About the Chef ...

I have been cooking since I was a youngster, with Mom as my first and in many ways best teacher. She taught me the importance of making sure no one leaves the table hungry, which means that the food needs to not only look good and smell good, but taste good, too.

I was also writing at a fairly young age … I even tried to start a student newspaper when I was a fifth-grader.

Since then I have expanded my experiences by being a working journalist for nearly 25 years, including the last several years as a freelance food/recipes columnist (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR THIS MONTH'S COLUMN). I am also working on my own cookbook which truthfully may never make it out of my computer, but regardless it grows almost daily.

AttendingOrlandoCulinaryAcademywas in many ways a life-long dream. I almost went to culinary school right out of high school, but was talked out of it by a cranky steakhouse chef.

Instead I went to college and in three and a half years earned my bachelor of science in Journalism and English with a minor in political science, graduating cum laude in December 1984.

My journalism career has taken me all around the United States, from Florida to
Alaska and most of the points in between. I even spent some time working in the Caribbean. All the while I was writing and editing newspapers, I was also cooking for friends and family, and soaking up the local food culture.

In the late ’90s, I considered culinary school again but couldn't afford the time and the tuition to do it, so it went to a back burner and I went to live and work in Antigua in the Caribbean for a while.

Finally in 2004 I arranged my life so that I could take the time to change careers and attend the Le Cordon Bleu program at Orlando Culinary Academy. I arrived in Orlando from Alaska in November of that year and never looked back.

At OCA I learned the classic French techniques to go with the recipes I have been honing over the years. My personal style of cooking is to blend the tastes of where I’ve been to make a tasty meal. I use the freshest ingredients possible and strive to make my meals as wholesome, filling and good tasting as possible. I believe you can eat healthy and still have it taste good; that lower carbs, low sodium or any other special diet doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice flavor.

In addition to going to class, working in the field and still doing some freelance writing, I began developing Home Cookin', my own business as a personal chef, in February 2005 and since finishing my externship in December 2006, I have become a limited liability corporation, that along with my city and county business licenses, make me "street legal" to pursue my dream of cooking for others.

Cooking and writing have always been my passions, and education and experience have provided me with a means to combine and share those passions with others.

I look forward to spending some time in your kitchen and doing some Home Cookin'.

DJanousek@Home-Cookin.net

A Pinch of This ...
Monthly musings on food and cooking by Chef Doug Janousek

The secret's in the sauce ...

As a personal chef I’m often asked by friends and clients alike two questions: What’s my favorite thing to cook, followed by “what’s your specialty?”

The answers are both hard and easy to come up with. I like trying new recipes and perfecting ones I’ve already done. My favorite thing to cook is usually what I’m cooking right at the moment just after I’ve served it and the person before me experiences their first bite.

I really enjoy making sauces to compliment the dishes I’m making. I really enjoy the prep work, including the shopping and the chopping. I love to try new ingredients and I love to share my passion for food with others around me. I love taking fancy food and making it “down home” and I like taking rustic food and serving it “upscale.”

Cooking, like eating, is about more than just food to feed the body, both nourish the soul and it is my belief that no one should ever leave the table or the kitchen hungry.

When it comes to my specialty, well, that one is a little less spiritual I guess, but equally important. My specialty is more of my style – that is fresh, quality ingredients; healthy fats (olive oil rules!) with a touch of cream and butter for flavor; with everything infused with flavor, flavor and more flavor.

Even if I’m cooking a specialty menu for someone with specific health needs, it is all about flavor. Diet food, that is healthy eating, shouldn’t have to taste like diet food. The secret then, that any home cook can do, is to find ways to concentrate flavor. And the simplest way is through reduction.

By simmering away some of the water, you concentrate the flavors in whatever cooking liquid you are using, be it stock, wine or fruit juice. Not only does the flavor increase, but so does the “mouth feel” because of the natural thickening that occurs when the water is evaporated. This also means you can use less (if any at all) starchy thickening agent for your sauce.

If you are reducing fruit juice it also means you might be able to get away with not adding any additional sugar or sweetener. The fruit flavors and natural sugars get more concentrated as the liquid evaporates and you have your own “no-sugar added” dessert topping. Certainly this doesn’t mean you have made something sugar free, it just means you didn’t add any sugar. Diabetics and other sugar-conscious folks should be aware of this so they don’t get fooled by “no-sugar added” labeling.

A touch of butter or cream at the end will soften any acid edges the sauce may have concentrated, which sometimes happens when you are reducing wines and fruit juices, plus it adds a silky texture for the tongue. It really doesn’t take much fat to make your sauce feel and taste rich and creamy.

Here’s an easy reduction sauce that has a variety of uses.

Orange Sauce

1 gallon orange juice, with pulp

1 bottle white wine

½ cup Grand Marnier

¼ cup honey

¼ cup minced fresh ginger

¼ cup minced orange peel

Method:

Combine ingredients in a large sauce pan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer slowly until reduced to about a quart or it reaches the desired flavor and consistency. Strain and cool. Refrigerate.

To top pan-seared salmon, shrimp or scallops as well as grilled pork and grilled chicken, sauté garlic and some crushed red pepper in butter, whisk in some of the orange sauce and heat through. For an Asian take, add a ½ teaspoon soy sauce.

Or whip in a little cream to the base sauce and it makes a great topping for fresh fruit. To make a syrup, reduce the base sauce even further to thicken it (or thicken with a corn starch slurry) and drizzle over chocolate ice cream.

Whisk some of the base sauce together with some olive oil and you have a quick and easy salad dressing. Season it with herbs, salt and pepper to taste and serve over fresh greens.

Chef’s note: If you prefer to cook without alcohol, substitute an equal amount of apple juice and 3 tablespoons lemon juice