#GoldlMedalPlates Chefs from Canada will meet in Kelowna from February 9-11, 2012 to compete in the Gold Medal Plates Canadian Culinary Championships. I sent them some questions prior to the challenge. Here’s the scoop on Chef Anthony McCarthy for The Saskatoon Club in Saskatchewan .
What was in your elementary school lunch kit?
Lunch was served at school
Where did you first learn to cook?
The Green Man Inn, a pub and fine dining restaurant in the UK
Did you attend culinary school – if so, where?
Yes, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK
Where has been your favourite place to work to date and why?
There have been many, including on private luxury yachts- but that was more because it was great to be on the ocean with lots of sun. My current job here at the Saskatoon Club is fantastic, lots of freedom, and I also get to enjoy quality family time.
Who in the industry taught you the most?
Pretty much self taught
What is your favourite style of cooking?
Honest cooking.
What is your favourite ethnic cuisine?
Thai
What ingredient(s) can’t you live without?
Fresh herbs, garlic
What are the most essential tools for cooking?
Sharp knives
Do you have an unforgettable taste combination?
I love the flavour we achieved with the morel mushroom, fois gras and black truffle coated with ground late summer corn, this was part of our winning dish- amazing taste.
Ingredient you can’t get enough of?
Can’t reveal as it’s in my final dish
Ingredient that will never touch your lips?
Kraft Dinner
What is your most prized possession?
My family
What basic recipe/s do you advise for cooking novices to learn as a starting point?
A great soup
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Sausage and mash
What’s your favourite cocktail?
Gin and tonic (discovered the Victoria Gin at last year’s event- beautiful, think I prefer it over Hendricks)
Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Foie Gras
What’s your definition of a perfect meal?
Cooked with care, and properly seasoned
What do you always have on hand for last minute entertaining at home?
Cheese, gravlox
How do you unwind after service?
There is no real unwind after my day, as its usually doing something with the kids as soon as I walk in the door. When my wife anf I get a chance we will sit and chat, share a bottle of wine.
Most overrated food trend?
Foam
Favourite culinary destination?
The lake, open fire cooking every time I’m there.
Most memorable meal last year?
The suckling pig i did over the open fire at the lake last summer
If you weren’t a chef what career would you have pursued?
Carpentry
What would you eat at your last meal?
Roast prime rib, crisp roast potatoes
Who are you dream dinner companions?
My wife, Marco Pierre White, Michael Ruhlman, Thomas Keller, Anthony Bourdain.
What do you do in your off time?
Crossfit, soccer, sail, and of course spend time with my family- Hockey with my 6 year old Jacob
Where do you eat in your city when you are not working?
Typically home. Truffles Bistro, and Weczeria are places doing food I enjoy
Are there some regional dishes your city is known for?
Using Diefenbaker trout, Northern pickerel are popular choices
What is the dish/dishes your restaurant is known for?
Good quality local, pretty much everything is made in house, even cured meats.
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What dish will you be cooking for Gold Medal Plates?
A delicious Gold Medal winning one!!
Why did you choose the particular wine/beer pairing for the dish?
Because it works
What ingredients have you brought with you?
The ones I need to win
Who have you brought with you to assist?
Lorenzo Brazzini, Darren Craddock
For the black box competition are there any strategies that you will employ to succeed?
Yes. Clear head, speed and big time focus for one hour
Who do you see as the toughest competitor this year?
You don’t get to compete at this level because you suck; everyone has some amazing talents to bring.
James Chatto attended the Saskatchewan Competition and described the winning dish as follow:
http://www.goldmedalplates.com/c_saskatoon.html
“Chef Anthony McCarthy from the Saskatoon Club won bronze last year; this time he vaulted over Ryan Marquis to bring home the bacon – or, more precisely, the foie. Chef McCarthy had been planning this dish for the best part of a year, so when the morels were in season last spring he bought a thousand of the biggest and best and froze them with all the care and precision afforded to Walt Disney’s head. He thawed them for us and filled them with foie gras and a brunoise of black winter truffle and coated them in a superfine grinding of last summer’s corn before cooking them off. I loved the texture and the flavour of the morels and the way the molten foie gras squirted out into my mouth. Beside this superlative treat was a sort of agnolotti made with a dense gnocchi-like pasta and filled with slow-braised organic beef, slutted up with some of that creamy, sweetly blue cambazola cheese that had melted and oozeditself in and amongst the forked meat. There was a swipe of supersmooth squash purèe and a token salad-moment of embryonic broccoli and radish microgreens, a stripe of finely minced parsley in oil and a classic demiglace so perfect it would have made Escoffier reach down from heaven and pat Chef McCarthy on the toque, had he been wearing one. The wine was an unusual blend of cabernet Franc and Syrah from Nichol Vineyards in Naramata – a wine I really enjoyed, especially since it scored a bull’s eye matching with the braised beef and the demiglace. Great work.”
