Ask Chef Jeff

Chef Jeff Igel answers your cooking & cuisine queries and shares his recipes. To submit a question, click here.

August 2010

Q. I’d like to start using more chiles, but the varieties scare me. What’s hot and what’s not? Can you give me some direction? — Anne Marie, Omro

A. This is one hot question, Anne Marie! A chile pepper is a fruit from various plants of the capsicum (pepper) family. As you know, chile peppers range from mild and subtle to fiery and ferocious. The amount of heat in a chile pepper is determined by the concentration of capsaicin, which is the compound in chile peppers that is an irritant to humans and produces a burning sensation on almost any of our tissues.

The hotness of chile peppers is measured on (what is called) the Scoville scale, named after Dr. Wilbur Scoville, who developed a method to rate the units of heat in chile peppers. A more scientifically accurate method is used to measure capsaicin levels today, but the units are still referred to as Scoville units, in respect to Dr. Scoville.

As for uses for chili peppers, it is important to determine the level of heat for which you are seeking. Most chile peppers labeled as “sweet,” such as Sweet Bell, Sweet Banana, Sweet Pimento or Poblanos, tend to be quite mild. Chile peppers like Jalapeños, Chipotles and Serranos are slightly below the mid-point on the Scoville scale, so let’s call them “medium-hot.” Heading into what I consider the PDH (Pretty Dang Hot) category includes chile peppers like Tabasco (famed for its namesake sauces) and Cayenne (which is commonly found dried and ground as a spice).

If you really want to go crazy (the “what are you thinking?” kind of crazy), consider using chile peppers with names like Habanero, Scotch Bonnet, and Caribbean Red. You might have a hard time finding a culinary need for peppers at this intense level of heat, unless you are seeking to inflict pain.

I hope this gives you a little guidance in your chile pepper pursuit, and I wish you best of luck as things start to heat up for you!

Chef Jeff’s Beefy Garden Chili

• 3 lbs. fresh ground chuck
• 1 c. large onion, diced
• 6 c. fresh or canned tomatoes
• 1 ½ c. celery, diced
• 3 Tbls. fresh chopped garlic
• 2 c. red, sweet peppers, diced
• Hot fresh peppers, diced (as desired)
• ¼ c. ground chili powder
• 1 Tbls. ground paprika
• 2 Tbls. ground cumin
• ¼ c. brown sugar
• ½ tsp. oregano leaves
• 1 Tbls. seasoned salt
• 3, 16 oz. cans chili beans
• Shredded Wisconsin cheddar cheese (as desired)

Brown the ground chuck & the onions together. Remove any excess grease.

Add the tomatoes, celery, garlic & peppers and bring to simmer with all of the spices & salts for 30-45 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.

Stir in the chili beans. Return to simmer.

Serve garnished with diced onion & shredded Wisconsin Cheddar.

Yield: 1 gallon.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

June/July 2010

Q. What’s the 411 on grilling fruits? I’ve heard peaches are awesome. — Melanie, Grand Chute

A. Grilling fruit is quite easy with a few simple tips. To start, the heat of the grilling process brings out the natural sugars of the fruit and allows it to caramelize, leaving you with a richer and more flavorful product. Be careful not to over-caramelize them. (Note: “Over-caramelizing” is a term we chefs use as a nicer way of saying “burned.” It just sounds better!)

As you begin to experiment with grilling fruit, you may want to select the firm fruits, such as pineapples, bananas, apples and pears. Softer fruits––melons, peaches, plums and nectarines––can also be grilled, but they cook very quickly and easily turn too soft (the culinary term mushé). These varieties, along with oranges and other citrus-type fruits, are best handled by cutting them in thick slices or halves.

Set your grill at a medium heat. To avoid the fruit from sticking and to assist with the development of grill marks, you may want to coat the grilling-face of the fruit with pan spray. Larger pieces can be grilled individually, or fruit kabobs can be prepared using smaller cuts.

Grilling time will vary with each fruit and by the desired doneness. For example, you may want the texture of grilled apples served with pork chops to be somewhat firm, whereas you may want the texture of grilled apples served over ice cream to be significantly softer.

For a final touch, brush the fruit with a marinade before or after grilling. Try lemon or other citrus juice, syrup, jelly or fruit puree, or even your favorite liquor or liqueur. Another technique is to sprinkle a little sugar, such as brown or turbinado, over the fruit just as it finishes.

Picture this: pineapple grilled and golden-brown brushed with a little dark rum and sprinkled with a little brown sugar on it. Oh yeah, baby!

