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Chef in Residence, Andrew Cohen Andrew Cohen exemplifies the caliber of chef we have here in our neighborhood, with a culinary career that spans over thirty years. A graduate from the esteemed California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, Andrew interned at Chez Panisse with celebrity chef and restaurant owner Alice Waters. Andrew was a Santa Cruz chef at the legendary India Joze, the Verandah, and Theo’s, all exceptional restaurants. These and other notable restaurants provided the opportunity to experiment and to broaden his repertoire. Andrew was also a chef-owner at Surf Sushi, where his outstanding sushi skills were a focal point; some of his unique creations are still on sushi menus today. On occasion, Andrew is a guest chef for Santa Cruz Mountain Winery, where he matches their fabulous wines to the region’s culinary bounty. Andrew is a firm advocate of health-conscious cooking, diet and nutrition, utilizing fresh local ingredients carefully chosen from the farmer’s market. He also teaches classes based on his personal philosophy, both as an instructor at local schools and through private classes held at homes. In a recent interview, Andrew discussed his philosophy of teaching people about preparing meals: “When teaching, I prefer to teach techniques, not recipes. I like the idea that someone can open the refrigerator and work from there, rather than go to the grocery store with a slip of paper.” “Cooking is my passion. I enjoy teaching others about it. For me, cooking is like alchemy-: you mix different ingredients together to come up with something that is greater than the parts.” His specialty is spice blends, and he’s always on the lookout for new combinations as well as more traditional blends. “I am a market driven chef, preferring to work with what is freshest. I tend to shop first and then plan dinner. I like to work with the ingredients to bring out their best, frequently using the same ingredient in several forms in the same dish or on the same plate to emphasize all its characteristics.” When I asked Andrew to give me his thoughts on why he loves vanilla, he had a lot to say, especially as someone fond of spice blends. Here are some of this thoughts: “When I look at a vanilla bean I see something that appears almost magical. Having a bunch of beans in my hand makes me feel as if I have some secret, holy treasure. The color is so rich, and when you slit the bean, the seeds inside seem alive to me. And the aroma… Try to explain it to someone, to describe the smell with words. You could write pages and still not quite get there. Yet 'vanilla' is a term that is used so often to help describe something else such as chocolate, brandy, wine, maple syrup or even wood." “As vanilla evokes memories and feelings, it is almost always used in sweets. I love to use vanilla in this way as much as anyone, but even more, I like to incorporate vanilla into savory dishes."“I love how it can be used as a main flavoring in a sauce and how it can be used as a subtle perfume to lend nuance and depth. I find that using vanilla in savory foods can bring out a different flavor profile and make dishes seem lighter. I also love to watch a person’s face as they try to figure out the ‘secret ingredient.’ Vanilla as a savory spice is so out of context for so many people it can be baffling. I have a lot of fun using vanilla, lavender or cinnamon in savory foods. These flavors are all so good and conjure so much in the mind when smelled and tasted it’s a shame to wait until the end of the meal to enjoy them.” The following two recipes are similar in some of their ingredients, but quite different in the finished dish. While these are not quick entrees to whip up at the last minute, they are deliciously unique, recipes that would be fun to use for special guests and memorable meals. Scallops and Mushrooms in Vanilla SauceCourtesy of Chef Andrew CohenIngredients
Note: This kills the heat of the pepper, leaving behind the fruity flavor. Toast until you get a whiff of the pepper (about a minute in a hot pan), then transfer to a cool bowl. InstructionsHeat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of the butter. As soon as the foaming stops, add the mushrooms and immediately toss to coat them in the butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms until they are done and have developed crispy edges. Set aside and keep warm. Heat a one-quart saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the 1 remaining tablespoon of butter and melt. When the foaming subsides, add the shallots and cook to soften. When the shallots begin to color, add the peppercorns and 1 inch of the vanilla bean. Add the brandy, stir, and cook down by 80%. Add the chardonnay, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and reduce the wine by 50%. While the wine is reducing, split the vanilla bean down the length and, with the tip of a knife, scrape out the seeds. Add these to the wine. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and reduce the liquid in the pan by 75%. Chop the vanilla bean and add it to the pot, stirring it around to cook it a bit. Add the coffee beans, stir, and add the heavy cream. Pay attention here as you don’t want to make a mess on the stove. Bring the cream to a boil, and reduce the heat so the sauce is at a simmer and is reducing. If the sauce is boiled too long it might separate, so watch it carefully. When the sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon it is ready. Taste and season with salt (very lightly) and fresh pepper. Strain into a small, clean pan and keep warm. Heat a large non-stick pan, or regular pan that has been heated and then filmed with a neutral flavored oil such as grape-seed. The pan must be large enough so the scallops are not crowded. If they are too close together they will steam and not get crisp. Dry the scallops and season with salt and pepper. Carefully add them to the pan and sear. When they are caramelized on one side, turn them and finish. Remove from the pan and add the mushrooms to heat through. Make sure the sauce is warm. Place the mushrooms on the plate, put the scallops on the mushrooms, and then use a spoon to sauce the plates. This dish could be served as a starter for 4 people or as a full meal for 2. As a starter you could add slices of toasted chewy bread to sop up the sauce along with a small salad of slightly bitter lettuces with a light vinaigrette such as sherry vinegar and hazelnut oil. As an entrée, some roasted asparagus (perhaps with truffle oil) or fresh peas, and pasta or rice. You could also use rafts of toasted country bread for the starch, placing the toasts down as the base to the dish.
