot of the ideas I carry into my work. I’ve tried to stay fit since those years, mainly to be as prepared as possible for whatever may come my way professionally. I learned early on what motivated me to be better and in turn what worked to motivate others, especially when I was expected to command watches of men much older and more experienced at cooking than I was, starting in my teens. “Sink or swim” really means something in the Royal Navy.

I recall an episode of Dinner: Impossible at the Governor’s Mansion in Pennsylvania for the inauguration of Governor Ed Rendell. It was one of the toughest 24 hour periods I’ve spent in my working life. The challenge was to create as many hors d’oeuvres as possible for the Governor’s reception of 100 people or so, and further, for 4,000 of his closest friends to be served at the big party afterwards.

To accomplish the task, I really had to pull out all the stops. I arrived with “Little George,” on whom I can rely implicitly because he knows me so well. Chef Barry was there as well as some young culinarians from a local cooking school. I also put out an emergency call to a battery of chefs who worked with me at Resorts in Atlantic City. Then we were off to the races.

Bear in mind, this was the governor’s house, so we barely had time to shop before we had to drop off our groceries the night before the ceremony and clear out of his kitchen so he could go to bed undisturbed. Working through the night was never an option. And you could sleep in half of the ovens, which put on even more pressure.

I had to use every trick in my motivational catalog that day to make sure our team was at their best. I rallied the troops, got us all organized, barked orders, demonstrated techniques, made jokes, yelled a bit, made everybody check and recheck their work, delegated some duties, took over others myself. In a tight situation with a lot at stake, decisions have to be made every few minutes that can make or break the entire effort.

We shopped in the rain like madmen, prepped night and day at the mansion, then had to move all of the food miles away to a second facility. I remember as if it were yesterday that my target time for getting out of the mansion was 3:15 PM. We left at 3:30 (mainly because we wanted to leave the kitchen clean, not looking like a disaster area). By then we’d lost any margin for error. At the second location, we had to finish in rented ovens that were too small and barely worked. In a sadistic twist of fate, once we finally had the food for the governor in hot boxes (that weighed a ton!), we were denied the use of elevators and had to carry them by hand in platoons up four flights of stairs. And that was only phase one. We then had to feed the multitude of 4,000 late into the evening.

Suffice to say that it was not a picnic atmosphere. By the time it was over, we’d made nearly 18,000 individual pieces of more than a dozen different kinds of hors d’oeuvres in less than 12 working hours with no advance warning or preparation. We all managed to look cool, calm and collected at the reception, Governor Rendell loved the food and he’s even been kind enough to invite me back since then. I’m happy to report that his kitchen has been beautifully refurbished.

One last important point: no matter how hard you press, always remember that it takes a team effort to get the job done and always be sure to say “thanks” to everyone who’s worked so hard to make it to the finish line.

When you’re suddenly faced with climbing a mountain, it helps if you’ve practiced on some smaller hills a time or two before. When you push hard, you often find yourself giving people the chance to show you the best they‘ve got. That’s my idea of having fun.

Following you will find 6 recipes from the Governor’s Inauguration event:

Hors d’oeuvre:

MINI-VENISON BURGERS
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 8 servings of 2 mini-burgers each

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup apples, diced small (about 2 apples)
1 cup chopped white mushrooms (about 3 ounces of mushrooms)
½ pound ground venison
½ pound ground pork
Salt and pepper to taste
2 ounces blue cheese (or your choice of cheese)
16 mini-potato rolls (the dinner-roll size)

Method:
In a medium skillet, heat the grapeseed oil over medium heat until it shimmers, and melt the butter in it. Add the apples and cook until they just begin to soften, about 3 minutes, then add mushrooms and gently sauté until they give up their juices, about 7 more minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Heat the grill or the grill pan over medium high heat. Mix the venison and pork and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the cooled mushroom and apple mixture and form into 16 small patties. Grill to medium doneness and crumble blue cheese on top. Serve on potato rolls.

