A talk with Beatrice and Woodsley Chef Pete List.. and a great recipe he gave us.

Hi all

About a month or so ago we had the chance to sit down for a fantastic meal at Beatrice and Woodsley(www.beatriceandwoodsley.com)and recently asked the Executive Chef Pete List if he would have the time to talk to us a little about what drives his cooking. You can find our review of Beatrice and Woodsley at (http://milehigheater.blogspot.com/search?q=In+the+woods)
and here are the questions and his answers. The recipe he shared with us is at the very end.
Here is a picture of Chef List.




1. What attracted you to cooking?

Food has always been important in my life, and I found that I have a desire to create and produce good food. It makes me happy and hopefully the people I cook for as well.



2. What is the philosophy behind your cooking, or in your kitchen?

Keep it simple, if you have good ingredients, let them speak for themselves. I try not to mess with the natural flavors that make fresh food so good to begin with, only to enhance the experience.



3. What is the biggest influence on the way you cook?

I am a very seasonal cook, using products in the peak of freshness, the height of quality.



4. Is there a chef living today you would like to work with?

Yes, Thomas Keller from the french laundry and Grant Achutz from alinea in Chicago.



5. Is there a particular ingredient you like to cook with more than others?

Currently pork is the thing for me, a good well treated pig may well hold the most potential for creativity (if only they had eggs!)....... If you go out to Beatrice and Woodsley and the pork belly is on the menu TRY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!



6. If stuck on a desert isle and could have one meal from then on out what would it be?

A sandwich. Just kidding, Give me a good pad thai or a curry and I am a happy guy.



7. Is someone asked you for two Colorado restaurants to try other than your own what would you suggest?

This is a tough one for me to answer because since moving back from Chicago, I have not had a chance to eat around much. I would ask you the same question, where should I try? .... Currently our favorites are Luca D'Italia in Denver and the Black Cat in Boulder



8. How about one restaurant any where in the world? Restaurant Paul Bocuse in Lyon France. The epitome of classic french cuisine.

9. Would you be willing to share a recipe with us ?
yes:


Curried lamb, pearl cous cous salad.

The Lamb:
2# lamb stew meat or shoulder cut into 1/2 inch cubes (you want some fat attached)
1 med yellow onion diced
2-3 cloves of garlic crushed and chopped
2 med carrots diced
3 small potatoes diced
1-2 hot chili peppers seeded and chopped
2tbl madras curry powder
1tsp cayenne
2tsp cinnamon
1tbl toasted, ground coriander
1tsp cumin
3tbl kosher salt
1tbl freshly ground pepper
1/3c flour
1/2 bottle cream sherry
1/8 c ea. golden raisins, dried fig and apricot (small dice)
2qt water

season the lamb with the dry spices, coating completely. Let sit out at room temp for 30-45 minutes. get a 6qt pot on medium to high heat add olive oil and a tbl of butter, toss the lamb in the flour to coat, add to the pan carefully it may splatter. Brown the lamb in the pan to form a crust, add the vegetables and saute to get a little color on them. Add the dried fruit and deglaze with the sherry. Reduce the sherry by 2/3 and add the water. Cover and simmer slowly for an hour or so. The cooking liquid should be at a sauce consistency and the lamb fork tender.

The cous cous:
1/2 red onion or 2 shallots small dice
1 clove garlic chopped
1/8c ea dried golden fig, currants and apricot
2c pearl cous cous
1c white wine
3c water
s/p/s tt

In a tbl ea. olive oil and butter, saute the onions and garlic, add the fruit and sweat. Deglaze with the wine and reduce by 1/2, add the water, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often to avoid sticking to the pan. When the liquid is absorbed, cool on a pan or platter. When the cous cous is cool, toss with a good olive oil, lemon juice and fresh chives.

To serve:
arrange the cous cous on a platter with a well in the center for the lamb, put the hot lamb in the center of the plate and garnish with baby arugula, yogurt, mint and lime zest. serve with warm flat bread.


That recipe sounds great we will have to try it soon and when we do I will put up our attempt on the blog. I want to thank Chef List and Kevin Delk for all the time they gave to us for this and hopefully when you get a chance you will stop by this great restaurant.

Thanks as always for stopping by and if you have any questions or comments we would love to hear from you.

Jonathan and Barb



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