Curtis Stone, the chef you’d like to take home

To me, the most important thing about cooking is not years of skill or practice but understanding what you are cooking. I think you only need a little bit of knowledge about an ingredient and then you will understand how to handle it. I also firmly believe that if you use the right ingredient at the right time of the year it’s hard to go wrong. So get stuck and get cooking. — Curtis Stone, Cooking with Curtis

My favorite TV channel is Discovery Travel and Living because it educates and inspires viewers. Traveling is the best teacher because it enables you to immerse yourself in the different cultures, gain knowledge, accept diversity, and experience the wonders of the world’s best places. Culture and food are often intertwined because they showcase the country’s character and history. Our taste buds are treated to the marriage of different flavors, our eyes are opened to different styles of whipping up a dish, our soul  is touched by cuisines that add spice to life.

One TV show that I particularly enjoy is Curtis Stone’s Take Home Chef. Curtis began his career at Savoy Hotel in his hometown Melbourne, Australia, then moved to London were he met his mentor Marco Pierre White, the youngest man in the world to be awarded the three-star Michelin. For eight years he worked and became Marco’s sous chef in the Grill Room at Cafe Mirabelle Restaurant where he was awarded a star, and Quo Vadis where Curtis was voted as one of London’s finest chefs in the prestigious book London on a Plate. Truth is, Curtis doesn’t see himself as a celebrity chef but as someone who simply loves to cook.

Take Home Chef finds the handsome, funny, innovative, and down-to-earth Curtis — the kind of guy any girl would like to have in her kitchen — in the grocery asking someone, usually an attractive girl in her 20s or 30s, if she is cooking dinner that night and offering to help her prepare a gourmet meal for family or friends using the items found in his basket. If the person agrees, they proceed to the kitchen and, along the way, Curtis teaches various techniques of cooking. In the final scene, the unsuspecting family or friend arrives, with Curtis and crew surprising the guest with a sumptuous dinner!

The Philippine Star was recently invited to meet Curtis Stone in Singapore and for me, it was an honor to meet a culinary genius in person and watch him in a cooking demonstration held at Jones the Grocer, a one-stop shop for cooking and baking needs. At the demo, Curtis asked three guests from the media to choose three ingredients from the shop, which he would use to make his dish. After two minutes of shopping, the choices were blue cheese, Wagyu beef, and chestnut puree. Curtis’ creative mind then quickly went to work, seasoning the beef with salt and pepper and pan-frying the meat for eight minutes. He then lowered the fire; put a metal bowl on top of the pan, which served as an improvised oven, for an extra five minutes. He then proceeded to make vinaigrette, mixing olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and gently whisking them to the proper consistency. He added arugula and alfalfa on top of the meat, drizzled the dressing, and put the bleu cheese top. The chestnut puree was an unfamiliar ingredient, but Curtis’ adaptability to any situation highlighted his skill. He mixed puree, creme fraiche or French heavy cream, and sugar to make a nice chestnut mousse dessert. He was a showman, chopping away ingredients while chatting with the crowd. He was also a teacher, clearly explaining the process and making sure that everyone learns something.

Later, I had the opportunity to have a one-on-one interview with Curtis. Excerpts:

Philippine STAR: How old were you when you first started in the kitchen?

Curtis Stone: I was in the kitchen around five years old, watching Grandma cook. My neighbors were Italians, Australians and I would always go over to their place and eat their food. I got into cooking because I love to eat. Our neighbor’s dad was a chef and he taught me some of the dishes they were making, which helped inspire me to become a chef. Professionally. I started when I was 17 and ever since I’ve always been around the kitchen.

What was the first dish, you made?

Grandma’s chocolate fudge and roast lamb, fried potato, and gravy. I consider these two as my first and my comfort food.

Who was the biggest influence/inspiration in your career?

When I first started, it was all French chefs — Paul Bocuse, Roger Verge, Marco Pierre White. Later on, as I traveled more, I discovered new styles and techniques which I infused in my cooking. The world is so big that you shouldn’t settle on just one way, there is always more to learn.

Define your culinary style.

I believe my style is personal, I always try to find out what people like, asking them what they want to eat. From there, I can make a menu, I like doing things from scratch.

What’s the difference between working in a hotel/restaurant and Take Home Chef?

In the hotel, you have to be a master, perfectionist, and very attentive to detail because everything has to be consistent with a set standard. On TV, you are more relaxed, creative. We shoot 140 episodes, each episode consisting of three dishes. So imagine, we make a total of over 400 different recipes. Also, in the restaurant, I like to personally fillet my own fish — you have time; while on the show, everything in the grocery is prepared but you have less time, so you have to work fast. I do miss working in the restaurant because I miss the kitchen camaraderie.

What has been your most memorable experience on the show?

A lady e-mailed and asked if we could teach her how to cook for her friend who was a breast cancer survivor. This was a very touching segment and a great example of how using food can touch people’s lives.

Where do you see the culinary arts in the next 10 years? Predictions?

Cuisine will follow cultures and they will come together. Chefs would have more experience, better understanding in the use of ingredients, which will help in the maximizing of the taste. Since people will be more aware, more traveled, fusion would be better, and I predict cuisine in big cities to be more generic.

If you were to prepare the perfect meal, what would it be and why?

That is one tough question, mate. I guess that depends on the mood, I believe food will create the mood. If you want something relaxing, hot, or whatever, I would use the cuisine to dictate the mood. I can also say it would be something from the heart or close to my heart and I would go back to roast lamb, fried potato, and gravy.

Any advice to aspiring cooks or chefs?

Always see the positive, be creative, spontaneous, and respectful to ingredients. I consider myself an environmentalist and therefore would not cook any endangered species. Also killing an animal should be done with dignity, using all parts, and making it worth the meal. Cooking is a celebration of life and should be done with respect.

Orecchiette Pasta with Crab and Chili

(Recipe by Curtis Stone, taken from Cooking with Curtis)

5 oz/150 grams crabmeat, picked

9 oz/250 grams orecchiette pasta

salt and pepper

2 tbsps. olive oil

2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed

2 fresh chilies, finely chopped

2/3 cup or 150 ml dry white wine

12 cocktail crab claws, cooked

generous 1/3 cup oil or 100ml extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsps. fresh flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

Cook the orecchiette in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes, or until al dente (tender but firm to the bite). Meanwhile, sweat the shallots, garlic, and chili, with 2 tbsps. of olive oil in a separate large high sided pan until soft but not colored. Add the white wine, crabmeat, and claws, then season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from heat and add extra virgin olive oil and parsley, stirring constantly. Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the crab mixture. Toss together and serve immediately in four warmed pasta bowls.

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