on family and food_12

On Family and Food

People often ask me what I cook at home for my family. Until last

year, the answer always was "nothing." I've cooked at restaurants six

days and nights a week since I started my apprenticeship in 1973. As

much as I wanted to cook at home, I needed to rest on that one day

off. Last year, I finally decided to take a break each week from

Saturday morning to Sunday evening. What a difference a day makes!

I'm cooking at home again, and I love it. While I'm still in my

restaurants during the week, I meet my wife Marja and my daughter

Chloe at our country house each weekend. Like most chefs, I usually

keep things simple at home. A lot of grilling in the summer, one-pot

braises in the winter. This past weekend, though, I did a full cookout

for Chloe's seventh birthday party.

It was surprisingly hard to come up with a menu for thirty school

friends and neighbors. As a chef, I assume my guests don't just

want--or expect--hot dogs. And I enjoy making dishes that wow. As a

father, I want my daughter to be happy. For her birthday party, that

means making things she and her friends will like. For example, I

really wanted to serve my homemade sodas, like my herbal root beer,

which is not only green but also has a strong anise flavor (it's the

tarragon). But . . . I bought sodas and juice boxes instead.

As for the food, I made mini burgers for the kids. No foie gras in the

mix, but I did use Niman Ranch beef. Really good beef is pretty much

all you need for a delicious burger. I topped them with Monterey Jack

and let the kids choose among the usual fixings--ketchup, mustard,

lettuce, tomatoes, pickles. They loved building their own little

burgers.

I think the adults would've been happy with the mini burgers too, but

I was excited about preparing my Baby Back Ribs with Barbeque Sauce .

Even though I've done this dish endless times for my restaurants, I've

been experimenting with a new technique. Instead of boiling the ribs

with ginger, soy sauce, and chile, I rub them with those ingredients

and low-steam them for four hours in the C-Vap, my new favorite

machine. (I'll tell you much more about this amazing steamer next

time.) They become just as tender but need only a little water to

cook, keeping them much more flavorful. While finishing the ribs on

the grill, I brushed them with my sweet, sour, and spicy Asian

barbeque sauce. Everyone was licking their fingers and lining up for

more.

To complement the ribs, I kept the side dishes light. With vegetables

from nearby farms, I made an heirloom tomato salad, a pink bean salad,

and corn pudding. (And yes, there were plenty of chips for the kids.)

Of course, the key to any successful birthday party is a good cake. I

had wanted my pastry chef, Johnny Iuzzini, to make Chloe's cake, as he

has in years past. Chloe is really into horses now and I'm sure Johnny

would've made a fabulous edible equine. But he was out of town on

vacation, so we ended up getting a bakery cake instead.

Honestly, I think Johnny would've made a better tasting cake. But the

look on Chloe's face when she blew out the candles made me forget

about the cake itself. She was turning seven and having a pool party

with her best friends. She was having fun, and that's all that matters

to me. After all, it isn't always all about the food.

Note: Daniel Del Vecchio, my close friend and colleague, brought his