Maine chef lives the dream – cooking with Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Read online: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=299641&ac=Food

By LAWRENCE KLANG

Executive Chef, Natalie's, Camden Harbour Inn

The Island Culinary and Ecological Center in Deer Isle is just getting off the ground, but you wouldn't know it based on the lively crowd of 75 food lovers gathered at the sold-out, first annual Top Chefs Dinner at the home of Peter and Beth Aherne in Little Deer Isle.

Part of the thrill of the evening was definitely working with the lineup of award-winning chefs who have contributed an incredible amount to the culinary scene over the course of their careers. As a classically French-trained chef, I was particularly excited about having the opportunity to meet and work with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, whose career I have followed ever since I became interested in cooking. He is one of a handful of chefs, including Alain Chapel and Pierre Gagnaire, whose techniques I have studied over the years and whose cookbooks and recipes I have turned to for inspiration and insight. To prepare food with Jean-Georges at the same dinner was truly a dream come true.

I was offered the opportunity to prepare the hors d'oeuvres for this extraordinary fundraiser, and since part of the dinner's goal was to introduce the chefs to the incredible products available in Maine, Ingrid asked me to use seafood from the Deer Isle region.

As a lucky bonus, I was the only chef to prepare my dishes in front of the guests, providing me with an opportunity to see peoples' expressions after they tasted my food. It's rare for a chef to be able to get an instant reaction like that since usually we are back in the kitchen, but at this dinner I was out in front of a throng of boisterous people, gathered for what we all knew was a unique occasion.

I planned several different dishes: a warm Nori and Matsutake "Cocktail"; a Smoked Applewood Sea Salt Roasted Purple Beet served warm, garnished with grape must; a Damariscotta oyster with warm kombu butter; and a poached quail egg with sea urchin in a cauliflower emulsion.

My goal with the selection of the "cocktail" was to open the evening with the theme of ocean and coast, and matsutake grows right on the edge of the coast where the forest meets the sea. It turned out that the house we were in was set in a tranquil spot amongst tall pines, with the ocean right outside the door. The aroma from the nori and the matsutake seemed to bring the ocean, glimmering outside the spacious home's deck, into the room with all the guests, filling the air with its delightful scent.

The dishes flew off the trays as fast as I could replenish them, and I could hear people passing them along, asking each other if they had tried them yet. I was pleased by the number of people who stopped to ask me questions about what I had prepared and how; clearly this was a group of people who took an active interest in the food they were enjoying, and it was fun to get to know them a bit. The guests were an interesting mix of younger couples who had come up from New York specifically for this dinner, year-round residents who had retired to the region, and chefs (including Sam Hayward, who was up for the same James Beard award that Jean-Georges won in 2009).

In addition to my prepared dishes, I served Bagaduce, Long Cove and Damariscotta oysters without any garnishes, allowing the flavor of the oysters to shine through. I was not familiar with Long Cove or Bagaduce oysters and found them both to be very delicate and nicely salty. The Bagaduce in particular were slightly creamy, with a really nice salty-sweet flavor to them and a great iodine finish. I hope to add both to the menu at Natalie's in the future.

When the reception period of the evening had ended, I headed to the kitchen. It was fascinating to see these chefs, so different in style, mindset, background and approach, work with local ingredients while incorporating elements of their individual style in each dish. The pace was quick but organized,

and spirits were high. Of course, working in a home kitchen is not without challenges when you have four chefs and their assistants, volunteers without restaurant training and 75 eager guests with high expectations. The volunteers are to be congratulated for their hard work. Some of them were high school students from Deer Isle, and all pitched in willingly and with good cheer, helping the evening come off flawlessly.

The first dish that went out was a well-received Sweet Corn Soup with Stonington Peekytoe Crab, Corn and Basil Fondue prepared by Michael Leviton. An artistically beautiful and delicately flavored dish by Jean-Georges followed Leviton's dish: Stonington Lobster and Frenchman's Bay Sea Urchin Potato Butter with Five Star Nursery Green Apples and Chili. He created this dish specifically for the dinner, and unlike many of the other dishes served that night it was made entirely from scratch on the premises. The flavor of the intensely tart green apple offered a fresh counterpoint to the natural sweetness of the lobster and the creamy sea urchin potato butter. The technique and execution was a great example of what makes Jean-Georges so well-respected worldwide.

Two dishes by Melissa Kelly -- Maitake Mushroom Ravioli with Primo Garden Cavolo Nero and a Hakurei Turnip Mousseline, and then Coffee Rubbed and Slow Braised Pork Belly with Wild Apples and Local Ginger -- followed this dish. The lightly salted, coffee rubbed pork belly maintained its moistness and paired with the spicy sweetness of the ginger (locally grown no less, this was a surprise to many) and the freshness of the apple was a wonderful representation of the flavors of Maine. The meal concluded with Leviton's refreshing Wild Raspberry and Blueberry Shortcake with Chantilly Cream and Raspberry Honey.

Watching these different chefs in action was a great reminder for me of the importance of the simple things: organization, preparation and respect for the ingredients, as well as the more lofty expectations that I have of myself, including continuing to operate on the highest level possible and to continue to grow. Really great kitchens and restaurants push one another to do better simply by continuing to raise the bar of quality cuisine, and this event reinforced that for me.

At the end of the night I chatted with Jean-Georges over a glass of wine, something I never expected to find myself doing, especially at a home on Deer Isle. It was a perfect conclusion to an unusual evening, and something that I will remember for as long as I continue to cook.