Cookhouse Issue 19

COOKHOUSE the food magazine from Soho House

WINTER WARMERS

Mandolin Miami Knife care Anna Hansen Issue 19 Winter 2015

CHICKPEA STEW

page 20

Winter 2015 As the weather gets colder for most of us, it’s all about slow, simple cooking, packed with flavour. Check out our chefs’ delicious ideas from page 20 onwards. We also have the insiders’ guide to Chicago eating; interviews with chefs Anna Hansen in London and Daniel Achilles in Berlin, recipes from two brilliant new books by Trine Hahnemann and Ollie Dabbous, an expert guide to keeping your knives shiny and sharp by the Japanese Knife Company and all the food news from Soho House venues worldwide.

If you’d like to join one of our growing kitchen teams, email cookhouse@sohohouse.com

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NEWS

MANDOLIN MIAMI

From the food world

A night of meze and Bombay Sapphire cocktails

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GONE TO POT

Wintery dishes with the least possible washing up

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WHAT I KNOW

GUEST CHEF

Wes Whitsell in Soho House New York

Meet Berlin's Daniel Achilles

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SHARP THINKING

How to care for your knives

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EAT CHICAGO

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THE CLASSIC DISH

Our insiders’ guide to our latest club’s city

IN SEASON NOW

Dean Street Townhouse’s famous pie

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CHEF TALK

Anna Hansen on why small businesses need to stick together

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CUT IT OUT

Scrumptious recipes from Trine Hahnemann and Ollie Dabbous

Shellfish for winter

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SOHO HOUSE EVENTS

RESERVATIONS

Catch up with our chefs

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RISING STARS

Paying to reserve that must-have table could be the next big thing in restaurants

Kitchen heroes

you know who you are...

Editor: Rebecca Seal Art Etc: Dominic Salmon Publisher: Dan Flower Thanks to: Kate Maxwell, Kate Lauer, Lauren Shaw, Clemency Keeler, Kate Barry, Camilla Karlsson, Jessica Hopkins, Collette Lyons, Mima Sinclair, Dai Williams, Steven Joyce Cover image and facing page: Steven Joyce

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Slices

nibbles and food news

BARBER & PARLOUR Our much-loved Aubin Cinema has now been rebranded as Electric Shoreditch after a complete refurbishment. It now has brand new seating and all those things we love about its big sister on Portobello Road, including armchairs, footstools and cashmere blankets.

As well as the cinema, on the ground floor, you’ll find Neville Barbers, where you can have a wet shave, haircut or facial, or pick up some Neville products. We also have a retail store selling everything from John Smedley sweaters to stylish wooden shoe accessories, and to keep you going, delicious food and drinks from our Barber & Parlour kitchen.

On the first floor sits Cheeky Nails, for manicures and pedicures, plus we are very excited to announce our first collaboration with Josh Wood & Cheeky: Cheeky Hair by Josh Wood, for cuts and colours. We also have a Beauty Store selling a range of Cheeky and other cult products. barberandparlour.com

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MADFEED This blog might be our new favourite gastro website. An offshoot of the MAD Food symposium, brainchild of Rene Redzepi, the MADFeed allows those of us not able to attend the annual meet-up in Denmark or the new MAD Monday events, to see videos of MAD happenings and read essays from those who take part. To get an idea of the calibre of chefs showcased, read Juan Mari Arzak’s piece on what it takes to be a cook, an interview with Pierre Koffman, or Thomas Keller on “what is cooking?” madfeed.co

HUBBARD & BELL

Hubbard & Bell is our new café, bar and grill in Holborn, Central London, now open from early morning until late at night. The all-day restaurant has an open kitchen serving grilled meats, seafood and small plates, in addition to a wide choice of breakfast dishes and a weekend brunch. The Hubbard & Bell cafe serves Origin Coffee from a bespoke La Marzocco machine, cold-pressed juices, and baked goods including doughnuts and zucchini breads. The bar menu offers classic cocktails and sodas, with DJs playing from Thursday to Saturday. hubbardandbell.com

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CALORIFIC

Look away now if you’d prefer not to know any more about calories than you already do. We can’t decide if we love or hate new app Calorific, which rather beautifully displays photos of what 200 calories looks like – clue: it’s less than a doughnut; less than an avocado; less than a whole bagel. calorificapp.com

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Slices

nibbles and food news

CHOCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

The world could be facing a cocoa shortage by 2020, say experts – what’s a chocolate lover to do? The combination of climate change and difficult farming conditions plus rising demand (and even Ebola) means that we could end up with a serious deficit - bad for mid-morning treats and pastry chefs. Some companies have already reduced the size of their products, others will no doubt further eke out the beans by splicing them with flavourings and vegetable fats. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, prepare to stockpile. Or, cross your fingers that the scientists and botanists currently working on higher yielding, disease resistant new cocoa plants, get it right in time.

FILL YOUR BOOKSHELVES AND YOUR BRAIN Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef, by Massimo Bottura, is the distillation of the Italian chef ’s 25 years at the top of his culinary game. His restaurant, Osteria Francescana, is both Michelin-starred and number three on the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list. The book is much more than just a list of recipes, with most dishes accompanied by a short essay, explaining the thinking or inspiration behind the dish and its evolution. (Phaidon, £39.95) If you loved Gabrielle Hamilton’s memoir, Blood, Bones and Butter, then you’re sure to love her cookbook, Prune, named after her New York restaurant. Hamilton is well-known for breaking the so-called rules of cooking, and this book reflects that. She uses shortcuts when she feels it’s right to do so, or taking the slower route when she chooses, as in her 37-step Breton Butter Cake. (Random House, $45/£30) Next year, look out for Rosa’s Thai Cafe: The Cookbook, written by the husband-and-wife team Alex and Saiphin Moore, the couple behind the small London chain of much-loved Thai restaurants. (Mitchell Beazley, £20) For anyone who loves pork, sign up for a copy of Hog: proper pork recipes from the snout to the squeak, by Richard H Turner. He is the chef who had a hand in launching Pitt Cue, Hawksmoor and Foxlow restaurants, as well as rare-breed butchers Turner and George, and barbecue festival Meatopia, a now international event. (Mitchell Beazley, £25)

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UNDERWATER COOKING If you’re a restaurant junkie, then chances are you’ve already eaten food which has been cooked sous vide.A technique that chefs have been using for years, it involves sealing food into a bag and then cooking it via immersion in a water bath.

THE TOAST OF 2015

What will we be eating and how will we be eating it? Here’s the Cookhouse round-up of the next 12 months in food Neurogastronomy Vinegar Forecasters Baum and Whitman have Closely linked to fizzy ferments, vinegar tipped this as a top trend for next year, is having a moment – it’s no longer just as a direct result of the fascinating work about wine and balsamic, now it’s about done by Oxford’s Professor Charles pickling with them and flavouring them Spence and team. His research, working to use in specific dishes. with whisky brands one moment and And it’s all over for...

Ferran Adrià the next, has uncovered ...Kale surprising facts about the way we The green stuff is a bit ubiquitous, no? experience flavour, like food tasting Time to try some other super healthy veg sweeter eaten off a white plate than a – have a cauliflower instead. black one, or that higher pitched sounds signal sweetness, whereas lower sounds ...Crumbs make flavours seem more bitter.

Fast taking over from foams as one of the more annoying garnishes of our time; like Protein There’s no question that it’s better for us granola on our appetisers. and the planet to eat less meat, but what can fill the protein gap? The backlash ...Salted caramel against soy is growing, so new sources The new savoury notes on the dessert are being sought. Options so far include block come from vegetables. Try parsnip whey, algae, legumes and insects. with chocolate. Seriously.

