Chef Frederic's Best: Capturing His Creative Flair—At Home and Abroad

By Deborah Pierrel

Food has always been Chef Frederic Pierrels singular passion. Now, he and his wife, author Deborah Pierrel, present a collection of his favorite classic recipes. With a refined and down-to-earth style, Chef Frederic gives easy instructions to create appetizers, soups, salads, vegetable dishes, main courses, cheese dishes, and desserts; he also shares the art of pairing these creations with wine.

Chef Frederics Best demonstrates how this French chef experiments and plays in markets and kitchens all over the world to find new flavors and develop new recipes, some of which appear as nightly specials and added menu items at the Lakefront, in Mammoth Lakes, California, the restaurant where he has worked as a chef for the last ten years.

Chef Frederic Pierrel shares his way of life through his cooking. With anecdotal insights to his outgoing personality and creation of recipes, this cookbook presents a hall pass to cooks everywhere to try and try again without fear.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Dec 20, 2010
• ISBN: 9781450270526

Deborah Pierrel

Chef Frederic Pierrel was classically trained in Gerardmer, France, and graduated with honors from Lycée Hôtelier et Culinairer. He has worked in three countries gathering local tastes and learning traditions. For more than ten years, he has been chef and director of the Lakefront restaurant in Mammoth Lakes, California.

Book preview

Chef Frederic’s Best

Capturing His Creative Flair—at Home and Abroad

The recipes in this book are from the heart and hand of Chef Frederic Pierrel. They were created at home, for dinner parties, and while traveling, and include classic signature dishes served in his restaurant, The Lakefront at Tamarack Lodge, Mammoth Lakes, California.

Compiled and composed by

Deborah Pierrel

Illustrated by Mary Hansen and various artists

iUniverse, Inc.

Bloomington

Chef Frederic’s Best

Capturing His Creative Flair—at Home and Abroad

Copyright © 2010 Deborah Pierrel

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

iUniverse

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.iuniverse.com

1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN: 978-1-4502-7051-9 (cloth)

ISBN: 978-1-4502-7052-6 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 12/16/10

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

The Basics of Entertaining (It is That Simple!)

Appetizers

and Accompaniments

Classique Escargot Bourguignon

Antiboise Vinaigrette

Dolmas—Deb’s Way

Tuna–Sea Scallop Tartare

Almond-Parmesan Sablé Crackers

Hummus

Porc Paté Lorraine

Summer Crudités Platter with Sauce Verte

Pear Mint Chutney—an Accompaniment

Soup du Jour

Cabernet Sauvignon Peppered Shellfish Bisque

Oxtail Soup—Traditional Bowling Alley–Style

To-Die-For French Onion Soup Gratiné

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Old-Fashioned Tomato Soup

Salads

A Bit of Leafy History

Belgian Endive, Apple, and Blue Cheese Salad

Pissenlit Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Ocean Salad

Beet Salad

What’s a Salad without Dressing?

Asian Rice Vinaigrette

Shallot Madeira Dressing

Yellow Curry Vinaigrette

Traditional Vinaigrette

Clausen’s Classic Caesar

Tahitian Lamb Shanks—Best Cooked Naked

Venison Medallions in Crème de Cassis Jus (a.k.a., Roadkill Venison)

Choucroute Garnie

Braised Rabbit—Belgian-Style

Garlic Duck Confit with Lentil Cassoulet

Couscous Royal Façon Ghetto

Steak Tartare

Alaskan Halibut Fillet Braised a la Tahitian Vanilla

Grilled Striped Bass Fillet with Burned Tomato Coulis and Fennel Ragout

Nage of Lingcod in Chorizo Saffron Broth with Root Vegetables

The Hunt for the Elusive Cèpe—

a Mushrooming Story

Sautéed Cèpes a la Crème

The Root of It All—Vegetables

Pommes Frites (French-Fried Potatoes)

Salsifis

Lentils

Fromage—Say Cheese!

Dessert, Anyone?

Profiterole Glace avec Sauce Chocolat (Cream Puffs with Chocolate Sauce)

Tarte aux Pommes Normande (Normandy Apple Tart)

Tarte Almondine aux Rhum (Almond Rum Tart)

Ramequins de Couscous Malaga

Classic Crème Anglaise

Apple Blueberry Beignet Alsatian

Raspberry Mousse

Lavender Panna Cotta

Pairing Wines—

Does It Really Matter?

Notes

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Preface

Food always has been Chef Frederic’s singular passion. As a boy of five or six, his days included trips to the street markets in St. Die, in the Vosges region of eastern France, where he watched his father pick mushrooms and study the local fare. He amused himself by discerning one particular scent from the sea of wonderful aromas, perhaps lavender or a specific meat. Even then, he knew that food was his calling. Frederic lovingly jokes that his strong desire to eat, coupled with his mom’s limited culinary repertoire (and inability to cook his steak rare), afforded him the opportunity to cook his own meals and experiment. The food wasn’t fancy, just fresh, local, and inspired. Terroir, as the French call it—the idea that the geography of a place should dictate its cuisine—remains a firm belief of Frederic’s to this day.

After excelling in culinary school in Gerardmer, France, and interning in a fast-paced tourist restaurant in Marseille, he joined the military, serving his country as chef at beautiful Isle de Pine, where he created meals for vacationing officers. He remembers spearing fresh lobster and finding seasonal tropical fruits.

For more than ten years, he has been chef and director of The Lakefront restaurant, in Mammoth Lakes, California. Before that, he was partner at L’Auberge of La Jolla, also an acclaimed restaurant. For those of us lucky enough to be part of his life, we know he is a kind and giving soul who shares his heart through food and storytelling.

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