INTERVIEW WITH THE LA FINALISTS OF THE NEXT FOOD NETWORK STAR

The new season of The Next Food Network Star recently started (Sundays at 9pm), and I got the chance to shoot a few questions at your local LA finalists. Doreen, Aarti, and Das each represent a completely different side to the culinary world, so it's been so much fun watching them compete for the title. I'll also get a chance to chat with the winner (!!!) so please let me know if you have any burning questions you'd like me to ask.

Doreen Fang:

Food Network Bio: 38 (Los Angeles, Calif.), earned an Associate of Occupational Studies from the California Culinary Academy and loves experimenting with different cuisines and ingredients. She currently co-owns a catering company and teaches cooking classes for adults and children. Raised in a predominantly Chinese community in Los Angeles, Doreen finds culinary inspiration in her family and friends and believes in spending quality time with family in the kitchen.

TKK: What do you think you could bring to the Food Network that it doesn't already have?

DF: More diversity which reflects growing up in America. Even though I'm Chinese American - my skills and confidence as a chef allow me to explore other cuisines and cook them. I don't feel like just because you are of one ethnicity, you should only be confined to that one cuisine. America is a melting pot of a variety of cuisines...my passion for food, all kinds is part of what is so great about this country...and I like to embrace to each one.

TKK: What do you hope to teach people through your food?

DF: Basically reiterating what I just said above...to be open to trying to cuisines and ingredients. If you are passionate about food in general, I believe that it is possible for anyone to cook whatever they please. Sometimes people might feel about unsure about using new ingredients, I would show them how to do that and just not be afraid to try something new. Food is fun to experiment with...and you can always learn something new! I love that about food and all the cuisines that are out there.

TKK: What's the most important thing about a dish you prepare?

Seasoning, preparation and presentation.

TKK: What ingredient or tool can you not live without?

Kosher salt and pepper.

Aarti Sequiera

Food Network Bio: 31 (Los Angeles, Calif.), a former CNN producer who later trained at The New School of Cooking in Los Angeles, experiments adventurously with Indian flavors and incorporates them into American classics. She has taught at her alma mater and now has an online cooking show called “Aarti Paarti.” Born in India and raised in Dubai, Aarti draws culinary inspiration from her cultural background, her mother and never-ending food experiments.

TKK: What got you into food?

AS: I was a chubby child, from the second I was born. I was a 10-pounder! So I've always been into food, consuming it, reading about it, dreaming about it, looking at pretty pictures of it, bugging my mum into letting me have more of it, battling it as I got older... it's been my companion for my entire life! My family loves food -- they would often plan the week's meals over the weekend, almost down to the 't'. Growing up in Dubai, we had access to the most abundant produce markets with exotic fruit from all over the world (rambutans, custard apples, Indian Alphonso mangoes) as well the best seafood because we were right on the coast. I'm salivating thinking about it.

TKK: What was your first food triumph?

AS: My first food triumph was probably the first time I improvised a recipe. Until then, I had always stuck very close to recipes, lacking the courage or the belief in myself to try to come with something myself. I couldn't imagine going through the trouble of cooking something, with all the anticipation that it brings, then tasting it, and not liking it. But that's part of the process of cooking, and honestly, it's only ever happened a handful of times. You can't get any deeper into the art of cooking without making some awful things along the way. My very first improvised dish is called "I Ain't Chicken Chicken"... it's a roast chicken with an orange-cardamom-shallot compound butter stuffed under the skin. It's delicious.

TKK: What pushed you to apply for Next Food Network Star?

AS: God pushed me HARD to do it. One of my friends had mentioned I should try out a few years ago, but I told her she was crazy after I watched an episode with her. There was no way I had those kinds of culinary chops! And honestly, I was right. At that point, I wasn't improvising enough to come up with an interesting recipe on the spot. But a few years later, after I started doing my own online cooking show, Aarti Paarti (aartipaarti.com), a number of people from different parts of my life told me I should apply. Something in me knew that I should, even though every other part of me was too scared to. Eventually that little part of me won -- my husband shot a 3-minute video for me, where I made a strawberry-basil Lassi (yogurt cooler) and that was it!

TKK: What ingredient or tool can you not live without?

AS: Garlic. I cannot imagine my life without garlic. Or salt.

TKK: What's your favorite trend going on in LA cuisine right now?