Labelling Most analysts agree that 2015 has to be the year when food manufacturers get honest with their labels, making clearer claims and dropping meaningless terms like “all natural”.

Fermentation Not totally new (it’s been done for millenia) but now very cool, according to the recent Star Chefs conference, it’s the next big thing in restaurant cooking – get ready for that distinctive sweet-sharp tang in anything from eggs to fish to vegetables and fruit.

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This gives complete control of the end results; by cooking at very specific temperatures, steaks are guaranteed pink throughout, fish is never over-cooked – and it allows food to be safely held, hot, once it’s ready, without spoiling through over-heating or becoming a refuge for the sort of bugs which give us food poisoning.

Until recently, if home cooks wanted to replicate the sous vide effect, they had to buy very expensive gadgetry, or make do with jerry-rigging only slightly less expensive kit from science lab suppliers.

The recent launch of the Anova has changed all that, bringing sous-vide to the masses for around $200, and in the form of a machine that is little bigger than the average stick blender. Plus, it runs via a smartphone app, making it easy to control as well giving us all access to recipes and techniques.

Just clip it to the side of a pan full of water, and you’ll be rustling up dinners just like Heston does in no time. anovaculinary.com/products/anova

...Artisanal toast “Artisanal” toast is becoming a thing, and we’re not sure it should. Toast is one of the few things that can’t be reinvented. ...Hybrid dishes and portmanteau foods 2014 was the year of the mash-up, following on from the cronut (croissantdoughnut) with the ramen burger and the townie (tart-brownie). We’d like an oldschool slice of cake instead, please.

For more from the Cookhouse team, plus all our latest news, events and to learn more about our chefs, visit cookhouse.com

Every month, dozens of food events take place for Soho House members – from wine tastings and cooking lessons to beer and food pairing brunches, in our sites from New York to Miami to Berlin. Check out houseseven.com for more information, dates and to book. You’ll also find eating and drinking guides to the cities we operate in, interviews with top chefs and exclusive recipes.

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what I know

WES WHITSELL Did you have a foodie childhood?

I grew up in a little redneck Texas town called Princeton, about 40 miles north of Dallas. My dad was an avid hunter and fisherman and we ate everything he brought home, from pheasant and quail to squirrel and frogs. We skinned the frogs and fried the legs; they were incredible. Squirrel is lean and so delicious that my grandma says she wants squirrel stew for her last meal. We had a farm and we ate all we could and sold the rest. My family is still farming now, but with all my travels I’ve introduced them to crops that no-one else grows around there, like arugula (rocket), heirloom tomatoes and watermelon radishes. People are hungry for it! My family begs me to come home and open a restaurant. I miss them, but I’m not ready yet – there’s a lot of my own stuff I want to do before I go back.

How did you get started in your career?

My career was jump-started when I met Travis Lett, the chef who opened Gjelina in Venice, California, which is now famous.

I was there when he opened the restaurant, and for the first few weeks it was our little neighbourhood joint, and then it went crazy.

It was so popular – the wood ovens, the love that goes into the food there – that he opened Gjelina Takeaway next door. I was 28 and straight out of college. I have a degree in psychology, but my dream was to be a

Head chef, Soho House New York baseball player. I kept trying for a long while, but there comes a time for every player when the phone stops ringing. That’s when you know it’s over.

When did you realise you could cook?

When I was 24, I took part in a study-abroad program in Copenhagen. In my dorm, we came up with a deal where the other students did the shopping and I did the cooking for everyone (which meant that I ate for free). That was when I realised I had a real ability to cook and make people happy through food.

How did you end up as head chef at Soho House New York?

Back in May, I was working in LA, running the kitchen at Osteria La Buca. I was a bit bored, and lacking in inspiration, so I left LA and came to NYC to stage for my friend Justin Smillie at Il Buco Alimentari. During the second week of the stage, we did a charity dinner at Soho House New York, and I overheard they were looking for a chef. I came in, did a tasting and they offered me the job.

What do you love about cooking?

I love how food is meant to be shared. I like breaking bread with people; it’s the most enjoyable experience you can have. And when it comes to actually cooking, I love

THE SOHO HOUSE NEW YORK TEAM

JONAH EGAN EXECUTIVE SOUS CHEF Favourite place to eat in New York?

The oyster bar at Grand Central has been around for over 100 years. I always have oysters, but what gets me coming back is a chowder-style soup called a “pan roast”.

89 E 42nd St, oysterbarny.com

ADAM MARCA PASTRY CHEF Favourite place to eat in New York?

I love the pop-up ramen shop Benkei Ramen – I go there after work. It opens at midnight and is inside an awesome bar, Hill & Dale. The tonkotsu broth is amazing.

115 Allen St, benkeiramenusa.com

that I don’t think about anything else other than what I’m doing. I’m just being.

I’m in the now. It’s almost like meditation or something... except that I’m hunched over a hot stove or prep table, with backache!

What inspires you?

I’m driven by the seasons so we change the menu to reflect that. That said, I want all the dishes on there to be a home run, so everything should have the capacity to last for a while – like a luscious ravioli of butternut squash that has that savourysweet appeal, or salmon served with my grandma’s creamed potatoes, serrano peppers and salsa verde. I don’t see those dishes going soon. I do switch things in when something good comes to the farmers’ market – I go and select produce myself, and I have good relationships with the farmers.

What advice have you been given about cooking that has always stayed with you?

Travis said I should embrace my roots and the soulful comforting cooking that I grew up with. That’s why I serve things like striped bass with tartare sauce and glazed carrots – when I was a child we ate the exact same thing, just with fried catfish from our lake, rather than Long Island striped bass. Things are going well as long as I never lose sight of where I came from n

NICKY PICKUP SOUS CHEF Favourite place to eat in New York?

Russ and Daughters cafe is my favourite for weekday breakfast – I’m a sucker for all the cured fish and Jewish comfort food.

179 E Houston St, New York, russanddaughters.com

SOUND GOOD? Want to join one of our kitchen teams in London, Somerset, Berlin, New York, LA, Chicago, Miami or Toronto?

Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com or check out our website www.cookhouse.com to find out about vacancies and how to apply.

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“Cooking is like meditation. But hunched over a hot stove!�

EAT CHICAGO

From Japanese to Italian, quick bites to five courses, Chicago has myriad food options. Jesse Katzman, Somer Perez and Malaney Varaljay from Soho House Chicago share their favourites

the guide F G E

J K I BD C B AU CHEVAL A beautiful venue with an exciting menu.

There are more interesting things on there than the burger, but it was maybe the best we’ve ever had, which says a lot about the food.

800 W Randolph St, +1 312 929 4580, auchevalchicago.com

C AVEC A fabulous sit-down place serving gorgeous plates that are all about fresh flavours and distinctive combinations. A must-visit.

615 W Randolph St, +1 312 377 2002, avecrestaurant.com

D PUBLICAN QUALITY MEATS Anywhere that can do charcuterie this well is going to be good. And the menu changes weekly so there’s always an excuse to go back.

825 W Fulton Market St, +1 312 445 8977, publicanqualitymeats.com

E NORTH POND The food here is all seasonally and locally sourced, delicious and completely befitting the tranquil pond-side location in the heart of Lincoln Park.

2610 N Cannon Dr, +1 773 477 5845, northpondrestaurant.com

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F YUSHO Blend the traditions of Japanese yakitoristyle street food with some classic Chicago staples and you have Yusho. Small dishes are cooked over a very hot grill called a binchotan, which seals all the flavour in.

