Chef Roberto Cortez Each New Years' my wife and I exchange a present that has an importance and significance to each of us and has become a cherished tradition that we look forward to during the week between Christmas and New Years. This year she found the most amazing gift and something that I can share with everyone. It was a three hour private cooking lesson with Chef Roberto Cortez. You may not have heard of him - but you will. He was featured in Santa Barbara Magazine in December '09, which is how Kymberlee heard of him. He is known for his cooking classes in Montecito and private dinners for no more than 20 guests. He is also famous for the celebrities he has been a private Chef for including; Paul Allen, Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith and Eddie Murphy.
But he had never done a one-on-one lesson until now. Kymberlee convinced Chef that it would be a great experience for him and me, as I was a chef for many years before getting involved in software in the mid 80's (at Wavefront and now at introNetworks).
It started with a pre-class phone call on New Years day. Roberto called to asked what the focus would be on, as he was creating a lesson plan specifically for me. I said that I really wanted to focus on presentation and plating, as that is that part of the meal that typically eludes me. He said he would bring everything he needed and all I had to have ready was an open mind and willingness to see things in a different way.
Chef Roberto preparing Fontina Cheese w/Black Truffle Sandwich GarnishThe idea for the evening was to think about food differently, and to think more about the plate and the composition of the foods on it. To think of it as a palette for that anything else. One tip that was counter intuitive to me was to not think 'small plates' for the artistic 'small' portions, but larger plates to 'frame' the food.
He produced a series of six dishes and two desserts with ample instruction throughout the entire process. Over three and a half hours later we had consumed some amazing tastes and I had learned a lot of new tricks.
We started with the simple of idea of how to transform a soup into something more magical and interesting. Of course with this class being on plating and presentation, we didn't skimp on taste, as Chef had prepared most of the ingredients in advance, so that we could focus on the last steps of the process. He had prepared an artichoke broth made from roasted fresh artichoke hearts. From this he taught me the first trick, Foaming. He took the warmed broth and added about a tablespoon of unsalted butter, then using an immersion blender (stick blender) he worked on the edge of the broth and quickly whirled up at least a cup of foam on the top of the broth. He stressed that you really want small, tight bubbles, as they will last ten minutes, enough time to plate and get the dish to the table. The garnish for the soup was a simple grilled cheese sandwich made with fresh brioche using Fontina and black truffles (yea, I know, grilled cheese will never be the same).
The trick here is in the presentation. Using a pair of Bodum tea cups, he ladled the broth into them, then topped with the foam and finally the sandwich, cut into a finger sized bite, poised on top of the cups.
Artichoke Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwich
The effect was perfect. The flavors sublime and the perfect start to our evening.
The next course was a salad, but I think that I will be thinking differently about salads going forward. This was a combination of many elements and gave us a better glimpse into Roberto's philosophy of dining. He suggests that after three bites of most foods we become bored. He calls it pallate fatigue. So, to combat this, he thinks hard about 'how' someone is going to eat the food and suggests that I do the same. Here is the final dish, and I show it now to illustrate this point. He serves the plate vertically positioned in front of the diner with the expectation that the salad will we consumed from the top down towards the diner. The flavors then combine in layers from light and sublime, with an emphasis on changing textures throughout.
Pear and Brie Salad ala Cortez
The first thing to go on the plate was a long drizzle of Maple Syrup, he says that the woodiness of the syrup would provide a solid base. On top of this he positioned a Pear Panna Cotta (small mound at the top of the plate), then a Brie/Basmati Rice Creme shaped in a quenelle form (the idea here is a playful deconstruction of the classic Brie/Pear Salad).
At the top of the plate you see a single line of walnuts, drizzled with walnut oil to further accentuate the woodiness of the salad. A simple vinaigrette was prepared with rice wine vinegar, fresh thyme and olive oil - it has exactly the right consistency as the olive oil was drizzled in drop by drop as Chef rapidly whisked it in. Finally a fine dice of fresh pear was scattered along the line of vinaigrette and syrup with a few sprigs of microgreens at the end (so it could be called a salad).
The idea then is to start at the top and work towards you, experiencing each flavor in combination, the textures blending smoothly together, giving the crunchiness of the greens and nuts a stark contrast to the creaminess of the Brie/Basmati quenelle and the zestiness of the Pear Panna Cotta.
Amazing, and we were only two courses in.
Chef then asked if I liked Risotto. I answered with an enthusiastic 'Yes!' and he then went on to say that he was going to change how I prepared Risotto forever. He started by saying to never use Arborio Rice, but instead to use Carnaroli Rice instead as it had much better quality for absorbing liquid while retaining it's shape and texture. He had par-boiled some earlier in the day and taught me how to finish it off at service.
