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Secrets of The Chefs

By Bridget Avila

You’ve reserved tables with them, perused their menus, and sampled their delectable creations. You’ve let each scrumptious morsel slowly pervade your tongue, reaching each and every taste bud as your senses and your photographic memory of Larousse Gastronomique conspired to pick the dish apart. But could you, would you, dare try to re-create the work of your favorite chef at home?

You may think that the quality ingredients and equipment that fine chefs demand are out of reach for the home cook. But think again. Here local chefs share their secrets for where to get the best ingredients and tools, how to hunt down quality, and how to hone your culinary skills at home.

Buy Local, Eat Fresh

All the chefs we interviewed swore by fresh local produce. It was, hands down, their top recommendation. In other words, get thee to the farmers’ market. Restaurateurs often deal directly with local farms that aren’t necessarily open to the public, but they are solid proponents of farmers’ markets for top-notch produce.

Russell Brown, owner and chef of Northwoods in West Annapolis, casts his vote for farmers’ markets not just for his home kitchen but also for his business. “In the summer I shop at the farmers’ market myself for the restaurant. This time of year, if you pick up some corn and tomatoes in the morning to serve that night, you’ll have a lot of happy people.”

The quality of produce decreases with every mile it has to travel and every hour it spends off the vine, so chefs try to minimize the time and distance from field to table. It’s the rare restaurant that has the resources to grow its own vegetable garden, but sticklers for quality, such as Jim Wilder of Wild Orchid Café in Eastport, go out into the fields and pick their own produce when they can. “We have an herb garden at the restaurant,” he says, “but we don’t have the space for a vegetable garden. When we have time we like to pick vegetables ourselves.”

Local produce is even more important to the environmentally conscious cook. Craig Sewell, owner of A Cook’s Café and the Chesapeake School of Cooking, both in Parole, is passionate about promoting local produce. “In my mind it’s the ethical way to go. Some people worry about always getting organic food. But I’d much rather buy asparagus that’s been grown 30 miles away with commercial-grade fertilizer than organic asparagus that’s been flown in from Peru. Food miles are very important when you’re thinking about how big your carbon footprint is,” he says.

Sewell recommends farmers’ markets as the logical place to look for quality produce, but he also recommends community- supported agriculture programs (CSAs). You subscribe to a CSA, or buy a share in it, at the beginning of the season and get a regular portion of the farm’s fresh produce, often a weekly box of vegetables, in some case herbs or fruit as well. In a CSA you get to know your farmers, and you may even spend time working and socializing in the fields where your produce is grown.

Such a personal connection is what Richard Hamilton, corporate executive chef of Restaurant Local in Easton, has come to rely on as he’s moved around the country (and out of the country) opening new restaurants. “When I’m new to an area the first thing I do is go to the farmers’ market and meet purveyors and just start networking. You’ve got to get out and shake some hands and know your community,” he says.

The Pennsylvania Dutch Market in Annapolis and the Easton Amish Farmers Market are favorite sources for food from our region, though not every product they sell fits that description. Brendan Keegan, chef at 208 Talbot Restaurant & Wine Bar in St. Michaels, goes especially for rabbit. He says the quality of the meats he gets at the Amish Market in Easton sometimes even surpasses that of what he orders from restaurant suppliers. “I have to call ahead for some items, but I’m getting naturally raised, fresh product that hasn’t been frozen, and you can’t beat that.”

Doug Kirby, chef at Easton’s Rustic Inn, echoes that support for the Amish farmers’ markets, “The Amish Markets are great. They’ve got quality ingredients made by hand from scratch. You’re just not going to find that in a grocery store.”

Create Your Own Food Network

No, we don’t mean go on television. Just like people in other professions, farmers and other purveyors of local foods network with one another and provide a wealth of information for their knowledge-hungry customers. Restaurant Local’s Hamilton talks with farmers to get the scoop on all kinds of products. “If you just start talking with people you’ll find out where to find the best jams, or a meat farm you can only get to with a business card that you’ll find at the market.”

He’ll also go straight to the source for fresh seafood. “You can go down to the water where chartered fishing and crabbing tours launch. Often these boats will come back with more catch than they can use, so they’ll sell it to you directly,” Hamilton adds.

Wilder recommends befriending your local butcher for high quality meats. “Even if they don’t have what you’re looking for, they can help you find it.” Wilder goes to local butchers for specialty meats and game.
And speaking of fish and game, searching within your own social network for fishers and hunters can pay off if you’re looking for items like rockfish or venison. Many people who fish bemoan the amount of freezer space their victorious hauls take up. Even venison, which hunters can donate to food banks, can go looking for takers.
Keegan says he gets game from one of the waiters at the restaurant who’s an avid hunter and fisher: “I love to ask friends who hunt for fun things like goose or venison.”

