Kitchen Swap: Alexandra Guarnaschelli of Butter
There are few American chefs, much less female chefs, who can boast staying power in Michelin-starred restaurants. Executive Chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli of Butter Restaurant in New York City can boast indeed. The daughter of esteemed cookbook editor Maria Guarnaschelli, Alex spent her childhood surrounded by food. She studied at La Varenne Culinary School in Burgundy and ended up working at the esteemed Guy Savoy’s three-star restaurant in Paris. She was rapidly promoted to sous chef at La Butte Chaillot, another Savoy establishment. “The first three months were terrifying-imagine being a young American woman in charge of a French kitchen with 10 young, male cooks under you? Professionally, it was a life-changing experience,” she says. Alex has competed on Iron Chef America and currently hosts “The Cooking Loft” on the Food Network. Stay tuned for her new Food Network cooking show airing this October!
1. What’s it like to be on Iron Chef?
It is the most glorious, nerve-shredding experience a chef can imagine. I had the time of my life! The hour of cooking went by in a flash. It was amazing to see how much three people can accomplish in an hour. The smoky kitchen stadium, the chairman, Alton Brown and the audience just add to the pressure (and fun).
2. Any advice for aspiring women chefs?
I think it is better than ever for women to enter this industry and I would say not to get discouraged from following a dream. If you love to cook, go to school for it! Work in a kitchen of a chef you admire for free for a little while to see if you really love it. I think mustering the courage to enter the field is the hardest part. After that hurdle is completed, it becomes about a love for cooking.
3. Do you have a favorite mushroom dish?
At Guy Savoy, he serves a mushroom soup with a warm brioche that has a duxelles (mushrooms cooked with shallots, cream and lemon juice) that is the most mushroomy dish I have ever tasted. The taste of the buttery brioche with the mushrooms is hypnotic. I love it because it pairs white button mushroom with truffle. It’s like the two ends of the spectrum financially with regard to mushrooms but one makes the other more noble!
4. What role do mushrooms play at Butter Restaurant?
For me, there are the seasonal wild mushrooms I love to use as a flavor signifier for the change in season. I love Chanterelles, Cepes and Morels the most. Morels are a symbol of spring to me. I also use cultivated mushrooms year round and deeply love them. I love white buttons, cremini, Portabella and oysters in particular. They offer nutty and earthy tones to a lot of my dishes. They offer a steaky texture against other ingredients. I would be lost without them.
5. Can you tell us about your Turf and Turf dish?
I think it really came about because I love Surf and Turf to begin with. I thought it would be a fun way to draw attention to the fact that mushrooms can really hold their own in a dish and be as exciting as the classic steak and lobster pairing. We need to be eating mushroom all the time and this dish is my testament to that fact!
Turf and Turf: White Buttons and Crimini with Mussels and Hazelnuts
Ingredients
- 4½ pounds fresh mussels, thoroughly scrubbed and de-bearded
- 3 cups dry vermouth
- 12 tablespoons lightly salted butter
- 1 ½ pounds white button mushrooms, ends trimmed, quickly washed and thoroughly dried
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, ends trimmed, wiped clean and thoroughly dried
- 6 shallots, medium sized, peeled and thinly sliced
- To taste Kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 ounces blanched hazelnuts, whole
- 3 or4 lemons, juiced
Directions
For a 2 to 3 serving portion: Heat a skillet large enough to hold 12 ounces of mussels in a single layer. Add the mussels and ¼ cup vermouth. Cook for 1 minute. Add about 3 ounces of cold water. The mussels shouldn’t take long to cook, just 2 to 3 minutes. Take care to stir the mussels from time to time so they cook as evenly as possible. Use kitchen tongs to pluck the mussels from the pan as they open.
When all of the mussels are cooked, strain and reserve the liquid for the sauce. Remove the mussels from their shells. Discard the shells. Reserve the mussels in the refrigerator until 5 minutes before serving.
Using a small paring knife, quarter both kinds of mushrooms. Heat another skillet large enough to hold the mushrooms in a single layer. Heat the skillet slightly and then remove the pan from direct heat. Add 1½ teaspoons of butter, and let it melt quickly and turn a light brown color. Return the skillet to the heat and immediately add 1 sliced shallot, 4 ounces button mushrooms, and 2 ounces of cremini mushrooms. Season lightly with a pinch of red pepper flakes and salt to taste.
Add 1½ teaspoons of butter to a small skillet and add ½ ounce (1 tablespoon) of hazelnuts. Season them lightly with salt and “simmer” them over low heat until they turn light brown. Set aside to cool.
Cook the mushrooms for 2 to 3 minutes, until they start to give up liquid. Add another ¼ cup vermouth. Cook for an additional 1 minute and then drain out any cooking liquid. Combine the mushroom and the mussel liquids in a small pan and allow the 2 flavors to simmer together for 1 minute. The sauce may need a pinch of salt. The flavor should be an initial taste of sweet mussel followed by an undertone of earthiness from the mushroom. Swirl in 1½ teaspoons of butter and a touch of lemon juice. Keep warm.
Heat the large skillet until hot, about 2 minutes. Remove from the direct heat and add 1½ teaspoons of butter. When it turns light brown, return the skillet to the burner and add the shelled mussels and mushrooms in a single layer. Cook for 1 minute without stirring
