Patsy’s Chef Started At Early Age
Patsy Clark’s executive chef Michael Scroggie fell in love with cooking when he was in the seventh grade.
“My mom was a working mother so she taught us how to make a lot of different things,” said Scroggie. Mexican food was his favorite.
Still, it wasn’t until he had been in college for a couple of years - studying photojournalism - that he decided to pursue his passion professionally.
With his family’s urging, he enrolled in Spokane Community College’s culinary arts program.
Right away, he got a job at the Coeur d’Alene Greyhound Park’s restaurant and then, after working his way through every station there, landed a position at the prestigious Beverly’s at The Coeur d’Alene Resort.
“There were times when I was cooking 15 or 16 hours a day,” Scroggie said.
He came to Patsy’s several years ago as sous chef at the historic Spokane mansion and later moved up when the executive chef left a little more than a year ago.
Throughout Scroggie’s training, a few important lessons left a large impression:
Making sauces and stocks from scratch may be more time consuming, but the results are palate-pleasing.
Using top-quality, sharp knives makes the not-so-glamorous job of chopping less of a chore.
Don’t overcook food. Learn to tell when meat is done by touch (it should feel firm) or invest in a pocket-sized meat thermometer.
And, finally, use some creativity to come up with interesting flavor combinations. “I remember when it clicked, when I figured out what flavors worked well together, everything seemed to fall into place after that,” he said.
Scroggie is a big proponent of throwing together different cuisines from around the world, a practice sometimes called fusion cooking.
“I love Southwest cooking and Mexican and Asian. I play with that on the nightly fresh sheet,” he said.
Examples of his creative combinations include enchiladas stuffed with venison and smoked mozzarella, and a seafood saute with marlin, salmon, calamari steak and halibut finished in a cilantro-spiked chili broth and served with an Asian risotto. He takes an Italian classic like the arborio rice dish and adds such Oriental flavors as ginger, shiitake mushrooms, cilantro and coriander.
Sometimes, when he’s looking for inspiration, Scroggie flips through a cooking magazine just to study the mouthwatering pictures.
“I might not even look at the ingredients of a dish, but try to come up with my own version of it,” he said. “It’s rewarding when it works and diners let you know how much they enjoyed their meal. That’s what makes cooking so gratifying.”
Breast of Chicken with Mushrooms, Caramelized Garlic and Goat Cheese
This recipe from Patsy Clark’s menu transforms a simple chicken dish into something elegant and flavorful.
1 bulb elephant garlic, peeled
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 cups fresh mushrooms, chopped (you can use a combination of exotic mushrooms, such as shiitake or portobello, with button mushrooms)
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup bread crumbs
4 large chicken breasts, with skin
1 medium onion, chopped
8 ounces chicken broth, homemade or canned
4 teaspoons goat cheese
In a small saucepan over medium high heat, cook peeled garlic in the olive oil until golden brown. Drain garlic on paper towels and reserve oil. After the garlic has cooled, finely chop it.
In a saucepan on medium high heat, saute mushrooms and sage in the butter. Cook about 7 minutes or until moisture has evaporated. Add pinch of salt and pepper and the bread crumbs. Add chopped elephant garlic. Cool this mixture.
Stuff the chicken breasts by placing the mushroom mixture between the skin and the meat.
Heat reserved olive oil in a skillet large enough to accommodate the chicken breasts. Brown both sides over medium high heat, about 5 minutes per side.
Transfer the chicken to a cookie sheet and bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven until fully cooked, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the sauce by draining all but 1 tablespoon of the olive oil from the skillet. Cook the chopped onion until golden brown. Add chicken broth and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Top each breast with about 1 teaspoon of goat cheese. Pour sauce over the top and serve.
Yield: 4 servings.
, 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.