Entrée: Venison

VENISON OSCAR
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 8 servings of 2 pieces venison each

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1/2 fresh lemon
½ pound jumbo lump crab meat
16 asparagus spears, tips only
⅛ cup olive oil
2 pounds sliced farm-raised venison top round, cut into 2 ounce portions and pounded thin with a meat mallet
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Add the mayonnaise, egg yolks, and Old Bay seasoning to a blender. Cover and turn on the blender and through the feed tube of the running blender, squeeze in the juice from the lemon, keeping the sliced side against you palm to contain the seeds. Transfer the mayonnaise mixture to a bowl and fold in the lump crabmeat, being careful to avoid breaking up lumps. Refrigerate until needed.

Have a bowl of ice water handy. Blanch or steam asparagus tips until tender and shock to cool in ice water.

Place an oven rack at the topmost level and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the venison with salt and pepper and sear both sides lightly, arranging the seared venison on a baking sheet.

Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon crab mixture onto each venison cutlet and place 2 asparagus tips crisscrossed on top. Bake in the venison Oscar in the oven until the crab is toasted light golden brown.

Hors d’oeuvre:

MUSSELS GAZPACHO
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 8 servings of 2 to 3 mussels each

Ingredients:
16 to 24 large fresh mussels in shell, de-bearded and well-scrubbed
½ English cucumber, peeled, de-seeded and diced small
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, seeds removed and diced small
1 red onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced
2 teaspoons fresh cilantro leaves, minced
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 dashes Tabasco
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup sour cream, as garnish
2 dozen small sprigs parsley

Method:
Fill a saucepot with 1 inch of water. Place the mussels in pot, cover tightly, and steam until the mussels open, about 5 to 7 minutes, discarding any that do not open. Remove the mussels from pan, let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes and then chill for 2 hours.

When the mussels are thoroughly chilled, combine the cucumber, tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, Tabasco, cilantro and lime juice in a bowl and mix well. Split the mussel shells, leaving the mussel meat on the half-shell and discarding the other half. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the tomato mixture on top of each mussel. Garnish with sour cream and garnish with a spring of parsley, and serve on small plates.

Hors d’oeuvre: Seafood

VENISON STUFFED SHRIMP IN BACON WRAP
Copyright, 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 8 servings of 2 shrimp each

Ingredients:
½ pound ground venison
½ pound ground pork
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cloves shallots, finely chopped
2 eggs
Salt and Pepper to taste
16 pieces jumbo shrimp (size: 10-15 count per pound), peeled and de-veined
8 slices bacon, cut in half (16 halves)

Method:
Place an oven rack at the topmost setting, and pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine the venison, pork, basil, parsley, garlic, shallots, eggs, and salt and pepper and mix well. Make an incision along back of each shrimp and stuff with pork mixture. Secure by wrapping a half slice of bacon around each shrimp. Place on a baking sheet and broil until the meat stuffing is cooked and the bacon is browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover the baking sheet with foil to let carryover cook for about 5 minutes. If the shrimp is not opaque and pink after this period of time, reduce the oven heat to 200 degrees F and place the covered baking sheet back into the oven for about 5 more minutes.

Hors d’oeuvre

BRIE AND ASPARAGUS IN PHYLLO
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield : 8 servings of 2 pieces each

Ingredients:
5 or 6 sheets phyllo dough (based on 18 X 14 inch sheets which are often sold in packs of 18-20 for thickness #4)
1 cup melted butter
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 small wheel brie cheese (8 ounces), cut into 16 mini-wedges
16 asparagus spears, tough ends snapped off, and blanched for 4 minutes

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make sure the phyllo is completely defrosted before attempting to use it or it will crack. Once it is removed from package, you will need to cover the phyllo with wax paper and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out. Lay out a sheet of dough, and lightly butter it using a pastry brush. Fold the sheet in half and brush with butter again. Fold the sheets of phyllo in half and re-butter each time until you have a rectangle with dimensions close to 4 X 4 inches (this will most likely be 3 folds total). Cut each 4 inch square section into 3 sections. (A pizza cutter is handy for this.) Sprinkle parmesan cheese on each piece of dough. Place a wedge of brie on each. Lay an asparagus tip on the top of each brie wedge and roll the phyllo dough around the asparagus. The tip of the asparagus should show out of the end. Repeat to make 16 pieces. Lay all the pieces out on a cookie sheet. Brush each piece with butter and bake in oven until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Hors d’oeuvre:

