Brightest Young Things

At the end of 2008 Susan Watterson and Susan Holt opened up CulinAerie, a new cooking school right off Scott Circle. Their intent was to offer the very best in food, wine and beverage instruction on the heart of the city.

CulinAerie has recieved a lot of attention for their instructor Carla Hall, a contestant on this season's Top Chef whose "hooootie hooo" call could forever change grocery shopping. While I'm kicking myself for taking Carla off my fantasy roster, I'm elated to hear that she surprised her husband and stepson with those Super Bowl tickets at a Top Chef viewing party at Good Stuff Eatery.

But really, Carla is just part of a hugely diverse team of instructors CulinAerie has pulled together. Other instructors include Derek Brown of Hummingbird to Mars and the Gibson; Tim Carman, food columnist for the City Paper; and Ris Lacoste, formerly of 1789 and about to open her own Ris over by GW. Impressive and inspiring group of people.

You know what you didn't know about CulinAerie? They offer Iron Chef competitions. Two teams compete against each other, secret ingredient and all!

To give more insight into her school, advice to novices and experts and her own food story, founder Susan Watterson gave her time for a BYT interview. She was even generous enough to give an easy recipe for your next cocktail party (or Super Bowl party where you watch the Steelers win).

Q&A

What was your inspiration behind Culinaerie? Why was the location important?

My business partner Susan Holt and I both have culinary education in our backgrounds and we both find teaching to be the most rewarding aspect of a career in the culinary arts.  As residents of Washington, DC we felt it was time for our food-conscious city to have a cooking school of its own, where locals can explore their passion for food and cooking.  And it is nothing short of a passion!

What do you think Culinaerie offers to the young cooks and those who are totally aimless in the kitchen?

CulinAerie targets an urban audience, both corporate and individual.  We offer a series of classes taught by a variety of instructorscalled SolitAeries: Cooking for Singletons and Empty Nesters which targets the urbanite with a sophisticated palate - gleaned from eating out in Washington's abundant restaurants - who wants to replicate the experience at home on a small scale.  We also regularly run a series called NecessAeries: Cooking Basics with this season's Top Chef contender Carla Hall.  Carla creates simple yet elegant menus that even the least kitchen-savvy can replicate.  Plus we offer workshops on topics like pasta or knife skills or sauces designed to target a specific area of interest for anyone from the uninitiated on up.

You have some really interesting programs and classes, tell us about a few of them. Your lunchtime lectures and your "Cooking for One" series look great, as do your cocktail classes.

We're really excited about our team of instructors.  We have a wide variety of teachers with all types of experience: Mexican, French, Spanish, Moroccan, Persian and Indian to name a few.  CulinAerie covers topics from cake decorating to cocktails, wine tastings to  tapas.  We take the approach that food touches everyone's life is one way or the other: it is good health, hospitality, entertainment, art, science and sustenance.  Our faculty reflects this belief in their diverse approaches to the subject.

I saw you offer "Iron Chef" parties, these sound amazing. How does this work?

The Iron Chef competitions bring the "food as sport" angle into the kitchen.  We've noticed how many armchair chefs there are these days: people who don't actually cook but are addicted to watching cooking shows on TV.  Our amateur Iron Chef competitions allow the cooks to step up and shine as Chef and Sous Chefs for their team and leaves the onlookers to become their cheering section.  That way everyone gets to participate on a level that's comfortable for them.  We give the Chefs of both teams a "secret"ingredient and he or she (plus his or her sous chefs) need to create a dish or two from that ingredient.  The teams can provide their own judges for the competition or we can provide judges for them.  CulinAerie produces a buffet for the guests to enjoy while the Chefs work their magic in the kitchen.  It's really a lot of fun for everyone involved and a friendly way to take on the competition, whether that's the department across the hall or the rival school across the street.

If you were helping someone set up a pantry, what are the essentials?

You can go a long way with just a few basic things: oil, vinegar (or preferably a small variety of both), sugar, flour, a dried fruit and nut or two (nice to liven up anything from scones to salads), some spices, vanilla, a few indispensable flavoring agents such as soy sauce, mustard, tabasco, canned plum tomatoes.  Don't forget some last-minute carbs: rice(s), beans, pasta and the like - good for a quick supper mixed with last night's leftovers.  And don't forget: there'll be a few things in the fridge as well!

What kitchen tools do you consider essential?

My hands, first and foremost: you can do an awful lot of things with just your hands (strainer, egg separator, rolling pin, etc.), they are always available and easy to clean.  Next, a good chef's knife is indispensable, a plane zester for citrus/garlic/ginger, a mandoline (if you're that kind of person) and a Kitchen Aid mixer if you're a bit spoiled.

If you could recommend one cookbook for someone learning their way around the kitchen, what would it be?

You know, I always fall back on my old (circa early 1980's) Joy of Cooking - if I ever got stranded and needed to know h0w to cook a  squirrel or possum I'd be prepared.  But I could also correct my lopsided cake or uneven-textured muffin from the same source. That's covering a lot of territory.  But I'm old-fashioned I guess and quite honestly I don't look at cookbooks all that often anymore. I hear Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything is very good. (ed. I love his How to Cook Everything Vegetarian)

What's one thing every person should know how to make?

A vinaigrette: it's endlessly versatile in terms of flavor and can be used as sauce, salad dressing and marinade.  No preservatives, no unnatural anything.

Where's your favorite place to eat or who is your favorite chef in the city?

Arrggh: that's always a tough question because it completely depends on what I feel like eating on any given day. Sometimes I just want a burger (Palena, DC Coast) or a pizza (Two Amys, Sorriso).  Other times I'm in the mood to fine dine (Citronelle, Palena again) or I just crave something ethnic (Thai Tanic, Rasika).  As to favorite chefs: there are many in DC.  I particularly admire Pete Pastan of Obelisk for making absolutely everything from scratch and of course Michel Richard for his ingenuity with food but there are many, many other creative and talented chefs in this area.

Would you mind sharing with our readers an easy recipe to make for a cocktail party or a potluck?

I'm including my recipe for Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs.  They are very easy, a bit unusual and every time I make them as an hors dloeuvres for one of our private events at CulinAerie they get raves.  They make a big impression with only a few ingredients but the key is to cut the eggs in quarters; don't leave them in halves.  A nibble or two is all you need.

Ingredients:                  

6 eggs

1 smoked trout

1 stalk celery, finely minced

half a large onion, finely minced

2-4 Tbs mayonnaise

salt and pepper

 

Directions:

1. Place eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water.

2. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat and cook at a simmer for 12-15 minutes.  Rinse eggs under cold water.

3. Peel eggs, halve them and scoop out the yolks.  Place yolks in bowl; crumble trout into bowl and stir in celery and onion.

4. Add the lesser quantity of mayonnaise and stir to combine.  Add more mayonnaise if needed and salt and pepper.

5. Quarter the empty egg whites.  Spoon mixture back into egg quarters and serve.