Culinary Arts Center Welcomes Celebrated Chefs who Dazzle with Local Flavors

The Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine has been busy hosting a variety of celebrated guest chefs on a variety of cruises over the past few months, and they whipped up some of their most tantalizing and eye-catching creations for Holland America Line guests. Read on for recipes from some of the chefs who sailed and let us know if you make them at home.

The Incredible Sugar and Chocolate Creations of Chef Kaushik Chowdhury

Chef Kaushik Chowdhury recently sailed on Statendam where he impressed guests with his culinary creations. Guests were even able to choose his White Chocolate Bread Pudding on the main Dining Room menu. Chef Chowdhury is the Executive Pastry Chef at JW Marriott, Hill Country Resort & Spa, in San Antonio, Texas. He has received numerous awards throughout his culinary career, including Gold Medal in the U.S. National Pastry Championship, Food Network Pastry Dare Devil Sugar Challenge, Gold Medal in Food Network’s Sugar Showdown Challenge and Gold Medal in NACE (National Association of Catering Executive) Wedding Cake Challenge. Kaushik lead Team USA at the World Pastry Championship in 2010 where he and his team won bronze medal for their performance.

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Food & Wine Chef Nancy Silverton’s Marvelous Mozzarella

This fall, guests on Prinsendam’s Mediterranean cruise were treated to cooking demonstrations by Chef Nancy Silverton. With partners Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, Silverton is the co-owner of Pizzeria and Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles, Newport Beach and Singapore, as well as Mozza2Go and Chi Spacca in Los Angeles. Silverton also founded the world-renowned La Brea Bakery and Campanile Restaurant, an institution that Angelenos cherished for decades.

MOZZARELLA DI BUFALA WITH BAGNA CAUDA, BOTTARGA AND CROUTONS

When I opened the Osteria, Joe Bastianich told me that one of his favorite combinations was fried mozzarella stuffed with anchovies. While I certainly trusted the guy and know he has great taste, let’s just say that the combination sounded less than delicious to me. But since Joe said so, I tried it — and I loved it. What I didn’t know is that bufala and anchovies are actually a classic pairing. Here, the anchovies are in the bagna cauda, a delicious sauce from the Piedmont region and whose name translates “warm bath.” In addition to anchovies, garlic, olive oil, my version contains lemon and butter. Bottarga, a delicacy of Sicily and Sardinia, is cured pressed fish roe (usually from mullet or tuna) that has a pungent, fishy taste and is used sparingly, finely grated or very thinly sliced over dishes. You can purchase bottarga from specialty food stores and online food sources. This recipe for bagna cauda makes 1 cup — more than you will need. Spoon the leftovers over grilled fish or vegetables.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the croutons:
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound crustless sourdough bread, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
Kosher salt

For the bagna cauda:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup extra- virgin olive oil
10 anchovy fillets (preferably salt- packed), rinsed, backbones removed if saltpacked, and finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh Italian parsley leaves for serving
4 two- to 21/2-ounce balls of mozzarella di bufala (or one 8- to 10- ounce ball, cut into 2- to
21/2-ounce segments)
1 ounce red mullet bottarga
4 whole parsley leaves (optional)

Preparation:

To make the croutons:
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until it is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Line a plate with paper towels. Add the bread cubes to the oil and cook for 30 to 40 seconds, until they are golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove the croutons to the prepared plate and season them with salt. If the croutons appear greasy, transfer them to a clean paper towel to drain further.

To make the bagna cauda:
Heat the butter, olive oil, anchovies and garlic in a large sauté pan over medium heat until the anchovies dissolve and the garlic is soft and fragrant, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly so the garlic does not brown. Reduce the heat to low and cook the bagna cauda for another 2 minutes to meld the flavors. Proceed if you are going to use the bagna cauda right away. If you are preparing to use it later, set the bagna cauda aside to cool to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week.

When you are ready to serve the bagna cauda, use a lemon zester to zest long strips from the lemon. Cut the two ends off the lemon and stand the zested lemon upright on a cutting board and use a serrated knife to cut away the peel, trying to maintain the integrity of the lemon shape while making sure that no pith remains. Cut the lemon into individual fillets, by cutting on either side of the membrane, removing and discarding the seeds as you go, and coarsely chop the fillets. Warm the bagna cauda over medium heat and stir in the lemon zest, chopped lemon fillets and parsley.

To assemble the dish, place one ball or segment of mozzarella on each of four large salad plates or soup plates. Spoon 2 tablespoons of bagna cauda over each serving of mozzarella and sprinkle with the croutons, dividing them evenly and allowing them to fall over and around the mozzarella. Peel and discard the skin from the bottarga and use a microplane or other fine grater to grate a light layer of bottarga over each serving of mozzarella. Lay a parsley leaf on top of each serving of mozzarella, and serve.

