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IRON
CHEF CENTRAL COAST
May
2007
Each year,
Central Coast Magazine hosts an event designed
to spotlight the culinary talent of the region.
This year we introduced our own version of “kitchen
stadium,” where nearly 30 top chefs
in the region competed to be named Iron Chef
Central Coast.
The
Iron Chef | The
Runners Up | Standout
Dishes | Trends | Notable
Blue Cheese | Notable
Soft Ripened Cheese | Notable
Hard Ripened Cheese | Cheese
of Choice | Cheese
Glossary |
Participants
WELCOME TO BATTLE CHEESE.
The rules were simple. Each chef was asked to prepare
four dishes using a secret ingredient: one appetizer, one main dish, one dessert,
and one wild card dish of their choosing. The secret ingredient was the same
for all chefs, is readily available, and gave each chef great creative opportunities,
leaving a lot of room for interpretation.
Chefs were required to use one blue-veined, one soft ripened, one hard
ripened, and one other cheese of their choice. There
were no restrictions on which type should be used for which dish. While they
could use more than four varieties of cheese – there were no extra points
for using additional kinds, though a few bonus points were awarded for using
unusual cheeses. The chefs prepared the entries in their own restaurant, and
four judges visited each location to score the results. The judging included
points for originality, plating, and overall flavor, and bonus points were
awarded for exceptional artistic merit, the use of unusual cheeses, the overall
flow of the menu, and one extra point we called the oh my God factor. If, when
the judge tasted the dish, he or she said “Oh my God,” Chef got
the extra point. Every single participant gave the contest their best efforts.
Some presented us with samples of the cheeses so we could see and taste them
in their unadulterated state. Others gave us literature on the cheeses they
used. They all claimed to have fun, and to have learned a few things about
cheese in the process. Some of the dishes were interpretations of existing
menu items, while others were complete departures from what the restaurant
normally serves. It was all delicious, and all in good fun. We encourage you
to turn out in support of all the chefs who took part, as they are the best
the Central Coast has to offer.
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AND
THE WINNER IS:
Chef WILHELM
HOPPE
Hoppe’s
Garden Bistro, Cayucos
The Iron Chef
Those who have been on the Central Coast
for any period of time would assume that
Wilhelm “Bill” Hoppe of Hoppe’s
Garden Bistro would place high in the contest;
the fact that he is Iron Chef will not
come as a surprise to most. Years as a
leader in the region’s cuisine culminated
in his eponymous restaurant opening nearly
seven years ago. Hoppe, who studied and
trained extensively in Europe, is a graduate
of the Culinary Institute of America and
his famed wine list is indicative of his
commitment to excellent pairings of food
and wine; Hoppe recently passed certified
sommelier accreditation. As we were seated,
Hoppe presented a plate of the cheeses
he used, allowing us to taste them in their
original form, and fully experience how
they were transformed in his skilled hands.
His menu began with a stunning dish, the
Flan of Cauliflower and St. George. So
visually striking, we contemplated whether
we should actually eat it, or just admire
it. Chef Hoppe will gladly make any of
the dishes from the competition for guests,
just call a week in advance and make a
special request. We recommend that you
ask for the complete menu – and see
for yourself why Bill Hoppe is indeed Iron
Chef Central Coast.
MENU
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The
Runners Up
Two chefs with completely differently culinary styles tied for the honor of
being named Runner Up.
Chef RYAN SWARTHOUT from Deborah’s Room
at the JustInn, Paso Robles
Chef Ryan Swarthout of Deborah’s Room at Justin Winery is charged with
the appealing task of preparing intricate wine country cuisine for the intimate
dining room of just eight tables. Trained at the Culinary Academy of California,
Swarthout worked in several notable San Francisco restaurants before joining
the Justin team in 2002. For his presentation, Chef Ryan capitalized on fresh
local ingredients, and engaged us with some unique flavor combinations and
surprise elements, such as the perfectly prepared scallops with Piave Vecchio
sauce and roasted pears, which were highlighted with truffle granola. His decadent
chocolate cake with blue cheese ice cream rated the unanimous point for the “Oh
my God” factor, and we’re delighted he shared the recipe.
MENU
 Chef
RICK MANSON from Chef Rick’s, Santa
Maria
The colorful and creative Chef Rick is
a master of flavors. To quote ourselves
from
the April issue of CCM, his influences
are “slightly Creole, sometimes South
West, a dose of wine country, and always
well seasoned.” This chef’s
food has a lot of personality, and for
this competition, he didn’t hold
back. His presentation was colorful,
packed with taste, and simply delicious.
