Posted: May 14, 2019
We are proud to announce that Chef Boitano has joined our illustrious group of All-Star Chefs. Brian Boitano, has had a long career of accolades both on and off the ice, including Gold Medalist, Emmy Award Winner, Best Selling Author, and Youth Skate Founder. An avid entertainer, Boitano is known as an amazing host. His adventures skating abroad fueled his passion for cooking and a belief that great food is a key part of any gathering. Brian has put his own spin on irresistible, accessible dishes in his best-selling cookbook, “What Would Brian Boitano Make?”
A San Francisco resident for over 30 years, Boitano purchased his home in the mid 1990’s. While he did an initial facelift when he first moved in, Boitano is now completing a major renovation of the entire home, with the kitchen being one of the most exciting new spaces. “The kitchen is the nucleus of the house. So when we started the overall house redesign, we focused our attention on the kitchen first. Everything was centered on entertaining—from small and unplugged, to large and elegant,” said Boitano. The new kitchen is stocked with the best of BlueStar®, including a range, salamander, hood and refrigerator.
The kitchen design was inspired by the Italian countryside and has the air of an ageless, rustic Tuscan village. The focal point is a 48” honey yellow (RAL #1005) Platinum Series range. The color was picked to accent the backsplash tile. Over the range is our Salamander broiler.
The Built-In Refrigerator we picked agate gray (RAL 7038), and the cabinet maker actually matched the cabinet color to the refrigerator, for a perfectly seamless look.
The custom hood liner was installed with handmade lacquered Fireclay wall tiles as an overlay.
Boitano will be hosting an exclusive event at the 2019 Decorator Showcase house in San Francisco with some of the Bay Area’s top trade professionals, including designers, builders, and architects. Chef Boitano will be showing off the BlueStar® equipment in a kitchen transformation by Interior Designer Jamie Belew and Architect David Armour who adapted the home’s original service kitchen to create a contemporary Catering Kitchen and Service Lounge.
Here’s a sneak peak at what Chef Boitano will be serving:
Seared Scallops with Creamless Creamed Corn and Bacon Lardons
Serves: 4
Ingredients – Corn:
- 2 thick slices bacon (about 5 ounces total), cut into 1-by-1/4 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound corn kernels (about 3 cups), fresh or frozen (kernels from about 4 ears corn)
- 1 1/2 cups water
Ingredients – Scallops:
- 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 20 large sea scallops, patted dry
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions:
- Heat bacon in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until crisp and brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-line plate; set aside. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat and return the skillet to the stovetop. Add the butter. Once melted, add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the corn, season with more salt and pepper, and cook until they start to crackle. Add the water and simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Transfer three-fourths of the corn and its liquid to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and process to a chunky oatmeal consistency. Return the skillet with the remaining whole kernels and warm through. If it’s too thick, add some water; if it’s too thin, let it reduce a bit. Season again as needed and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season both sides of the scallops with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, place the scallops one at a time into the pan. Sear scallops on first side until caramelized and crispy, about 4 minutes (avoid moving them or peeking as they will not crisp up as nicely.) Flip and cook on the second side for 30 to 60 seconds. Remove to plate. Set skillet aside to make sauce. (If you don’t have a pan large enough to hold all 20 scallops, then cook them in two batches. You can hold the first batch in a low oven while the second batch cooks.)
- Set the skillet used to cook the scallops back over medium heat and melt the butter. Stir until the butter solids start to brown. Stir in the wine. Add 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice as needed. Add 1 tablespoon each of the chives and parsley. Keep warm.
- Reheat corn. Line up four large plates. Evenly divide the corn between plates and sprinkle with reserved bacon pieces. Top each plate with 5 scallops. Drizzle a little pan sauce over the scallops. Top with chives and serve immediately.
Nectarine and Almond Crostatas
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 eggs, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 (7 ounce) packages almond paste
- 4 nectarines, peeled
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar
- 1 pint vanilla ice cream (optional)
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 8 fresh mint sprigs
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven 375° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine the cream cheese, sugar, flour, 1 egg, and vanilla in a large chilled metal bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until well blended and smooth. Set aside.
- Divide each package of almond paste into 4 equal portions. Dust a work surface with flour and roll each portion into a 6-inch round, about 1/8-inch thick.
- Place 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each round. Spread the filling out in an even layer, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edge of the round.
- Cut each nectarine in half and remove the pits. Cut each half into 5 slices.
- Fan out 5 of the nectarine slices on top of the filling in the center of the round. Gently fold the edges of the almond paste over the edge of the filling all the way around. Transfer to a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining ingredients, filling both sheets.
- Whisk together the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl until well blended. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush each crostata with the egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.
- Bake the crostatas until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Serve each crostata on a plate with a small scoop of ice, if desired, and garnished with sliced almonds and mint.