Internet-working

Besides pressing the flesh to find the best ingredients, the Internet is a tried-and-true source for nearly any ingredient under the sun. Hamilton swears by his favorite websites for everything: sushi, lamb, exotic spices. “There’s everything you can dream of on the Internet. Every time we open a new restaurant we stock our spice pantry through adrianascaravan.com,” he says, adding that he’s seen more and more sources that were previously only available to restaurants opening Internet divisions that sell to the public, such as a line of lamb products carried by Dean and DeLuca, called Pure Bred.

Not surprisingly, this Internet fan also shops for equipment on line. “It’s great to go into a store and hold a knife in your hand to feel how comfortable it is,” Hamilton says. “But I like to figure out what I want to buy while I’m in a store and then do a Google search for ‘Wüsthof discount’ to find the best prices.” For large-ticket items like ranges, refrigerators, and even custom cabinets, he also goes on line. “You can find restaurant-grade ultra-high-end equipment that’s about the same price as trendy brands but of a much higher quality.”

The chefs also recommended the Internet as an essential tool for researching restaurants and food sources in a different city. Kerri Albright, proprietor of Kerri Out Food in Severna Park, uses the Internet to check out the food scene when she’s traveling to a new city. “You can find the hours of the local farmers’ markets or restaurant recommendations from people who actually live there.”

Hardware That Works Hard

To the novice cook, or even the gadget-happy amateur chef, the austerity of a professional kitchen can be surprising, especially in contrast to the huge range of specialized kitchen tools that line the shelves of stores aimed at home cooks. Simplicity is key when it comes to tools for serious cooks. A couple of sharp knives, a good cutting board, and some heavy pots and pans, and you’re in business.

Michael Quattrucci, executive chef at Restaurant Local, recalls having to clear the counters of one home kitchen he worked in for a television production. “There was so much clutter on the counters we couldn’t work,” he says. “You need the right tool for the job, but you really only need two knives—a French knife and a paring knife.”

All our chefs say that what kind of knives to buy—thin Japanese blades or heavy German styles—is a personal preference, but the nonnegotiable point is comfort. As Albright says, “The most important thing is to hold a knife in your hand to make sure it’s comfortable for you.”

Comfort is also important when shopping for pots and pans, but weight is more important with cookware than with knives. Wilder explains, “A sturdy steel pot with a heavy bottom distributes heat much better than a lightweight aluminum one,” says Wilder, “You can not pay attention to it for a few minutes and not have to worry about it burning your food right away.”

Cutting boards are a must-have for a well-equipped kitchen, and another area where personal preference comes into play. Wilder likes plastic cutting boards because they are easy to clean and he can periodically sanitize them with bleach. Brown, of Northwoods, prefers bamboo boards for their hardness and resistance to warping. Others go for heavy maple boards. Size is also important for cutting boards. They should be long enough to accommodate the length of your knife plus an inch or two on the diagonal.

Recipes for Cooking Success

Of course, the finest pieces of equipment won’t create a meal by themselves. A cook needs a little knowledge, a little confidence, and a lot of love to produce fine cuisine. When asked what advice they’d give home cooks for improving their cooking our chefs all recommended sticking to fundamentals. “Besides using proper ingredients, the most important thing is to use proper technique,” says Kirby.” Once you know how to properly sauté or roast you’ll be fine, regardless of what the ingredient is.”

Hamilton relies on the primacy of quality ingredients. “I’d rather spend my time on the front end looking for high-quality ingredients,” he says. “The better the ingredients, the less you have to do to them.”

Preparation is also key, says Brown, especially when cooking for guests. “Practice makes perfect. Get as organized as possible and do as much ahead of time so you can be free to be with your guests,” he recommends.

Chef Ken Upton, owner of Ken’s Creative Kitchen in Annapolis, coaches clients on hosting the perfect dinner party. He recommends sticking to a simple menu with great ingredients and relaxing with your guests. “Have a menu you’re comfortable with. Your guests are there to enjoy your company. Never let guests go in the kitchen and wash dishes. Clear the table and move everyone—including yourself—into another room. Enjoy some wine and enjoy your company.”

Contributing health editor Bridget Avila, a strong advocate of fresh local foods, wrote last year’s feature article on farmers’ markets.

Keep It Simple. Keep It Local.

What does "local food" mean? Local food is seasonal by definition. If what you’re eating is not in season, it probably did not come from a local source. Most food sold in grocery stores travels an average of 1,300 miles from where it was harvested to the shelf. Grocery stores are now starting to label their local items, which they are defining as food that has been transported for less than one day.

In the summertime, local produce makes up between 35 percent and 50 percent of the produce available in our grocery stores. Crops whose prime seasons are in July and August in Maryland include corn, apples, peaches, watermelon, asparagus, and tomatoes. If you buy peaches in March, those peaches have traveled thousands of miles to end up in the produce department of the supermarket.

