Cook Like A Great Chef, At Home

For most home cooks, preparing a fine meal can be a daunting experience. But award-winning cookbook author and chef Charlie Palmer's cookbooks make fine cooking accessible to all home chefs.

His latest, "Charlie Palmer's Practical Guide to the New American Kitchen," happens to be the first-ever waterproof cookbook.

Palmer is not only a talented chef, but an impressive businessman. He has a string of nine restaurants in four states, and it reflects his focus on modern American cuisine.

Palmer visited The Early Show Thursday as part of its weeklong "Culinary Inspirations" series.

He writes in the introduction of the new book that his kitchen life is built on "rambunctious, intense flavors, unexpected combinations, and substantial portions," a style he calls "progressive American cooking." The book reveals his mix of French training with his very American upbringing.

Palmer's food philosophy embraces three things: the importance of seasonal and quality ingredients, enhancing and never masking the flavor of an ingredient, and the arrangement of a finished dish. He says people "eat" with their eyes long before they actually eat the food.

The book provides easy tips, including great wine pairings for every meal. It takes into account how home cooks really cook, and the challenges they face in the kitchen. The book covers basic cooking technique terms as well as basic tools you use should own in your kitchen.

It's the first-ever waterproof cookbook, made of a specially-coated paper that is sauce-proof, waterproof and splatter-proof. Just think of all the times you're cooking and you drop oil or sauce on your pages. No need to worry about that with this book!

On The Early Show Thursday, Palmer prepared beer-braised short ribs. It's simple, but delicious. All his food is delicious and unfussy.

RECIPES

Pulled Pork Sandwiches
+ Mango Salsa
+ Fennel and Celery Root Slaw
+ Potato Salad
Gretchen from the Sierra Highlands
a plummy and jammy Rhone-style red

Since not all holiday gatherings happen indoors, here's a free-wheeling menu with components that can all be prepared in advance so you don't spend most of your time running in and out of the kitchen. The potato salad and slaw can handle a night in the refrigerator. When it comes to the pulled pork, take your choice: Make it the same day and keep it warm, or prepare it days earlier to reheat when you need it.

Appetizer Suggestions: Gazpacho

Dessert Suggestions: Napoleon

Pork + Mango Salsa

FOR THE PORK

1 pork butt (about 8 lb)
10 cloves garlic, halved
1 onion, diced
2 T vegetable oil
1 T ground cumin
2 t Turkish red pepper flakes
1/2 c honey
2 c fresh orange juice
2 c coffee (or 4 shots of espresso)
1 1/2 c ketchup
1 c (packed) brown sugar
1 c red wine vinegar
2 T tomato paste
1 T dry mustard

FOR THE SALSA

2 mangos, peeled and diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
3 T fresh lime juice
1 t minced fresh jalapeno
1 c chopped fresh cilantro

PORK

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Pierce the pork all over with the tip of a paring knife, then insert pieces of garlic into the slits. Put the pork on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and roast for 2 hours longer.

Take out the pork but leave the oven on. Let the pork stand until cool enough to handle, which will take a good half-hour. Now simply pull the pork apart (it should shred easily) and set aside until the sauce is ready. Don't toss the roasted garlic — put it in with the shredded meat.

While the pork is roasting and cooling, make a sauce.

In a stockpot, sweat the onions in the oil over medium heat along with the cumin and red pepper flakes; cook for a few minutes, just until the onions begin to wilt. Stir in the honey and cook for 5 to 7 minutes longer, stirring occasionally; the honey will start to caramelize, darkening in color. Add the orange juice and bring to a bare simmer. Add the coffee, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, tomato paste and mustard, whisking to blend. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes to let all the flavors come together.

Mix the pork into the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven to slowly stew for 45 minutes. Check and stir occasionally; if the sauce starts to cook dry, add a little more coffee or a few spoonfuls of water.

SALSA

Mix the mangos with the onion, lime juice and jalapeno, and season with salt and pepper. Wait to add the cilantro until just before serving, otherwise the acids will wilt it and darken it.

+ Fennel and Celery Root Slaw

2 heads fennel, trimmed of fronds and halved
2 medium celery roots, peeled
1 carrot, peeled and grated

2 c white wine vinegar
1 1/2 granulated salt
1 T salt
1 1/2 c mayonnaise

Thinly slice the fennel with the aid of a mandoline and put in a shallow bowl.