He warmed the rice and slowly added stock to it, "cooking it like pasta," he said, constantly checking it until it was al dente. He then drained it and returned it to the pan and over the period of five minutes stirred in butter until a smooth emulsion had formed and a creamy texture had emerged. He added about a half cup of grated (domestic) Parmesan to to finish the Risotto. He noted that aged Parmesan tends to be too strong and overpowers the dish.
Next he showed me how to use the foam trick again - this time on a mushroom broth that he had made from Shitake Mushrooms. The broth was heated, a nob of butter added, and the immersion blender proceeded to do it's job, quickly.
He had also prepared a Syrah and fresh Ginger sauce as a garnish as well as small bit of Italian Salume diced into 1/4 inch pieces.
Risotto with Mushroom Foam, Syrah Ginger Sauce and Salume
Notice how the Risotto is covered in the Mushroom foam and encircled with the Syrah Ginger sauce. A straight line to offset the circles is made with the Salume and microgreens are added as a counterpoint and contrasting color.
The dish was amazing and probably the best and lightest Risotto I had ever tasted. Kymberlee does not eat Risotto (usually) as it is heavy and filling, this was the complete opposite.
But we were not done. Now it was time for a lovely bite of Foie Gras.
Here was another chance for him to go deeper on his philisophy of taste and texture. He had made a caramel that was barely sweet, but perfumed with Thai White Cardamom. This caramel was warmed and whisked to silky smoothness at service and placed in the bottom recess of the platter. He then brought out a small square of Fois Gras mousse that he had leftover from a Tasting Menu he prepared in LA on New Years Eve. What a treat. He finely minced some chives and dipped the square into the chives and set it into the swirl of caramel. He then took out a container of 1/2 inch squares of cooked bits of puff pastry. He makes all of his own puff paste (He was also trained as a Pastry Chef). He selected the perfect red bit of microgreen and perched it atop the chives and then put a pinch of sea salt on the top. (I offered him our hand harvested Kauai Sea Salt that we brought back from our recent trip to the Islands for our Anniversary).
Fois Gras with Cardamom Caramel
This may have been one of the most intruguing morsels of the evening.
Next, Chef wanted to teach me a technique called Pan Roasting. The idea is to slowly (on medium heat) cook a piece of protein (in this case a lovely piece of Black Cod) and build of layers of caramalization without overcooking the meat (or fish). Once the protein is 80% to temperature, you add in 2 nobs (tablespoon sized pieces) of butter, 2-3 smashed pieces of garlic (skin-on) and fresh herbs (this evening was thyme from the Santa Barbara Farmers Market that I had on hand).
Tilting the pan towards you, you use a spoon to baste the protein with the melted butter, you do this rapidly, completely covering and finishing the cooking of the fillet. This has the wonderful effect of doing what a few hours in an oven do with thorough basting. It imparts a sublte flavor and thin coating to the meat that is quite amazing.
We also did a Chicken Breast in this manner and I captured the technique using my Flip Camera.
After the meat has cooked, he takes it out of the hot pan and lets it rest on a plate for 5-8 minutes. This allows the meat to complete cooking. He had a great little tool that he used to check the internal temperature of the fish - a cake tester - a thin piece of steel that could be inserted into the cooked fillet, then placed against his lower lip. If cold, it was not done, if warm, it was done perfectly, if hot, it was overdone and he would have started over.
Black Cod with Ponzu Vinagrette
The assembly of the plate was to place the fillet in the recess of a large platter, then he added a bit of Ponzu to the thyme Vinaigrette and put a few spoons around the Black Cod. He then brought out a prepared mixture of Panko bread crumbs that had been roasted off with some Serrano Ham and Pancetta. (Just a hint of the meat in the crumbs). This was then sprinkled on top of the fish, giving it a crust that was exactly the right counter balance to the silkiness of the Cod.
I have to say, I have never tasted a fillet like this in my life. The chicken that he did alongside the Cod (so that I could see how the technique would work on a meat) was perfectly cooked in the same Pan Roasting manner, however with fresh Rosemary instead of Thyme in the butter basting.
This concluded the savory portion of the evening and so far I had learned quite a lot (and no I am not telling all in this blog.)
It was now time for Dessert.
The first dessert was an opportunity for Chef to talk more about his plating philosophy. That is to integrate surprise and uniqueness whenever you can. He brought out a small (four inch oval) Dutch Oven and placed it on a napkin in the center of the large white plate. This was then the palette on which he presented the dessert.
The dessert was compsoed of a simple square of coconut gelee that he had made earlier. A few toasted sesame seeds, a sliver of candied lemon peel and a chiffonade of mint leaves were placed on top of each square and then placed into the Dutch Oven. The cover was attached as the plate set before us. He suggested that this be served to each couple at a dinner party and the surprise of opening the oven to find this two incredible morsels would be a fitting end to a meal.
