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 Regional Executive Chef Taylor Park of Centerplate at T-Mobile Park. As the Seattle Mariners concessions partner, Centerplate works to provide a wide range of top-quality food options and works closely with their restaurant partner Ethan Stowell Restaurants. Centerplate is the number one hospitality partner to North America's premier sports stadiums, convention centers, and entertainment venues.

Taylor interned at several spots (St. Mary Lodge and Resort in Montana in 2000, Cloisters Sea Island in Georgia in 2001, and Cuisinart Resort and Spa in BWI Anguilla in 2003) before graduating from Johnson and Wales University in 2003 with a Bachelor's in Nutrition and Culinary Arts. He then moved to the Kiln Creek Country Club as Executive Sous Chef in Virginia in 2003. Relocating to Washington, he became a line cook at Ray's Boathouse from 2003-2005, moving to a lead position at Canlis from 2005-2008. From there, he became Executive Chef at The Loft in Edmonds from 2008-2009, then Executive Chef at the Mill Creek Country Club from 2009-2012. In 2012, he began working for Levy Restaurants, staying until 2014 as the Executive Sous Chef for the Golden State Warriors, then becoming the Area Chef at Reno Lake Tahoe (Reno Sparks Convention Center/ Reno Aces Ball Park/National Bowling Stadium/Event Center/Livestock Event Center) 2014- 2016. During this time, he was the Executive Chef at the BNP Paribas Open Tennis Tournament (2016), managed the Millionaires Club at the 142^nd Kentucky Derby, worked the 2015/2016 Grammy's, opened T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas, supported the 2014/2015 NBA finals, and worked events like the America's cup, Nascar, and LA Dodger's baseball games. Taylor became Executive Chef at Safeco field in August 2016 and is now the Regional Executive Chef.

Keep it simple, by Chef Taylor Park

Don't over complicate things; keep it simple. More often than not, I see people putting everything but the kitchen sink into a dish thinking "more will make it better." I'm a firm believer of simple cooking preparations and keeping the mentality of 5 - 6 ingredients on a plate. Keeping with this, you can show off fundamental cooking techniques and juxtapose them with a more complicated item. Here, everything is kept simple and straight forward with the most difficult item on the dish being the poached egg yolk (which can take some time and a little bit of patience if you're new to cooking).

Escabeche is just a fancy way of saying I pickled vegetables (serrano chili, onion, and garlic) which have been minced up with extra virgin olive oil to use as a condiment.

Alaskan Weathervane Scallops, Preserved Lemon Cream,
Roasted Jumbo Purple Asparagus, Poached Egg Yolk, Serrano Pepper Escabeche

Serves 4

Ingredients

Preserved Lemon Cream
1 preserved lemon (get from specialty store)
4 ounces of mascarpone cheese
4 ounces of crème fresh
Skin of the preserved lemon
Kosher salt

Escabeche
1 small yellow onion
2 red serrano chilies
2 cloves of garlic
½ cup water
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2-3 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Asparagus
4 jumbo-sized asparagus
Salt, pepper, olive oil

Poached Egg Yolk
2 cups water
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 egg yolk

Scallops
4 scallops
1 tsp canola oil
Kosher salt

Procedure

Preserved Lemon Cream

· Take preserved lemon and remove tops and bottoms of lemon and discard them.

· Remove all inner flesh and discard, leaving only the rind.

· In a blender, place mascarpone cheese, crème fresh, and the skin of the preserved lemon. Blend until smooth and season to taste with kosher salt.

Escabeche

· Slice yellow onion, 2 red serrano chilies and 2 cloves of garlic.

· In small saucepan, combine water and apple cider vinegar; bring to a simmer.

· Add kosher salt and let dissolve.

· Add all onion, chilies and garlic to the vinegar mixture and simmer for 3 minutes.

· Once cool, remove all vegetables and finely mince.

· Add extra virgin olive oil and a little of the pickling liquid (1 tsp) if needed to achieve desired flavor.

Asparagus

· Rinse asparagus, and shave off the bottom half to make sure all woody fibers are removed, and stock is tender.

· Lightly coat each stock with salt, pepper, olive oil and place metal sheet pan in 400 degree oven for 3 - 4 minutes.

· Remove and hold aside warm (If the stalks are very large you may want to cut them in half).

Poached Egg Yolk

· In a shallow sauté pan, add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Season with kosher salt and white vinegar. Bring water to a simmer.

· Crack an egg into your hand, using your fingers to strain off the egg whites and keep the yolk. Lightly place the yolk into the simmering water and let cook for 2 minutes.

· Use a slotted spoon to remove the yolk from the water and place on a dry paper towel. Reserve for plate up.

Scallop

· With a wavy (or crinkle cutting knife), cut 4 scallops in half and place cut side down on a paper napkin.

· In a nonstick sauté pan, add canola oil and heat until lightly smoking.

· Season the cut side of each scallop with kosher salt and place cut side down on the sauté pan.

· Cook for 1 minute, or until a light sear occurs. Once the cut side is lightly brown, flip and cook the uncut side for 10- 15 seconds and remove the scallops from the pan and place on a clean paper towel.

Plate Up

· On four clean plates, using a large spoon, make a bed for the scallops and egg yolk to sit on with the preserved lemon cream.

· Place one stalk of roasted asparagus behind the scallops and cream.

· Add a small spoonful of the escabeche to the plate and garnish with baby herbs.

www.centerplate.com

Safeco Field
1250 First Ave S
Seattle, WA 98134
seattle.mariners.mlb.com

June 2019