Finely julienne the celery root (also with a mandoline) and add it to the bowl. Add the carrots.

Mix together the vinegar, sugar and salt and pour over the vegetables; stir to combine. Place plastic wrap directly over the vegetables and press it down to keep them submerged in the marinade. Let stand at room temperature for 6 hours, or refrigerate overnight.

Drain the vegetables, then wrap them in a big kitchen towel and squeeze all excess moisture out of them.

Place the vegetables on a cutting board, through them several times, then place in a bowl.

Mix in the mayonnaise, season with salt and white pepper, and refrigerate

+ Potato Salad

6 large Idaho potatoes
1/4 c red wine vinegar
6 strips bacon, chopped
1 white onion, diced
1 T Dijon mustard
1 c mayonnaise
1/2 milk
5 large hard cooked eggs, sliced Large buns of choice

Place the potatoes in a pot, add cold water to cover and bring to a simmer. Cook the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are just fork-tender.

Drain the potatoes and let cool until easy to handle. Peel the potatoes, then cut them into large chunks, dropping them into a bowl as you go. Sprinkle the vinegar over the warm potatoes so they absorb it and take up its flavor. Set aside to cool.

Line a plate with paper towels. Render the bacon in a sauté pan until crisp, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to the prepared plate. Add the onion to the pan and sweat in the rendered bacon fat over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and ender but not mushy. Add the bacon and onions to the potatoes.

Whisk together the mustard, mayo, and milk, and mix into the potatoes. Season the salad and fold in the sliced hard-cooked eggs at the very end to avoid beating them up too much.

, go to Page 2.Crisp-Skinned Salmon

+Lemon-Dill Cream
+Roasted Cauliflower, Capers & Radicchio
Pinot Noir from Sonoma
something with a light floral hint or either violets or rose petals

It might hit that coveted under-30-minute mark, but there's nothing slapdash about this meal. You need to follow the recipe precisely in order to get the salmon skin perfectly crisp. (Many people find salmon objectionable when it isn't, because the skin is so thick and can turn out tough and flabby if not rendered properly.) Those who think cauliflower is more punishment than pleasure are bound to be surprised by the flavor difference stovetop roasting makes — the buttery florets turn out toothsome and tender with no boiling or steaming required.

APPETIZER SUGGESTION: Potato-leek soup

DESSERT SUGGESTION: Croissant French toast

Salmon + Cream

FOR THE LEMON-DILL CREAM
1 c crème fraiche
1 T chopped fresh dill
1 T snipped chives
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

FOR THE SALMON
Vegetable oil
2 (6-oz) salmon fillets about 1 1/2 inches thick with skin on

LEMON-DILL CREAM

Using whisk, whip the crème fraiche to medium-stiff peaks, then fold in the dill, chives, and lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and white pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

SALMON

Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Line a plate with paper towels.

Film the bottom of nonstick sauté pan with oil and heat over high heat until it just begins to smoke. Season the fillets with salt and pepper and place them skin-side down in the pan. Shake the pan to let oil flow under the skin. Cook over high heat until the edges of the skin begin to brown, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 3 minutes longer, giving the pan a gentle shake now and then. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook the fillets for another 5 minutes (don't burn them).

Take the fillets out of the oven, turn them with a fish spatula, and transfer them to the prepared plate to drain.

+Roasted Cauliflower, Capers and Radicchio

1 1.2 T unsalted butter
3 c cauliflower florets
1 T capers, drained
1/2 head radicchio, cut crosswise into thick strips.

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and sauté lightly, coating the florets in the butter. Continue to cook, tossing frequently, until the cauliflower is lightly browned and tender, about 7 minutes. Add the capers, then season with salt and white pepper to taste.

Toss in the radicchio and sauté, shaking the pan, just until the radicchio wilts.

MIXED BERRY COBBLER
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup cold, unsalted butter cut into cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk plus more for brushing tops of biscuits

For the filling
5 pt mixed berries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
and vanilla ice cream (optional)

Biscuit Dough
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl an stir several times to mix. Using a pastry blender or two table knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir the eggs into the buttermilk, then slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring with a fork just until the dough comes together. Be careful not to overmix the dough or the biscuits will be heavy and sodden.

