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This weekend the best and brightest food stars came together in Aspen, Colorado to demo and dish at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. From celebrity chef poker games to decadent wine tastings, it's basically summer camp for all things food.
At the classic Food & Wine presents their hand-picked, 2007 "Best New Chefs" from across the nation to critics, chefs, and serious eaters. I spent time behind the scenes and in the kitchen with the winners as they prepared their signature dishes for the biggest players in the food world. Here are some of their most tightly held secrets that I uncovered.
Ian Schnoebelen - Iris, New Orleans, Louisiana
Citrus Salt
Add citrus salt to seafood for a nice lift. Take lime, lemon, orange peels or zest, and blend them in a food processor with some kosher salt and you're done.
Paul Vivrant - Vie, Western Springs, Illinois
Pickling Juices
Use quality ingredients (Vivrant recommends good champagne vinegar, Meyer lemons and sea salt) to pickle vegetables and get two for the price of one: You can use the pickling juices as a vinaigrette or a marinade for fish and meats.
April Bloomfield, The Spotted Pig, New York, New York
Acidity
Add acidity in everything to bring out the flavor in food. Lemon, orange, tomatoes, lime, aged balsamic vinegar or cherry vinaigrette makes every dish brighter.
Sean O' Brien - Myth, San Francisco, California
Make Your Own Salt
Ditch the iodized salts and make your own flavored kind - take herbs like Rosemary from your garden and crush them up with some salt for an enhanced flavor.
Gavin Kaysen - El Bizcocho, San Diego, California
Pimente d' Espelette (a ground red chile pepper)
Season fish with pimente d' espelette instead of using pepper. Pepper adds a bittery taste while pimente de espelette makes fish sweeter. Superb in ceviche.
Steve Corry - Five Fifty Five, Portland, Maine
Taste Your Food
Taste it when you buy it. Taste it when you bring it home. Taste it as you cook it and taste it before you serve it. His motto: "Go for it, even at the farmers market. You won't get arrested."
Gabriel Bremer - Salts, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Go Global
Always research new techniques. Gabriel looks to Spain, Italy, and even old Japanese techniques to discover ways to add something new to his cooking.
Johnny Monis - Komi, Washington DC
Take Your Time
Johnny wants people to feel that they are eating in his home so he slows it down and lets people enjoy themselves. "It's not unusual for a meal to take three hours," he said.
Matthew Dillon - Sitka & Spruce, Seattle, Washington
When I asked Matt what his secret is, he smiled devilishly and replied "if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret." Good point Matt. Finally, he gave it up and said, "Have close relationships with farmers and purveyors. Learn from them. It's through these relationships that you can trust you're getting the best."
And, lastly, an interesting one that may have been best kept secret...
Gabriel Rucker - Le Pigeon, Portland, Oregon Fat
Cook with Fat. Cook with all of the animal parts - use the innards and just get as much fat into your food as possible.
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