But, we were not done yet. Chef has a fascination with Chocolate, so much so that he has a chocolate sponsor Amedei and raves about them, as well he should. The final course and lesson for the evening was an amazing composition of sweets and chocolate that was stunning.
Chocolate ala Cortez
There was an amazing amount of complexity in this dish, but it was all about the final composition as our focus. In the upper left you see a quenelle of chocolate creme placed on a bed of chocolate cake powder. Three white dollops of thickened Yogurt are drizzled with Maple syrup and a trail of Malt Powder intertwines with a Glace au Chocolat Noir (dark chocolate sauce like you have never tasted before.).
The colors are enchanting, the yellow of the Maple contrasts with the white and darks and all pop off the plate. This was what I wanted to learn about.
After three and half hours of instruction, two hours of video and quite a few stills we declared victory. I wish that Chef was not leaving for his next adventure, this time to Berlin to work with a group fo designers on a completely new concept in high end dining, as I am sure I would love at least another class and a chance to have him prepare a meal for a group of friends. I hope that he returns to Santa Barbara, as he has quite a few fans here, and now two more.
We are convinced that we will be reading more about Chef Roberto Cortez in the coming months and years and will now be follwoing him on Twitter and reading his Blog.
Thanks Chef.
He produced a series of six dishes and two desserts with ample instruction throughout the entire process. Over three and a half hours later we had consumed some amazing tastes and I had learned a lot of new tricks.
We started with the simple of idea of how to transform a soup into something more magical and interesting. Of course with this class being on plating and presentation, we didn't skimp on taste, as Chef had prepared most of the ingredients in advance, so that we could focus on the last steps of the process. He had prepared an artichoke broth made from roasted fresh artichoke hearts. From this he taught me the first trick, Foaming. He took the warmed broth and added about a tablespoon of unsalted butter, then using an immersion blender (stick blender) he worked on the edge of the broth and quickly whirled up at least a cup of foam on the top of the broth. He stressed that you really want small, tight bubbles, as they will last ten minutes, enough time to plate and get the dish to the table. The garnish for the soup was a simple grilled cheese sandwich made with fresh brioche using Fontina and black truffles (yea, I know, grilled cheese will never be the same).
The trick here is in the presentation. Using a pair of Bodum tea cups, he ladled the broth into them, then topped with the foam and finally the sandwich, cut into a finger sized bite, poised on top of the cups.
Artichoke Soup with Grilled Cheese SandwichThe next course was a salad, but I think that I will be thinking differently about salads going forward. This was a combination of many elements and gave us a better glimpse into Roberto's philosophy of dining. He suggests that after three bites of most foods we become bored. He calls it pallate fatigue. So, to combat this, he thinks hard about 'how' someone is going to eat the food and suggests that I do the same. Here is the final dish, and I show it now to illustrate this point. He serves the plate vertically positioned in front of the diner with the expectation that the salad will we consumed from the top down towards the diner. The flavors then combine in layers from light and sublime, with an emphasis on changing textures throughout.
Pear and Brie Salad ala CortezAt the top of the plate you see a single line of walnuts, drizzled with walnut oil to further accentuate the woodiness of the salad. A simple vinaigrette was prepared with rice wine vinegar, fresh thyme and olive oil - it has exactly the right consistency as the olive oil was drizzled in drop by drop as Chef rapidly whisked it in. Finally a fine dice of fresh pear was scattered along the line of vinaigrette and syrup with a few sprigs of microgreens at the end (so it could be called a salad).
The idea then is to start at the top and work towards you, experiencing each flavor in combination, the textures blending smoothly together, giving the crunchiness of the greens and nuts a stark contrast to the creaminess of the Brie/Basmati quenelle and the zestiness of the Pear Panna Cotta.
Amazing, and we were only two courses in.
Chef then asked if I liked Risotto. I answered with an enthusiastic 'Yes!' and he then went on to say that he was going to change how I prepared Risotto forever. He started by saying to never use Arborio Rice, but instead to use Carnaroli Rice instead as it had much better quality for absorbing liquid while retaining it's shape and texture. He had par-boiled some earlier in the day and taught me how to finish it off at service.
He warmed the rice and slowly added stock to it, "cooking it like pasta," he said, constantly checking it until it was al dente. He then drained it and returned it to the pan and over the period of five minutes stirred in butter until a smooth emulsion had formed and a creamy texture had emerged. He added about a half cup of grated (domestic) Parmesan to to finish the Risotto. He noted that aged Parmesan tends to be too strong and overpowers the dish.