On a lightly floured surface, pan the dough out about one inch thick. With a round cutter of the same diameter as the baking dishes you're using, cut out 6 rounds of the dough. Press the cutter down straight and decisively. Don't twist it — this will seal the edges of the dough and the biscuits won't rise properly.

Filling
Mix together the berries, sugar, flour and lemon juice. Divide the filling evenly among 6 individual baking dishes. Place a round of biscuit dough on top of each one, brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake the cobblers until the biscuits are golden brown and firm and you can see the berry juice bubbling up underneath, about 20 minutes.

To Serve:
Serve topped with a scoop of ice cream if desired.

CROISSANT FRENCH TOAST
For the Apples
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out and reserved
2 cups maple syrup

For the French Toast
9 day-old croissants
6 large eggs
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 shot whiskey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
and...
3 cups whipped cream
Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Apples:
Melt the butter in a large skillet and brown it lightly over high heat. Add the apple slices and the vanilla pod and seeds and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes; the apples should be lightly colored but not yet completely tender. Add the maple syrup to the pan and sauté for 4 minutes longer, tossing frequently to coat the apples completely. Remove the vanilla pod.

French Toast:
Halve the croissants as if you were making sandwiches. Whisk together the eggs, cream, whiskey, and cinnamon, and pour over the mixture into a large shallow pan. Immerse the croissant halves in the liquid and let them soak for a few minutes, then flip them over and soak them for another minute.

Melt two tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the croissants, a few at a time, until golden on both sides, adding more butter as necessary. As they're cooked, put the croissants in a shallow pan loosely tented with aluminum foil to keep them warm.

To serve:
Place two pieces of French Toast on each plate. Top with sautéed apples, drizzling warm maple syrup around the plate. Spoon a good dollop of whipped cream over the apples and cover with another piece of French toast. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve immediately.

For more recipes, go to page 3.Veal Schnitzel

+Warm Caper Vinaigrette
+Red Bliss Potato and Mache Salad
Chardonnay from Napa
Faintly oaky, light and fresh

Wienerschnitzel, a classic Austrian dish, call for a scallop of veal tenderize by pounding it thin. (At the restaurant, when pounding out the veal, we position it on the portion of the work table directly over one of the legs--the sturdiest part of the table.) To keep this meal traditional without tipping over into boring, the customary sides of potato salad and lemon slices are updated: Red Bliss potatoes are tossed with mache (small tender leaves also called "field salad" or "lamb's lettuce"), and a warm citrus dressing in the style of a vinaigrette sauces both the veal and the salad.

APPETIZER SUGGESTION: Oysters

DESSERT SUGGESTION: Poundcake

Veal + Vinaigrette

For the veal

Extra-virgin olive oil
4 Veal loin cutlets (about 5 oz each)
4 large eggs
1 T Dijon mustard
3 c all-purpose flour
3 c dried bread crumbs

Vegetable oil

For the vinaigrette
3 T unsalted butter
1/4 c capers, drained
1 c Italian parsley leaves
1 lemon segments cut from membranes

Veal

Place a 12-inch square of plastic wrap on a sturdy work surface. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of oil onto the plastic and set a portion of veal directly on it, then drizzle on another spoonful of oil and cover the meat with a second piece of plastic wrap. Gently pound the cutlet with a wooden mallet until it is about 1/4-inch thick all over. Flip the cutlet over halfway through the process to produce an even thickness. Repeat with the remaining cutlets.

Whisk together the eggs and mustard in a bowl. Put the flour in a bowl and the bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Line them up: flour, then egg, then crumbs. Dip a cutlet in the flour, pat off any excess, then dip in the egg, coating it completely. Pick up the cutlet by one edge and hold it over the dish for a few seconds so any excess egg drips off, then dredge the cutlet in bread crumbs. Repeat with the remaining veal. Refrigerate the cutlets until ready to cook.

Pour about 1/2 inch of oil into a large sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat until it registers 320 degrees Fahrenheit on a deep-fat thermometer, or until bread crumbs flicked into the oil sizzle right up instead of sinking.

One by one, fry the cutlets crisp, cooking them about 2 minutes per side. If the breading browns too quickly, or starts turning blotchy instead of an even golden brown, the oil is too hot; reduce the heat and wait for it to cool a bit before continuing. Transfer the cutlets to a platter or pan lined with paper towels and keep warm in a 200 degrees Fahrenheit oven. Don't stack the cooked cutlets or they'll get steamy and lose that all-important crispiness.