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

May 2010

Q. What is the history of BBQ ribs? — Mark, Menasha

A. Great question! Barbecue is considered by many to be the original American cuisine, as most other American cuisines are adaptations inspired by other cultures and countries. Barbecue is thought to be founded in the 1800s by cowboys while they were out on the range. Because better meats were used for society’s “upper class”, products like beef brisket (tough chest muscle from a steer), pork butts (tough, fatty shoulder cuts from hogs), and ribs (tough connective tissue and bones surrounding the hogs internal organs) were used to feed the masses. Cooks of those days discovered that by cooking tough meat “low and slow” over wood fires, it would eventually break down into delicious meals!

These meats, along with chicken, are used today as the foundation of Kansas City Barbecue Society competitions. Even more interesting is that due to supply and demand, the pork baby back rib started out as a byproduct, but today is the most expensive cut on the animal!

Chefs Gone Grillin’ Brisket Marinade

• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 2 cups canola oil
• 3 quarts soy sauce
• 1 quart Worcestershire sauce
• 1 quart brown sugar
• ½ cup garlic, granulated
• ¼ cup black pepper, table grind
• 2 Tbs baking soda

Hard sweat the onions in oil until soft, then puree the onions and the oil until a smooth, fine paste. Add the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, granulated garlic, pepper and baking soda to the onion puree and combine thoroughly.

Place the beef brisket (or other product) in the marinade and allow to marinate for at least 12 hours.

Slow smoke the brisket over indirect heat at 225°F for 12 hours. Place the smoked brisket in a warm, steamy environment for 3 hours. Remove exterior fat from the brisket.

Slice and present for service! This flavor profile would do well complimented with a hearty, sweet barbecue sauce.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

April 2010

Q. I'd like to have smoked salmon at my next dinner party. Is it possible to smoke it myself?
— Darlene, Neenah

A. Darlene, you are barking up my tree! When it comes to curing and smoking, I consider it my passion. It is my number one hobby, as Chef Gary Lyons and I compete in Kansas City Barbecue Society competitions around the state.

While tailgating at a Packer game in December, I often warm smoked salmon, which is a different treat for my guests! Most people are used to eating smoked salmon cold.

First, I brine the salmon for about a day in our basic brine, which consists of 1/3 cup salt and 1/3 cup sugar dissolved in 1 gallon of water. This brining process uses osmosis to balance the salt and sugar, which allows the sweet and salty flavors to penetrate the fish. (If the fish is very thick, it may need an extra day.)

Next, I prepare my covered kettle-style grill for smoking by building the fire on one side. Just before I put the fish on the grill, I'll throw a small amount (a cup or two) of soaked wood chips on the hot coals, almost immediately creating smoke. Then I'll place the fish on the opposite side of the grill using indirect heat. It is important to smoke the fish until it is just about done. If you look at the flakes and see a little bit of white fat starting to appear, you know you are getting close (the fat starts to push out as the protein of the fish coagulates).

Most people will take a knife tip and check in between the flakes to see if the fish is done. If you are serving the fish warm, remove it from the grill and serve it immediately with crackers or cocktail rye. If you’d like to serve it cold, put it in a safe environment to chill properly.

And Darlene - for firsthand demonstration of this technique, just get an extra Packer ticket for me and we'll meet in the parking lot at Lambeau Field. Hope to see you there!

Chef Jeff’s Warm Smoked Salmon

• 2 Salmon fillets, boneless, skin-on
• 1 gallon water
• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 1/3 cup white granulated sugar, white granulated
• 2 cups Hard Wood Chips

Marinate the salmon fillets in the salt water for 18–24 hours prior to smoking.

On a hot charcoal grill, place the wood chips directly on the hot charcoal. The wood chips will immediately begin to smolder, and eventually burn.

Simultaneously grill and smoke the salmon fillets until done. The cooking time will depend upon the thickness of the fillets and the amount of heat generated from the charcoal. (I suggest a thick fillet (at least 3/4” or more) cooked just until done. Overcooking fish or seafood does not enhance the eating quality of the product.)

Serve immediately with crackers or other appropriate side dishes!

NOTE: Pickle juice can be substituted for the water for unique and interesting taste combination!

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

March 2010

With the Easter celebration a month away and two egg-related questions from our readers, we “egged on” Chef Jeff to answer these “hard-boiled” questions!

Q. What do I need to do to create a hard-boiled egg that peels easily?  – Betsy, Fremont

A. There are a couple of factors that lend themselves to peeling hard boiled eggs easily. One of them is to start with eggs that are not farm-fresh, but rather a week old. Because the shell of an egg is porous (having tiny spaces or holes through which liquid or air may pass), over time the egg white inside the shell shrinks from evaporation. As the egg shrinks, it creates a larger gap inside the shell when it’s time to peel them.

