Maytag Blue Cheese Chips
Demonstrated by Chef Kent Rathbun of Jasper's
Does the name Kent Rathbun ring a bell? You may know him from the many Dallas restaurants he owns and operates like Jasper's, Abacus and Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen. Before gracing us with his presence in Dallas in the late '90s, he worked as a chef in Kansas City at La Bonne Auberge and then at Mr. B's in New Orleans. Chef Rathbun has won numerous awards for his restaurants, been featured in magazines and on Food Network shows like Iron Chef and Chef du Jour and was invited on more than one occasion to cook at the James Beard House in New York.
Rathbun has been extra busy lately. He recently took over Zea Woodfire Grill in Plano and just rolled out a new household kitchen line named Kent Rathbun Elements. Elements will feature a collection of sauces, dressings, spices and marinades, and will be sold exclusively at Central Market.
We only added to the chef's hectic schedule by demanding (OK, we asked very nicely) he prepare something for Appetite for Instruction. Rathbun decided we should take a trip up north to Jasper's at The Shops at Legacy in Plano where he demonstrated Maytag blue cheese chips for City of Aters.
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
Cornstarch
½ ounce lemon juice
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces potato chips, non-ruffled, thick-cut
1 ounce Maytag blue cheese, crumbled fine
1 ounce chives, snipped
Step 1: In a medium sauce pan, bring cream to a simmer. Thicken with cornstarch slurry. (Cornstarch slurry is a cold liquid mixed with cornstarch to thicken sauces, soups and desserts.Use one tablespoon of water and one tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken every two cups of liquid.)
Step 2: Blend in the blue cheese crumbles using an immersion (stick) blender.
Step 3: Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper and strain through a chinois.
Step 4: In a heat resistant bowl, warm potato chips in a 350 degree oven. Remove chips from oven and add warm cream.
Step 5: Toss gently until all the chips are coated evenly. Sprinkle with crumbled Maytag and chives.
Step 6: Place in a serving dish and serve immediately. This recipe cools and deteriorates very quickly.