Chefs and Recipes

THE ZUIDERDAM’S STEEL CHEF

ChefsandRecipes — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 06:09:00 GMT

We have all heard of the Iron Chef, now let me introduce you to Holland America Cruise Line’s, Steel Chef…Executive Chef Robert Steel. Recently, on the 2008 New Year Zuiderdam cruise I was privileged to meet and speak with Chef Steel and learn some of his secrets to success.

First, I must admit that “Crabby” and I both agreed (which is a rare occurrence) that we had some of the best meals on the Zuiderdam that we have ever had on the High Seas. It’s no surprise that the Zuiderdam ranks first in the fleet for fine dining. This alone tweaked my interest in this dynamic man’s skills and talent. What does it take to be an Executive Chef? Not only is this man overseeing all that goes on in the galley but he can be seen at every food event on the ship. On New Year ’s Eve there were nine different food buffets all over the ship and Chef Steel was a dynamo and seen at each and every one making sure that perfection, beauty and fine taste were the order of the day.

Steel told me that he has been a chef for 24 years and did his apprenticeship at the world famous Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel in Lake Ullswater, England in their Michelin star restaurant. His passion for cooking and developing fine dining brought him to Holland America Cruise Lines where he oversees 90 cooks in the galley of the MS Zuiderdam. Chef Steel told me that in order to be a fine chef it takes constant learning. Last year he spent two weeks in Thailand learning to create and mix all of his own spices. The importance of creating and producing exciting and interesting flavors to please the diner’s palate is no easy task and is taken very seriously by this amazing chef. He points out that his greatest challenge is satisfying the palates of the many different nationalities that cruise with him each week. As you might have guessed no two weeks are the same for Steel and each and every week these challenges are handled efficiently and expediently to the passengers delight.

When we think of a chef most of us imagine him in his kitchen cooking but according to Chef Steel that is only a part of his job. Reviewing recipes, ordering supplies, dealing with certain passenger’s dietary needs and restrictions, managing a staff of 90, overseeing all food events (midnight buffets, formal tea, and ice carvings) makes for a very busy day in the life of Chef Steel. He said “The most satisfying part of my job is to make sure all meals are prepared to the highest quality and then receiving wonderful comments on the food when I walk around the Dining Room tables.”

Yes, this chef lives to see smiling faces on all the passengers on the Zuiderdam and is willing to take the extra step to make sure a passenger’s special requests are met to his satisfaction. Chef Steel had to smile when he told me that one passenger requested sevruga caviar eggs from a tuna fish…oops, the chef tactfully explained that they come from a sturgeon. Of course, tact and diplomacy are only part of the important qualities that make this chef excel in his profession.

After our talk Chef Steel took me on a tour of his pride and joy, the kitchen. It’s best to let these pictures speak for themselves.


          Culinary Art                                  Shrimp Cocktail for 3000?


             Spice Room                                         Fish Room


                      Steaks                                       Here's the Beef!

Happy Hour kept under Lock and key            One week's supply!


              Ice Cream                                         Future Ice Sculptures

My tour of the kitchen and provision area with Chef Steel and the Provisions Officer, Yonko Yordanov Ivanov was absolutely amazing. It’s just mind boggling to try to comprehend the ordering and storage of foods and perishables that are purchased on a weekly basis.

Our cruises are only more pleasurable due to the hard work of the men and women on the Zuiderdam.   Our vacations are leisurely and carefree while all the hustle and bustle is occurring behind the scenes.  I think the highest compliment that I can pay Chef Steel is to say that whether he's preparing Italian, French, German or American cuisine his meals are always to perfection and a delight to everyones palate. Thank you Chef Steel for meeting the challenge with all your wonderful meals and adding to a delightful cruising experience.

Below are two of Chef Steel’s recipes.

BREAD PUDDING

I. BREAD FILLING:                                             2. PUDDING FOR FILLING

White toast or Sandwich Bread      1.5 lb                   Milk                          1.3 qrt.
Melted butter                              3 oz.                    Eggs                          6
Raisins                                       8 oz.                    Egg yolks                   3
Zest of 1 Lemon                                                     Vanilla bean               1 pc
Sugar                                         11 oz.                  Cinnamon powder to taste

3. VANILLA SAUCE
Milk                                            1 qrt.
Egg Yolks                                    10 pcs.
Sugar                                          12 oz.
Vanilla Bean                                 1 pc.