Make sure the hard-boiled egg is cool, or cold, when you peel it. When things get cold, they shrink (don’t go there!), and that helps the egg contract slightly from the shell.

What do I do? I peel them under a trickle of cold, running water. Place a colander in the sink to catch the pieces of the shell, and as you crack each egg, allow some of the water to get inside the shell. This will allow you to peel the egg easily, especially when you want them for a good presentation, such as deviled eggs.

Q. Why do hard-boiled eggs sometimes get a black film?  – Stella, Appleton

A. Hard-cooked eggs get a black film around the yolk when it’s been cooked at too high of a temperature.

To avoid the black ring, place eggs in a pot of cold water, put them on the stove on high. When the water starts to boil, shut it off and leave the pot on the stove. Once the water cools to the point you can reach in with your hand and take out an egg, they are perfectly hard-cooked.

Good luck!

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

February 2010

For this month’s column, we asked Chef Jeff to give us a “rookie” recipe for a Valentine’s Day dessert that can be made for sweethearts throughout the Fox Cities. He assures us that, “All of my recipes are always mine… and they don’t always work the first time!”

Chef Jeff’s Plain Cheesecake

Crust:

• 5 1/2 oz. (1 pack) graham cracker crumbs
• 4 oz. (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
• 1/4 c. white granulated sugar

Filling:

• 3 lbs. cream cheese or neufchatel
• 1 1/2 c. white granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp pure vanilla
•  6 large, fresh eggs

Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter or margarine & the sugar in a mixing bowl. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a 10” spring-form pan.

Blend the cream cheese with the sugar & vanilla until smooth. Slowly add the eggs, being careful to not aerate excessively. Pour the filling on top of the graham cracker crumb crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 250 degrees & bake for an additional 2 hours. Turn off the oven but do not remove the cheesecake. Allow the cheesecake to cool in the diminishing temperature of the oven (about 2–4 hours).

Refrigerate for approximately 12 hours before serving.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

January 2010

Q. How do you make encrusted tenderloin or fish?

A. When encrusting a food, you want to make something stick to the outside of it during the cooking process. In order to make this work, there are a few techniques that can be utilized.

You can simply press the crusting onto the surface of the food, such as pressing sesame seeds onto a tuna loin. The protein in the tuna will help adhere the sesame seeds to the tuna.

A basic breading procedure is to dredge your food in seasoned flour which makes the product tacky, then in an egg wash, and then in bread crumbs or some other crusting agent like seeds, nuts or shredded potatoes before applying heat. When heated, the protein in the egg acts as an adhesive. All you need to do is cook the product to its desired “doneness.”

Try out Chef Jeff’s methods on the following recipes:

Chef Jeff’s Tuna Steaks with Sesame Crust & Lime Peppercorn Vinaigrette

• 1 cup olive oil
• 4 - 8 oz. tuna steaks
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 large eggs
• 1 T. cracked black peppercorns
• 3/4 cup dried sesame seeds
• garlic salt to taste
• 6 cups mixed greens

Prepare the vinaigrette with 3/4 of the olive oil, lime juice and cracked peppercorns. Adjust to your taste with the garlic salt.

Whisk the eggs. Dip one side of the tuna steak in the eggs, then in the sesame seeds, being sure to cover completely.

In the remaining olive oil, sear the sesame side of the tuna steak in a medium hot pan. Put the tuna steaks sesame side up on a baking sheet and place in a 375 degree oven. Baked to desired doneness.

Place warm tuna steaks, sesame side up, on bed of greens and drizzle with vinaigrette.

Chef Jeff’s Roasted Salmon Fillet with Shredded Potato Crust

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup seasoned flour
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 T. spicy brown mustard
• 2 cups shredded fresh potatoes, rinsed
• 1 T. white granulated sugar
• 4 salmon fillets, skinned (6–8 oz each)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 6 cups mixed greens

Prepare the vinaigrette with the olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard and sugar.

Dust one side of each salmon fillet with seasoned flour.

Whisk the eggs. Dip dusted side of each fillet in the eggs, then onto the shredded potatoes that have been spread out on a pan.

In the remaining olive oil, sear the potato side of the salmon fillet in a medium hot pan until the potatoes have been cooked to a golden brown. Place the salmon fillets, potato-crusted side up on a baking sheet and place in a 375 degree oven. Baked to desired doneness.

Drizzle the mustard vinaigrette over the mixed greens. Remove the salmon fillets from the oven and place potato side-up on a bed of mixed greens. Serves 4. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - -