Ahhh, downtown Dallas, Texas, on a beautiful, cool, starry night in September. If you’ve never been to the Nasher Sculpture Center, it is definitely one place everyone must go and experience for themselves. Such beautiful works of art in a gloriously breathtaking facility.
To quote musician and songwriter Jimmy Dale Gilmore, “Dallas is a jewel, Dallas is a beautiful sight.”
And what a spectacular stage to watch and listen to renowned celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck share his culinary expertise and life experiences with the sold out audience at the Nasher Salon Lecture Series on Thursday, September 18, 2008. This was the first cooking series ever offered at the Nasher in its five years. What a fantastic first!
We arrived at the Nasher Sculpture Center in the arts district of downtown Dallas at 6:00 p.m. and definitely appreciated the complimentary valet parking. Traffic into downtown Dallas from 10 miles east against the rush hour flow was tough for no explicable reason.
The weather here in the Dallas area has been beautifully calm and pleasant following Hurricane Ike. Although I know that’s no consolation to all our coastal neighbors who are still evacuees here in North Texas. We dined on the patio of the Nasher Sculpture Center with food from the on site Wolfgang Puck Café and enjoyed it immensely. The garden is very peaceful, besides being a beautiful getaway in concrete downtown Dallas, and there is so much art to view in every direction you look.
After dinner, we quickly toured the new exhibits in the center from the immense collection of Raymond and Patsy Nasher, and then joined the throngs waiting to enter the salon itself in the lower level foyer.
A beverage center had been set up and complimentary Wolfgang Puck created appetizers were being passed around by wait staff. Teeny tiny itsy bitsy bite size cheese burgers were delightful in both appearance and taste. I’ve got to try my hand at making those. Also, tuna tartar and slices of Chef Wolfgang’s famous pizza were also served by wait staff. A first class operation all the way.
In the salon itself, Chef Wolfgang’s sous chef, Nancy Reagan, began setting out the cooking work station supplies from a rolling cart at 7:10 p.m. Thirty minutes later Chef Wolfgang himself quietly arrived to check out the work station and double checked all the minute details with his sous chef.
“The most beautiful facility, but they forgot the kitchen,” Chef Wolfgang said. The work station kitchen consisted of an electric wok and a convection burner.
Chef Wolfgang was very friendly and chatty with the audience before his demonstration/talk began during this prep time. Then, he just as quietly exited stage left for his grand appearance at the appointed hour.
The salon was pretty quiet after that until the VIP/media party entered and the salon filled up quickly. It was a sold out event.
Brenda Teele of Good Morning Texas introduced Chef Wolfgang as “the original celebrity chef” who brought “healthy, fresh and natural” foods to us. His slogan is “Live, love, eat” and “he has 15 restaurants in the USA from coast to coast.” Chef Wolfgang is also opening a new restaurant atop Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas this year and just opened a new catering enterprise in Dallas’ Union Station.
About his newest restaurant venture in downtown Dallas, Chef Wolfgang said it should be open in three months, shooting for the first week of January. Antares, which was the former restaurant in the revolving tower, is history. Chef Wolfgang said it took $24 million to renovate the Reunion Tower restaurant. “If you could eat the view, they’d still be in business. You have to have good food with a beautiful view.” He’s currently soliciting contributions for a name for this new restaurant which has a memorable mark on the Dallas skyline and history.
Questions were welcomed from the audience with two representatives poised holding microphones on each side of the room. Chef Wolfgang said he would “talk about anything but my ex-wife.”
As far as his sous chef’s famous former first lady’s name, he simply stated, “We don’t get into politics.”
Chef Wolfgang grew up humbly in Austria. “We only had meat once a week. No telephone, no television, so we spent all the time in the kitchen.”
His father was actually his stepfather, just like my husband’s is. Unfortunately, not as good a man as my father-in-law, Delfino. Wolfgang’s “father” told him “I was not good for nothing. So, I left at 14.” After an unsuccessful stint in a hotel restaurant in France, he said he was sent to a different hotel.
Following that he went to Dijon, France at 17. “I can’t go back to Austria now. I was good for nothing.” He said he wrote letters to every French restaurant he could find to apply for a job. “Nothing comes easy. You have to work hard.”
Answering an audience member’s question about his “Live, Love, Eat” trademark slogan, he said he was doing an interview for his frozen pizzas and was asked what is your motto for life. Chef Wolfgang said, “Actually, it was Live, Love, Eat, and Drink Wine, but MADD got upset with me, so I dropped the wine.”
He’s excited about all the new young blood on the culinary track. “When I came to America in 1973 (at age 24), nobody wanted to cook. Everybody wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer and now we have too many lawyers.”
A part of Chef Wolfgang’s life that I don’t envy is his travel schedule of 200 plus days a year. After living a previous mandatory job requirement of travel, that is something I don’t ever desire again. Travelling for vacation with family or friends and not be working is a much better option. However, I’m so thrilled that the Chef travelled to Dallas this week so I had the opportunity to meet him.
