One of the Food Network’s cutest chefs, Tyler Florence (he hosts “Food 911” and “Tyler’s Ultimate”), came through Denver last week. He had just finished hosting a food drive for Food Bank of the Rockies, signing books and greeting diners at the Parker Applebee’s (he’s working with the chain on new menu items), before cooking for 23 guests at Applebee’s owner Steve Grove’s ranch in Centennial.
Despite rushing from one gig to the next, Florence was friendly, relaxed and philosophical.
I started with the obvious question.
Q: Why Applebee’s?
A: It felt like a no-brainer – it’s absolutely in line with what I do. More people go to Applebee’s than go to Disney World. When you say “come to New York and try my foie gras and truffles,” you’re talking to a small group. It’s like what fashion designers have done with more accessible clothing lines. I just try to give people really good, simple, straightforward, practical info.
Q: Is it weird to meet fans who feel like they know you?
A: It’s my 11th year on the Food Network, so I have a kind of a relationship with the people who watch all the time. The energy that people bring to the table, I feel that.
Q: Did you set out to become a famous chef? Do you have a game plan? What’s next for you?
A: No and I still don’t. I do what feels really good. But I am working on a concept for a new primetime show on the Food Network.
Q: Do you really write your own blog, or does an assistant do it?
A: I write my own posts – I’m a pretty good typist.
Q: There’s something else keeping you busy. A new baby?
A: Yeah, Hayden was born two weeks ago. Just one more thing in the mix. And my son is graduating from fifth grade, so I’m heading to that next.
Q: I bet you never have time to cook at home.
A: I really, really do have people over for dinner at least once a week. I just moved to San Francisco from New York, so I’m into the California freshness. Going to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is like church to me. Cooking is one of the humanities. It’s like art, music, what everyone responds to. I like to turn the stereo on and have a good time.
Q: What do you listen to while you’re cooking?
A: I have a cooking playlist on my iPod. Let me see – “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” from Wilco, the Killers, Death Cab for Cutie, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Soft Cell (that’s a little older), Ryan Adams, the Shins, Phantom Planet, the Cure, Koop.
Q: What are you making tonight?
A: Tonight’s off the charts. We’re doing four passed hors d’ouevres – California bacon and eggs, tomato-watermelon gazpacho, wild mushroom arancini, strawberries with balsamic and Parmigiano. We’re serving the dinner family style – avocado-crab salad, bulgur wheat salad with fresh figs and olives. Then Neapolitan cacciatore, grilled quail, lamb chops and beef tenderloin. For dessert, we’re doing a strawberry-rhubarb crostata.
Q: Have you seen or tasted anything in Colorado that inspires you?
A: I’m really soaking into the West – the idea of the California coast, Yosemite, Colorado. I like the organic approach to things out here, how religious people are about food.
Food editor Kristen Browning-Blas can be reached at 303-954-1440 or kbrowning@denverpost.com.
RECIPES
Watermelon Gazpacho with Feta and Dill
Tyler Florence and his team served these dishes at a dinner here last week.
Ingredients
6 large tomatoes, puréed
1 small serrano chile, seeds removed
8 ounces fresh watermelon
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red onion, minced
1 cucumber, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions
In a blender, purée tomatoes, chile and watermelon. Pour in red wine vinegar and olive oil and pulse. Fold in onion, cucumber and dill, and season with salt and pepper. Pour into glasses and sprinkle with dill and feta. Serve at room temperature.
Strawberries with Balsamic and Parmigiano
Ingredients
1 package fresh organic strawberries, washed with stems on
1/2 cup good quality aged balsamic vinegar
Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Fleur de sel
Directions
Arrange strawberries on a large platter. If they are large, cut them through the middle of the stems and place cut side up on the plate. Top each strawberry with a shaving of cheese. Reduce balsamic over low heat until it is thick and syrupy. Let it cool to room temp and drizzle over the strawberries and cheese. Sprinkle each strawberry with a little fleur de sel.
Grilled Quail with Bulgur Wheat Fig Salad
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup medium-grind bulgur wheat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 green onions, trimmed and sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Leaves from 1 bunch fresh mint
1 1/2 cups diced cucumber
1 cup crumbled feta
3/4 cup pitted black olives
8 5-ounce quails
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 fresh Black Mission figs, cut in half through the stem ends
Directions
Pour boiling water over bulgur in a medium bowl. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and let stand until bulgur has absorbed all of the liquid and is tender, 15-20 minutes. Stir in green onions, parsley, mint, cucumber, feta and olives; season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle quail with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat to mark the birds and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Serve atop salad and scatter with cut fresh figs on top.