AS: My favorite restaurant at the moment is Chego, from the Kogi truck doods. Their bowls are tremendous -- chock a block with fresh vegetables, a perfectly fried egg, some tender grilled chicken, and that sour cream sauce that is so delicious that you endure the spiciness just so you can keep eating it. Oh my Lord. My tummy just growled. LOUD!

Darell 'Das' Smith

Food Network Bio: 28 (Los Angeles, Calif.), trained in the culinary arts at Atlanta Technical College, and specializes in new American cuisine. Originally from Detroit, he made his way to Beverly Hills to work as a chef, caterer and consultant. He instituted a new culinary program at Beverly Hills High School, where he now teaches. Darrell believes that good food has the power to heal the body and soul, and he wants to show children in urban areas that cooking professionally is an attainable goal.

TKK: What's your idea of the perfect comfort food?

DS: Well, good comfort food has to be warm and gooey. So the ultimate comfort food for me is mac n cheese. You can make so many great variations (like lobster, one of my favs) and no matter what, it leaves you feeling comforted.

TKK: What was your first food triumph?

DS: My first food triumph was at my first job out of culinary school working as a line cook at the Westin in Detroit Metro Airport. There was 1 night when bad weather caused several flight cancellations, and just as the restaurant was closing, over 100 frustrated passengers arrived. Only myself and 1 other line cook were there to serve them. I was so nervous I was sweating as we banged out meal after meal. That night was my rude awakening into the world of food service and I was proud to find I could not only stand the heat, but could triumph in it.

TKK: What's the most important thing about a dish you prepare?

DS: The most important things are presentation, fresh ingredients and soft but distinct flavors. Presentation is so important because we eat with our eyes first and its key that the first impression opens you to something delicious. Of course the dish's freshness and flavors will then seal the deal.

TKK: What ingredient or tool can you not live without?

DS: I have 2 answers - my 10" Mercer chef knife, and onions.

TKK: What do you hope to teach people through your food?

DS: I want people to know how easy, fun and inexpensive cooking is. In my job, I start each school year with a class full of new students who know little about cooking. By the end of the year, most of them can't get enough of it and are headed for college with an advantage that many other kids won't have. I want all of today's youth to have that knowledge. It will help keep them from fast food, develop independence, and most importantly, be FUN.

REFINERY 29

Well this is exciting! My dolly cakes are featured on the uber-cool fashion site Refinery 29. Amanda and I picked out the looks, and chose a Balenciaga twead shift dress with block colors, and a flirty Christopher Kane gingham concoction. Click on the link to read the whole article.

THAI LUNCH

First it was a candle lit dinner over ravioli and wine, possibly with "This is the Night" playing in the background; followed up with a night of cocktails at the exceedingly intimate Milk & Honey. This time: tropical thunder storms, lightening, and escaping into a tiny 4 table Thai restaurant, and finding comfort in the arms of a spicy tomato soup. No, these are not romantic dates I went on with boyfriend, and no, we weren't in Thailand; DC decided to go all El Nino and dump buckets on us as we ran through the streets. My friend Christie and I just have a knack for going on accidentally romantic dinners. Test runs, I suppose, for when our boyfriends make good on their promises to actually take us out. But back to the Thai food. Luckily Christie had an umbrella, which for some reason she was in charge of carrying even though she's 6 inches shorter than me. Once we were seated, the server brought out course after course after course (seven!!!) of the most delicious Thai food I've had the pleasure of eating. Maybe it was the hunger, the thunder storm, or the cockatoo howling in its cage, but the meal was unforgettable, and beyond expectation to say the least. Our two favorite dishes of the night where a bright and refreshing green papaya salad, for which we kept ordering rice to soak up the unbelievable sauce, and a beautiful spicy tomato soup, covered in a layer of cilantro. For both, the flavors were unexpected and well defined, nothing muddled or hesitant. And thank God, because it made recreating them a hell of a lot easier. So below I give you my new favorite lunch: Spicy Tomato Soup and a Not So Green Papaya Salad. Enjoy!

Thai Tomato Soup


4 cups veggie stock

2 stalks lemongrass, peeled and cut into 2 inch segments

8 kaffir lime leaves, torn (if you don't have them, some roughly chopped basil and lime zest will do)

1 Tbsp grated ginger

1 can crushed tomato

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed cumin

4 Tbsp fish sauce

1/2 cup coconut milk (optional)

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1 Tbsp red chili paste

8 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Combine the stock, lemongrass, kaffir lime, chili sauce, cumin, fish sauce, garlic, 2 tablespoons cilantro and ginger in a soup pot over medium-low heat and cook for 10 minutes. If you don't mind the kaffir lime and lemongrass floating around, then leave them in (I did) but if you don't, feel free to strain the soup at this point. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, shrimp, and cherry tomatoes, and cook until the shrimp are just pink. Stir in the coconut milk and lime juice, and serve hot. Sprinkle on the cilantro to finish. Enjoy!

