Still on a high from my meal at Crop Bistro the other night, I quickly called upon Chef Steve Schimoler, the taste master/inventor responsible for our mouth-watering and memorable meal, for a Q & A.
1. What are the top 5 spices every home chef should have? Several types of salt, whole black peppercorns for fresh grinding, several types of chili powders (Ancho, guajillo, chipotle) mild curry powder, fenugreek and cinnamon.
I never recommend using things like powdered garlic, onion, etc. as they are bitter. Using the raw forms allows for natural flavor infusion and the ability to develop different levels of flavor intensity. When it comes to herbs, again I aways try to use fresh versus dry. The key ones for me are rosemary, tarragon, thyme (I prefer lemon thyme) every strain of basil and cilantro.
I wasn’t familiar with fenugreek, so Steve offered this quick tutorial:
Fenugreek is usually found as an ingredient in curry but on its own has a unique maple/caramel flavor and aroma. I use it in place of sugar in many recipes and it adds a secret flavor as a topical dusting on meats just before a saute or roast. The best is to find the seeds, toast lightly and then grind to powder. More trivia, is that it is the key ingredient in artificial maple syrups.
2. What’s your favorite and least favorite thing to make? My favorite is a version of cassoulet that I make with chicken thighs instead of duck. It all goes into one large cast iron skillet and cooks for four hours with an intense aroma that builds and permeates the house driving everyone nuts. I love to cook everything but I would say tripe is my least favorite ingredient and I never had the stomach for it (no pun intended).
3. What’s your favorite thing about Cleveland and what drives you nuts? I just really like the down to earth work ethic and genuine salt of the earth demeanor. The traffic lights in downtown are not synchronized properly and it drives me nuts!
4. If you could cook for one person, real or dead, who would it be? Albert Einstein.
5. Favorite restaurant in Cleveland? I love to hide out and sit at the bar at Osteria. Lately, the whole Crop crew can be found at Bar Cento for a great late night.
6. What restaurant do you miss? Actually, my last restaurant, The Mist Grill, in Vermont. It just had an amazing history as a grist mill and the space was unreal. I also miss being able to get to Gramercy Tavern as often as I used to.
7. What hidden gem have Clevelanders yet to discover? Bar Cento for now, but that will change fast.
8. You’re having a dinner party, top 5 songs on your play list? I just hit shuffle on the iPod and everything from The Dead, Gomez, Chris Issack, Morcheba and James Taylor will do just fine.
9. Last meal on Earth? If I were cooking, it would be raw oysters, seared foie gras, grilled veal chop with white truffle, shaved fennel and orange salad and apple pie. Otherwise, it would be at the FAT Duck in Bray England and I’d let Heston do what every he wanted to.
10. The most unusual food you have ever tried? Stewed tapir deep in the forest of Brazil; it was pretty good.
11. Most famous person you have ever cooked for? In the food world, Julia Child. Otherwise Ronald Reagan.
12. If you weren’t a chef, what would you being doing? Almost became a veterinarian, but might have ended up in politics.
13. Favorite invention of all time? The wrist watch.
14. How do you include your sense of humor with your food? I’ve been doing this so long I have learned to not take myself too seriously and incorporating the right dose of whimsy in a dish or name keeps people guessing. Food should always be fun – at some level – as long as it still delivers the right sensory experience. Crafting dishes that are emblematic of other dishes and are served in similar presentations can provide surprises when they hit the table. An example would be what looks like a dessert but is an appetizer. The Big Pile of Crop Pasta gets a lots of laughs.
(I wonder if Steve and his team get a kick out of watching people move “fake” silverware on the table all night.)
15. What are you currently testing in your kitchen right now? We are launching a line of frozen prepared foods this spring with a national retail chain. That has been keeping us very busy. Many of the items have been run thru the menu for validation, and the Vermont Mac and Cheese with braised brisket on the lunch menu right now is a good example of one that will be in the store soon. We are also going to launch my next generation of Chefex.com this summer. The project will be a local Ohio products distribution network for Food Service.
16. What is your favorite flavor combination and what just doesn’t work no matter how hard you try? Really ripe brandywine tomatoes with good olive oil, sea salt and a few drops of aged balsamic. Using cheese in any Asian-style dish is a total disaster.
17. What’s different about Crop versus other comparable Cleveland restaurants? I think the biggest difference comes from my food development and food science experiences over the years as it forces me to look at food and flavor more analytically and allows me to be constantly experimenting with a strategy instead of just playing. Also running a restaurant that serves as a test kitchen and development center adds a whole other level of discipline to how we operate on a daily basis.
