Cook Like a Rock Star (40 page)

Authors: Anne Burrell

BOOK: Cook Like a Rock Star

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SERVES: 4 TO 6 • TIME: ABOUT 1 HOUR

This is where you want to break out that lovely duck fat—the liquid gold saved from making
Duck Breast with Dried Fruit & Vin Santo
or
Cheater’s Duck Confit & Bitter Greens
. If you didn’t remember to save the duck fat or don’t have any, you can certainly buy it. And in a pinch you can use olive oil.

Duck fat is fabulous for frying because it has a relatively high smoking point (it can get really hot before it begins to break down), so it will make your potatoes golden brown and crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, and REALLY tasty. Save your duck fat; it’s worth it.

MISE EN PLACE

2 pounds new potatoes, cut into quarters

1 clove garlic, smashed

Kosher salt

½ cup duck fat

1 onion, finely diced

½ thyme bundle, leaves chopped

1
Toss the potatoes with the garlic in a large saucepan and cover with about 2 inches of water; season generously with salt. Taste the water to make sure it is seasoned appropriately.

2
Bring to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS). Cook the potatoes for 20 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain the potatoes.

3
When cool enough to handle, put the potatoes on a clean work surface and squash them with the heel of your palm. Reserve.

4
Add the duck fat to a large, straight-sided pan and bring to medium heat. Add the onion and thyme and season with salt; cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onion is soft and aromatic.

5
Raise the heat to medium-high, add the potatoes, and use a spatula to press them down onto the bottom of the pan—give them a good squish! Let the potatoes brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

6
Scrape the potatoes off the bottom of the pan and turn them. Repeat this process until the potatoes are brown and crispy everywhere, 15 to 20 more minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

That’s a jacked-up home fry!

A lot of savory chefs think that pastry and dessert are an entirely different world. They’ll say, “I don’t
DO
dessert.” I think that’s a cop-out. Knowing some basic desserts is absolutely essential to being a well-rounded cook. In fact, when I was in culinary school, I learned the most about being a technique chef (someone who understands the importance of
how
and
why
you do something rather than just how to follow a recipe) from one of my pastry instructors.

A lot of the same techniques used in the savory kitchen are also used in the pastry kitchen, and while you certainly don’t need to learn how to make a ten-layer wedding cake with rolled fondant or how to make pulled sugar, there are some pastry basics you should know—like how to whip egg whites to peaks, make a caramel, or pull together a simple crisp. While mise en place is always important, in the pastry kitchen it’s essential—and measuring correctly is a big deal here, too. When it comes to pastry, once you get going it’s hard to go back and fix things, so being totally prepped and having all your ingredients and tools on hand before you start is key to success.

I’m a big fan of dessert, but I can’t say that I have a sweet tooth. After dinner I usually want only one bite of something sweet. But as a savory chef I
like
to make dessert, and I don’t think a meal is complete without one. I’ve included some of my very favorite desserts in this chapter. They’re all accessible to new and more advanced cooks, and they’re also very much in tune with my character as a chef: thoughtful, creative, delicious, and, of course, a bit outside the box.

Mom’s Anise Seed Cookies

Lemon Curd Tart with Almond Crust

Hazelnut Cake with Nutella Mousse

Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Spiced Nilla Wafer Crust

Apple & Olive Oil Cake with Sautéed Apples & Mascarpone

Pear Tarte Tatin with Shortbread Crust

Macedonia (My Super-Special Fruit Cocktail)

Juicy, Jammy, Jelly Tart

Zeppole & Chocolate Dipper

Tarallucci with Salty Caramel

Chef Anne’s Dried Cherry & Almond Biscotti

Blueberry Nectarine Crisp

Maple-Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Strawberry-Raspberry Shortcakes

MAKES: 32 TO 36 • TIME: ABOUT 2 HOURS

I remember these cookies with annoyance and affection. Growing up, every year for my birthday my mother would send me to school with her anise seed cookies. Other kids got to bring cupcakes. I was the kid with the anise seed cookies. It’s not that I didn’t like these cookies—I loved them then and I still do. But back then I just wanted cupcakes like everyone else! Today I’m pretty psyched whenever I get a chance to munch on these lovelies. I even made a version of this recipe during an Iron Chef battle and they helped us win!

MISE EN PLACE

¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1½ cups powdered sugar, plus more as needed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of kosher salt

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons anise seeds,
toasted

1 cup turbinado sugar

1
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and powdered sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.

2
Beat in the egg, vanilla, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt.

3
Gradually incorporate the flour and anise seeds. When the flour is well combined, turn the dough out onto a clean work surface dusted with powdered sugar. Knead the dough two or three times until it comes together, then form it into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

4
When you’re ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and let it warm for about 10 minutes.

5
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

6
Lightly dust a work surface with powdered sugar and roll out the dough; it should be about ¼ inch thick. Cut the dough into desired shapes and place the cookies on ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle each cookie with some of the turbinado sugar. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, or until the cookies are just golden. Let cool and serve or store in an airtight container.

Thanks, Mom!

Lemon Curd Tart with Almond Crust

SERVES: 8 TO 10 • TIME: ABOUT 2½ HOURS

Lemon curd is very elegant. For some reason people think it’s difficult to make, but it’s not—it’s simple, quick, and has a lemony freshness and creamy texture that just screams, “Eat me!” In this tart, I pair the bright lemon curd with a nutty, crunchy crust—they’re perfect partners. What a combo!