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The Kilted Chef Brings the Flavors of Canada/New England to Life

Alain Bosse, also known as “The Kilted Chef,” is president of Alain Bosse Consulting Ltd., food editor for Saltscapes Magazine, past president of Taste of Nova Scotia and ambassador of all things culinary in Atlantic Canada. Lobsters, mussels, apples and wild blueberries are just a few of the quality ingredients found on the East Coast of Canada and that can always be found in his kitchen. His passion for the “buy local, eat local” philosophy is apparent in all his restaurant makeovers and is constantly reiterated in his recipe development and work with local producers and processors.

Chef Bosse sailed on Maasdam’s Canada/New England cruise departing Oct. 18 and was photographed by the ship’s atrium wearing his famous kilt.

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Chef Natacha Gomez Brings Caribbean Flavors Onboard

As part of the “On Location” program, chef Natacha Gomez sailed on Nieuw Amsterdam’s Dec. 7 Caribbean cruise. Chef Gomez sailed in February, and she’ll be onboard again in 2015 with her authentic and delicious dishes from her homeland of Haiti.

While on this cruise, she treated guests to several cooking demonstrations where she made a variety of dishes. Here are a couple of recipes so you can enjoy her dishes at home.

CARIBBEAN WINGS WITH GRILLED PINEAPPLE SAUCE

Ingredients:
4 pounds chicken wings (tips discarded and wing split )
12 fresh pineapple juice or can of frozen unsweetened pineapple juice
1 fresh pineapple
2 entire heads of garlic
1 bunch of parsley
1/2 cup of shallots or red onion
1 habanero pepper
2 tablespoons of brown sugar or honey
Salt to taste
1 pound of flour
Oil for frying

Preparation:
Clean the chicken and marinate in a large bowl over an hour with the minced and chopped parsley, garlic, shallots (reserve one tablespoon of the spices mixture) and 1/3 of the pineapple juice. Coat the wings with flour and fry. In another saucepan over medium heat cook the remaining pineapple juice, with honey or sugar and the tablespoon of spices. Let reduce for 5-6 minutes and coat the chicken. Serve hot.
Grilled the slice of the fresh pineapple, and serve the wings over it sprinkle with cut green onions.

BASIL OIL

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup olive oil

Preparation:
Blanch basil in medium saucepan of boiling water 10 seconds. Drain. Rinse under cold water. Pat basil dry with paper towels. Transfer to blender. Add oil; puree until smooth. Transfer to small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before using.)

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Learning About Alaska Cuisine while Cruising Alaska

Chef Patrick Hoogerhyde from Anchorage, Alaska, was raised in King Salmon, Alaska, so there’s no better expert on Alaska cuisine. Guests were able to attend his cooking demonstrations on a Volendam Alaska cruise in September. His current projects include manager/partner at Bridge Catering and Bridge Seafood Restaurant and operations director of Snow Goose Restaurant & Sleeping Lady Brewing. His culinary philosophy is “you’re only as good as the last meal and experience you prepared for your guests.”

SEARED ALASKA COD/ROCKFISH WITH WILTED SPINACH AND SMOKED BACON

Serves 8

Ingredients:
16 each Cod or Rockfish filet (3 oz portion, S&P seasoned and semolina dusted)
1 cup Semolina Flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound raw spinach, picked and cleaned
6 oz raw bacon, medium diced
1/4 cup ages balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper, fresh cracked, to taste
1/4 pound whole butter

Preparation:

Season fish lightly with salt & pepper, dredge to coat with semolina. Heat a medium sauté pan, add bacon and 1/2 olive oil. Cook bacon 1/4 and push to side of the pan. Add remainder of oil and heat and add the fish pieces. Sear fish golden brown and flip cook to internal temperature of 130 F. Remove fish from pan keeping warm, leaving bacon in, toss in spinach to lightly wilt, 1 min. Add balsamic to deglaze pan and finish swirling in butter. Plate greens, top with fish and drizzle with balsamic pan sauce.

Chef’s Note: Starches that compliment this dish included, pasta, wild- nutty rice, roasted or mashed potatoes.

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Cheese, Glorious Cheese with Kathy Guidi

Professionally renowned as a Cheese Sommelier and Maitre Fromager for her work in furthering the artisan and specialty cheese movement in the U.S. and Canada, Guidi founded Cheese Education Guild, the first full curriculum, cheese appreciation school in North America.

During two cheese workshops on Eurodam, Guidi familiarized guests with the fundamentals of cheese, then taught them how to taste (sense) cheese to fully appreciate it and how to handle and serve cheeses. During her “Classic Cheese of Europe” workshop, guests were able to gain an appreciation for the role cheese played in culture and history while sampling five of the world’s heirloom cheeses.

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If you like learning from a professional chef, check out the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine schedule for 2015 and choose a cruise with your favorite foodie.