2853 N Kedzie Ave, +1 773 904 8558, yusho-chicago.com

G FAT RICE Clay-pot cooking at its finest. This place specialises in simple but very tasty Macanese food (which draws from Portugal, China and India). It serves curries, handmade noodles and grilled meats, and the communal tables only add to the experience. Really excellent.

2957 W Diversey Ave, +1 773 661 9170, eatfatrice.com

H SHAW’S CRAB HOUSE Definitely the place to head to if you’re a fish lover. It’s got a fun oyster bar and does amazing sushi, or you can go for a more traditional meal in the seafood restaurant.

King crab is the speciality of the house and comes with mustard mayo. All options are real winners.

21 E Hubbard St, +1 312 527 2722, shawscrabhouse.com

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I FRONTERA GRILL Open since 1987, this is a super Mexican restaurant that is as unpretentious as it is authentic, with folk art on the walls and Mariachi music on the stereo. It does a great line in ceviche and the margaritas alone make it worth a visit.

445 N Clark St, +1 312 661 1434, rickbayless.com/restaurants/frontera-grill

J NICO OSTERIA At the higher end of the price range, this superb seafood restaurant has an Italianinspired menu. There’s house-made pasta and the pastry chef produces some stunning desserts. The food is simple but stylish and they’ve given the same attention to their excellent cocktails.

1015 N Rush St, +1 312 994 7100, nicoosteria.com

K JAPONAIS BY MORIMOTO A quality Japanese place. It’s worth indulging in the tasting menu, or at the very least getting a personal recommendation from one of the chefs at the sushi bar.

There’s a shochu bar too, as well as sake, craft beers and Japanese whiskey.

600 W Chicago Ave, +1 312 822 9600, japonaismorimoto.com

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chef talk

MODERN LOVE

Anna Hansen is the chef behind the Modern Pantry, a much-loved restaurant in Clerkenwell, London. She explains how small hospitality businesses are being exploited

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s the owner of an independent business, something that is really shocking to me is how much people will rip you off and overcharge you if they think they can get away with it.

They see a small business will just triple the price.

I think you have to try and support businesses that have the same kind of ethics as you do, people who themselves are encouraging smaller traders – like farmers or fishermen.

And it’s not just about money: it’s about quality of product. Small producers want you to be as excited about what they produce as they are themselves, and

will bend over backwards to make things possible – which is really important, especially if you haven’t got the backing of a large organisation. For example, we use The Wasabi Company, who are growing fresh wasabi in the UK – so amazing! And my sashimi supplier on the south coast: it’s his family, using their own boats. They go out in the afternoon and the fish is in my restaurant the next morning, so it’s really fresh. I’ve never found that quality through a big, generic fishmonger.

I’m going to be opening a second restaurant soon, and there is always the danger that you spread yourself too thin as a small enterprise. But then you look at the people who have done it successfully and

they’ve done so by finding the people that have the same kind of belief profile as they do. That is critical, and is what I’m hoping to emulate.

The trend towards supporting small businesses and producers is definitely growing worldwide, and actually the supermarkets are buying into it, too.

It’s taken a long time but the momentum can only build now”n Anna Hansen’s recipes can be found on greatbritishchefs.com; find out more about her restaurant at themodernpantry.co.uk

WHAT'S IN YOUR FUTURE? Join one of Soho House's kitchen teams for great training with guest chefs. Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com

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essay

PAID-FOR RESTAURANT RESERVATIONS Would you pay extra to get that must-have table at the latest, coolest restaurant in town? Soon you might have to...

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ou’ve called and emailed and wheedled and begged. You’ve been on every booking website you can think of, but you still can’t get a table at the hot little spot that everyone’s talking about. In the past, you would have given up at this point, but now, if you’re wealthy enough, there’s a chance you might be able to secure that table by flashing a bit of extra cash – not by shuffling a few notes across the maitre d’s desk in the old style, but by using an app.

It’s not yet common in the UK or the rest of Europe, but in the major dining cities of America, tech entrepreneurs have spotted a gap in the market and jumped in to fill it; developing software that uses algorithms to scout out and then take the best restaurant reservations when they become available online, just as tout sites do for big concerts or sporting events. They then sell on the booking for a premium of $20 or more. Restaurateurs generally see this as little more than scalping, plus it makes it harder for real-life diners to get reservations at popular venues at peak times. Worse, the restaurants themselves usually see no return on the transaction made between the diner and the app or site, plus the diner still has to pay the full price of their meal or drinks.

You can avoid being party to this by using an app like Resy in New York or Table8 in San Francisco, which split their profits with the restaurants they book.

(It’s worth checking with the restaurant or a free online booking service first, as occasionally the same tables are available without a fee.) However, if they do sign up with an app that charges guests to make a reservation – and many, many more

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tables, chances are I wouldn’t be enjoying the company much anyway.” But for an owner faced with rising rents and minimal profit margins, who has to deal regularly with the pain of no-shows, charging is understandably tempting.

are in development - a key question that restaurant owners must ask themselves is how charging extra for a reservation makes their customers feel. Writing in the New York Times, Gabriella Gershenson (food features editor at Every Day With Rachael Ray magazine) wonders if paying for reservations signals the end of hospitality. “...Simply by taking part [restaurants] telegraph an indifference to their customers that reads even colder than an uppity host. And once you feel like the restaurant doesn’t care whether you’re there or not, what are you left with?”

It can easily leave a potential diner with the sense that if they can’t afford the extra cost of the reservation, the restaurant thinks that they aren’t worth serving; by setting the financial bar still higher it gives the impression that wealthy customers are preferable and that poorer ones should stay away – the very antithesis of hospitality.

Marina O’Loughlin, the Guardian’s restaurant critic, has also written about how much she dislikes the idea. “Coughing up to see-and-be-seen is the trashiest form of elitism. Plus, if everyone else in the place is the sort of person happy to pay through the nose just to be at the “hottest”

However, rather than using apps and charging booking fees, perhaps the better model is either taking credit card details at the time of reservation and then charging no-shows, or allowing customers to pay for their meal in advance. The latter is growing in popularity in the USA. The Chicago venues owned by Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas run a ticketing system; at their restaurant, Next, the ticket covers the table, the food and service (drinks are extra). At their bar, Aviary, you can buy a seat in advance for around $20, and then you pay for whatever you drink on top, which apparently all but killed off no-shows (which run at anywhere from 5 to 25 per cent of bookings in restaurants generally).

In Los Angeles, restaurant Trois Mec does the same thing, selling each seat and every dinner served in the 24-cover venue in advance of every service. (It’s not a foolproof system though - recently scammers managed to make hundreds of reservations at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck pop up in Melbourne, using an algorithm to buy up as many tickets as they could, which they then sold on.)

Obviously, it’s not a set-up which could work for every venue in the world, but surely it sets a nicer tone than adding $20, or even $50, per head to a night out, some, or all, of which ends up in the pocket of a software developer? n

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COOKHOUSE 13

Bombay Sapphire

MANDOLIN MEZE

Soho Beach House and Bombay Sapphire hosted a delicious Cookhouse dinner showcasing the Aegean flavours of neighbouring restaurant Mandolin he friendship between the smallbut-perfectly-formed restaurant Mandolin in Miami and Soho House stretches back to just before Soho Beach House opened. “One of the new managers at the house had dined with us and suggested we host their preopening management party,” explains owner Anastasia Koutsioukis. “We were so honoured, but we’d only been open a few months ourselves and we barely had enough seats.” Since then, the relationship has only grown stronger, with Koutsioukis – who is Greek – and her partner Ahmet Erkaya – who is Turkish – now in charge of the culinary programme for Soho House Istanbul, which opens next year. “When we were approached to get involved with Istanbul, it was the biggest compliment and a real validation of what we’ve been trying to do in Miami,” says Koutsioukis. The couple even hosted the hard-hat pre-launch party. “At one point, I was setting the tables, and I looked up and it just hit me: we were cooking dinner in a palace from the 1800s. It blew my mind a little bit.”

