Chef goes from corporate life to cooking

Among the handful of female chefs in the metro area, McLean has certainly earned her street credibility, coming fully into the public’s eye years ago when she and a business partner opened the casual Silver Spring eatery, redDog Cafe. There she made her grandmother’s macaroni and cheese, a pulled-pork ripieghi (or “fold over” in Italian) sandwich and the cedar-plank salmon — and all got star billing. But long before the redDog Cafe, McLean — a self-described corporate runaway — had received her culinary training and is a graduate of the professional program at L’Acadamie de Cuisine when it was in Bethesda (it’s now in Gaithersburg) and trained in France at Ann Willan’s famed La Varenne in Burgundy. (Note: She has also been a consultant for La Varenne, and has worked closely with Willan on a variety of projects.) McLean also has cooked around D.C. as a former sous chef at both the Morrison-Clark Inn and the now-closed Red Sage. Just before her current kitchen position, McLean returned to the Morrison-Clark as its executive chef.

In her new position, McLean has been challenged to turn a branded hotel restaurant into an independent entity, returning it to its original concept when chef Jamie Leeds ran the kitchen. Faced with the economic downturn, McLean still has managed to create a menu that does not resort to standard menu items.

“The guests from the hotel come in to eat,” she said, “and they are surprised. They say, ‘You are a real restaurant,’ and I say, ‘Yes.’ That’s very good, and it pleases me a lot.”

Sensitive to the restaurant’s price point, however, McLean takes a fish like trout — “I would usually never put this on a dinner menu,” she said — and serves it up with a creative twist, on a bed of pastini with shaved fennel and country ham.

“It is really quite tasty,” she said. “My cooking has evolved, and it’s because I have an opportunity to buy more things from Tuscarora [a farmers co-op from Pennsylvania], so I have broadened my palate.”

To give guests a break from heavy meals at the end of the day, McLean has created some serious meat-enhanced entree salads, including a salmon or duck-meat salad served on greens and toasted with roasted (yes, roasted) grapes and applewood-smoked bacon.

Don’t be surprised, however, to find some of McLean’s most popular dishes as part of her new menu — those that won her such acclaim at redDog Cafe. Of these is the all-time favorite, the seared scallops served on black “forbidden” rice. Its sauce, with the sweetness of a carrot juice reduction plus smoky chipotles and smooth butter, presents a perfect balance of flavors.

Does McLean miss the slower-paced corporate life? Not for a minute.

“It is really fun to be a chef,” she said. “If you didn’t love it, you couldn’t do it. It takes sweat, time on the feet and burn on the arms.

Q&A with Chef Janis McLean

What’s your comfort food?

Scrambled eggs. When I come home drop-dead tired, I love scrambled egg on toast with truffle salt.

Which chef do you admire the most?

Alice Waters for what she’s done for eating fresh and for sustainable living.

What’s been your luckiest moment?

The moment that Anne Willan called. I was in the right place at the right time. Right place and right time. She had lost her U.S. rep and was looking for someone to take on that position. I had just … started at L’Academie.

What cooking tip would you pass on to readers?

I teach this in cooking classes: Sauteing is a three-step process. Heat pan first, then the oil, then count to 10 before you put in food. Then the food doesn’t stick. Don’t put the oil in the pan first because the oil doesn’t heat as high.

What’s in your fridge?

My mom lives with us so she has some [leftover] desserts. Eggs and strawberries from the farmers market, beer, lettuce, bacon and a full cheese assortment and olives. So I can have a market dinner anytime.

From the Chef’s Kitchen

Strawberry Lemon Napoleons

Serves six

This dessert has everything — crispy elements, a luscious and smooth feel, and the lightness of both the lemon and berries. In May and June, McLean likes to use strawberries. Later in the summer, she follows the season and switches over to blackberries and then blueberries.

For the squares

3 sheets phyllo dough plus extra for backup

3 tbsps. melted butter

3 tbsps. sugar

For the filling

1/2 cup lemon juice

Zest of 2 lemons

2 large whole eggs

2 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. cornstarch combined with the sugar

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, cut into small cubes

For the strawberries

2 pints strawberries

2 to 4 tbsps. sugar

1/4 tsp. Grand Marnier

For assembly

1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped

Confectioners sugar for sprinkling

Mint leaves for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the Napoleon squares, lay out one sheet of phyllo dough and gently brush the entire surface with melted butter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Top with a second sheet of phyllo and again brush the entire surface with butter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Top with the third layer of phyllo, and then press down to compress all three layers — this is very important — or the layers will separate later. Lightly brush the top with butter.

Cut into 3 x 3-inch squares (i.e., 3 strips by 6 strips). You will end up with approximately 24 squares; discard squares that look ragged. Transfer to an unbuttered baking sheet and cover with parchment paper and another baking sheet (to weigh it down) and weigh that down with a skillet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

To make the filling, pour the lemon juice into a 2- or 3-quart stainless steel saucepan with a heavy bottom. Add the lemon zest, eggs and sugar and whisk until smooth. Add the butter, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, with a wooden spoon. Be careful to constantly scrape the entire bottom and sides of the saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, and cook for about 10 minutes or until it is smooth and thick. Strain into a medium-sized mixing bowl and chill until ice-cold and fully set. It should be the consistency of a thick pudding.

To prepare the strawberries, wash the strawberries gently under running water and pat dry; do this only when you are ready to prepare the dessert. Cut off the stem and hull end and cut into quarters or eighths, depending upon the size of the berry, placing the cut pieces into a medium-sized work bowl. Taste one strawberry to test for sweetness. Add 4 tablespoons sugar if the berries seem a bit tart or cut down accordingly to the sweetness of the berry; add the sugar gradually. Add the Grand Marnier and toss gently with a spoon. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or so before serving, allowing the strawberries to macerate.

To assemble, fold the whipped cream into the cooled lemon curd. For each serving, dollop just a drop of the lemon filling onto the bottom of a dessert plate. This will “glue” the Napoleon base to the plate.

Lay down one crispy phyllo square. Top with a quarter-cup of lemon filling and a spoonful of the strawberries. Top with a second square, a second dollop of lemon filling and a strawberry. End with a third square on top. Sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over the top of each Napoleon. Garnish each plate with a bit more of the strawberries with their juice and a mint leaf.