Molding chefs of the future

Chef George Kaslow, associate professor of the John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University, got his start like many chefs. At age 16, he began working at a pizza parlor in New York washing dishes and, gradually, moving up to cooking on the line.

In college, he considered becoming a doctor, lawyer or accountant – finally settling on his passion: the culinary field.

Formally trained at Florida International University, Chef Kaslow has traveled the globe perfecting his craft in kitchens with students and to support himself. One such job at a New York City high-end seafood house often meant cooking for celebrities of the day.

After a hiatus to work as a Spanish industrial translator in such exotic locales as Venezuela, Costa Rica and Barcelona, Chef Kaslow returned to FIU to earn his master’s degree in food and beverage management. In 2000, he accepted the Nicholls’ post.

“It keeps you young working with young people,” he said.

Bacon-Wrapped Trout with Corn Relish

Ingredients for Relish:

2 1/2 cups yellow whole kernel corn

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Directions:

Cut corn from 4 to 6 ears to equal 2 1/2 cups. In a bowl add corn and diced onion. In a small sauce pan bring vinegar, sugar, mustard and turmeric to a boil. Add corn and onion and return to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Add red pepper and set aside.

Ingredients for Trout:

12 trout filets

Salt

Pepper

Fresh basil leaves

12 pieces apple smoked bacon

12 skewers

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Place trout filets skin side down. Salt and pepper. Lay basil on flesh and roll trout from tail end. Wrap with bacon and secure with a skewer. In a large cast iron skillet pan fry trout in olive oil until bacon is crisp. Remove from pan and place on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 3-5 minutes in a 400° oven. Top with corn relish.

Black-Eyed-Pea Battered Shrimp

Ingredients:

24 (16 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined

3/4 cup cooked black-eyed peas

1/4 cup minced onions

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/8 tsp ground ginger

2 teaspoons Creole seasoning

2 eggs

2 ounces vegetable oil

1 cup beer

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine peas, onions, garlic, ginger and Creole seasoning. Blend 2-2 minutes on high speed or until peas are coarsely chopped. Add eggs, vegetable oil and beer. Continue to blend until peas are pureed, approximately 1-2 minutes. Add flour and salt and blend once again for 1-2 additional minutes. Pour the black-eyed pea batter into a small bowl. When ready to fry, heat vegetable oil in a fryer according to manufacturer’s directions. Dip the shrimp into the batter, allowing all excess to drain off. Gently place shrimp into the deep fryer and allow to cook until golden brown and partially floating.

(This is one of the most interesting treatments of shrimp I have ever run across. Bob Harrington, an instructor at the NSU’s institute, first introduced me to this concept of battering with beans and peas.)

Blackened Redfish

Ingredients:

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted in a skillet

6 (8- to 10-ounce) fish fillets (preferably redfish, pompano or tilefish), cut about 1/2-inch thick (see Note)

Seasoning mix:

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)

3/4 teaspoon white pepper

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

Directions:

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over very high heat until it is beyond the smoking stage and you see white ash in the skillet bottom (the skillet cannot be too hot for this dish), at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour 2 tablespoons melted butter in each of 6 small ramekins; set aside and keep warm. Reserve the remaining butter in its skillet. Heat the serving plates in a 250° oven.

Thoroughly combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl. Dip each fillet in the reserved melted butter so that both sides are well coated; then sprinkle seasoning mix generously and evenly on both sides of the fillets, patting it in by hand. Place in the hot skillet and pour 1 teaspoon melted butter on top of each fillet (be careful, as the butter may flame up). Cook, uncovered, over the same high heat until the underside looks charred, about 2 minutes (the time will vary according to the fillet’s thickness and the heat of the skillet). Turn the fish over and again pour 1 teaspoon butter on top; cook until fish is done, about 2 minutes more. Repeat with remaining fillets. Serve each fillet while piping hot.

To serve, place one fillet and a ramekin of butter on each heated serving plate.

Note: Redfish and pompano are ideal for this method of cooking. If tilefish is used, you may have to split the fillets in half horizontally to have the proper thickness. If you can’t get any of these fish, salmon steaks or red snapper fillets can be substituted. In any case, the fillets or steaks must not be more than 3/4-inch thick.

Ancho-Chipotle Spiced Duck Breast with Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

Salt

3/4 teaspoon sugar

Four 1/2 pound magret duck breast halves, skin and fat removed

1 tablespoon pure ancho chile powder

1 teaspoon pure chipotle chile powder

1 large ripe mango, diced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 large sweet onion, such as Vadalia or Spanish Sweet, sliced ?-inch thick, slices kept intact

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix 1 1/4 teaspoon of salt with 1/4 teaspoon of the sugar. Sprinkle evenly over both sides of the duck beasts. Cover the duck with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, or for up to 4 hours in the refrigerator. In another small bowl, mix the ancho and chipotle powders. Meanwhile, in another small bowl, toss the mango with the cilantro, lime juice, a pinch of salt and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Cover and refrigerate. Preheat the broiler and line a broiler pan with foil. Brush the onion slices with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and arrange on the pan. Broil the onions 6 inches from the heat for 12 minutes, turning once and brushing with the oil in the pan, until softened and lightly charred in spots. Transfer the onions to a bowl, separating the rings. Season with salt and pepper. Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towels and sprinkle each of them on each side with 1 teaspoon of the ground chile mixture. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoons of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the duck breasts and cook, turning once, until browned outside but still pink inside, 6 to 8 minutes; lower the heat if the chile rub begins to brown too quickly. Transfer the duck breasts to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes, then thickly slice on the diagonal. To serve, mound the onion slices on large plates. Arrange the duck breast slices on top.

Spoon the mango salsa over the duck and serve immediately.