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To celebrate the collaboration and to give Soho Beach House guests an idea of what they can expect to see on the menu at Soho House Istanbul, team Mandolin recently hosted a meze dinner with Bombay Sapphire. “We knew some of the guests would have been to Mandolin before, because we share the same clientele, so we wanted to give them something a little different.” says Koutsioukis. “When I developed the menu, I looked back at all the things I’ve enjoyed eating at home and at my mother-in-law’s table, because I wanted to give it a real Aegean feeling.

Meze dishes, plates that are meant to be shared with the whole table, really express the essence of Mandolin and our Greek and Turkish heritage – seeing everyone sharing and passing around an abundance of food was very special.”

Drinks expert Cricket Nelson designed Bombay Sapphire cocktails to go with the 15 meze dishes that guests ate, which included chicken and beef shish, bulgur, parsley and feta salad and marinated octopus salad.

Nelson explains, “The drinks, like the food, were inspired by the Greek islands and a family style, seaside gathering. I let the elegant botanicals of Bombay Sapphire and Sapphire East, and the traditional ingredients of Greek food and drink, guide me in the creation of the cocktails.

Mandolin’s food is always very fresh and lively, and the dinner was presented as a collection of multiple small plates, so that gave me a good range of flavours to play with. I am a long-time fan of Mandolin, and have been a loyal patron since its opening, so I was thrilled to work with them and with Soho House.”

The night was also an opportunity for Soho House members to sample the work of Baris Torcu, who will be executive chef at Soho House Istanbul. For those of us not often in Miami or Istanbul, from 2015 we’ll all be able to get a taste of the Aegean online, when Anastasia Koutsioukis launches her website, mrsmandolin.com.

On it you’ll find recipes, stories from her travels with Ahmet and links to their foodie friends n

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APHRODITE’S SAPPHIRE 45ml/1.5oz Bombay Sapphire 15ml/0.5oz ouzo 1 heaped bar spoon apricot jam 25ml/0.75oz fresh lemon juice 15ml/0.5oz fresh egg white Shake all ingredients together then double strain into a chilled coupe with a spiced-sugar rim (crusta style). Spray rose water mist onto outside surface of glass. (For the spiced sugar, mix white sugar, a pinch of salt, fresh lemon zest, grated almonds, grated pistachios and a hint of cayenne.)

DEMETER’S BOUNTY 60ml/2oz Bombay Sapphire 15ml/0.5oz thyme-infused honey syrup 25ml/0.75oz fresh lemon juice 1 heaped bar spoon fig jam Shake, then double strain into a rocks glass with a 6cm/2” ice cube, a thyme sprig and a lemon wheel.

ACHILLES’ HEEL 45ml/1.5oz Bombay Sapphire Beautiful dishes served by Mandolin at Soho Beach House

45ml/1.5oz retsina 1 dash lemon bitters top with Fever Tree tonic Build in a collins glass with ice, garnish with a dill sprig, a Greek olive and a lemon wedge.

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COOKHOUSE 15

guest chef interview

BREWING UP A FEAST Daniel Achilles, co-owner of Reinstoff restaurant in Berlin

aniel Achilles is one of the best chefs working in Germany today. He opened his restaurant Reinstoff in 2009, and within eight months he and his partner, Sabine Demel, had been awarded a Michelin star for the beautifully presented, often witty food. This was followed by a second star in 2011. Gault & Millau recently awarded him chef of the year 2014.

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I have one very strong, very early food memory. I was four or five years old and on my way to a potato field with my grandparents. I grew up in the former GDR and it was very common to invite the people to come to the fields, once the harvesters were done, so they could pick up the leftovers. It was getting late and I needed to eat something so my grandma took her bike, put me on the carrier and went home to make me a black-pudding sandwich. That is what I ate on the carrier of her bike on the way back to the field, while I watched the people on the dusty soil. Black pudding sandwiches were my favourite meal for many years afterwards.

I wanted to be a chef by the time I was 12 or 13 years old. First of all, my mum was a cook, so I was in close contact with food and cooking during my childhood.

Secondly, I was not the best pupil and obviously needed a plan for when I finished school, so becoming a chef seemed quite logical to me.

I remember doing German dumplings with horseradish with my mum on Sundays. She showed me how to make the dough and then wanted me to form the little balls and throw them in the hot water – but carefully! I used to help my mother in the kitchen a lot.

My career began in 1992, shortly after the wall came down, in my home city of Leipzig. I started training as a chef, which takes about three years in Germany, and decided to study at a classical brauhaus (where beer is brewed and food served), the Paulaner. My time there was fascinating, and very helpful because I learned to prepare food for large numbers of people and how to make typical German “Hausmannskost” (home-cooked food) from scratch. And we served so much meat that the place had its own butchery.

It is the daily routine that I enjoy the most. So it’s things like doing the classical mise-en-place and coordinating evening service. It is this wonderful mixture of practical work and organisation, without the pressure of creativity. And it is work I can do in the kitchen. My favourite place.

I think it’s the guests who make a good restaurant. They bring soul to a place.

The more people there are and the more diverse they are, the more life there is.

Guests influence the creativity of a chef as well as his or her personal development.

They make a place hot or not.

Leadership and taste are the two most important skills for a chef. Because if you are not able to be a good leader, you are not going to have a good team. And you need a really great group of people behind you to be successful. And, of course, what would a chef be without fantastic taste? I think every young chef should work on that day after day by simply tasting, tasting and tasting some more. On top of that, a little talent is useful.

It was in 2007, while I was working for Juan Amador, that I decided it was time to open my own place. I’d just turned 30 and was thinking about my future. I’d met my partner Sabine in a restaurant a few years before, and then our future business partner Ivo, and it felt like the right time to make the step into entrepreneurship.

The three of us all came from different places, and Berlin seemed to be logical as it was, and still is, the only German city where everything is possible.

Running a restaurant as a couple is wonderful and difficult at the same time.

It’s wonderful because you are sharing such a special thing with a person you like and love. And it’s difficult because you cannot separate business from your private lives any more. It is a bit like having a child together. Your partnership changes with the restaurant. There is a “before-therestaurant” relationship and then there’s an “after-the-restaurant” one. Neither is better or worse, they’re just different n Restaurant Reinstoff, Schlegelstraße 26c, 10115 Berlin, +49 30 3088 1214, einstoff.eu. (Thanks to Regine Schneider for translating)

LEARN WITH US Soho House is always looking for new talent. Join one of our kitchen teams in Europe or the United States. Find out more by emailing cookhouse@sohohouse.com or check out our website, cookhouse.com, to find out about vacancies and how to apply.

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the classic dish

DEAN STREET TOWNHOUSE CHICKEN PIE Jason ‘Tank’ Loy is head chef at Dean Street Townhouse, where there is almost always a pie on the menu.

This is his recipe for a comforting chicken pie to make at home this winter “Keeping things simple and using top-quality fresh ingredients are the keys to a good pie. People often ask me how to get an attractive finish on the pastry – the answer is egg yolk. Brush it over once, let it set, then repeat two more times and you’ll have that gorgeous deep-gold finish. Our guests love pies, especially this one, and our fish pie. At home, my wife is a fan of my shepherd’s pie.”