PREPARATION:

1. Cut bread in about 1 inch cubes, sprinkle with melted butter and slightly toast in the oven.
2. Boil milk with half the amount of sugar, add vanilla bean and lemon zests.
3. Whip eggs with the other half of sugar slowly add hot milk, while whisking and combine with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Place filling in a buttered mold, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Set mold in a “water bath” in the oven at 330 degrees F for 40 minutes.
VANILLA SAUCE:
1. Bring milk and sugar to boil, add cut vanilla bean and let cool down for a minute.
2. Beat egg yolks and slowly add hot milk while whipping the egg yolks.
3. Put in a hot water bath and constantly whip sauce until it gets thick. Do not bring to a boil!
4. Arrange the cut bread pudding on a mirror of vanilla sauce.
5. Can also be served with hot cherries or vanilla ice cream

LOBSTER BISQUE

Lobster heads                                          20
Chopped onions/shallots                           ½ cup
Carrots                                                   1 cup
Fennel                                                    ¼ cup
Olive Oil                                                 ¼ cup
Garlic                                                      1 tbsp
Tomato Paste                                          ½ cup
Tomatoes                                                3 pieces
Flour                                                       ½ cup
Bay Leaf                                                  1
White Wine                                              1 cup
Cognac                                                    30 ml
Seafood Stock                                           1.5 lts
Salt                                                         to taste
Heavy Cream                                            ¼ cup
Beurre manie                                            to thicken
Pernod                                                    1 tbsp
Lobster meat, chopped                              1 cup

Wash and clean the lobster heads and roast them in an oven till red in color approx 15-20 minutes at 200 C.

Heat the olive oil and sauté the lobster heads, add the wine and reduce. Add the tomato paste and roast in a pan. Add the bay leaf, onion, garlic, carrots and fennel.

Add the chopped tomatoes and mix well.

Sprinkle flour in the pan and mix well till all the flour is absorbed. Add the stock slowly stirring continuously. Bring to a simmer for 30 minutes. Do not boil. Rest for a further 20 minutes and puree in a blender till very fine, then strain through a fine sieve into another pot. For a smoother consistency strain it again through a muslin cloth.

If it is too thin add a little Beurre manie to thicken it. Correct the seasoning and finish off with cream. Add the Cognac. Pernod and season to taste.
Garnish with chopped pieces of lobster and spoonful of whipped cream.
(Beurre Manie: Equal parts of flour and butter kneaded together lightly to form a dough.)

                                                          HUGS,
                                              THE SAVVY OLD LADY

COSTA FORTUNA’S EXECUTIVE CHEF CIRO PERFETTO

ChefsandRecipes — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:49:00 GMT

What’s in a name? Shakespeare would have definitely had to agree that in the case of Executive Chef Ciro Perfetto his name translates into perfection in the creative Neapolitan dishes that he oversees and often cooks himself. Chef Perfetto graciously sat with me and explained the joys of his job aboard the Costa Fortuna. Forty years ago he joined Costa Cruise Lines as a pot scrubber even though he had studied cooking in his native town of Naples, Italia. Yes, he started at the bottom of the rung at Costa, in the ship’s galley and slowly and arduously worked his way up the chain of command to the position he now holds as Executive Chef on the beautiful Fortuna.

When asked about the success of his career he attributed it to a love for food and fine dining. But he also stressed the necessity of constantly learning new techniques and enhancing old and new recipes. “The product quality that we use is extremely important when producing each meal”, he noted. Chef Perfetto emphasized that in order to bring a little of Italy to the Caribbean it is extremely important to have the correct supplies. Every two months he receives a shipment of key products from Italy via container ship. This special shipment is filled with prosciutto, cheeses, cans of Italian tomatoes, pastas, flour and native Italian seasonings. Even their wines and liquor are shipped in this precious container. Amazingly, the chef remarked, that he and his kitchen staff go through 600-700K (1320-1540lbs) a week of each prosciutto and pasta! Can you imagine, that’s more than I probably have gone through in a lifetime of feeding my Italian family of five children plus their friends? As with most modern cruise lines, the kitchen staff on the Fortuna have an “approved” recipe book to follow for the meals they make. As all seasoned cruisers know, the taste of the food can vary on board and that is to be expected, according to Chef Perfetto. He laughed and explained that no two people making and following the same recipe will get the exact same results. He gives the example of cooking side by side with his grandmother and mother, all using the same ingredients and each having the end product turn out a little bit different. “Perhaps, one cooked the garlic a little bit longer or added a dash more of a seasoning but the dish will always come out differently as each person cooks.” This is why the skill and passion of any ship’s Executive Chef and his key chef staff can make a real difference in the dining experience and cruise lines value these masters of cuisine.

A passion for cooking exudes from this man as he talks about his career as a chef “I like a chef who is always willing to learn and create and is not in the business for the money.” This passion certainly translated into the meals Chef Perfetto prepared. You only have to taste his risotto and Shrimp Fra Diavolo while closing your eyes to feel as if you had been instantly transported to a little bistro in his beloved Naples. On some ships the Executive Chef rarely has the time to personally prepare any of the meals; Chef Perfetto though feels that he needs to keep his hand in the preparation to stay on top of his game. So, each day this chef, with the help of one or more of his assistants, prepares a special dish which is usually served to those passengers requesting “something a little different” than what is on the menu. The day that I visited the Fortuna’s kitchen Chef was happily rolling out some gnocchi (an Italian dumpling made with potato). Kindly he asked if I would like to sample the gnocchi at dinner that night and of course I said yes. Well, let me tell you that evening to the delight of my table mates our waiter, Michael, who was delightful and attentive throughout the cruise, brought out the gnocchi. These light tasty dumplings were served tossed in a light marinara sauce for our entire table and yes, it received eight thumbs up from all. My only regret was that The Crabby Old Guy (my dear hubby) wasn’t there to experience this wonderful treat. I’m sure one bite of this mouth watering, melt in your mouth pasta would have brought back memories of his Sicilian grandmother, Mary, and her own special recipe for this classic and great dish.

