February 18, 2007

Chef of the Month: Mindy Segal Recent News on the Chef2Chef News Desk This Week's Foodservice Daily Newsletter: Cervena - Natural Tender Venison Visit our Newest Market Place Vendors Chef2Chef Classifieds 30 Days FREE! Recipe of the Week: Pan Seared Venison Loin with Great Hill Blue Cheese and Cassis Port Demi Glace Today's Top Chef Forum Topics New Jobs! Jobs at Chef2Chef.net!

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Chef of the Month: Mindy Segal

Mindy Segal is a pastry guru, specializing in contemporary American cuisine. Named Chicago magazine’s “Best Pastry Chef in Chicago,” Segal exhibits a mastery of classic cooking techniques and use of local organic ingredients. She has dazzled Chicago diners with her inspired interpretations of timeless American desserts for several years, receiving critical acclaim from the New York Times, the Chicago Sun-Times and Conde Nast Traveler.

Segal's culinary professional positions placed her in some of the most highly regarded kitchens in the country. After graduating from Kendall College, Segal took her first cooking position as pastry assistant at Chicago's acclaimed Ambria with the talented Pastry Chef Judy Contino. Segal credits Contino as her biggest influence. Segal went on to serve as pastry chef at Metropolis 1800, Gordon and Charlie Trotter's, where she further developed her pastry skills.

Segal also served as pastry chef at Marché, where she worked closely with acclaimed chef Michael Kornick. It was a match made in heaven, and Segal later became Kornick’s Pastry Chef at, mk, his signature restaurant in the gallery area of Chicago. Segal as developed numerous dessert menus for other local Chicago restaurants as well, including Mia Francesca, Harvest on Huron, Thyme and Spago.

For the rest of her bio and some very tasty recipes

Recent News on the Chef2Chef News Desk!

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Athens Foods

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Making an impact is easy when using high-quality fillo products from Athens and Apollo. It is no wonder that we are the #1 choice of professional chefs.

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 This Week's Foodservice Daily Newsletter: Cervena - Natural Tender Venison

Date: February 19, 2007 - February 23, 2007
Guest Host: Cervena Venison
Theme: Cervena - Natural Tender Venison

• Monday: Garden Vegetable Minestra with Braised Cervena Venison, Tarragon Pistou and Garlic Croutons; Roasted Cervena Venison with Georgia Pecans.
  
• Tuesday: Cervena Osso Buco with New Pea and Sweetcorn Risotto and Red Wine Sauce; Venison Roast with Fava Bean-Chevre Purée, Radish Salad and Celery Leaf Salsa Verde.
  
• Wednesday: Spicy Thai Salad with Cervena Venison; Spicy Grilled Venison.
  
• Thursday: Coconut and Tea Smoked Cervena Venison with Mango Salad; Cervena Tenderloin with Grilled Pears and Fresh Walnuts, Rocket Salad with Gorgonzola Dressing.
  
• Friday: Cervena Venison Quesadillas with Monterey Jack, Avocado and Backyard Salsa; Cervena Venison Burgers with Sweet and Sour Tomatoes and Horseradish Crème Fraîche.

Not a Member Yet? Click here Foodservice Daily Newsletter to sign up today and start receiving these informative mailings on Monday!

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Nothing adds more versatility and elegance to your menu than Athens® Ready-To-Go Fillo Dough™ pastry sheets and ready-to-serve fillo products.

At our campus in Hyde Park, New York, we don’t just have master chefs; we have the most Certified Master Chefs of any culinary college.    Inquire now!

Natural Tender Venison from the Open Farmlands of New Zealand. Resources, Cooking Guides, Who's Using Cervena, Recipes and More!

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At our campus in Hyde Park, New York, we don’t just have master chefs; we have the most Certified Master Chefs of any culinary college on our outstanding faculty. We don’t just have alumni; we have a network of more than 37,000 graduates, many of them leaders in the food industry. We don’t just offer hands-on experience; students spend over 1,300 hours in the kitchen or bakeshop, more than at almost any other culinary school.

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Today's Recipe: Pan Seared Venison Loin with Great Hill Blue Cheese and Cassis Port Demi Glace
Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 each 6 ounce venison short loin steaks
1 ounce clarified butter
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 cup ruby Port
1/4 cup Crème De Cassis
2 tablespoons dried black currants
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup demi glace
6 ounces Great Hill Blue Cheese ( a very creamy Roquefort)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Season the venison with with salt and pepper.

Over high heat sear the venison in the clarified butter in an ovenproof sauté pan until browned.

Turn over and finish in a 450 degree oven for a few minutes until medium rare. (Pull them a little early, since the fat content is so low they will carry over more than beef does)

Remove venison from the pan and keep warm. (Use caution, as the pan’s handle will be hot) Remove excess fat and return pan to medium heat and add shallots. Sauté until translucent and deglaze with Port and Crème de Cassis. Add the dried currants and bay leaf. Reduce by 1/2.

Add demi glace and reduce by 1/3. Strain and adjust seasoning.

Spoon some sauce on a warm plate, slice Venison and fan over sauce.

Serve with 1 1/2 ounces of Blue Cheese.

Recipe by Chef Jon Gatewood

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