It is rumored that Gary Cooper once clinked glasses with Hedy Lamarr at the toast of Aspen resorts, The Little Nell. Named after a brothel madam who used to run the town, this upscale resort hotel is winter vacation home to the likes of Sir Sean Connery and Ivana Trump. Along with its 11,000 bottle wine cellar and warmly lit restaurant, it is considered the best restaurant in town. It boasts a cuisine that seems almost impossible in the Midwest. This truly extraordinary food is created by and watched over by Paul J. Wade, Executive Chef.
Songwriter, musician, cyclist, world traveler and world renowned chef, Paul Wade plans to have fun and see the world with his wife, Chris, who is a free lance graphic designer. During a recent visit, we asked Paul to explain his philosophy and share some of his secrets with us.
CTGA: Your resume includes years of experience in restaurants all over the world. How do you see the world from restaurant kitchens?
PJW: I love to cook and I have a strong interest in ethnic cooking. I can't think of a better place to become well-rounded in global food styles than to actually work in kitchens around the world.
CTGA: Why would you, a chef in a five-star, five-diamond resort in Aspen, use processed California tomatoes?
PJW: They are always sweeter and have a more consistent full-bodied, low acid flavor than fresh tomatoes. They are always better than fresh for braising and sauce-work as well as steamed dishes.
CTGA: Do you know how the Japanese chefs get that perfectly seared tuna for their tataki sashimi?
PJW: Yes. You can do it, too. Just marinate 1 pound of premium sushi grade tuna, cut into a 3 by 5-inch block, in canned tomato juice seasoned with a little soy sauce and sesame oil for about 5 minutes. Then, go to the garage and get your blowtorch. Drain the tuna. Light the torch and sear the tuna on each side using a sweeping motion like you are spray painting with fire until it is lightly brown. It is a good idea though to use a steel skillet back or metal cookie tray to hold the tuna so that you don't ruin your counters in the kitchen. Maybe it would be better to take the tuna on the cookie sheet to the garage for the whole operation.
CTGA: You use a lot of garlic in your recipes. I have always wondered if there is an easy way to remove the odor from my fingers.
PJW: Oh! That is a problem! My wife won't even let me climb into bed after I come home from a busy night at the restaurant until I have had my shower and gotten rid of that garlicky odor. Here's how I do it. Rub a stainless steel spoon with those offending fingers under running water at room temperature for about 20 seconds. This generates an electric current that neutralizes the enzymes in the garlic juice and, voila! The odor disappears.
CTGA: Your recipe for Shellfish Bouillabaisse contains fresh, in-shell mussels and clams. It is really difficult to get all of the sand out of the clams. Do you have a secret that would make this easier?
PJW: Yes, there is a way to get the clams to open and spit out the sand and flush their systems with fresh water. It uses that same electric current generated with a metal spoon and running water. First, wash the clams under running water to scrub away the last testament of mud and sand until the water runs clear. Then, put the clams in the sink and fill with cold water, letting the water run from the faucet down a metal spoon to the sink basin. The whole process should take about 10 minutes. Clams must be grown under sand and soil but the mussels are cultivated on a rope these days and are free of sand and soil so it doesn't take as much effort to clean them.
Now that you know how to get all of the sand out of the clams, you're ready to prepare Shellfish Bouillabaisse with more of those delicious processed tomatoes from California. Click here for "Recipes from chefs."
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