Cooking at the Beard House With Per Se's Jonathan Benno

Feb. 7, 2008 — -- I gave chef Jonathan Benno a very tall order.

The rules: No caviar, no foie gras, and he absolutely, positively, could not pull that amazing tapioca and oyster trick of his.

Sure, he might be at the helm of Per Se, Thomas Keller's 3 Michelin-star Manhattan restaurant, and yes, Food & Wine, Gourmet and countless other foodie publications have dubbed him one of the brightest stars in New York's culinary firmament.

But if Benno is going to teach me a few kitchen tricks here at New York's famous James Beard House, I want to focus on simple, soul-satisfying food. I know there's genius in every pot he stirs, but to butcher one of Emeril's (many) catch phrases, he's got to take things down a notch. Girl's night is next Tuesday, and I'm wearing the apron. Order up!

Good food, says chef Benno, is all about "using the best ingredients, and treating them with integrity."

Easy enough, I think. I can sniff a melon or squeeze a tomato with the best of them. The boys in the produce aisle know my name. And no, it's nothing Mamma wouldn't approve of — it's because I send them to the back for the choice picks.

But there must be more to inspired cooking than quality ingredients.

After all, Benno counts Daniel Boulud, Christian Delouvrier and, of course, Thomas Keller — executive chef of both Per Se and the French Laundry, the latter restaurant widely recognized as the best in the nation — as his mentors.

Come on, Chef, I want secrets.

Benno has decided that my studio apartment and I — anyone, really — can handle his smoked haddock chowder. Easy as 1, 2, 3. Dice, dump, stir — voila!

First, he dices bits of pork in cubes so perfect they look as if they've been lifted from a geometry textbook.

He and his assistant continue knifing with abandon, "brunoise-ing" the soup's components with meticulous precision. I want to string the finely diced onion, celery and leek on a gold chain, and wear them around my neck. His vegetables are that stunning. (And I'm that in love with jewelry.)

"First, over high heat, we render the bacon's fat," Benno says, stirring bits of pork in the sauce pot. "I made my own clam stock for this chowder but feel free to buy the bottled kind. And you don't have to use haddock. Smoked trout, even smoked salmon, would work well."

Substitutions are allowed! Good for those of us on a budget.

"But," he cautioned, with what felt a lot like a stern look, "do not use low-fat milk in place of the heavy cream and whole milk. You need that texture, flavor and mouth feel."

Aha! Now we're getting somewhere. A little insight. A little pearl of wisdom, gained through years of experience. The best chefs, after all, have logged countless hours in the kitchen. And, to a man (or woman), they'll tell you nothing teaches you more than having produced a winning dish over and over — except, perhaps, producing a losing dish. (Though that should only ever happen once.)

By now, our chowder is bubbling, and the Beard House kitchen smells incredible: bacon, simmering onions and Mamma's herb garden. I grab a spoon and go in for a taste. The flavors are deep and indulgent, without being overwhelming.

The smokiness of the bacon and haddock is intoxicating. The texture is lush and silky.

"Are you ready for the next dish?" Benno asks me, pulling out an unusual-looking, silver contraption.

Bring it on, I think, ready to add another yummy and easy-to-prepare staple to my repertoire.

"Now, we'll make Forest Mushroom Agnolotti With Rainbow Swiss Chard, Red Wine-Braised Oxtail and Shaved Ubriaco Cheese." I look down at the recipe — it's 5½ pages long. "And," he adds, "the oxtails stew for eight hours."

I'll always have my chowder.