Professional cooks, in their tiny kitchens, dance when they're great. Each Friday, over the next five weeks you’ll watch a graceful young chef as he cooks one of each course of a five-course dinner that he hosted for friends at a cabin in the Catskills. You’ll see how to open oysters, break down a whole rib-eye, and use gelatin sheets to make a panna cotta. In Ithai's cooking, you’ll see tools and techniques common in professional kitchens—like using sizzle pans for resting meats, or keeping cooking oil in squeeze bottles—that line cooks use as secret weapons. Inspired by the way chefs really cook, we shot without stylists or storyboards; we wanted to do a different kind of cooking video, one more genuine and yet more beautiful than you might usually see. We hope you'll watch, and be inspired too. - Jennifer Pelka, Managing Editor
First Course: Soft Boiled Egg with Wild Mushrooms, Sugar Snap Peas and Jamón Ibérico
by Ithai Schori
People rely on recipes way too much! I want to give an in-depth guideline for how the dish is made, but at the end of the day it’s meant to be a guideline. Trust yourself, season to taste. In most cooking, you don't really need specific quantities, except in baking or in really precise processes. Before starting, pull your ingredients and equipment together.
wild mushrooms, about a handful per person
sugar snap peas, about a half-handful per person
oil (preferably grapeseed)
eggs (large), one per person
chicken stock
butter, cold, and cut into half-inch pieces
salt (preferably sea salt or Kosher)
black pepper in a grinder
jamón Ibérico, sliced thinly, one or two slices per person
lemon
smoked sea salt
sauce pan
heavy-bottomed skillet
fine zester (Microplane is a great one)
Clean and prep your mushrooms and sugar snap peas, and take the eggs out of the refrigerator.
Let the eggs come to room temperature while you work. Wild mushrooms can be gritty if not properly cleaned, so take the time to make sure they're free of dirt and grit. Cut the mushrooms into to similar sized pieces so they’ll cook evenly. Pull off the tough stem end of the peas.
Generously coat the entirety of the skillet with oil. Sauté mushrooms over high heat, and when they've begun to brown, season liberally with salt and pepper.
Because grapeseed oil has a high smoking point, you can cook your vegetables at a high temperature without the risk of having a burnt-oil taste. Heat the oil until it shimmers, and add as many mushrooms as will fit comfortably in one layer. Crowding mushrooms will make them steam, not sear, so cook them in batches if necessary. When they are nicely brown, toss them, season generously with salt and pepper, and finish cooking. Taste frequently as you cook. If you’re working with many types of mushrooms with a variety of textures, cook them separately. They’ll have their own cooking times.
For perfectly runny soft-boiled eggs, bring enough water to cover them by an inch to a rolling boil and gently lower eggs into it. Cook for 4 minutes.
If you're cooking more than just a few eggs at once, you might want to add a little extra time because the eggs will cool down the water.
Transfer eggs to a room temperature water bath to cool, and gently peel them when cool enough to handle. Place back into water and warm the eggs before serving.
Soft boiled eggs can be peeled just like hard boiled eggs, but with a bit more care.
Sauté peas in skillet over high heat.
Heat enough oil to generously coat the pan over high heat until smoking, and add peas. Again, don't crowd them, but you can pack them in a little tighter. Season liberally with salt and pepper, and cook until the peas are nicely charred and cooked, but with a bit of snap.
Simmer chicken stock over medium-high heat, and reduce until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat, and stir in a few half-inch cubes of butter until the sauce is shiny and rich-looking.
Toss mushrooms, peas, and chicken stock. Divide into bowls and top with the egg. Add jamón Ibérico, a shave or two of lemon zest, and finish with a sprinkle of smoked salt.
More By the Smoke videos
Kale salad with pine nuts
Opening oysters with style
Dry-aged rib-eye steaks
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