Cooking lesson with the Chef

What a great treat to sit, listen and learn from a great chef! The Market at Washington and High had a Cooking Class recently, and my friend Addie and I attended. The teacher is new to Blount County, Chef Stephen Myers of the Airport Hilton and Coopers restaurant, which is located inside the Hilton.

Chef Myers has a lot of experience. He trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Atlanta, worked as a paid intern at Blackberry Farm, and then was a chef at Copper Cellar, ChaCha’s, Club LeConte, Southern Graces and Regas restaurant. That is quite a lot of cooking experience for a 30-year-old.

At The Market, Chef Myers showed us several dishes, which we then also got to eat! It was great fun, and I wanted to share some recipes with you. Chef Myers started with an Amuse Bouche, which is a single bite-sized hors d’oeuvre. It is a crostini with tomato jam and smoked salmon. We then were treated to a wonderful Appalachian Fish Pie, topped with loaded mashed potatoes. It was complimented with a field greens salad with a grain mustard and pistachio vinaigrette.

What a treat! Thanks to Chef Myers and to Mike Adams from The Market for making this great class available in Blount County.

Amuse Bouche

(Crostini with tomato jam and smoked salmon)

Tomato Jam

10 oz. diced tomatoes

3 oz. honey

2 tsp. crushed red pepper

2 oz. Balsamic

salt and pepper to taste

Bring tomatoes to a boil over high heat for 5 minutes. Next step is to add the remaining ingredients and reduce mixture by half over medium heat. Then place mixture in a food processor and puree. Chill for two hours and serve with a slice of smoked salmon.

Grain Mustard and Pistachio Vinaigrette

4 oz. grain mustard

2 tsp. thyme

3 oz. Red Wine vinegar

1 oz. honey

6.5 oz. Pistachio Oil

salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients into a bowl and whisk until emulsified.

Appalachian Fish Pie

8 oz. 16/20 shrimp

4 oz. smoked trout

8 oz. bay scallops

2-3 oz Dry wild mushrooms

4 oz. crawfish tail meat

2 lbs. white fish (Halibut, Sea bass or Cod)

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup Wexford Irish Cream Ale

salt and pepper to taste

Saute’ all seafood and mushrooms together until seafood becomes opaque. Deglaze pan with ale and allow to simmer for 6-7 minutes. Add heavy cream, and let mixture reduce until cream begins to thicken. Season with salt and pepper and ladle into dish. Top with loaded mashed potatoes and serve.

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

6-7 Yukon Gold potatoes

5 oz. Sweetwater Valley Buttermilk Cheddar (can substitute)

3 oz. diced scallions

4 oz. diced Benton’s bacon

First sauté the bacon and set aside.

Boil potatoes until tender. Then mash the Yukon’s leaving no chunks. Fold in the remaining ingredients and serve hot or pipe out mixture on top of fish pie.