VINAIGRETTE

When the last cutlet is fried, melt the butter in a medium sauté pan and cook until golden, swirling the pan as the butter colors (otherwise the milk solids will fall to the bottom of the pan and burn). Sprinkle in the capers and sizzle them around for a minute. Add the lemon segments and toss just until heated through — too much cooking and they'll fall apart.

TO SERVE

Remove the pan from the heat and season with a few cracks of pepper; stir in the parsley, which will wilt on contact. Arrange the cutlets on top of the potatoes, spoon the warm vinaigrette over everything, and serve immediately.

+Red Bliss Potato and Mache Salad

1 1/2 lb. Red Bliss potatoes, scrubbed clean and quartered
4 c mache Extra-virgin olive oil

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water just until tender; 7 to 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes, then spread them in a shallow pan to cool slightly. When they stop steaming, drizzle them with olive oil and season with salt and white pepper.

Toss together the still-warm potatoes and the mache, and spread the salad on a large platter. (when you add the mache, the potatoes should be slightly above room temperature — not refrigerator-cold. If you cooked them in advance, warm them in a microwave before adding the greens.)

Guinness Braised Short Ribs

+ Orange-Scented Tomato Compote
+ Grain-Mustard Mashed Potatoes
*Cabernet from the Napa Valley floor
complex, big and bold

There are two styles of short ribs: flanken, cut across the bone, and English, cut parallel to and between the bones, producing the more rustic-looking rib used in this menu. However they're cut, short ribs should be cooked for so long that the meat practically slides off the bone. To offset the creaminess of the meat, the tomato compote is freshened with orange zest and Italian parsley, and piquant whole-grain mustard is mashed into the potatoes. (one of the best formulas for home-cooking I know: Meat + Potatoes = Happiness.)

APPETIZER SUGGESTION: Beets

DESSERT SUGGESTION: Pecan tart

(!) Short Ribs

4 short ribs, English cut
2 (14.9-oz) cans Guinness Zest and juice of 1 orange (about 1/2 cup juice)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed
2 branches fresh rosemary, bruised with the back of a chef's knife
3 bay leaves
1 t whole black peppercorns
All-purpose flour
3 T vegetable oil

TO MARINATE THE RIBS

Place the ribs bone-side up in a shallow nonreactive container (such as a casserole dish) in which they fit comfortably in a single layer. Combine the Guinness, orange zest and juice, onion, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves and peppercorns and pour this marinade over the short ribs. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days.

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, bring the marinade slowly to a boil, skimming off impurities that rise to the top. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

When the ribs are browned on all sides, pour the marinade over them and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and braise the ribs in the oven until fork-tender, about 2 hours.

TO COOK THE RIBS

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the ribs from the marinade and pat them dry with paper towels. Dust the ribs with flour, shaking off the excess. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, Dutch oven (if you don't have a big enough pot, sear the ribs in batches). When the oil is hot, add the ribs, searing them well on all sides.

Let the ribs cool in a bit in the sauce (when they're this hot they'll fall apart if you mess with them much), then transfer them to a serving dish and cover with a foil to keep warm. Strain the sauce into a medium saucepan and skim off most of the fat. Bring the sauce to a boil and adjust the seasoning before pouring it over the ribs.

+Orange-Scented Tomato Compote

1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced on a mandoline
1 T extra-virgin olive oil. Zest of 1 orange
1 (28-oz) can San Marzano Italian plum tomatoes, drained. Handful of Italian parsley leaves

In a small sauté pan over low heat, sweat the shallot in the oil with a pinch of salt for 1 minute. Stir in the orange zest. Add the tomatoes and toss gently. Season with salt and pepper, and cook just until the tomatoes are hot. Remove the pan from the heat and wilt the parsley.

+Grain-Mustard Mashed Potatoes

4 large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 lb) peeled and cut into large chunks
4 T cold unsalted butter
1 c milk, heated
1/4 c grain mustard

Place the potatoes in a large sauce pan and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear; drain. Add fresh cold water to cover the potatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook until tender about 10 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and let stand until they stop steaming. Return them to the pan over low heat and mash in the butter with a large spoon; the potatoes should fall apart readily. Mix in the milk and the mustard. Season with salt and white pepper.