Chef's Kitchen

Each month, a guest chef gives us a tip that elevates their cooking or simplifies things in the kitchen; something a home cook might not know. They also provide a recipe that uses the tip, so you can practice at home. Our guest chef this month is Chef Kaleena Bliss of Conversation Kitchen & Bar at Thompson Seattle. Conversation is a signature new American restaurant that offers an approachable fine dining experience in a welcoming setting curated to foster conversation and ignite a sense of community. They offer an array of thoughtfully prepared dishes focused on fresh local produce, farm-raised proteins, and the best ingredients the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

As Executive Chef of Thompson Seattle, Kaleena Bliss helms the hotel's signature restaurant Conversation Kitchen & Bar and oversees all culinary operations at the property including The Nest rooftop bar and lounge, catering, and banquets. The first round winner of Food Network's wildly popular "Chopped" Season 51 "Casino Royale" in January 2022, and Pacific Northwest native with a passion for locally foraged ingredients including wild mushrooms and seafood, is known for her ability to foster a connection between diners and the great outdoors. Prior to joining Thompson Seattle, Chef Bliss' over 16 years of culinary experience includes leadership roles at a trio of restaurants and hotels in Seattle. She served as executive sous chef for nearly four years at Six Seven at The Edgewater Hotel, as chef de cuisine for three years at Mistral Kitchen in the South Lake Union neighborhood, and sous chef for two years at The Four Swallows on Bainbridge Island. Prior, Chef Bliss developed her culinary skills in Portland at a French bistro called Fenouil after receiving a bachelor's degree in culinary arts management from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.

Enhance your dishes by elevating presentation, by Chef Kaleena Bliss

I have so many friends who do not come from a professional cooking background but can cook just as well as a Chef who does. With all of the techniques and information available through books and videos now, it's fun to see that home cooks are becoming more creative, knowledgeable, and taking greater risks in the kitchen. One thing I think that tends to separate a home cook's dish from a professional chef's dish, however, is how it's garnished and presented. I can usually tell when something has a professional chef's touch by the finesse of their garnish.

A tip that I would offer to a home cook to elevate the presentation of their final dish is to purchase a mandolin. It doesn't need to be a fancy or expensive one either. My favorite thing to use it for is to shave vegetables very thinly. This is also one of my favorite garnishes. I'm really big on texture and a crunch factor in my dishes. Some shaved vegetables tossed in a little olive oil, lemon juice or your favorite vinegar, and salt and pepper makes a great colorful, crunch addition. Some of the vegetables I like to use for shaving are carrots, baby beets, fennel, and radish. We often think of using herbs as the greenery piece of a garnish, but at home I will use something like celery heart leaves. They are inexpensive, and often have little use when a head of celery tends to be purchased for the stalks. My trick is the shave them paper thin, and then to shock them in ice water for a few minutes until you can see their natural curvature. This also helps crisp them back up. I like to use this as a garnish for proteins, especially seafood.

Pan seared ling cod with shaved vegetables and lemon

Serves 1

Pan seared ling cod

Ingredients

• 1 6oz piece of ling cod
• 2 oz olive oil (or your preferred cooking oil
• Salt as needed

Dry off the ling cod with a paper town to remove any excess moisture. This will help it sear up better. Season with salt. Heat up a sauté pan and add the oil to it. Make sure the pan and oil are hot before you place the fish in it. Let it sear for a minute or two to start developing the crust. Place the pan in a 350 F oven and let it continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and flip the fish. You should have a nice brown crust on top of the fish. Let the bottom of the fish carryover cook in the pan until it's finished.

Shaved vegetable salad (for garnish)

Ingredients

• 1 baby carrot (play around with different colors)
• 2 red radishes
• 1 bulb fennel, fronds removed
• 2 baby beets (again, play around with different colors)
• Tender leaves from celery heart stalks, as needed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Shave the vegetables on a mandolin as thinly as possible, while keeping the shape of the vegetable intact. Shock the vegetables in ice water for 5 minutes until they expand and you can see their natural curvature. Remove vegetables from water and remove any excess water. Place the vegetables in a small mixing bowl, add the olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

Assembling

Place the piece of fish, seared side up, on a plate. Take a handful of the shaved vegetables and celery leaves and place them around and on top of the fish to your liking. You can finish the dish with a squeeze of fresh lemon or some chopped herbs.

Conversation Kitchen & Bar
Thompson Seattle
110 Stewart St (1^st floor of hotel)
Seattle, WA 98101
206-512-1097

www.conversationseattle.com

February 2022