DUCK AND APPLE WONTONS
Copyright 2008, Robert Irvine, All rights reserved

Yield: 36 appetizers

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons salad oil
4 duck breasts, skinless
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled cored, and diced small
2 tablespoons raisins
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon chopped fresh garlic (1 garlic clove)
1 teaspoon chopped red onion
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste
36 three-inch square wonton skins
½ cup duck sauce, soy sauce, Chinese hot sauce, or your other favorite dipping sauce
3 to 4 liters canola oil, if deep frying the wontons

Method:
Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan. Sear the duck breasts until medium rare, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove the duck breasts to a utility platter to let carryover cook and to let cool to room temperature. In the same pan, add the apples, raisins, five-spice powder, garlic and onion, and sauté until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the cilantro, and season with salt and pepper. When cool enough to handle, dice the duck into small pieces, add to the apple mixture and mix well. Lay out the wonton skins on a clean work surface. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the duck mixture onto each skin, fold over and seal by moistening seams with a little water, making sure that no mixture oozes out. The wontons can be deep-fried or steamed in a steamer basket. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Paul Bunyan had his axe, Errol Flynn had his sword and Louis Armstrong had his horn. Every tradesman has his tool and for a chef, the indispensable item is a good, clean, razor-sharp knife. In virtually all of my televised adventures, you’ve seen me wielding a blade very much like this one, a titanium-coated Kasumi blade with an incredibly slim cutting profile.

I searched long and wide, and when I found it, it felt like it fit me to a tee. It is light, allows for great speed, accuracy and delicacy; it combines flexibility and super-strength, like a surgeon’s steel. A chef can spend his whole career in the pursuit of the perfect blade.

You touch thousands and thousands of knives as a chef and you literally do millions and millions of cuts, and no matter how proficient you become, you are always learning. These knives have a lot of the qualities I’m looking for. My chef and friend, George Galati (Big George), doesn’t like them at all. He’s a big guy. He likes a heavy knife with a lot of heft and feels like he’s less in control with one of my titanium knives. A knife is a very personal thing. There’s no right or wrong, it just has to feel good, especially over time.

Knife skills are at the very core of a good cook’s life, whether you’re butchering, julienning, frenching a rack of lamb or peeling a fresh mango. This is a great knife, plus it looks cool with its slick cobalt blue coating, so it builds confidence.

I routinely travel with over a dozen versions of this knife, in different sizes and gauges. We are working on a new line of knives right now with a great designer and hope that ultimately, we can refine them to an even higher degree. These will be made of stainless steel and will cut like a light saber (I hope!). I expect that they will debut shortly.

The Best and the Bravest


I just returned from a trip to Washington, DC, where I was invited to attend the Navy’s “Sailor of the Year” Awards. It entails a couple of days of events, barbecues and the like, centered around the advancement of sailors from different segments of the Navy, who have distinguished themselves by outstanding service, to the rank of Chief Petty Officer. The Chiefs are the heart and soul of the Navy. When everything is working in shipshape fashion on any Naval operation, on land or sea, it’s because the Chiefs are getting the job done, and done right. The men and women, four in all, who advanced to this rank as a result of winning this award, did so because of meritorious achievement above and beyond the call and are simply the best of the best. The symbols of their new rank are bestowed at the hands of their families and closest commanders in a ceremony typical of the way the Navy does these things- by the end, there’s hardly a dry eye in the house.

Whilst there, I was granted the privilege of visiting some of the wounded men and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq at the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda and at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Many of them were newly arrived and had suffered very serious injuries, including paralysis and the loss of limbs. They were all young, in their late teens and early 20s. Inner strength and amazing courage seems to come off of them in waves and it is both moving and inspiring to be in their presence.