As to a question about what is his culinary inspiration right now, “Asia is the most exciting place for me.” He said he had learned French and Italian and now is looking to Asia for innovations in his cooking, which will be the main cuisine in his new unnamed Reunion Tower restaurant.
He also talked about home cooks. “I think it’s really important to keep the kids in the kitchen and show them what you’re doing. Then, they’ll eat the vegetables.” He added, “To me cooking is like a hobby, really fun, having fun. Open a bottle of champagne. People end up in the kitchen. It’s really fun.”
Chef Wolfgang also stressed that it’s important to make food “with a reasonable amount of money so you can make more of it.” However, he added, “You buy the best ingredients and then you don’t screw it up.” Also, “buy the best fresh fish there is.”
Someone asked about how he chooses the menu when he cooks for the Academy Awards participants. Chef Wolfgang answered, “One wanted ribs, one chicken, one beef. That’s it! You’re going to eat lamb!”
He shared about working in Paris, the famous restaurant “Maxim’s was the most amazing restaurant,” followed by a stint in New York City. “But not hot sausages.” So, he left New York City on a Greyhound bus to spend two years working at La Tour in Indianapolis. “It doesn’t look like Monte Carlo.”
Following his time in Indianapolis, Chef Wolfgang moved to Los Angeles where he was chef and part owner of Ma Maison for six years. In 1981 he wrote his first cookbook, Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen.
Then, “in 1982 I opened my own restaurant (on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip) so I could control what was done.” His first restaurant, Spago, “is still operating after 26 years. There are very few restaurants who really last many years.” His gourmet pizza with smoked salmon and caviar became famous, as well as his first signature dish.
The word Spago came from a friend who wrote music for Donna Summer among others. He planned to be an investor and wanted to know, “Can we call it Spago?” Chef Wolfgang said he responded, “I don’t care what we call it as long as you give me money! The financing fell through, but I kept the name and we remained friends.”
The dishes Chef Wolfgang demonstrated for us were the perfect Creamy Risotto with Gulf Shrimp and Butternut Squash Soup. Samples of both these creations were passed out after the lecture was over. Both were delicious, as anticipated, and seasoned with fresh herbs. “People at home are scared to season,” he said. “It’s good to have spice in life.”
I recently took an Italian Basics class at the Dallas Central Market Cooking School and a fellow classmate on my team made a lasting impression on me. She is a month old newlywed and is learning to cook with the same intensity Julia Child wrote about when she learned to cook in Paris. It was a reminder to me that the basics are the most vital foundation for any cook.
So, today I’m sharing Chef Wolfgang’s Spago House Salad Dressing with y’all. It’s found in Wolfgang Puck Adventures in the Kitchen.
Chef Wolfgang writes: “The foundation of any good vinaigrette is its ingredients. Use only the best. I prefer the extra-virgin olive oils from Italy, the hazelnut and walnut oils from France. I like aged balsamic vinegar, or a good sherry wine or red wine vinegar. To get the best red wine vinegar, combine 3 cups red wine vinegar with 1 cup zinfandel or any other strong red wine. Only freshly ground pepper will be good enough. Dijon or dry powdered mustard, finely minced shallots, and/or fresh herbs give additional body and flavor to your vinaigrette.”
SPAGO HOUSE SALAD DRESSING
Adapted from Wolfgang Puck Adventures in the Kitchen
(Makes 1 ¼ cups)
Ingredients
2 large shallots, minced (1 heaping TB)
1 TB Dijon mustard
2 TB zinfandel vinegar
2 TB sherry wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
½ cup vegetable oil
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
Other Items Needed
Cutting board
Chef’s knife
Measuring cups and spoons
Small bowl
Whisk
Container with cover
In a small bowl, whisk together the shallots and the mustard. Whisk in the vinegars and then the olive and vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until needed.
To prepare ahead: Through step 1, the dressing will keep, refrigerated, up to 1 week. If necessary, whisk before using.
Voilά, a very simple, basic recipe that will be delicious on any salad of your choosing. This will also make a great addition to every home cook’s tool belt.
I’ve experimented with this basic recipe just like in the chemistry lab. The 3 cups red wine vinegar with 1 cup zinfandel or red wine is too much for our daily two person suppers. I found that 2 TB red wine vinegar and 2 TB red wine is enough for two meals for two. I prefer using all extra-virgin olive oil and ½ cup total of it is plenty for our tastes. We also like a few sprigs of fresh thyme and some fresh minced oregano and basil leaves. Frank says, “This is a delicious salad dressing and it has a very good taste.” He’s my expert taster and toughest critic, so you can count on his opinion.
Kathryn’s Texas Kitchen returns to the Dallas Central Market Cooking School in our next adventure. I’ll share our experience learning from Martin Yan of the long running PBS show Yan Can Cook with y’all. Another wonderful evening spent learning from one of the culinary best. I told Frank that I don’t need a Christmas present this year. I got it already after spending two nights in a row with these two culinary giants in Dallas. Sorry y’all couldn’t be there with us. Until next time,
Bon appétit!