How Do You Get to the Best Teen Chef 2004 Competition? Practice, Practice, Practice

PITTSBURGH, April 19 /PRNewswire/ - These teens are on a mission. One budding pastry chef started cooking at four years old, making pies from leftover crust her Mom gave her. One promising athlete quit basketball to concentrate on cooking. And one potential Best Teen Chef 2004 couldn't wait to get a drivers license so he could head to the supermarket to pick up ingredients whenever he wanted.
Now it's time to see if all that intensity, preparation and practice pays off as 19 high school seniors head to The Art Institutes annual Best Teen Chef competition on Saturday, May 22 in Orange County, California to compete for the title Best Teen Chef 2004 and a $30,000 scholarship to study culinary arts. In all, The Art Institutes will offer nearly $200,000 in scholarships.

Now in its 5th year, The Best Teen Chef culinary scholarship competition was created to encourage young culinary talent to choose a career in the culinary industry. Each competitor prepares the same menu, with the exact same ingredients, using identical equipment. A timed competition, Cook Off competitors are judged on taste, presentation, cleanliness and mise en place (organization).

According to Chef Michael Nenes, Assistant Vice President, Culinary Arts General Manager for The Art Institutes, the competitors at this year's national event are very focused. "Even though they're still very young, many have been thinking seriously about a career in the culinary arts, watching food programs on television, taking classes in high school, and then getting part-time jobs at restaurants," says Nenes.

So what will the next generation of top chefs be preparing at this year's event? With the move to the West Coast, the menu is inspired by the regional cuisines of California and Hawaii and those states' abundance of fresh vegetables, fruits and seafoods. This year's menu features Macadamia- Encrusted Mahi Mahi with Tropical Fruit Salsa, and a refreshing Chilled Avocado and Cucumber Soup.

No matter how many high hopes and hours of hard work these competitors bring to the event, the real test is in the kitchens, with chef judges carefully watching everything they do.

"It's an exciting event, and as a chef, I'm thrilled to see the culinary talent that's coming up. Of course these kids are regular teens, but they're also focused, talented and love the creativity they can express through the culinary arts," says Chef Nenes.

For information entry information on the 2005 event, go to www.artinstitutes.edu/nc or call 1-888-328-7900.

The Art Institutes ( www.artinstitutes.edu/nc ), with 30 education institutions located throughout North America, provide an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. The Art Institutes have provided career-oriented education programs for 40 years, with more than 140,000 graduates.

Macadamia-Encrusted Mahi Mahi with Tropical Fruit Salsa
Yield: 2 portions Portion Size: 9 ounces

Ingredients:
14 ounces Mahi Mahi
salt, to taste
Black pepper, ground, to taste
7 ounces macadamia nuts, ground
1 1/3 ounces Panko breadcrumbs, dried
2/3 ounces cornmeal, yellow
1 1/3 ounces clarified butter

Salsa
2/3 ounce shallots, minced
1 1/3 ounces pineapple, cut into small dice
1 1/3 ounces papaya, cut into small dice
1 1/3 ounces mango, cut into small dice
1 1/3 fluid ounces lemon butter sauce (*see recipe below)
1 teaspoon chives, minced
salt, to taste
black pepper, ground, to taste
1 teaspoon coconut, shredded, toasted

Directions:

Cut the Mahi Mahi into 7-ounce fillets and season them lightly with salt and black pepper.

Combine the macadamia nuts and breadcrumbs with the cornmeal and grind them finely in a food processor.

Dredge the fish in the ground nut mixture, completely coating each fillet on both sides. Reserve under refrigeration until needed.

Heat approximately three-quarters of the clarified butter in a sauteuse pan over medium-high heat. Place the fillets in the pan with the skin side up.

Brown the fish fillets and degrease the pan. Place the pan in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176.7 degrees Celsius) oven for approximately 8-12 minutes or until the fillets are completely cooked and reach a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit (62.8 degree Celsius) for at least 15 seconds. Do not overcrowd the pan. If all of them do not comfortably fit in the pan at once, cook them in batches.

When the fillets are completely cooked, remove them from the pan and reserve in a warm place until needed.

Add the remaining clarified butter to the sauti pan. Add the minced shallots and cook over medium-high heat until they are translucent.

Add the diced fruit and continue to cook for approximately 2-3 minutes or until the fruit is tender and thoroughly heated.

Remove the fruit from the heat and stir in the lemon butter sauce and minced chives.

Season to taste with the salt and black pepper.

Serving/Holding:

Place the cooked fish fillets on hot plates and top each portion with approximately 2 ounces (60g) of the tropical fruit salsa.

Garnish the fish by sprinkling shredded toasted coconut on top of the salsa.

Hold the fish and sauce at 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) or higher.

LEMON BUTTER SAUCE
Yield: 2 portions Portion Size: 2-1/2 ounces

Ingredients:
1/2 fluid ounce dry sherry
3 2/3 ounces fish stock, prepared
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 each (.5 ounce) shallot, chopped
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
4 ounces butter, softened
salt, to taste

Directions:

Combine the sherry, fish stock, garlic, and shallots in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Reduce the volume of liquid by half over medium heat.

Stir in the lemon juice. Remove from the heat and incorporate the softened butter a little at a time, whisking briskly until all of the butter is blended in and a smooth emulsion forms.

Season with salt and strain through a chinois.

Serving/Holding:

Hold the lemon butter sauce at 140F (60C) or higher. Carefully monitor the temperature of the sauce. If the sauce begins to get too hot, the emulsion will break down quickly. Stir the sauce regularly while holding.

Source: The Art Institutes

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