Dave Hill Flaunts His Saucy Style

Dave Hill can spot a sauce made with prefab ingredients simply by inhaling.

“I went into this place and was impressed that they served something with a demiglace, but when it was served I could smell the Knorr (a prepared stock base),” said Hill, part owner and chef at Hill’s Someplace Else in downtown Spokane.

Making stock from scratch might seem impossibly time-consuming, but Hill said the results are rewarding.

“Anybody can make a demiglace at home,” he said. “All you need is 5 pounds of bones from the butcher that you roast and then simmer with veggies and seasoning. Once you reduce it down, you can put it in an ice cube tray and freeze it, so you’ll always have it on hand.”

Hill came by his sauce savvy at the country’s most respected cooking school, the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. His ability to blend flavors from around the world in his menus comes from life experience. While he was growing up, his hotelier father worked in Singapore, Hong Kong, London and Tehran.

After finishing culinary school in 1981, Hill teamed up with highly regarded chefs in Houston and stayed there for eight years.

“They were extremely generous and I learned a lot,” Hill said.

He later moved to Seattle, where he worked at Kaspar’s and at the Hyatt in Bellevue before returning to Spokane (he was born here) with his father to reopen the Davenport Hotel.

“Of course, we all know that didn’t happen,” he said.

Hill worked at Patsy Clark’s for a couple of years before opening his own place in downtown Spokane along with his father, Jim, and brother, Steve.

His creations run the gamut from classic French preparations - a duck breast with a green peppercornstudded demiglace - to comforting pasta dishes with handmade noodles. There are also Tex-Mex, Malaysian and Creole influences. (An Indonesian satay is on the same menu as a shrimp creole.) But Hill likes to test his customers’ willingness to experiment with some of his daily specials.

“That’s where I might try out a strange idea I have,” he said. “I can get people to try just about anything, except for the time I put on an oyster quesadilla.”

It sounded interesting: pan-fried oysters tucked into a corn tortilla with smoked mozzarella and topped with guacamole. But it just sat there.

One creative endeavor Hill never has trouble selling is his series of special brewers’ dinners. A selection of beers from a regional microbrewery is featured during the four-course meal, with each course conceived to bring out the best qualities of the accompanying suds. Hill aims for the perfect food-beer match by using some of the brew in his recipes.

“It’s a great flavoring agent,” he said. “Some of the dark beers like the porter are great in marinades. I once used a barley wine ale when I made a pecan pie filling. The nice thing about beer is that you can really taste it in the food.”

Beyond how the food tastes, Hill is a stickler for presentation. His dishes are often decorated with fresh flowers or elaborately cut vegetables. The rim of another plate might be sprinkled with cracked black pepper or fresh herbs.

“It’s all part of the creative process,” Hill said.

Porter Venison With Porcini Mushroom Sauce

Making demiglace from scratch is a time-consuming process, but Hill says it makes all the difference in the finished dish.

4 tablespoons shallots, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons cracked peppercorns

1 juniper berry (available in spice sections in larger supermarkets or specialty food stores)

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup porter (such as Sierra Nevada)

1 pound venison (or beef)

2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms

1 cup beef demiglace (see note)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine 2 tablespoons of the shallots, the thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, juniper berry, salt, 2 tablespoons oil and the beer in a large bowl. Place venison in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, remove meat and set aside. Discard the bay leaf and juniper berry. Soak the porcini mushrooms in the marinade until soft. Remove and chop coarsely. Set aside.

In a saucepot, heat remaining 1 tablespoon of canola oil and saute the remaining 2 tablespoons shallots (do not brown) for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and slowly saute the mixture for about 1 minute.

Add marinade to the pan and bring to a boil; reduce the mixture by half. Add the demiglace and simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add unsalted butter and whisk.

Grill or broil venison 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Slice the meat at an angle, across the grain, and divide among 2 plates. Top with sauce, garnish with fresh flowers or herbs (if desired) and serve with your favorite vegetables and starch.

Yield: 2 servings.

Note: To make demiglace, roast 5 pounds of beef bones in a 400-degree oven for 20-30 minutes, until they begin to brown. Place in a large stockpot and add chopped carrot, onion and celery, along with a few bay leaves, peppercorns and a couple of tablespoons tomato paste. Cover with water and slowly simmer the mixture for 2 days (yes, days), adding more water as necessary. Strain liquid into another pot, bring to a boil and reduce by half. Unused demiglace can be frozen for future use.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: Chef du Jour is a monthly feature of IN Food that profiles area chefs and provides one of their recipes for readers to try at home.