Chef Greg Sullivan Pastry Chef Danille Seimears Executive Chef Tom HULl from Silver Reef Casino Hotel Spa Presented in association with: Judd & Black Appliance, Mount Vernon
WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY FRANCES BADGETT
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n July 9th, K&L Media and Judd & Black Appliance teamed up for our regular bimonthly event, Meet the Chef at Judd & Black’s test kitchen in Mount Vernon. This time around, Chef Greg Sullivan, Pastry Chef Danielle Seimears, and Executive Chef Tom Hull from Silver Reef Casino Hotel Spa joined forces to create a five-star meal for the evening’s participants. The menu was classic — scallops with a frisee salad, beef wellington, and bananas flambé for dessert. As any talented chef, Sullivan had an easy, confident manner. For the first course, Chef Sullivan selected U-12 scallops and sliced them horizontally. Apart from making them a manageable size, the smaller surface area makes them cook more evenly. He recommends always using the freshest scallops available — live ones in the shell if possible. He also recommends starting with very dry scallops. For the sauté, he blended olive and canola oil together in a very hot pan. He worked clockwise in placing the scallops. “That way, I know which ones I’ve handled first and I don’t have to guess.” The plates were
dabbed with pureed golden raisins and capers, and the frisee was garden-fresh and tender. Chef Sullivan recommended using a fish spatula, which has an openwork blade to keep the fish from sticking to it. We paired the scallops with a buttery, creamy Chardonnay from Coach House Cellars. It was fascinating to watch Chef Sullivan prep the main course. He began by laying out the prosciutto, on top of which he added the duxelle — a mushroom, shallot, and garlic mixture. And then he carefully rolled the beef in the prosciutto. He repeated this rolling technique with the puff pastry. He glazed the puff pastry with pure egg yolk to make the crust bright and golden, and then scored the outside (without piercing the pastry) in a crosshatch pattern. Sullivan served asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes and a fine demi-glace. For dessert, Chef Seimears made bananas flambé, which she served with chocolate-covered coffee beans and chocolate chips. It was a hugely successful finish to a great dinner.
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