While
we had to ding his Creole Macaroni
and Cheese in the originality category, it
was unlike any we’d had, scoring
high in overall taste. But it was the Aged
Goat Cheese and Artichoke Fritter recipe
that we asked Chef Rick to provide.
MENU
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Standout
Dishes:
APPETIZER:
Chef SHAWN
WASHBURN from Shawn’s
on Main, Morro Bay
While a grilled cheese sandwich might seem
a surprising choice for a stand out dish,
it was the totality of Shawn Washburn’s
entry that earned him this notice – and
the fact that this was no mere grilled cheese.
Brightly flavored gazpacho consommé proved
the perfect foil for the smoked salmon and
ricotta in the croque monsieur.
Gazpacho Consommé with
Smoked Salmon and Ricotta Salata Croque Monsieur
WILD CARD:
Chef DEBORAH SCARBOROUGH from
Black Cat Bistro, Cambria
While figs and cheese are a common combination,
this interpretation of fig soup with
blue cheese foam was a departure from
the norm.
Chef Deborah served it with Rogue River
Blue Cheese Shortbread, which we recommend.
Fig
Soup with Rogue River Blue and Mascarpone
Brandied Foam
We sampled several wonderful savory shortbreads
along the way, but particularly relished
Maegen Loring’s version served
with fig and sauternes jelly.
Rogue River Blue Cheese Shortbreads with
Fig and Sauternes Jelly
ENTRÉE:
Chef
EVAN TREADWELL from Lido Restaurant,
Shell Beach
There are some dishes that just soar.
Perfect individual ingredients come together
to create
the ultimate achievement: the sum ends
up greater than the parts. Chef Evan’s
use of blue cheesecake to complement the
beef took a standard pairing to a new level.
Blue Costello and Bacon Cheesecake with Seared
Filet Mignon, Caramelized Red Onions and
Foie Gras
DESSERT:
Chef CHRIS KOBAYASHI from Artisan
Restaurant, Paso Robles
Cheese certainly lends itself to great
dessert creations, and we enjoyed many
unique approaches,
some quite complex and intricate. Chef
Chris’s
beignets were perfect in their simplicity.
Flawlessly fried and crispy on the outside,
soft and cheesy, mellow ricotta inside. The
chef served it with four dipping sauces – Kahlua
anglaise, chocolate ganache, caramel, and
lemon curd – but there’s no reason
you can’t just use your own favorite.
Sheep’s Milk Ricotta
Beignets
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Trends:
Poached
pears pair perfectly with cheese, and
we encountered quite a few: At Big Sky,
Tim Koch’s Blue Napoleon
with Poached Pears, Raspberries & Thyme; at
Papillon, Jensen Lorenzen’s Port
Poached Bosc Pear filled with Mascarpone
Chantilly; at
Rosa’s, Doug McMillan’s Pinot
Grigio Poached Pears in Caramel Basket
with Mascarpone Crème Patissiere; and at
Windows on the Water, Pandee Pearson’s Spice
Poached Pear on Sage Short Bread with Explorateur
Cheese and Gilded
White Truffle
Honey, to name a few. We chose Heather
Strandberg of The Porch’s Port & Truffle Honey
Poached Pear stuffed with Brillat Savarin
on bed of Dark Chocolate Ganache as a standout
amongst a great crowd.
Simply put,
cheese makes great ice cream. Of course you might not want to try it
with limburger, but cultures all over
the world
make cheese ice cream, from cheddar in
the Philippines to Parmesan in Italy
(which would
be wonderful served with apple tarte tatin).
Our chefs served us several varieties,
including Chef Rick’s ricotta ice cream with
his blue cheese beignets, and Ryan Swarthout’s
killer blue
cheese ice cream paired with
chocolate cake. Budi Kazali of
The Ballard Inn served a perfect Goat
Cheese
Sorbet that
made us swoon.
Study of Cheeses: Several chefs offered
an overview of soft ripened cheese in their
presentations. Todd Fischer of Hullabaloo
prepared Cow Girl Creamery Times Two, showcasing
their Red Hawk and Mt. Tam cheese. Chris
Kobayashi offered Four Tastes of Cheese
as
his wildcard dish. Tom Fundaro of
Villa Creek served Jean de
Brie 3 Ways on three
different
shortbreads, which highlighted just how
the companion ingredients affect the flavor
of
the cheese.
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Notable Blue Cheese:
Blue cheese can be hard or soft, and is
made from cow, goat, or sheep milk. During
the contest we were treated to blues from
England, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Australia,
Denmark, and the United States. While blue
cheese always has one thing in common – penicillium
mold – each has such a distinct flavor
and texture; so much so as to sometimes seem
a completely different variety of cheese.
It was fascinating to see the skill with
which each chef matched his blue to his dish.
