Not double trouble but a charming duet! And no, it’s not about Heidi from Savory Tv and her affinity for men in white as shown left. Todays duo features the two San Francisco Bay area Top Chef Masters Michael Chiarello and Hubert Keller sharing seafood recipes, in this video from View From The Bay. Michael Chiarello shares his salsa verde swordfish meatball recipe in tomato based fisherman’s sauce and a Calabrian tartar sauce, while Hubert Keller shares his Scottish cold salmon with caviar and mustard seed sauce. (This was the dish made in the dorm room if you watch the show!) The two of them are very sweet together, and Keller confesses “the only thing we didn’t share in all these days was a bedroom”, and that although the show was “totally stressful”, “we compete in a more elegant manner” than traditional Top Chef relationships. Proof once and for all that maturity and respect are in fact possible in reality television. Bon appétit and buon appetito!
Thank you Bravo Tv! A winning dish from the premier episode of Top Chef Masters, Hubert Keller’s macaroni and cheese with prawns (or shrimp) and mushrooms recipe, prepared by charming Top Chef Fabio Viviani from Café Firenze and chef Michael Demers of Veloce Cibo restaurant.
So, here is the big question, what is the difference between shrimp and prawns? The answer is as clear as mud. For a thoroughly confusing explanation from a scientist (including college flashback terms such as arthropods, ecoskeletons and Malaconstracans) read this. Chowhound foodies discuss it with a bit more clarity here, and here is Wikipedia’s definition of prawns. So the short answer is yes, there is a scientific difference, and more importantly cultural differences regarding what are referred to as shrimp or prawns.
prawn
shrimp
The bottom line: can you use shrimp in this recipe? Yes! For more delicious Hubert Keller recipes, visit his restaurant site, Fleur de Lys. Select Secrets of a chef, and go to recipes.
Creamy Mac and Cheese with Prawns, Mushrooms and Fresh Herbs
Chef Hubert Keller
Top Chef Masters, Season 1, Episode 1, Elimination Challenge Winner
Ingredients
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 3 large carrots, diced
* 1 large onion, diced
* 1/2 quart cream
* 4 ounces half and half
* 1 cup white mushroom, sliced
* 1 1/2 cup Swiss cheese
* 2 pounds prawns, diced
* 1 pounds cooked pasta
* 1 cup whipped cream
* 5 tablespoons chopped parsley
* 6 egg yolks
* Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a large pot, add butter, carrot, onion and sweat for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the cream, salt and pepper and simmer until it gets thicker (10 to 15 minutes). Add the mushroom and Swiss cheese, simmer for 5 minutes. Add the prawns and pasta and mix gently until very hot. Fold into the whipped cream the parsley and egg yolks. Season with salt.
Transfer Mac & Cheese into bowl and cover lip with the whip cream mix.
Hungry for more? Here is top Chef Alex Eusebio’s Macaroni and Cheese with white wine, bacon and 5 cheeses.
And last, but not least, we simply must mention Mario Batali, who we will see in Aspen! Here’s a quick clip of him with Gwyneth Paltrow discussing Mac and Cheese.
Fellow chefophiles, did you watch the Top Chef Masters premiere on Bravo Wednesday night? A spinoff of the traditional Top Chef, this series features renowned, elite, VIP chefs competing against each other for their favorite charities. No spoilers here, but James Beard winner Chef Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys won our heart completely. Born in France and originally a pastry chef, Keller surprisingly has a love for hamburgers, and has authored the newly released cookbook “Burger Bar: Build Your Own Ultimate Burgers“. In an excerpt from the book, Keller says,
“We knew everyone loves burgers, but we wanted to offer something new. What if we reimagined burgers and applied our fine-dining culinary training to create the best-tasting burgers possible? We would take them seriously because, we noticed, burger lovers take the subject seriously. Very seriously.”
We discovered this video from Chow with Hubert Keller’s tips for how to cook the ultimate burger. The burger he makes is a tad huge and over the top (stuffed with short ribs!), but the video contains some great tips.
Never use frozen beef patties or prepackaged buns.
Fat is required! (He recommends 25 – 30%)
Never season the meat ahead of time.
Do not overheat or underheat your skillet.
Don’t push down on the burger! You’ll lose all of the great juices.
Use water on your hands to shape the patties, and be creative with seasonings.
Use Canola or another high heat tolerant oil (not olive).
Let the meat rest before serving, so that juices will evenly distribute.