I asked Chef Perfetto if there was a difference in what he cooked onboard for passengers when The Fortuna cruised in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean and he told me, without hesitation, “yes”. He explained, “Americans prefer more meat (beef) as well as lobster and crabs legs while Europeans favor more fish, veal and cheeses for their palate.” Over all the food on the Fortuna was excellent in taste, presentation and variety. Although I happened to notice that the food served in the Lido buffet each day seemed to be much more flavorful and robust while the dinner entrees were less seasoned. When I asked our chef about this he explained that with such a diverse variety of dishes and salads in the buffet there is definitely something there for each person’s taste while at dinner he is restricted to five or maybe six entrees and therefore must keep the seasonings and selections as neutral as possible in order to please all the passengers onboard. Yep, you guessed it, there is that little best-kept-secret that every experienced cruiser knows about; ask for something to be made to your liking, Yes, this is perfectly proper and good cruise-line Head Waiters will do so without skipping a beat and the best will often ask an evening ahead if you would like something particular for the following evening. Of course, such personalized service should warrant a more personalized gratuity. One of the passengers at our dinner table requested a zestier dish as an entrée for one of the evenings. The very next night Shrimp Fra Diavlo with its dash of red pepper flakes was served to all of us at the table. It was incredibly good, so much so that we all requested it for our final dinner onboard the ship. So folks, if there is something on the menu not to your liking make sure you speak up and you may be pleasantly surprised with what you receive.

Many say that the gift of being able to cook and create wonderful foods must be in your blood. Well, it must be true since both of Chef Perfetto’s sons are also chefs. His youngest son, Francesco, works with him on the Fortuna in the pastry kitchen. Francesco looks forward to the day when he will have his own land-based restaurant and cook for no more than seventy people. Who knows, maybe one day Dad will retire from the high-seas and The Three Perfetto’s will open up an amazing restaurant in Naples. Well it’s definitely something to look forward to but in the meantime Costa is very fortunate to have such an incredible chef onboard. Grazie, Senor Chef.

BELOW ARE TWO OF CHEF PERFETTO’S FAVORITE RECIPES!

ZABAIONNE ROSA MIA (Recipe for 8 servings) Chef Perfetto won the Bacardi Competition with this recipe.

Zabaionne is a fresh custard like confection that is light and frothy and quite time consuming to make. It is particularly good with fresh berries of any kind; I am particularly fond of it with strawberries. This is Chef Perfetto’s winning recipe in the Baccardi Competition; he is now sharing his great dessert recipe with us.

INGREDIENTS

12 egg yolks
300 grams or 10 ½ ounces of sugar
2 TBL Vanilla
50 ml or 1 ¾ ounces of Drambuie
8 strawberries

Place the egg yolks and sugar into a mixing bowl and place over a bain marie (double boiler). Constantly stir until mixture becomes a cream and then add Drambuie and vanilla. If you prefer Marsala or another liqueur it can be substituted. Slice strawberries and marinate in Drambuie. Place in a cocktail glass or as Chef Perfetto served it in a light pastry shell.

MACCHERONI GRATINATA ALLA PALERMITANA

(PASTA AU GRATIN WITH TOMATO, MOZERELLA AND EGGPLANT)

INGREDIENTS

1 kg or 2.2 lbs of Ziti
1 liter or 4 ½ cups of Marinara sauce
2 kg or 4 ½ pounds of eggplant
1 g Olive Oil
500 g Mozzarella cheese
1 bunch of Basil
300 g Parmesan cheese

Dice the eggplants and sauté in oil, add the marinara sauce and finish with parmesan, basil leaves and diced mozzarella. Coat a ramekin with sliced eggplant, add the cooked pasta tossed in the sauce, and top with parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Turn out the eggplant flan and serve. If you use individual ramekins you should shorten the cooking time.

HAL's ZUIDERDAM'S "COSMIC SENSATION"

ChefsandRecipes — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 09:06:00 GMT

The bar staff on the Zuiderdam insisted The Savvy Old Lady try their award winning drink the "Cosmic Sensation". In 2005 their bartender Alvin Escobar created this drink which placed first in the Bacardi Competition. It is definitely refreshing and when served by an incredibly gracious and delightful staff it's the perfect way to end a day.

COSMIC SENSATION

PLACE THE FOLLOWING IN A SHAKER

1/8 slice of fresh grapefruit
1 oz Absolut Vanilla Vodka
1/2 oz Amaretto
1 oz orange juice
1/2 oz mango puree
Ice

SHAKE, STRAIN AND ADD A DASH OF GRENADINE. ENJOY!