CHICKEN AND LEEK PIE

Serves 4-6

For the stock: 300g/10.5oz chicken bones 200g/7oz chicken wings 300g/10.5oz white mirepoix (equal amounts of finely diced onion, celery and leek) 2 litres/3.5 pints water For the filling: 40g/1.5oz butter 50g/1.75oz flour 1 tablespoon of the reserved chicken fat 2 leeks, washed, trimmed and diced 75ml/2.5 fl oz double cream 1 tablespoon Arran mustard 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon juice of half a lemon zest of ¼ lemon salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 kg cooked chicken pieces, bones removed 1 x 250g/9oz sheet all-butter puff pastry 2 egg yolks, beaten

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Make a light chicken stock by boiling 200g of the bones with the mirepoix and the water.

Roast the rest of the bones and wings in the oven at 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4 until golden brown. Remove from the oven and drain off and reserve the fat.

Strain the chicken stock and add the roasted bones. Simmer for 3 hours, then strain and reduce by half, until it has a full roastchicken flavour.

To make the filling, melt the butter in a pan over a low heat and add the flour. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the chicken fat, stir to combine and then slowly add the hot chicken stock in batches, stirring all the time to ensure the sauce thickens without becoming lumpy. You may not need all the stock. If the sauce seems too thin, add a pinch of cornflour to thicken it.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4.

Meanwhile, sweat the leeks in a little butter

until they’re soft. Add them to the sauce along with all the other filling ingredients except the chicken.

Taste for seasoning and add more lemon juice, salt or pepper, to taste.

Add the chicken. You can make either four small pies or one big one.

Pour the filling into a pie dish or dishes, and then cover with the all-butter puff pastry, trim off any excess and press down the edges to seal.

Decorate the top with some of the trimmings, if you like.

Glaze with egg yolk three times, allowing the yolk to set each time, and place in the oven for 20 to 20 minutes, until the pastry is puffed up and a lovely golden colour.

Serve with some good, creamy mash and plenty of peas with butter. deanstreettownhouse.com

winter 2015

COOKHOUSE 17

out......... cut it

Recipes for you to cut and keep, from our chef friends around the world

TRINE HAHNEMANN

Trine Hahnemann is a much-loved Scandinavian food writer and cook, and an authority on cookery across the region. Her latest must-have book is called Scandinavian Baking “Baking forces us to take time out from our busy lives and, in doing so, reminds us why that is necessary. Home baking can’t be rushed. As soon as your family walks in the door and they smell the aromas of bread or cake coming from the kitchen, their shoulders will relax and, right away, you have transported them to another – far more pleasurable – universe. Baking with honey and spices goes back centuries in Scandinavia. These honey bombs are full of flavour and become even better as the days go by; they can last for two or three weeks! Black tea and honey bombs, served toasted with butter, are a match made in heaven.”

HONEY BOMBS Makes 16–18

Recipe taken from Scandinavian Baking by Trine Hahnemann (Quadrille, £25) Photography Columbus Leth

150g/5oz honey 150g/5oz soft brown sugar 150g/5oz butter 4 eggs 400g/14oz plain flour 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 4 tsp ground cinnamon 3 tsp ground cloves 200g/7oz candied mixed peel Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

“Home baking can’t be rushed” 18 COOKHOUSE

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Gently melt the honey, sugar and butter in a saucepan. Leave the mixture to cool a little, then beat in the eggs one by one. In a separate large bowl, sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then stir this into the honey mixture and add the mixed peel.

Divide the batter between mini tart tins, each 8–9cm/3-3.5in in diameter, so that it lies about 1cm/0.5in deep. Bake for 20–25 minutes (you will probably have to cook these in batches), then leave to cool on a wire rack while you cook the rest.

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OLLIE DABBOUS

Ollie Dabbous opened his eponymous restaurant in 2012 and achieved a Michelin star eight months later. Consequently it’s incredibly hard to get a table, but fortunately for us he’s collected many of his dishes into a just-published book. Here he shares a recipe for coddled egg with mushrooms “I had no idea before opening the restaurant that this dish would receive so much attention. Here it is, in all its simplicity. Adding butter and cream at the start of cooking dilutes the protein content, helping to prevent scrambling.

Adding more at the end helps arrest the cooking. We buy our smoked butter from the Caithness Smokehouse.”

“Here it is, in all its simplicity” CODDLED EGG, SMOKED BUTTER & MUSHROOMS

serves 8

Egg mix

Eggshells

600g/1lb 5oz whole egg (emptied from eggshells, left) 65g/2oz fried mushrooms 1g/0.2 teaspoon salt 120ml/4 fl oz whipping cream 150g/5oz smoked butter 1 tablespoon chopped chives

12 large free-range eggs Using an egg topper, remove the top of each eggshell. Empty out the egg and set aside. You will need 8 eggshells but it’s useful to have a few extra to allow for breakages. Place the shells in a large pan of salted water (3 per cent salinity). Bring to the boil to sterilise the shells, then remove from the heat and leave to cool. Take out the inner membrane from the eggshells. Clean them thoroughly and leave to dry.

Nests 8 handfuls hay Mould the hay into 8 nest shapes, using your hands and a pair of scissors.

Place in earthenware bowls.

Fried mushrooms 250g/9oz smoked butter 650g/1lb 7oz button mushrooms, thinly sliced Heat the smoked butter until foaming, add the mushrooms and fry over a medium heat until golden, crisp and completely dehydrated. This process will take at least 20 minutes and the mushrooms should have reduced greatly (you will need 65g cooked weight). Drain them thoroughly.

Place the egg, fried mushrooms, salt, half the cream and half the butter in a bowl.

Set it over a pan of simmering water and heat very gently until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of smooth porridge. Stir the whole time with a spatula, scraping the bottom of the bowl. The egg should be mousse-like and have very few lumps.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining butter and cream, along with the chives.

Pour into the prepared eggshells and sit them in the nests.

Serve immediately.

Recipe taken from Dabbous: The Cookbook by Ollie Dabbous (Bloomsbury, £50) Photography © Joakim Blockstrom

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winter 2015

COOKHOUSE 19

Photography by Steven Joyce

one-pot dishes

POTS OF FLAVOUR

For impressive dishes but minimal washing up, have a go at one of these hearty creations

by Soho House chefs. From pork involtini with sage in a creamy porcini sauce, to a vegetarian chickpea stew, they are perfect for warming up wintry nights

MICHELE NARGI SHOREDITCH HOUSE

B

WILD BOAR CASSEROLE

serves 6 This is great for late autumn and throughout winter. It’s absolutely full of flavour.

750g/1lb 10.5oz diced wild boar salt and freshly ground pepper 25g/1oz 00 flour 125g/4.5oz diced carrots 125g/4.5oz diced celery 125g/4.5oz chopped onions 150g/5oz diced potatoes 75g/2.5oz diced pear 25g/1oz tomato paste 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

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500ml/17.5 fl oz red wine 1 bouquet garni (of juniper berries, rosemary, garlic and bay leaves) Preheat the oven to 135ºC/275ºF/Gas Mark 1.

Season the wild boar with salt and pepper and toss it in the flour.

In a pan large enough to take all the ingredients, fry the meat (in batches if necessary, to avoid crowding and stewing rather than browning it) in a little oil until golden brown.

