Washington State Chef's
Member Spotlight
Member Spotlight - October 2016
LUAN NGUYEN
Favorite Quote
"Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today."
Bio
My culinary journey begin 10 years ago when I first started working as a dishwasher in a busy Vietnamese restaurant. At that time I didn’t think that one day this would be my later career choice. But I like the atmosphere of the place and the work kept me busy throughout the day. I worked as dishwasher for 3 years in a few different restaurants. The love and passion for culinary at that time was not nurtured in me yet. Not until I came back to the restaurant where I started, and worked as help cook, that is when I determined this would be my career later on. I continued to work for another 5 years in different stations but only found out that my career choice hadn’t been going anywhere. I decided to go back to school and I attended the Culinary Arts Program at South Seattle College. I graduated with an AAS degree in culinary. I still don’t have a lot of experience in western cuisine, so I decided to learn the trade in the apprenticeship program at Renton Technical College, with guidance and support from Chef Fisher of the program. I’m currently working and learning as an apprentice at Bell Harbor Int’l Conference Center under the guidance of Chef Bartleson and Chef Reisinger. I’m also working towards a BAS degree in Hospitality Management at South Seattle College.
In 5 Years I would like to finish school and get certified with the ACF as part of my 5 year goal, but the long term goal is growth and to get involved in my career as well as my community.
What ACF means to me: From the old days, people used to think that cooking is not a profession. But the ACF had changed that thought and has proven cooking is not just a profession, but it’s a profession of Arts and ACF representing our profession, where the Standard of Excellence is applied.
Favorite Recipe
Pâté de Campagne
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder butt, cut into 1-inch dice
- 4 ounces pork or chicken liver
- 1/4 cup chopped white or yellow onion
- 8 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 ounce kosher salt (2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Pate Spice (recipe follows)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Optional Garnish (mix and match to taste): Diced ham, cooked mushrooms, rinsed brine-cured green peppercorns, duck confit (a total of 1 cup)
Pâté Spice Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon white pepper
Procedure:
- Freeze all your blades and bowls before gathering and measuring your ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Grind the pork through the large die into the bowl of a standing mixer set in ice. Transfer about one-third of the pork to a small bowl, and add the liver, onion, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and pâté spice. Fit the grinder with the small die (clean the blade of any sinew that might be caught there) and grind the pork-seasonings mixture into the bowl of coarsely ground pork. Refrigerate.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, eggs, brandy, and cream and stir to blend—this is the panade. Add it to the ground meat and, using the paddle attachment, mix until the panade is incorporated and the forcemeat becomes sticky, about a minute. (You can also do this using a wooden spoon or your hands.) Fold in the optional garnish, if using.
- Do a quenelle test to check the seasoning, and adjust if necessary.
- Line a 1 1/2 quart terrine mold with plastic wrap, leaving enough overhand on the two long sides to fold over the top of the terrine when it’s filled (moistening the mold first will help the plastic adhere). Fill the mold with the pâté mixture, packing it down to remove air pockets. Fold the plastic wrap over the top, and cover with the lid or with foil.
- Place the terrine in a high-sided roasting pan and add enough hot water (very hot tap water) to come halfway up the sides of the mold. Put the pan in the oven and bake until the interior of the pâté reaches 150 degrees F, if using pork liver, 160 degrees F. if using chicken liver, about 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven, remove the mold from the water bath, and set a weight of about 2 pounds on top of the terrine. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely chilled, overnight, or for up to 1 week, before serving.
