Staten Island Advance (New York)
Copyright 2007 Advance Publications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — It wasn’t too long ago that Firefighter Rett Blandenship of the Dallas Fire Dept. flipped open an envelope inviting him to compete in the fourth annual national Cook & Ladder Competition staged each year in Manhattan.
So, what does he do?
Sure enough, Blandenship packs his smoker, heats it up for the New York audience and takes home the title of “America’s Hottest Firehouse Cook” - from right under the noses of the Northeast’s most talented firehouse cooks.
Fans on hand to get a whiff of the Dallas firefighter’s skills say he was well equipped to “trade in his turnout coat and Scott pack for an apron and spice rack to make his favorite recipe, Southwest Glazed Rack of Lamb With Smoky Grits.”
His experience in cooking for his fellow firefighters prepared Blandenship for the threat he expected in competing against the culinary talents of nine other firefighters from around the country.
FIREHOUSE BEST
With the support of colleagues from their own firehouses, the 10 contestant cooked up their own versions of fiery concoctions during the morning-long competition at the Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School) in midtown Manhattan.
For his efforts, the award-winning firefighter earned a $10,000 grand prize.
The best of the runners-up were two New England firefighters. Bill Maddalena of the Berlin Fire Dept. in Berlin, N.H., took home the second place prize of $5,000 for his unique Twisted Brownie Sundae, while James Coppinger who is with the Framingham Fire Dept., in Framingham, Mass., scored third for his creative Barn Burning Baked Catfish Wrapped in Bacon.
“I’m thrilled,” said Blankenship when the cooking smoke had cleared. “It was a wonderful opportunity to come to New York and cook with 10 of the nation’s best firehouse cooks. And I’m honored to be able to contribute half of the prize money to my firehouse.
BUILDING WEB SITE
The remaining portion of the cash award will be used by Blankenship for renovations in his Dallas home. Meanwhile, his firehouse will use its share of the prize to launch the first-ever Web site for a Dallas firehouse.
The contestants had prepared their dishes for a judging panel made up of Paul McIlhenny, president and CEO of McIlhenny Co. and fourth generation of the McIlhenny family - makers of Tabasco brand products; Mario Batali, chef/owner of Babbo/Lupa/Otto/Esca/del Posto restaurants in Manhattan; Fran Carpentier, senior editor of Parade magazine; Michael Schwartz, chef/instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, and Leroy Fernandez, a Park City, Utah firefighter who was the grand prize winner in 2004.
It isn’t necessary to have a smoker when preparing his recipe, says Blandenship. He offers the option of roasting the glazed rack of lamb in the oven, if a smoker isn’t available.
SOUTHWEST GLAZED RACK OF LAMB WITH SMOKY GRITS
(Serves 4)
2 serrano peppers, quartered lengthwise and seeded
1 small tomato, quartered
1/2 small onion
4 slices prosciutto, about 5-by-5-inches each
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons cilantro
1tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon whole cumin seed
1 teaspoon hot habanero sauce, such as Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup cream
2 teaspoon chipotle pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
1/2 cup quick grits
1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke (only if smoker is not an option)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 rack of lamb, French cut with 8 to 10 ribs, about 1 1/2 pounds
1/4 cup finely crushed yellow and blue tortilla chips
Preheat oven or smoker to 425 degrees.
Smoke serranos, tomato and onion with your favorite wood chips for 20 minutes, and then remove from smoker and allow to cool. If a smoker is not available, then roast in oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until edges of vegetables start to blacken.
While serrano, tomato and onion are smoking, arrange the slices of prosciutto in cups of a muffin tin to form small bowls; place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
In a small bowl, combine molasses, mustard, brown sugar, chili powder, cilantro, cumin seed, habanero sauce, cinnamon and ground cloves. Mix well with a fork and set aside.
Cut fat layer on top of the lamb in a crisscross pattern. Put the lamb in a small roasting rack and then in roasting pan and place in the oven for about 15 minute, or until it has browned somewhat and the juices begin to run. Then remove from oven and spread molasses mixture over the top and place back in the oven at a reduced temperature of 400 degrees. Do not overcook. Use a meat thermometer and adjust time, if necessary, to insure that the rack is served rare to medium rare. Remove rack from oven and spoon excess juice over the rack.
While the lamb is in the oven, peel the skin off the tomato and place along with the serrano and onion in a blender or food processor; puree. Combine puree, broth, cream, and chipotle sauce in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil. Add grits and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until done. Fold in cheese until well mixed.
Put even amounts of grits into the ham bowls and place on plate. Sprinkle tortilla chips over the rack of lamb and then slice between ribs. Place 2 ribs on each plate. Drizzle a small amount of glaze mixture over ribs and serve.
Optional: Drain drippings from pan into small saucepan. Add 1/4 cup of dry red wine and 1/4 cup of chicken stock and reduce over medium heat. Spoon mixture onto plate. Makes 4 servings.