Quick Pic: Here we go!

Tomorrow will be my first day at Restaurante Martin Berasategui. After stopping by the kitchen to talk to the chef de cuisine and a few chefs de partie, I snapped this shot of the copper nameplate that greets guests as they walk up the stairs to the dining room. Let the games begin...

Quick Pic: The hills are alive...

...with sheep! I went for a run yesterday, and I had to snap some quick shots of these sheep on the green hills of Gipuzkoa.

First couple days in Pais Vasco

On Monte Urgull looking west, above Isla Santa Clara

I've been in the Pais Vasco for two days now, and I'm lucky enough to have this week off to get settled in my new surroundings.


I'm easing back into my Spanish (rusty and sprinkled with Italian). I'm wholeheartedly embracing the laid back approach to life at the moment, because I know once the kitchen gets going, it will be go-go-go until I can figure out how to tread water.


Below is my housemate and fellow BasqueStage recipient Elisha Ben-Haim. He cooked us dinner the last two nights, and he continues to surprise me with his fantastic photo poses.

"Belle Epoque? Or Art Deco?"

Fortunate to have a couple clear, sunny days, Elisha and I have made the most of our luck with two gorgeous strolls through the city. Here are some more shots from Bilbao and San Sebastian:

Pastries in Bilbao. The chocolate drizzled meringue really hit the spot.

The Guggenheim in Bilbao.

Weathered storm doors at the ship yard in the Bahia de La Concha.

A house tiled with vibrant colors, reminiscent of fish scales shimmering just below the water's surface

The Basque fish monger is proud of his monkfish liver...

...and Basque children aren't afraid to touch it.

The promenade at the La Concha

Beautifully restored carousel from 1900, also at La Concha

A view through the trees of Monte Urgull back towards Gros, the beach with the surf break

Small kids, Big church.

Churros with rich hot chocolate: the perfect snack to warm up on a cold January evening.

I'm quickly falling in love with the Basque Country, for obvious reasons!

But there is work involved, and I'm also looking forward to that too. Next on the agenda:

A much-anticipated visit to the Sammic factory to get to know the sponsors of this awesome scholarship and learn more about their products. I previously hadn't heard of Sammic, but I'm now learning they make nearly every large piece of equipment needed in a professional kitchen, from blenders, mixers and meat grinders to immersion circulators and vacuum sealers.

In this video, Marco Bahena (my partner from last year's Pellegrino Almost Famous cooking competition) demonstrates how a Sammic Vegetable Prep Machine can make a cook's life a whole lot easier.

It's probably too late to say All I want for Christmas... 

This upcoming visit to the factory should be enlightening because we will meet the engineers who design tools to help us cook at a higher level. Photos to follow!


Also, we are planning a visit to Biarritz in France to see more of the Basque region. I have a feeling this visit will be especially taxing; there probably won't be any pastries or lovely scenery involved.

Thanks for reading. Agur from Lasarte...

A quick look homeward as I start my next adventure

I’ve just arrived in Lasarte-Oria, Guipuzkoa, a small town outside San Sebastian in the Basque Country. I  traveled for twenty-six hours through Dallas, Frankfurt, and Bilbao. Now I'm so tired, I can't sleep.

Yes, I’m tired, but mostly I’m excited. I’m thrilled for my new job, which I’ll start on Wednesday. I’m itching to go for a run through my new town. I’m dying to go grocery shopping and fill my refrigerator with vegetables, cheeses and txakoli wine.

I’m anxious too, because this level of cooking- three Michelin stars, in Europe, at a gorgeous, respected restaurant- is the highest level I’ve experienced in my career thus far. So how does this young cook deal with nerves? I’m telling myself that I can do it, and I’m thinking about all my wonderful experiences and supportive friends and family who have helped me get here.

So before I start this next adventure in earnest, I'll share some of the beautiful food moments from the past couple weeks. I’m so fortunate that my family embraces and celebrates food. I am fortunate to have friends who value food, and to come from a region that produces some of the best food in the world. 

Here’s a quick snapshot of my holiday meals.

My Ninong Tom carves the lechon for Noche Buena. Roast pig...mmmmm

My father and my uncle, making our traditional Swedish pancake breakfast on Christmas morning

The gorgeous fruits of their labor with the mandatory Lingonberry sauce

Christmas dinner is my grandfather's recipe: garlic-studded, bacon-wrapped rib roast.

Mise en place often involves champagne right up in there with the brussel sprouts.

The Selby men attend to the festive colors of the dining table

Carving the roast, which was a little overdone this year. Chickie wouldn't have been pleased!

With Mama and my friend Caroline at my send-off dinner last week

Just before opening the buffet with Pantesca salad, kale Caesar, risotto, veal breast and lasagne.

That's the last collection of photos from home. For the next six months, it’s going to be all new surroundings, all new faces, and all new challenges.

Stay tuned! Good night...

Olive Oil Shortbread Cookies

The New York Times Dining Section ran two great pieces last week: one, a list of the Best Cookbooks of the Year, and another about the most noticeable trend, the “At Home” style of cookbook.  Julia Moskin’s piece, “What Happens When Chefs Come Home,” underscores a crucial shift in cookbook consumers: people want recipes of stuff they can actually cook. Glossy studio shots of the unattainable sphere are out; hamburgers and Caesar salad are in. 

In her “When Chefs Come Home” piece, Moskin mentions a recipe for Shortbread Biscuits that wisely substitutes olive oil for butter. Still high on my October visit to Tuscany for olive oil crush at Villa Campestri, I thought I have to try this. I found a recipe for olive oil shortbread and then considered my oil choice.

Though vegetal and grassy, the bright green Villa Campestri oil could add an interesting twist to the butter bomb that traditional shortbread can be. Or I could end up with a bitter, greenish biscuit. 

Only one way to find out...

The verdict? Moskin is right: olive oil greatly improves this classic cookie. I could easily see the Villa Campestri restaurant serving them with afternoon tea on the terrace.

Olive oil adds a luxurious yet subtle flavor boost.

Admittedly, these cookies aren’t quite as crumbly as traditional shortbread, but they trade texture for a rich, more nuanced flavor. There’s simply more going on than the average shortbread cookie. I don’t get palate fatigue from butter overload, which is a fancy way of saying “I eat them five at a time.”  

These cookies are also comparatively more healthful since we've lost the saturated fat of butter.

I’m excited to have found yet another recipe that is improved with the addition of quality olive oil. Maybe these cookies will be left by the Christmas tree this year...