Next he showed me how to use the foam trick again - this time on a mushroom broth that he had made from Shitake Mushrooms. The broth was heated, a nob of butter added, and the immersion blender proceeded to do it's job, quickly.
He had also prepared a Syrah and fresh Ginger sauce as a garnish as well as small bit of Italian Salume diced into 1/4 inch pieces.
Risotto with Mushroom Foam, Syrah Ginger Sauce and SalumeThe dish was amazing and probably the best and lightest Risotto I had ever tasted. Kymberlee does not eat Risotto (usually) as it is heavy and filling, this was the complete opposite.
But we were not done. Now it was time for a lovely bite of Foie Gras.
Here was another chance for him to go deeper on his philisophy of taste and texture. He had made a caramel that was barely sweet, but perfumed with Thai White Cardamom. This caramel was warmed and whisked to silky smoothness at service and placed in the bottom recess of the platter. He then brought out a small square of Fois Gras mousse that he had leftover from a Tasting Menu he prepared in LA on New Years Eve. What a treat. He finely minced some chives and dipped the square into the chives and set it into the swirl of caramel. He then took out a container of 1/2 inch squares of cooked bits of puff pastry. He makes all of his own puff paste (He was also trained as a Pastry Chef). He selected the perfect red bit of microgreen and perched it atop the chives and then put a pinch of sea salt on the top. (I offered him our hand harvested Kauai Sea Salt that we brought back from our recent trip to the Islands for our Anniversary).
Fois Gras with Cardamom CaramelNext, Chef wanted to teach me a technique called Pan Roasting. The idea is to slowly (on medium heat) cook a piece of protein (in this case a lovely piece of Black Cod) and build of layers of caramalization without overcooking the meat (or fish). Once the protein is 80% to temperature, you add in 2 nobs (tablespoon sized pieces) of butter, 2-3 smashed pieces of garlic (skin-on) and fresh herbs (this evening was thyme from the Santa Barbara Farmers Market that I had on hand).
Tilting the pan towards you, you use a spoon to baste the protein with the melted butter, you do this rapidly, completely covering and finishing the cooking of the fillet. This has the wonderful effect of doing what a few hours in an oven do with thorough basting. It imparts a sublte flavor and thin coating to the meat that is quite amazing.
We also did a Chicken Breast in this manner and I captured the technique using my Flip Camera.
After the meat has cooked, he takes it out of the hot pan and lets it rest on a plate for 5-8 minutes. This allows the meat to complete cooking. He had a great little tool that he used to check the internal temperature of the fish - a cake tester - a thin piece of steel that could be inserted into the cooked fillet, then placed against his lower lip. If cold, it was not done, if warm, it was done perfectly, if hot, it was overdone and he would have started over.
Black Cod with Ponzu VinagretteI have to say, I have never tasted a fillet like this in my life. The chicken that he did alongside the Cod (so that I could see how the technique would work on a meat) was perfectly cooked in the same Pan Roasting manner, however with fresh Rosemary instead of Thyme in the butter basting.
This concluded the savory portion of the evening and so far I had learned quite a lot (and no I am not telling all in this blog.)
It was now time for Dessert.
The first dessert was an opportunity for Chef to talk more about his plating philosophy. That is to integrate surprise and uniqueness whenever you can. He brought out a small (four inch oval) Dutch Oven and placed it on a napkin in the center of the large white plate. This was then the palette on which he presented the dessert.
The dessert was compsoed of a simple square of coconut gelee that he had made earlier. A few toasted sesame seeds, a sliver of candied lemon peel and a chiffonade of mint leaves were placed on top of each square and then placed into the Dutch Oven. The cover was attached as the plate set before us. He suggested that this be served to each couple at a dinner party and the surprise of opening the oven to find this two incredible morsels would be a fitting end to a meal.
But, we were not done yet. Chef has a fascination with Chocolate, so much so that he has a chocolate sponsor Amedei and raves about them, as well he should. The final course and lesson for the evening was an amazing composition of sweets and chocolate that was stunning.
Chocolate ala CortezThe colors are enchanting, the yellow of the Maple contrasts with the white and darks and all pop off the plate. This was what I wanted to learn about.
After three and half hours of instruction, two hours of video and quite a few stills we declared victory. I wish that Chef was not leaving for his next adventure, this time to Berlin to work with a group fo designers on a completely new concept in high end dining, as I am sure I would love at least another class and a chance to have him prepare a meal for a group of friends. I hope that he returns to Santa Barbara, as he has quite a few fans here, and now two more.
We are convinced that we will be reading more about Chef Roberto Cortez in the coming months and years and will now be follwoing him on Twitter and reading his Blog.
Thanks Chef.
