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James Schenk
Destino
San Francisco, California
www.destinosf.com
How do you describe the style of cuisine at your
restaurant?
Traditional South American- focusing on authentic tastes and
regional cuisine- presented in a Nuevo-Californian way.
What/who influenced you to become a chef?
My Grandmother and Mom.
Where do you find inspiration to create new recipes and
flavors?
Culinary school in Canada and years of training in Peru and
Spain.
What do you like to cook/eat when you are not at work?
Mac & Cheese and Quesadillas.
What is the most memorable meal or food experience you've
had?
A vegan restaurant in San Francisco called Raw, which is now
unfortunately closed.
Do you have any cooking tips to share with home chefs?
Keep it simple, minimal ingredients and fresh tastes.
Papas a la Huancaina
6 servings
Preparation Time: 1 Hour 25 Minutes
Cooking Time: 20 Minutes
Sauce:
2 ounces queso fresco
2 ounces feta cheese
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 hard-cooked egg white
1 large soda cracker or 2 saltine crackers
1 tablespoon aji amarillo paste
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Salad:
2 pounds whole (about 6 medium) potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 iceberg lettuce cups
12 Peruvian black olives (packed in brine) or kalamata olives,
pitted and sliced
For sauce, in blender container, combine queso fresco, feta
cheese and evaporated milk; process until well blended. Add
cooked egg white, cracker, aji amarillo paste and turmeric;
process until blended. With motor running, slowly add oil.
Season with salt, as desired. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or
until chilled. (Sauce will thicken on standing.) Meanwhile,
for salad, combine 5 cups water, potatoes and 1 1/2 teaspoons
salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook
20 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a
fork. Drain well. Refrigerate potatoes for 10 minutes or until
cool to the touch; cut into 1/4-inch slices. In large bowl,
combine potatoes and sauce; gently fold together with rubber
spatula. Spoon equal amounts potato mixture into each lettuce
cup; garnish with olives.
Tip:
Queso fresco is a white, fresh Mexican cheese similar in
texture to farmer’s cheese. Aji amarillo paste is made from
Peruvian hot yellow pepper. Queso fresco, aji amarillo and
Peruvian black olives can be found in Latin grocery stores and
some specialty on-line food sources.
Chef James Schenk suggests using both purple and yellow
potatoes to add vibrant color to this dish, but other
varieties of potatoes will also work.
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Tortilla Espanola
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