Not So Green Papaya Salad

1 1/2 tablespoons palm sugar (or brown sugar if you can't find it)

1 lime, juiced

1 large unripe papaya, shredded

2 chile peppers (I used jalapenos)

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup cilantro leaves

1 clove garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon garlic chile sauce

1 tablespoon dried shrimp (I found this at my local Japanese market)

3 tablespoons peanuts, toasted

Peel the papaya, halve it, and scoop out the seeds. The flesh should be a pale orange yellow color. Grate it coarsely (you don't want it to be so fine it gets a little mushy). Set aside in a big bowl. Slice your chiles in half and scrape out the seeds (or not if you like the extra heat), then finely julienne them into small strips. If you don't want it crazy spicy, just add the chiles straight to the papaya, if you want a lot of heat, put them in a mortar and pestle. Add the cilantro leaves and tomatoes to the papaya. In the mortar and pestle (or food processor if you don't have one) place everything except for the fish sauce. Smash and grind it until a rough paste is formed and the shrimp are mostly dissolved. Add the fish sauce and blend to combine. Pour it over the papaya and mix it around to coat everything. Taste and adjust (more chile sauce? more lime? more sugar?). Enjoy!

MAY FIRE NECTARINE CROSTATA

Hear that? That's the sound of my silent fist pump. Summer has officially started. How do I know? Why, I'm, eating a nectarine, that's how. And juice is dripping down my chin, and it tastes wonderful, and crap it dripped onto my shirt and I can't do anything while I'm still holding this damn nectarine pit with sticky fingers.

With my fingers washed and some pie dough chilling in the fridge, I start working on ways to make the most of these gorgeous may fire yellow nectarines. They're high acid, full of that fecund, floral thing ripe nectarines do, and perfect for baking. Those mellow peaches and stone fruit with delicate flavors don't have the backbone for baking, but are brilliant unadorned. My issue is, and always is, that my eyes are much bigger than my stomach. Lots of jams, baked stuff, and pasta sauces come out of my kitchen when I go a little crazy at the farmers' market. The nectarines are fully ripe, and there's no way I'll eat all of them before they're time is up.

For 2 Crostatas

8 yellow nectarines, cut into 1/2 inch slices (or peaches, plums, apricots, any stone fruit it fine)

3 tablespoons chambord or brandy

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

6 tablespoons packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup raw almonds (yield 3/4 cup ground almonds)

For the pie dough

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons granulated white sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, chilled, and cubed

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

2 tablespoons sugar crystals (optional)

1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Topping:

4oz creme fraiche

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a food processor or quickly using your fingertips, combine the flour, sugar, salt and butter until the chunks of butter are broken down to the size of peas and the flour feels like wet sand. Add the first 1/4 cup of water and mix until the dough comes together easily. It's too dry if it immediately clumps apart. Add two tablespoons of water at a time, you can always add more water but not more flour, so careful not to add too much! Bring the dough into two balls and plop them on top of two sheets of plastic wrap. Loosely wrap up the ball and press down, smooshing the ball into a disc about an inch thick. Pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes while you busy yourself with the other stuff.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Slice the nectarines and toss with 3 tablespoons of the butter and brown sugar, plus the white sugar and the chambord or brandy. Stir to combine and set aside.

In a food processor, grind the almonds until the grain of rough sand. In a medium bowl, combine 3 tablespoons each of butter and brown sugar. Stir in the 3/4 cup of ground almonds and the flour. Add the eggs and the vanilla and stir until fully incorporated.

Dust your counter with flour and roll out each pie crust into a large circle about 1/4 inch thick. Place the the crostata onto a greased baking pan, pour half of the almond mixture into the middle, and spoon on half of the nectarines. Fold up the edges of the dough overlapping about an inch over the nectarines. Brush with the egg wash (the beaten egg) and sprinkle with sugar crystals. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is brown, the almond mixture is a little puffed, and the nectarines are tender. Let cool for a few moments and mix together the creme fraiche, lemon zest, and vanilla as a topping if you like. Enjoy!