One of the most incredible things is the way they support each other. At the center of everything they do is loyalty to one another. When you visit the rehab center, their only thoughts seem to be to work hard and keep everyone’s spirits high, including yours. One young man who had lost his legs described to me, in a very matter of fact way, how it happened. He heard a blast from behind as one of his comrades stepped on a land mine. He barely had time to react before he found himself flying through the air from his own contact with a hidden mine. When he landed, his first thought was to yell to the others in his squadron to maintain their defensive perimeter, to not be distracted and risk further loss or injury. His first instinct was for the safety of the others, not for himself. Another who’d been similarly injured told me that his main intention was to “go back and get his boots.” The only way you can hurt these guys is to try to separate them from their fellow warriors.

There was one young man who was stuck in bed and was working on ignoring the rest of his lunch, a half-eaten plate of spaghetti. He told me how tired he was of hospital food. I told him I’d be right back. With a little help, I made my way into the Admiral’s galley, rustled up some nice Italian rolls, chipped beefsteak, an onion, a green pepper and some processed cheese. With a pan and a plastic spoon, I put together a whopping Philly cheese steak with fried onions and peppers and headed back to his bedside. I put it down in front of him with the steam still coming off of it. I didn’t time him exactly, but I’d say the whole thing was gone in about three seconds.

When you are walking around on the streets, in a shopping mall or at an airport, you are going to see men and women in uniform, heroes like the ones who made these astonishing sacrifices. If you find yourself in line with one of them getting a burger or a cup of coffee and you’ve got an extra fiver in your wallet, pick up their tab. Or say thanks for your service. By job description, they are ready to take a bullet for you. We owe them more than we can possibly give them, but little gestures like these might just make their day.

I also want to mention that I am confirming as of this entry that my return to TV with a brand new show is definitely happening. I am excited and I’m really looking forward to getting back in harness. My sincere thanks to all of you have expressed your support. Please check back for specific details!

“Time and tide wait for no man,” to me, is a great way of saying, “get over yourself and get on with it.” That pretty well describes the frame of mind I find myself in these days, having been through the mill of public opinion in the past few months, gone through the worst of it and come out the other side feeling good, refreshed in a way, definitely a bit wiser for the wear and ready- as always- to keep working and keep the momentum going.

One of the places I’ve decided to start is on this blog. My hope is that this provides a way for me to communicate with so many of you who have supported me with thousands of emails and letters and good wishes. I’d like to use it to talk about things that are important to me and may be informative to you, causes that I think are worth attention, my ideas about food, interesting stories and events, things like that. I’d also like to use it, at least in these early days, to set the record straight and correct some notions that have been circulating out there that need correction.

To begin with, it’s true that I have moved on from Dinner: Impossible in as amiable a fashion as possible. I had a great time working on the show and feel that the episodes with which I was involved, now running on Food Network, speak for themselves and I’m proud of the work. As for the manner in which I left the show, I will refrain from commenting publicly, except to say that in situations like these, you find out pretty quickly who your friends are.

There are some rumors and stories that have spread over the internet and in the papers, some containing only a grain of truth, most untrue, some wildly inaccurate. I’m not going to bore anyone by rehashing old tales or defending against every misinformed accusation. There are two that trouble me more than the others, though, and those concern my service in the British Royal Navy with the Royal Family and the time I’ve spent working at the White House in Washington, DC. I’ll try to keep it simple.

I joined the Royal Navy in my teens, signed up as a cook and was lucky enough to find my life’s calling early. There I met with a great opportunity, to cook for Prince Charles in the Officer’s Mess at RNAS Culdrose whilst he was reupping his flight certification. I was recommended shortly after meeting him for service on the Royal yacht, Britannia. I served as Leading Cook on the Britannia for many years, as attested by my military record and by the multiple passports I filled up with stamps from countries all over the world. I traveled with the Royals, learned a great deal about my profession in their service and was honored to prepare meals in many locales and under many circumstances for Her Majesty, the Queen, for Prince Charles, Princess Diana and many members of the Royal household as well as for their honored guests over the ensuing years.

