Macy's Features Chef Marcus Samuelsson

Chef Marcus Samuelsson

I had the awesome privilege of seeing the ever so talented Chef Marcus Samuelsson at Macy's this past weekend.  You may know Chef Samuelsson from his role as a judge on the Food Network shows "Chopped" as well as "Iron Chef".  I watch and love both shows.   Chef was brought in as a part of the Macy's Culinary Council.  This Council features the nations leading culinary masters.  The MCC's team of distinguished chefs were organized to inspire Macy's customers and guide them on how to shop, cook, and eat at home.

Chef Samuelsson displayed a few of his must have Super bowl party favorites including Dirty Rice, Crab Cakes, and Southern Fried Chicken. As a part of his discourse (and his nod to Black History Month), Chef gave the crowd a brief history of some of the foods that he made.  For example, rice itself is a staple of African culture that was brought here by the Enslaved Africans.  Today rice has been adopted by American's of all backgrounds and has become a prominent fixture in the American diet.  As African people became settled here in the US, their traditions were spread across America.  The exact history of traditional dirty rice is unknown, but it is noted that the contents of the recipe possibly contain a combination of remnants that the slaves were given from their slave owners as rations.  As a result of the African experience in America, a cultural array of dishes were created that we consume today.  Chef Samuelsson owns a Soul Food restaurant in Harlem that bases it's menu off of the Soul Food of African American culture.  I can't wait to visit The Red Rooster when I visit Harlem!

Chef Hard at Work

The Audience Sampled Some of Chef's Food

Chef Addressing the Crowd as he Cooked

Chef Getting Busy in the Kitchen!  

Chef Samuelsson's New Book: Yes Chef

I received a copy of Chef's fabulous memoir.  I can't wait to finish reading it.  Here is a little blurb about the book.

  "Yes, Chef chronicles Marcus Samuelsson’s remarkable journey from Helga’s humble kitchen to some of the most demanding and cutthroat restaurants in Switzerland and France, from his grueling stints on cruise ships to his arrival in New York City, where his outsize talent and ambition finally come together at Aquavit, earning him a coveted New York Times three-star rating at the age of twenty-four. But Samuelsson’s career of  “chasing flavors,” as he calls it, had only just begun—in the intervening years, there have been White House state dinners, career crises, reality show triumphs and, most important, the opening of the beloved Red Rooster in Harlem. At Red Rooster, Samuelsson has fulfilled his dream of creating a truly diverse, multiracial dining room—a place where presidents and prime ministers rub elbows with jazz musicians, aspiring artists, bus drivers, and nurses. It is a place where an orphan from Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, living in America, can feel at home." (Via Amazon.com)

Book Signing with Chef

The Atlanta Bloggers Via Everywhere 

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I am looking forward to trying Chef Marcus Samuelsson's Crab Cake Recipe (Via Macy's Culinary Council):  

Serves 12 Cakes

Ingredients 3: Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered (about 1 pound) 2: garlic cloves, peeled  1 pound: jumbo lump crab meat, picked over for shells and cartilage 1 teaspoon: mild chili powder 2 teaspoons: Dijon mustard  2 tablespoons: mayonnaise  2 teaspoons: chopped cilantro 2 teaspoons: chopped mint  To Taste: salt To Taste: freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons: cornstarch  4 tablespoons: panko breadcrumbs  6 tablespoons: olive oil Corn (see recipe below) Pistachio Aioli (see recipe below) 3 limes, cut into quarters Corn: 1 tablespoon: olive oil 1 cup: corn kernels, preferably freshly cut from the cob (about 2 cobs) 2: garlic cloves, chopped 2: tomatoes, chopped Juice of 2 limes  2 tablespoons: soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon: chili powder To Taste: salt To Taste: freshly ground pepper 2: scallions, chopped 1 tablespoon: chopped cilantro Pistachio Aioli: 3: small Yukon gold potatoes 1/4 cup: red wine vinegar Juice of 1 lemon 2: garlic cloves, chopped 2 tablespoons: pistachios 2: egg yolks 1/2 cup: olive oil 1 teaspoon: pistachio oil 1 teaspoon: yellow mustard 1 tablespoon: heavy cream 1 teaspoon: chopped tarragon To Taste: salt To Taste: freshly ground pepper Preheat the oven to 400°F. To make the crab cakes: place the potatoes in a medium pot just covered with salted water and bring to a boil. Add the garlic, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Strain the liquid and mash the potatoes and garlic with a fork. Set aside to cool. Mix in the crab meat, chili powder, mustard, mayonnaise, cilantro and mint, breaking up any large clumps with your hands. Season with salt and pepper. Form into 12 crab cakes, each about 2 inches round and 1/2-inch thick.  In a shallow bowl combine the cornstarch and bread crumbs. Dredge each crab cake in the bread crumbs, pressing to make sure the crumbs stick and coat the crab cakes. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium to high heat. Working in 2 batches to prevent overcrowding in the pan, add the crab cakes and sauté until the crust is crisp and golden, about 3 minutes on each side. Heat another 3 tablespoons and continue with the second batch. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Serve with Corn (see below), Pistachio Aioli (see below) and lime wedges. Corn: Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the corn and garlic and sauté until the garlic is golden, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, lime juice, soy sauce and chili powder and season with salt and pepper. Cook until heated through. Remove from heat and fold in the scallions and cilantro. Set aside to cool. Pistachio Aioli: In a small saucepan cover potatoes with salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool and peel. In a separate pot, add red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic and simmer until 2 tablespoons of liquid remains. In a small sauté pan, toast the pistachios for 1 1/2 minutes over medium heat.  In a blender, combine the pistachios with the potatoes. Add in the egg yolks, vinegar mixture, oils, mustard and 2 tablespoons water. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the heavy cream and tarragon, and season with salt and pepper. ---- I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere provided me with compensation for this post about Macy's Culinary Council. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.

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