Remove the boar from the pan and set aside. Add the vegetables and the pear and cook gently. Add the tomato paste and cocoa powder and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Return the boar to the pan and deglaze with the wine. Reduce the wine by a third, then add enough water to cover. Add the bouquet garni to the pan and place in the oven for five hours, or until the boar is tender.

Serve with mashed potatoes or polenta.

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COOKHOUSE 21

ANDREA TORRE C

CECCONI’S MAYFAIR

VEAL AND BEEF TAGLIATELLE BOLOGNESE

serves 6 375g/13oz minced veal 375g/13oz minced beef 100g/3.5oz fresh Italian sausage 200g/7oz diced white onion 75g/2.5oz diced carrots 75g/2.5oz diced celery pinch of chilli flakes 125ml/4.5 fl oz red wine 375ml/13 fl oz chicken jus or stock 1 teaspoon salt 1 x 400g/12 oz can chopped tomatoes 5g/0.2oz thyme 5g/0.2oz sage

5g/0.2oz oregano 2g/0.1oz peppercorns 5g//0.2oz dried porcini mushrooms 40g/1.5oz garlic 75g/2.5oz unsalted butter tagliatelle to serve In a large pan, brown all three meats, in batches if necessary, as they will stew if you crowd the pan. Add the diced vegetables and chilli flakes and cook gently until just beginning to brown. Add the red wine and let the alcohol boil off and evaporate for a few minutes. Then add the chicken jus or stock and the salt, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes. Make a bouquet garni with all the herbs and place in a sachet or muslin along with the peppercorns, dried porcini and garlic. Tie up to seal and place in the middle of the pan.

Continue to cook, covered with a lid, for three hours, stirring occasionally.

Once the bolognese is ready, remove the sachet of herbs and add the butter.

Remove from the heat and stir to combine. Cook the tagliatelle in salted boiling water until al dente, and serve with the sauce.

LUCAS KUS CAFE BOHEME

E COQ

AU VIN

serves 10 10 large chicken legs ½ bottle red wine 2 sprigs rosemary 2 sprigs thyme flour for dusting 2 litres/3.5 pints chicken stock 500g/1lb 1.5oz piece smoked bacon 500g/1lb 1.5oz button onions 500g/1lb 1.5oz chestnut mushrooms Marinate the chicken legs in the red wine with the herbs for at least 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/ Gas Mark 4.

Drain the meat, retaining the marinade and removing and retaining the herbs.

KITCHEN TEAM LITTLE HOUSE

D

SQUASH, BORLOTTI BEAN, BACON AND KALE STEW

serves 4 100g/3.5oz good-quality cured bacon lardons 2 onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks 350g/12.5 oz dried borlotti beans, soaked overnight, or 200g cooked borlotti beans chicken stock or water to cover a handful of kale, torn roughly and washed roughly chopped parsley, to serve 1 tsp sherry vinegar, or to taste sourdough toast, to serve Place the lardons into a thick-bottomed pan or casserole dish set over a medium heat.

Brown slightly and let the fat render out.

Add the onions and garlic and sweat slowly until soft. Turn up the heat slightly and add the squash. Sweat a little more before adding the soaked beans (if using cooked beans, add them later, when you add the kale). Stir for a few minutes, cover with chicken stock or water and bring to boil.

Simmer until the beans are plump and cooked, about an hour and a half. Then add the kale and cook for a few more minutes. Finish with the chopped parsley and a little splash of good sherry vinegar. Adjust the seasoning and serve with some grilled sourdough bread.

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Pat the chicken dry, dust with flour and then brown the chicken legs, working in batches if necessary. Add the wine and stock to the pan and reduce by half.

Cut the bacon into pieces 2cm wide and 4cm long and boil briefly in water.

Remove, drain, pat dry and then brown, along with the onions. Add to the chicken pan, along with the retained herbs.

Place in the oven and cook, covered with baking paper and tin foil, for about 45 minutes.

When the meat is cooked through and tender, brown the mushrooms in a little butter and then add them to the coq au vin pan. Check the seasoning before serving.

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winter 2015

COOKHOUSE 23

TOM COLLINS

SOHO HOUSE LONDON

BRAISED SHORT RIBS

F

serves 4 3 kg/6lb 10oz short ribs 2 pinches table salt 1 bottle red wine 10 peppercorns 4 bay leaves 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped 8 cloves garlic Salt the ribs. Then place all the ingredients on a roasting tray, cover tightly with tin foil and place in a pre-heated oven on 160ºC/320ºF/ Gas Mark 3 for 5 hours.

Remove from the oven, take the ribs out of the tray and allow to cool. Slice each rack into single bone pieces and then place in a hot, dry, non-stick pan, rotating each rib until crisp all over.

Strain the cooking liquid and discard the herbs and onion.

Return ribs to oven tray. Pour liquid over the ribs until a quarter covered and place in the oven until hot: for 6-8 minutes at 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6 (double if they’ve been in the fridge).

Serve with creamed spinach and gremolata or mashed potato.

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WES WHITSELL

SOHO HOUSE NEW YORK

G

CHICKPEA STEW

serves 8 1 teaspoon caraway seed 1 teaspoon cumin seed 1 teaspoon fennel seed 1 red onion, diced 1 bay leaf 2 garlic cloves, sliced ¼ cinnamon stick extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon paprika 900g/1lb 16oz cooked chickpeas 1 x 400g/14 oz can chopped tomatoes, San Marzano if possible vegetable stock to cover 1 large carrot, roasted and sliced into small pieces ½ butternut squash, roasted and cut into bite-sized pieces 150g/5oz kale, chopped and quickly sauted in olive oil with a little butter for the dressing: 250ml/9 fl oz labne or extra-thick Greek yoghurt

1 small handful fresh parsley 1 small handful fresh mint 1 small handful fresh coriander/cilantro, plus more to serve lemon juice, to taste water, to taste and to thin if necessary salt sliced Serrano chilli, to serve Toast and then grind the caraway, cumin and fennel seeds. Set aside.

Place the onion, bay leaf, garlic and cinnamon stick in a hot stock pot with a little olive oil. Cook on a low heat until the onion is soft.

Add the ground spices, paprika, chickpeas, tomatoes and enough vegetable stock to cover. Cook on a low heat for 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the carrots, squash and kale. Check the seasoning.

To make the dressing, blend all the ingredients to a purée.

Serve the stew in hot bowls and drizzle with the dressing. Scatter over a little extra coriander/cilantro and a few pieces of sliced Serrano chilli.

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SERGIO SIGALA

SOHO BEACH HOUSE MIAMI

PORK INVOLTINI WITH MUSHROOMS

H

This is a wintery recipe that my mamma always used to make on a Sunday, when I was a kid coming back from church.

Involtini and polenta was one of the classic dishes she served to my family.

serves 4 12 pork scallopini, pounded thin 12 slices pancetta, thinly sliced 12 sage leaves 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon onion, chopped 250ml/9 fl oz dry white wine 180ml/6 fl oz low-salt chicken broth 50g/2oz porcini mushrooms (we used the ones that my father found in the forest), sauted until golden 500ml/17.5 fl oz double cream salt and pepper

Lay out a pork scallopini, season with salt and pepper and place a slice of pancetta and a sage leaf on top. Carefully roll together, with the scallopini on the outside, and secure with a skewer.

DANIEL MEZZOLO

Repeat with all remaining pork scallopini and then refrigerate for at least one hour.

(These can be prepared the day before.)

These are small bread, herb and speck dumplings from north east Italy, served in chicken broth with plenty of cheese.