When I left the military and came eventually to America, I was employed for a time as Executive Chef for Donald Trump’s Taj Mahal. I did a favor in the course of my work for a gentleman from the US Navy, a Commander of Naval Supply, through whom I met a great man and made a great friend, Clive “Tony” Powell, then Deputy Director for Presidential Food Service for the White House. He invited me to cook and train chefs that work in the Naval Mess at the White House under the Guest Chef program, not as “the White House Chef,” a title which I never claimed. I’ve been going to the White House since the 1990’s. I’ve cooked for heads of state, senior staff, senators and congressmen, celebrities and VIP guests, been aboard Air Force One, and yes, have served my food to US Presidents. I’ve made lifelong friends there and if you’ll permit me, and with their permission, I’ve lifted a couple of quotes from letters they’ve sent me over the years.

Michael H. Miller, Rear Admiral, Deputy Assistant to the President, Director, White House Military Office. Admiral Miller was the first active-duty officer to direct the White House Military Office, which includes all military support to the White House, including for Air Force One, Camp David and Presidential Food Service, from a letter dated 1/21/05: “… the White House Mess has always served good food; what it needed was a master’s touch to provide truly exceptional dining experiences. And that is precisely what you taught us… by lending your name, your time and your talents to the White House, you have helped us to literally recraft the image of this most exclusive mess. Your involvement and active support… created a revolution of sorts in the Presidential Food Service...”

Letter from F.X Fuller, Director, Presidential Food Service, June 14, 2002:
“Dear Robert, Thank you very much for volunteering your valuable time for coming to the White House to train our chefs. Your culinary skills and current cooking techniques you shared with our staff have enabled us to take our service to an even higher level. The fact that you are giving back to your community clearly demonstrates that you are a great mentor, true professional and above all, loyal citizen of the United States. You can be assured your efforts have already been recognized by President Bush and senior White House staff…”

I’m putting these out there not to be self-serving, but to get some sort of third party validation on the record. When you are fortunate enough to be of service to powerful people for whom you have the deepest respect, they rely on your discretion. I’m loath to put out anything further on either of these matters for public consumption and hope this puts them to rest.

Regarding resumes; I am a professional chef, trained by great chefs and instructors, some of whom are world-renowned. I think it is worth mentioning that, as an Executive Chef, I have been in charge of kitchens in the Navy, on cruise ships and in hotels and casinos and have hired and fired hundreds of chefs and I didn’t hire a single one of them based on what I might have read on their resume. I listened to personal recommendations about them from other chefs and then I found out for myself if they could cook. If they could cook and were willing to work hard, they got the job, case closed.

Interestingly, my resume is not what got me the job on Dinner: Impossible. The show was created by Brian O'Reilly, a writer and producer who became executive producer of the show, and was based on events from my life and on skills that I had developed over the course of my career that were unique to me: cooking at a high culinary level under pressure, often for large numbers of people, sometimes with limited resources and an ability to improvise with whatever I had on hand to get the job done. We arranged a date to fix a gourmet luncheon for the players and coaches of the NY Rangers and the NY Knicks at their training facility in New York (21 dishes served in a buffet line for 60 people in 3 hours) and from there produced a “sizzle” reel that demonstrated the concept for the show (which was originally called “Fit For A King”). Food Network saw the sizzle reel, loved it, added the element of keeping each “mission” a secret from me until I arrived on the scene, changed the name, bought the show, and the rest is history.

I had a great run on Dinner: Impossible and I know that there’s more excitement on the horizon, so stay tuned. My deep and heartfelt thanks goes out to Randall Williams, my business partner and friend, to Brian and Virginia O’Reilly and to my incredible family for their steadfast and unwavering support through all of this. Let’s all look to the future and get this party started!

Robert Irvine