Through buying locally grown and harvested foods, you’re eating fresher foods, reducing your carbon footprint on the environment, and keeping circulating money within your community. Maryland farmers are responding to the heightened demand for local foods by increasing their harvests. Anne Arundel County alone has 412 farms, which cover almost 35,000 acres.

Fresh food is right at our doorstep.

--Katie Dodd

Produce Tips From the Queen of Living Well: Martha Stewart

In General

1. Buy locally. If you can, shop at farmers’ markets or farm stands.
2. Take your time. Handpicking items one by one instead of grabbing a plastic or netted bag enables you to select only quality items.
3. Avoid prefab. Bagged salads and precut produce are convenient but not as fresh. It takes only a few minutes to ready your own. The results are worth it.

How to Recognize the Best-Tasting Produce

Fruit

Apples: Taut skin, very firm when gently pressed. Avoid those with soft spots or punctures. Flavor and texture vary widely among varieties. Seek them out at local farm stands or farmers’ markets in the fall.
Avocados: Look for Hass, with bumpy, dark-green to almost black skin. When ripe they give to gentle pressure (pressing too hard will bruise the flesh). If you buy a firm one, store it at room temperature to ripen.
Bananas: For flesh that’s neither too firm nor too soft, pick those that are yellow all over, with no green, browning, or spots whatsoever, from stem to end. Store at room temperature to ripen further.
Berries: Sneak a taste; watch out for mold and mush. Strawberries: fragrant, shiny, firm, not too big, green stems. Blueberries: firm, no green or red areas. Raspberries: full, just soft, but not oozing juice.
Grapefruit and Oranges: Heavy for their size. Navel oranges: Avoid severe bruises and soft spots. Juice oranges and grapefruit: taut, shiny skin. Through skin you should be able to feel the sections inside.
Lemons and Limes: Not much more than three inches from tip to stem; heavy for their size. Taut, thin skin; avoid those with very hard skin. Through skin you should be able to feel the flesh inside. Should give slightly when pressed.
Melons: Look for those that are fragrant and heavy. Press end opposite stem to feel for a bit of give. Watermelon: Avoid those with flat sides. Presliced, it should be deep red with about 1 inch of white rind.
Pears: Fragrant, with no soft spots, punctures, or bruises. To eat right away, they should give easily if pressed gently. For coming days, pick those with less give; ripen at room temperature. (Buy Bosc very firm.)
Stone Fruits: Fragrant, with taut skin. Avoid those with wrinkles and bruises. They should have some give when gently pressed; handle carefully, no more than four per bag. Leave firmer ones at room temperature to ripen.
Tomatoes: Best in season, from farm stands and farmers’ markets. Taut skin, firm flesh, deep and even color (greenish coloring at stem end on heirlooms is okay). Avoid pale ones. Store at room temperature.

Vegetables

Asparagus: Thickness is a matter of taste. Choose bunches with tightly closed tips without flowering. Stalks should be bright green and firm. Avoid those with stalks that are flattened or wrinkled and feel hollow.
Corn: Best served the day you buy it; don’t refrigerate. Bright-green husks wrapped tightly around ear, with flowing, moist silk (not brown). Pull back husk; kernels should be small, shiny, firm, and tightly packed.
Cucumbers: Look for firm, unwaxed Kirbys (which are nearly seedless) with variegated color from light to dark green and without wrinkles or soft spots; best no more than six inches long. If Kirbys are unavailable buy English.
Eggplant: Flesh should give a bit when gently pressed and have no hard spots. Skin should be shiny, not shriveled, wrinkled, or mottled. Stems should be green. Use within a day or two. Don’t refrigerate.
Mesclun and Lettuces: Mesclun: Dig down into bin for freshest greens. There should be no wilted leaves or wet, mushy, or yellow spots. Romaine: dark green, narrow, stiff leaves. Butter lettuces: small, round, loosely formed heads.
Onions: Look for dry, papery skins and flesh that is full and firm, especially at the stem end. Avoid any with mold, discoloration, or soft spots, or ones in net bags; select one by one. Store at room temperature.
Peppers: For bell peppers, very firm all over with taut skin. Flesh should be thick without soft spots or wrinkles. Look for bright-green stems. For chilies, any color you choose should be vibrant and wrinkle free.
Pole Beans: bright, firm, with no soft spots or wrinkles. Should snap when bent and have very small beans. Avoid tough skin. Shell: pods a bit leathery but firm; no yellowing. Beans should be easily felt through the pod.
Potatoes: Firm, without any soft areas or wrinkled skin; avoid those with sprouting eyes, slits, or a green tinge. Avoid bags; choose individually. Buy all one size to cook evenly. Store at room temperature.
Summer Squash: For yellow and green, choose small to medium, four to six inches and not bulbous (large ones are watery or fibrous); should feel firm. Skin should be smooth, shiny. Pattypan: no bigger than four inches across.

bridget avila jul 08

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