Remove the involtini from the fridge and season the outsides. Add the butter to a hot pan and sauté the involtini until lightly golden. Lower the heat, add the chopped onion and sauté again, until the onion is soft. Add the white wine, let the alcohol evaporate then add the stock, cover and cook for about 20 minutes.

Remove the lid from the involtini pan and add the mushrooms and the cream.

Simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes until it reduces and starts to thicken.

Let the involtini and the porcini mushrooms rest in the sauce for about 10 minutes before serving with fresh soft polenta or mashed potatoes.

SOHO HOUSE TORONTO I

CANEDERLI

serves 8 150g/5oz white bread, day-old, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch cubes 60g/2 oz thick-sliced speck 1 onion, finely chopped 4 tablespoons butter 2 eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt 500ml/17.5 fl oz milk 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped 75g/2.5oz kale, chopped 75g/2.5oz spinach 125g/4.5oz plain flour 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 0.5 teaspoon salt, or to taste, plus more for the water 1 litre/1.75 pints chicken broth 3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped, to serve Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano, grated, to serve Combine the diced bread and speck in a bowl. Sauté the onion in the butter until it is translucent.

Whisk the eggs with some of the milk, stir in the parsley, kale and spinach, and combine the mixture with the bread and speck.

Allow to rest for half an hour.

Set a pot of lightly salted water to boil.

In the meantime, mix the flour, olive oil, salt to taste, and, if need be, a little more milk into the bread mixture. Wet your hands and shape the mixture into 8 balls roughly the size of golf balls.

Simmer the canederli in the water for about 15 minutes, and in the meantime heat your broth.

Transfer the cooked canederli to the broth with a slotted spoon, garnish with the chives and the grated cheese, and serve.

winter 2015

COOKHOUSE 25

knife care

LOOK SHARP Knives need a lot of tender loving care, whether you use them in a working kitchen or for making your supper.

These simple techniques from the Japanese Knife Company will help keep these indispensable tools in order The Japanese Knife Company was founded in 1998 by Jay Patel, after he’d spent a decade training in the art of knife care in Japan. Today, the company has several shops and a website filled with ceramic, Warikomi, Damascus, handmade and high-speed steel kitchen knives, and offers training in selecting, using and caring for them. After a session training Soho House chefs, two of Patel's team, Maulik Shukla and Bhavin Bhatt, shared some of their knowledge with Cookhouse

To work well, a knife needs a keen and thin edge. Sharpening steels are designed for use with knives that are used heavily.

(Knife pictured is an Artisan knife, ÂŁ269. The laminated, high-speed steel blade makes it easy to re-sharpen.)

SHARPEN UP “If you enjoy cooking, chances are that you use a kitchen knife every day, but most of us do it without thinking.

Along with air, fire and water, the other thing we need to sustain us is an edge – it’s a fundamental tool for the survival of mankind and it came before the wheel. The thing that makes our knives different is their high carbon-steel content (between 1.1 and 3.5 per cent). This is layered in anything from three to 250 layers – the more folds or layers of steel, the harder the knife. This means it will stay sharp for longer and is easy to re-sharpen.

There are a few easy things you can do to make your knives last a lifetime.

Keep your knives dry. Chefs should wipe their knives once a day, at least, and try to keep them away from humidity as much as possible.

Remember that stainless means ‘stains less’, not ‘doesn’t rust’.

Use a good cutting board. Never cut onto glass, china, tiles, melamine, metal or marble. Wood or highdensity plastic boards are the best surfaces. When cutting waxy things like peppers, place the waxy side down, as the tender inner flesh is kinder to blades.

Wash your knives by hand in hot water and washing-up liquid, with the blade facing away from you.

Never, ever place knives in a dishwasher as the damage can be irreparable, making them both blunt and rusty.

Use a knife protector if you keep your knives in a drawer, or use a knife block or magnetic strip, to stop knives banging into each other and chipping.

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Whetstone honing is the best way to sharpen a knife. Totally dull edges should first be ground on a rough whetstone, followed by a smooth stone, then fine blades can be polished up for a razor edge on an even finer stone. (This Sakura knife, £399, has 101 layers of steel. If you were to use this knife in a domestic kitchen, it probably wouldn’t need to be sharpened for a year.)

You can restore sharpness by stroking the blade on a newspaper, as long as it has lots of dense black newsprint on it the newsprint acts as the sharpener.

Stroke 15 to 20 times on either side of the blade, and it will become sharp again without the need for a sharpening steel.

(Knife pictured is an Aogami No 1, £329, made almost entirely by hand.)

“Remember that stainless m www.sohohouse.com

knife care This leather bag, £39, takes 330mm knives and keeps each blade separate. (The knife is a JKC Takayuki Damascus, £219, made using a custom-rolled 49-layer steel.)

The water-wheel sharpener is the simplest system for knife sharpening.

These work on the same principle as the whetstones used by knife makers to achieve their final edge. It is important that you use the right one for your knife, though. (Knife pictured is from the Tamahagane Collection, £169.)

After cleaning, apply a small amount of lubricant to the working parts of your knife and the entire surface of the blade. This will help prevent rust and corrosion from moisture. (The knife pictured is made with the legendary Aogami No1 Blue steel, £199.)

ss means ‘stains less’, not ‘doesn’t rust’ ” www.cookhouse.com

winter 2015

COOKHOUSE 29

SCALLOPS

OYSTERS

Scallops are a kind of clam, and live in salt water all over the world. Most spend their time lying on the seabed, but they can swim if they have to escape a predator. Some cooks discard the coral, or roe, but this is a terrible waste.

Oysters were once the food of the poor, but no longer. While some would call it sacrilege to do anything other than add a touch of lemon or shallot to these most treasured of bivalves, they are also delicious in a steak pie, frittered, stewed or baked.

RAZOR CLAMS

Unlike the better-known molluscs that cling to rocks or piers, clams bury themselves in the sand and have to be foraged. (Food writer Alan Davidson wrote that they move through sand like a knife through butter.) Their sweet flavour and meaty texture mean that they only need a quick cook and simple treatment – try chilli, green herbs, butter or citrus fruits. Make sure you remove the gritty stomach before cooking.

Photography by Dai Williams. Thanks to Daily Fish Supplies for the shellfish: dailyfishsupplies.co.uk

CRAB

It may be a bit fiddly to prepare, but the effort is always worth it. Pair the flaky white meat or more pungent brown meat with anything from fennel, sweetcorn or horseradish to tropical flavours like coconut or mango.

COCKLES AND CLAMS

Cockles are a type of clam with a slightly different kind of shell, and are often smaller. In the UK they have traditionally been preserved in brine and were rarely cooked with until relatively recently. You can treat both cockles and clams like mussels and cook them with wine or broth and herbs (try adding potatoes too), or even steam them in beer with lemon juice. You could also add them to a chowder or serve them with gnocchi or pasta.

Pair with smoky flavours, pork, chilli spice or Thai-style ingredients such as lemongrass or ginger.

PRAWNS

There’s little better in life than prawns with some kind of mayonnaise-based sauce, but if you want to change things up try them with sorrel, peas, grapefruit or borage.

In season now Winter is the perfect time to make the most of local, seasonal shellfish

WHELKS

Whelks are a mollusc that look a bit like snails. You can cook them with similar ingredients to those the French would use with snails (green herbs, garlic and butter), or try them Korean-style in a dish called golbaengi muchim, made with cucumber, hot peppers, carrot and sesame. Look out for whelks that smell fresh and are visibly alive, or buy them preserved.