VANILLA-CURED PORK WITH COFFEE SAUCECourtesy of Chef Andrew CohenIngredients1 pork tenderloin trimmed of all fat and silver-skin, cut into 1-1/2 inch medallions Vanilla "cure" for pork2 vanilla beans, chopped InstructionsIn a food processor or blender, grind all of the above until finely powdered and well mixed. Dust the pork with enough of the vanilla cure to evenly coat and allow to marinate for at least 4 hours or over night. Pre-heat oven to 400° Over medium-high heat, pre-heat a non-stick (or well-seasoned heavy pan wiped with a little oil) pan large enough to hold all the pork without crowding until hot. If your pan is not large enough, cook the pork in batches. When the pan is hot, sear the pork until well browned, and then using tongs, turn the meat and sear the other side until it too is browned and crisp. As each piece of pork is done, remove it to a foil lined baking dish (the foil is for ease of cleaning; the curing mix can burn in a baking dish). When all the pork is done, place in the oven and finish cooking. This should take about 5-6 minutes. The pork should just be pale pink; the meat will still be hot enough to finish cooking while you let it “rest” on the stovetop for 5 minutes under a piece of foil. Place 2 medallions per plate and sauce to serve. Coffee Sauce for Vanilla PorkIngredientsTrimmings from 1 pork tenderloin InstructionsHeat 1 tablespoon of neutral flavored oil such as grape-seed in a heavy bottomed 1-1/2 quart saucepan over medium-high. When the oil is hot pour it out and add the pork trimmings. Cook to crisp the trimmings so they give off a nice meaty aroma. Add the carrots and celery, tossing to coat with oil and fat in the pan. Cook until the vegetables start to caramelize. Add the shallots and cook until they turn translucent. Be careful to keep stirring them so they don’t burn. Add the brandy or Cognac to the pan, and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula to release the bits on the bottom. Add the wine to the pan, and boil to reduce by 80%. Add the chicken stock, and turn down the heat to medium and reduce by 70%. Add the coffee, stir, and simmer for one minute. Strain the sauce into a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as you can without pushing through any vegetable matter. Wipe out any detritus from the pan and return to the heat. Add the strained sauce back to the pan and add the demi-glace. If the demi is very dense, you may only need 1/2 cup. Heat to melt the demi and reduce until the sauce feels silky. If you need to, add the rest of the demi. The sauce should film the back of a spoon dipped into the sauce. Taste the sauce; add sugar if necessary to achieve a balance between bitter and sweet. (The sweet is derived from the carrots, shallots and brandy.) At this point, the sauce should be ready to use. To further enrich the sauce, you can pour in the juices from the pork that have accumulated in the baking pan. This will thin out your sauce but add flavor. The butter will thicken it. Remove the pan from the heat and toss in a few of the butter bits, swirling and whisking the sauce to incorporate the butter. Keep adding butter bits, a few at a time, until the sauce has achieved a silky consistency. When the back of a spoon is dipped in the sauce, you should be able to run your finger through the sauce and leave a trail. This technique can be used whether or not you add the pan drippings. Use this sauce very soon after making it. The flavors are heat sensitive and the coffee can become bitter rendering the sauce unpalatable. If you are thinking of making this recipe for company, prepare it once beforehand so you are familiar with it. It is not complicated; it just takes a little attention. If you wish, a little pinch of true cinnamon (also known as canela) would be a nice way to add additional depth to the sauce. Do not go overboard, it is just to add nuance. HEALTHY OATMEAL FOR ALL US KIDSCourtesy of Chef Andrew CohenIn my house, I use pure vanilla and true cinnamon (also known in Mexico as canela) for its light, sweet nose, in my kids' hot cereal in the morning. The smell is so sweet that it allows me to use less sweetener in the cereal. Ingredients1 cup old fashioned oatmeal InstructionsPut oatmeal and water into a heavy bottomed sauce pan and prepare as per instructions. Add a couple shakes of cinnamon into the water as it is heating up. (If using Rain’s Choice Very Cinnamon Spice Vanilla Sugar, add at the end.) When the oatmeal is cooked, add pure vanilla extract just so the aroma is strongest. Add sugar to taste. You will find that with the cinnamon and vanilla (or with Rain’s Choice products), you won’t need as much sweetening in the oatmeal. |
Those of us who live in Santa Cruz County are spoiled, both by exceptional produce, cheeses, wines and other artisan-crafted foods, as well as by excellent chefs and restaurants. As a small city we are really blessed as we have the Monterey Bay’s, abundant seafood, the Santa Cruz Mountain appellation, which produces world-class wines, and rich agricultural land in our South County, which is part of America’s salad bowl and the largest producer of strawberries and raspberries in the country. We also have the most organic family farms of any county in the state of California. 