Both Doug McMillan of Rosa’s and Richard
Wirz of Guiseppe’s served halibut with
gorgonzola offset with lemon; at Rosa’s
it was in a puff pastry with a lemon gorgonzola
cream sauce, and at Guiseppe’s it was
served over a saffron and lemon risotto with
a creamy dolce latte gorgonzola sauce.
While blue cheese and meat is a common marriage,
we found chefs transforming this ingredient
into more significant components than a simple
sauce, such as Chef Even Treadwell with his
Blue
Cheesecake in the standout entrée.
Other interpretations included Chris Kobayashi’s
Prime Filet with Fourme d’Ambert Fritters,
Greg Perello’s Wild Boar Strip Loin
with Gorgonzola Polenta, and Budi Kazali’s
Lamb with Fourme d’Ambert & Asian
Pear Soufflé.
Tony Baker of Montrio Bistro in Monterey
used an English blue called Shropshire – an
orange Stilton style cheese – in his
Lancashire
Onion Stew. This old English dish
of lamb broth and sweet yellow onions, topped
with a poached egg, needs this full- flavored
blue to stand up to the hearty ingredients.
Chef TONY
BAKER from Montrio Bistro, Monterey
Lancashire Onion Stew with Free Range Egg
and Shropshire Blue
Click
here for a glossary of blue cheeses presented
during the contest.
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Notable Soft Ripened
Cheese:
Most of us fell in love
with soft ripened cheese the first time
we spread a bit of brie on a slice of baguette.
There are, though, as many kinds of soft
ripened cheeses as there are ways to prepare
it. Chef Maegen Loring at The Park prepared
Curried Brie in Phyllo with Apricot
Chutney & Citrus
Greens. Laurent Grangien at Bistro
Laurent served a spectacular Croustade
of Veal Cheeks and Sweetbreads with Reblochon. We
asked Chef André Averseng at Dining with
André to share his Brie & Basil
Papeton, a savory appetizer from the
south of France made from grilled eggplant,
and
stuffed with mushrooms, brie, and basil,
with a Parmesan paprika tuile.
Chef ANDRÉ AVERSENG
from Dining with André, Paso Robles
Brie & Basil Papeton
We also discovered a use for stinky taleggio that
transforms this pungent cheese into a luscious
ingredient. At Café Roma,
Chef Brian Price melted taleggio on his
pizza dough and topped it with prosciutto
and arugula
for an outstanding pizza. Pandee Pearson
from Windows on the Water used taleggio
in her delicious Local Chanterelle Mushroom
abd Tallegio Cheese bruschetta.
Click
here for a glossary soft-ripened
cheeses used during the contest.
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Notable
Hard Ripened Cheese:
We certainly encountered
plenty of Parmesan in the hard ripened category,
but we also discovered quite a few other
varieties we were less familiar with. When
we were served Parmesan, it was frequently
used in a unique way, such as the Parmigiano
broth that accompanied Pandee Pearson’s Proscuitto
Wrapped Quail. This is a great
use for your leftover Parmesan rinds which,
after tasting this rich broth, you will never
throw away again. Chef Pandee says, “All
parts of Parmesan cheese are edible. The
rinds add great flavor to soups, slow cooked
beans, braised vegetables, and broths.” Rinds
can be frozen until ready to use.
Chef PANDEE
PEARSON from Windows on the Water, Morro
Bay
Prosciutto Wrapped Quail and
Fontina D’Aosta
Arancine in Parmigiano Broth with Fig Balsamic
Jam and Pistachio Gremolata
Click
here for a glossary of hard-ripened cheeses
used during the contest.
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Cheese
of Choice:
The final category of required
cheese was not a category at all, but rather
an invitation for chefs to use any type they
liked. This left plenty of room fresh cheeses,
a common choice, as we came across mascarpone,
ricotta, and fromage blanc. It also opened
up the goat cheese category, as chefs chose
both traditional chevre, as well as Humboldt
Fog with its layer of vegetable ash in the
center.
Other cheeses chosen were not so familiar:
Boschetto al Tartuffo (Shawn Washburn), Abbaye
de Belloc (Tim Koch), and Burrata (Deborah
Scarborough), to name a few. And not all
unusual cheeses were imported; including
Matos St. George from Sonoma County, and
Mike’s Firehouse White Cheddar from
Spring Hill Dairy.
Though there was no prize for most unusual
cheese, if there were, it would go to Maegen
Loring of The Park. She used a Norwegian
cheese in her Olive Oil Pound Cake with Crushed
Strawberries, which she topped with crispy
sprinkles of Gjetost; a blend of goat and
cow’s milk with the sweet flavors of
caramel and peanut butter.
For
the glossary of
cheeses presented during the contest,
click here. |
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