Soho House chefs’ events

OYSTERS XO Soho House Miami and Soho House New York were recently visited by Rifko Meier, owner of Oysters XO, for some myth-busting training on the art of oysters. Rifko was originally an art dealer and started up Oysters XO in Amsterdam because of his passion for the bivalves, later bringing it to the US. He began by explaining the flavour differences between North, South, East, and West Coast oysters, and we then discussed the biology of the oyster and how it eats, grows and develops in flavour.

Rifko also dispelled rumours such as the notion that oysters should only be eaten in months with an ‘R’ in their name, (this dates back to when there was no refrigeration to keep seafood fresh, so it was better to eat it in the colder months since it could travel safely and not spoil). Club staff and chefs were inspired by Rifko’s passion and walked away ready to hit the oyster bar.

The teams get stuck into oysters

GROUSE & PORCINI

CHICAGO PASTRY

Chefs from across the Soho House group gathered in the prep kitchen at Pizza East Portobello to watch executive chef Ronnie Bonetti cook up a seasonal serve of grouse and porcini. Ronnie showed how to clean and truss the birds before stuffing them with herbs and tying them up. He then sealed them, before putting in the oven on slices of white bread to soak up the delicious juices. As a starter, Ronnie chopped up raw porcini and tossed them with rocket, crème fraîche, olive oil and lemon juice, finishing with parmesan shavings. To accompany the grouse, he braised red cabbage and showed how to whisk together the perfect bread sauce. Once he had demonstrated how to prepare the dishes, it was time to sit down and sample the seasonal fare. A big thank you to Ronnie for an inspirational afternoon.

Chicago Pastry Chef Kady Yon showcased her new fall desserts in a Cookhouse menu preview. Dishes included limoncello posset with pine nut brittle and thyme, pumpkin ice cream sunday and a honey crisp with juniper and vanilla bean ice cream. Kitchen and club staff learned the preparation and flavour pairings for each dish, perfect for chilly weather.

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MEXICO WAY Chef Edson Diaz-Fuentes from Santo Remedio joined us in Chicken Shop Kentish Town for a Mexican cuisine masterclass. He talked us through the history and diversity of Mexican food, then held an interactive demo, making favourites such as grasshopper tostadas and rib-eye tacos.

JAKE'S BAKES Pastry chefs joined executive pastry chef Jake Rigby-Wilson in Shoreditch House Library for another of his brilliant demos, this time looking at seasonal fruits and desserts, and for a cheese tasting. Attendees got to try milk chocolate and nougat parfait with clementines, buttermilk and rhubarb pudding, plums, figs, prunes, pears and a range of festive cheeses so that the chefs could begin to plan their menus for the coming months.

TROUT AND ABOUT Cookhouse travelled to Winchester, England, where we were met by Hugo Hardman of Chalk Stream Foods, who took us along to one of the biggest trout farms in the country. The gin-clear waters around the city of Winchester are the perfect environment for trout, and we were given a full tour of the farm and shown how the fish are fed and grown. The team were then taken to a local restaurant for a delicious fish lunch before heading back to London with trout samples.

DICKSON'S FARMSTAND MEATS Cooks and front-of-house staff visited Dickson’s Farmstand Meats in Chelsea Market, New York, for an in-depth tour of the steer. Chefs were greeted by Giancarlo Sbarbaro, one of Dickson’s Farmstand’s butchers, and after grabbing some craft beer and store-made sausages, the team began learning about where Dickson’s gets its beef. All of its steers come from local and sustainable farms where they spend their life on the land, not in a feedlot. Giancarlo has been butchering at Dickson’s for two years and confidently began carving out sections of the steer with amazing precision, deboning the animal and trimming away layers of fat to produce the various cuts of beef you would see on a menu, which he then explained. Our group was impressed by the strength and accuracy of the butchers and how effortlessly they broke down the animal into more recognisable cuts of meat. We will be back soon for a tour of a whole pig...

www.cookhouse.com

For more on all these stories, visit cookhouse.com, where you’ll also find information about how to apply for jobs in Soho House’s kitchens around the world.

winter 2015

COOKHOUSE 33

RISING STARS Celebrating the heroes of our kitchens

CARMINE VITALE

SAMANTHA MENKE

SEBASTAO "MAMACITO"FRANCHI

MARK RODIER

JOHN PAUL TANTI AND EDDIE BOWER

MIRCO "PAPPONE" PUTELLI

GIANNI BOLLI

GRZEGORZ GUTKOWSKI

KAT SLOAN

LLORDEL TAYLOR

Cecconi’s Mayfair nominated by Andrea Torre Carmine is one of my chefs de partie and it’s his job to cook tonnes of pasta each day.

He never grumbles, never complains; he just produces spot-on food every time.

He’s doing an amazing job.

Cecconi’s Mayfair nominated by Andrea Torre Another of my chefs de partie, Mamacito works on our hot starter. He’s an amazing, funny and crazy guy; all the staff love him.

And he’s so handsome! That’s why we call him Mamacito...

Hoxton Grill nominated by Leon Lawrence As chef de partie and demi-chef de partie, both of these guys are new to the team but they’ve taken to it like fish to water. They’re great team players and very hard working. I’m really proud of them.

Pizza East Shoreditch nominated by Brian McGowan Gianni “The Silent Assassin” is our head pizza chef. Like a whisper on the wind, he blows through our kitchen not saying much, letting his actions do the talking. It’s hard to imagine PES without him. A true legend.

Soho House Toronto nominated by Daniel Mezzolo Kat has been an amazing member of our team since day one and continues to flourish. She’s always toting a smile, willing to help and take on challenges, and her dedication shines through in her work. We’re lucky to have her.

Soho House London nominated by Tom Collins A key member of our team, Sam’s recently been promoted from chef de partie to junior sous and runs services with the perfect balance of focus and fun. She’s a a loving mum too, but her energy and enthusiasm never wane and we all appreciate her work and dedication.

Dean Street Townhouse nominated by Jason ‘Tank’ Loy Mark has become a strong and popular figure in our team after starting as a commis and making chef de partie in two years. Passionate and with a great work ethic, his next challenge will be mastering the sauce section…

Little House Mayfair nominated by Tom Anglesea Our favourite Italian, Mirco always has a smile on his face and is a great guy to have around. A chef de partie who can be trusted with anything in the kitchen, he often helps with washing up, even when his shift is finished!

Hubbard & Bell nominated by Tim Fuller As Jason Statham’s doppelgänger, Grzegorz brings some Hollywood action to the kitchen. But that’s not why we love him: he’s passionate, shows amazing attention to detail and has a great work ethic, no matter what.

Soho Beach House nominated by Sergio Sigala Lo has been with us since 2012 and has grown to be a very good cook. He is very passionate about his job, always creating new dishes and specials, and our customers love his Jamaican jerk sandwich.

JOIN US! Soho House is recruiting chefs. Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com or visit www.cookhouse.com

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winter 2015

www.sohohouse.com

WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR FRESH FACES Soho House Group is always on the look out for new talent. If you want a great career in food then get in touch. We have restaurants, hotels and clubs in our venues in the UK, Berlin and North America, with more opening soon in Istanbul and London.

We offer tailor-made training, excellent support and the chance to travel or possibly even work overseas.

Our farm-to-fork food philosophy is all about working with great ingredients, treated simply and with respect – whether we're flipping burgers at Dirty Burger, making pasta in Cecconi's or firing up the oven for wood-roasted pizza at Pizza East.

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU

For more information about current kitchen vacancies worldwide and how to apply visit our website, www.cookhouse.com, or call +44 (0)20 7074 1449

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