Here’s the Dish with Chef Steve Kim of Avalon Brew Pub
125 79th Street, Avalon
609-967-2116 avalonbrewpub.com
Q&A
1. Where did you receive your training?
I worked nine years for an iron chef, Jose Garces.
2. Where do you get your inspiration from, when creating a new dish?
My inspiration comes from the love I have for food and creating a dish that truly comes from the heart.
3. What do you believe is the most important quality of a restaurant?
Hospitality, giving the guest the best experience that they can have while dining at the restaurant.
4. What is your go-to meal on your days off?
Fried chicken.
5. What advice would you give to a new chef?
Trust the process and never give up.
6. What is your favorite summer dish?
Ceviche is light and refreshing.
7. What do you enjoy most about cooking?
Creating a dish that can bring joy to someone that is eating it.
8. What is the hardest cooking technique you have mastered?
Making a foie gras torchon was one of the hardest French cooking techniques that I have mastered.
9. Where do you find yourself most when you are not in the kitchen?
Spending time with my kids.
10. What is the most needed cooking utensil for a kitchen, and why?
I would say the most important utensil is the cooks, because they are the mighty force that keeps a restaurant running.
Scallops Risotto
Ingredients:
• 4 U-10 scallops
• 1 ounce mushroom (any mushroom would work)
• 1 ounce English peas
• 1 cup mushroom cream
• 1½ cups risotto
• 2 teaspoons salt
Directions:
In a medium sauté pan, combine 1 tablespoon vegetable oil with mushrooms over medium heat. Cook until mushrooms are tender. Add 1 ounce English peas, mushroom cream and cook until bringing to boil. Lower heat to simmer. Add risotto rice, stirring until fully incorporated. Season with salt and set aside. Next, pat dry scallops and season with salt on both sides. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a medium sauté pan over high heat. Place scallops in sauté pan and once starting to color, lower the heat to medium. Continue cooking until golden brown, flip and then continue on other side for 2-3 minutes.
Mushroom Cream
Ingredients:
• 5 pounds mushrooms
• 2 shallots
• 3 cloves garlic
• 5 quarts heavy cream
• 1 pint port wine
• ½ bunch thyme
• 4 bay leaves
• Salt to taste
Directions:
Add a half-cup oil to a sauce pot, heat the oil until its hot. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender, then add the shallots and garlic, and cook until tender. Deglaze with port wine, then add your heavy cream. Reduce the cream to 4 quarts, then add to a blender to puree to a cream sauce.
