Fine dining is easy to do at home

LEHI — To bring the flavor of fine dining into your home, just give the food the freedom to be what it is.

According to Market Street Grill chef Ty Fredrickson, that's really the secret.

"Try to let the food be what it is," Fredrickson said at a recent cooking class at Thanksgiving Point's Emporium Kitchen.

Fredrickson said that includes tossing aged spices like pepper and oil.

He suggests using sea salt without iodine — iodine gives salt a bitter flavor — and freshly ground pepper.

"Black pepper lasts about nine months. After that, it loses sweetness. We throw ours away after one week," he said.

Fresh basil and fresh parsley, cut coarsely and added to a recipe, enhance the natural flavors, he said.

He also recommended roasting garlic cloves in a cup of oil and storing them in the refrigerator until needed in a recipe.

The oil of choice is canola because it has a high flash point and is neutral in flavor. "Stay away from palm oils and never cook with extra-virgin olive oil," he said.

Asparagus should be blanched for 90 seconds and then shocked in ice water for good color and crispness, he said. The same for green beans. Blanched vegetables then only need to be warmed before serving.

Fredrickson shared a number of recipes during the class, all the while emphasizing that the quality of ingredient, the freshness and the care given to the ingredients make all the difference.

"People will say, 'He doesn't act like he cares about the recipe.' I don't. I care about the food,'" Fredrickson said.

He featured several seafood entrees. One is for shrimp scampi made with Heinz 57 Steak Sauce:

Shrimp Scampi

1 lb. or 12 medium-size frozen shrimp — butterflied

1 tablespoon canola oil

3 crushed cloves of garlic (roasted in oil )

1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Heinz 57 Steak Sauce

1/4 cup beef gravy/2 tablespoons of dry gravy mix with 1/4 cup water

1/4 cup soft butter

1 teaspoon black pepper, cracked

1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

In a heavy saute pan over medium heat, place tablespoon of oil and heat for 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook on one side for two minutes. Add garlic, turn shrimp over, and cook for one minute. Add steak sauce and beef gravy and cook for one minute. Add basil, pepper, parsley and butter. Cook 30 seconds. Serve over cooked pasta or rice.

Another is for a crab cake that doesn't fall apart but uses real crab, not Krab ("If it's spelled with a K, it's not crab.") pieces:

Crab Cakes

1/4 cup melted butter

2 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 oz. lemon juice 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon paprika

pinch of salt