Rivue chef impresses with American cuisine
Dustin Willett, executive chef at Rivue Restaurant and Lounge in the Galt House Hotel, serves contemporary American cuisine with international influences to diners from around the world. He’s assisted in the 180-seat restaurant that has two rotating dining rooms by a general manager, assistant general manager, a sous chef, seven cooks, two dishwashers and 15 front of the house staff.
“We often have celebrities as guests. That’s an honor but you can’t get too star struck. I keep it low key and respect their privacy and boundaries,” he says. “Being in a large hotel, our crowd can change from night to night. One night we might have all locals and the next we’ll have a big convention with out-of-towners. Louisville has a great food scene but has flown under the radar in some ways. I want everyone to be impressed and to enjoy Rivue.”
ENJOY RECIPES AT HOME:
When he cooks for his wife, his son and himself at home, he’s not out to impress. “I try to keep it nice and simple and not spend a ton of time cooking. I used to go crazy and make five sauces and garnishes. But I’ve learned that unless you’re entertaining at a big party, cooking should be about enjoying the time together,” says the chef.
In his home kitchen, as well as at Rivue, he bases all his dishes on a high-quality product and reins in over-seasoning. He cautions against pulling out every spice in the spice rack, noting that the taste of meat or vegetables can easily be obscured by too much seasoning. Another of his cooking hints is to not overload a pan or skillet with meat when sautéing or stir-frying because overloading will produce steaming, not a good sear.
He’s eager to pass along the knowledge he gained from studying at Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College in Birmingham, Ala. That education and practical experience in restaurants in New Orleans and Washington, D.C., prepared him for the busy Rivue.
“No matter how busy we get, our duck breast is very popular but it’s hard for it to compete against the ribeye and New York strip. I like to see dishes other than steak sell well. It’s fun to hear people say they haven’t tried duck, but want to, or haven’t had it for awhile and want to be adventurous,” he says. “I’ve been toying with the idea of putting sweetbreads on the menu. I’m not sure if our guests would like them as much as I do, but they’ll probably end up there at some point.”
Rivue Restaurant and Lounge at the Galt House Hotel,140 N. 4th Street, (502) 589-5200,galthouse.com.
Pork Belly Tacos with Spicy Cilantro Sour Cream, White Cheddar and Tangy Slaw
Makes 8 tacos. Serves 6 to 8 as a snack, 3 to 4 as a main course.
2 pounds fresh pork belly
2 cups shaved red and green cabbage
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon canola oil
8 fresh white corn tortillas
1 cup white Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup cilantro leaves for garnish
Prepare the marinade, sour cream and dressing; set aside.
With a very sharp knife, slice the pork belly against the grain, very thin, about 1/8 inch. Toss the sliced pork with enough of the marinade to coat it. Marinate the pork for at least two hours, or at most, overnight.
Toss the shaved cabbage with just enough of the dressing to coat the cabbage. Season with salt and pepper. (The cabbage should be dressed not more than 30 minutes before serving so it does not get soggy.)
Heat a sauté pan to medium-high. Add a drizzle of canola oil. Add the sliced pork. Cook until the meat gets a little crispy and caramelized. Do small batches; don’t overload the pan. Stir often. The meat is thin and will cook very quickly, two to three minutes per batch.
Heat the tortillas in a hot oven or on the grill for 30 to 60 seconds, just long enough to warm them.
Place the cooked pork in the center of a tortilla. Drizzle the meat with a little of the sour cream. Sprinkle with the Cheddar cheese and top with the dressed cabbage. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
Pork Belly Marinade
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin (toasted)
2 teaspoons ground coriander (toasted)
1 clove crushed garlic
3 scallions, bruised up with the back of a knife
1 jalapeno, sliced
In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Chipotle Sour Cream
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients.
Dressing for Cabbage
1/2 clove garlic, peeled
1 medium shallot, peeled
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup loosely-packed fresh tarragon leaves
1 cup loosely-packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1/3 cup loosely-packed basil leaves
In a blender or food processor, place garlic, shallot, mustard, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper. Blend for a few seconds. Restart blender at a medium to low speed, and with blender running, slowly trickle half of the olive oil into the blender. Stop the blender, and add all the fresh herbs. Blend again. Add leftover oil while the machine is running for a few seconds longer. Taste and adjust seasoning with pepper. If mixture becomes too thick, adjust consistency with a little water or vinegar.
Shrimp and Andouille Sausage Gumbo
Makes 1 gallon. Serves 8.
Chef’s Notes: Use your favorite recipe for the stocks, or buy them (low sodium) to save time. If you’re not immediately serving the gumbo, the shrimp may be poached separately and added when you reheat the gumbo to keep shrimp from becoming overcooked.
1/2 pound flour
1/2 pound unsalted butter
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
1 1/2 quarts shrimp or fish stock
1 ½ to 2 parsley stems
1/2 bay leaf
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 red peppers, medium dice
2 1/2 green peppers, medium dice
3 stalks celery, medium dice
1 1/2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 yellow onions, medium diced
1 pound Andouille sausage links
1 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon Cajun spice
(Paul Prudhomme’s blackening seasoning
or Tony Cachere’s Creole seasoning may be substituted)
1/2 orange
1/2 lemon
2 to 3 dashes Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut into ½-inch cubes
Steamed rice
Scallions, sliced
To make the roux: In a sauce pot, combine flour and butter. Cook slowly on low heat until mixture becomes dark brown. Stir often so it doesn’t scorch.
While the roux is cooking, in another pan, add the stocks, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns and any trim from the vegetables. Simmer one hour, then strain.
Season the sausage with two tablespoons of the Cajun spice. Grill or broil the sausage to add color. Cool, then dice into 1/2-inch cubes.
In a sauté pan, sweat the garlic, celery, onions and peppers until the onions are translucent. Season with salt, pepper and remaining Cajun spice. Cook two to three minutes. Add roux; cook for three to four minutes.
Add stock to the veggie/roux mixture. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Stir gently as not to break up the vegetables. The mixture should begin to thicken slightly. Add orange and lemon halves. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove the citrus and squeeze the juices into the gumbo. Add sausage, salt, pepper, Cajun spice and Tabasco to taste. Add shrimp. Cook three to four minutes.
Serve in soup bowls. Top with a spoonful of rice. Sprinkle with scallions.
Cashew Brittle
Yields one 13” x 18” sheet pan of brittle
Chef’s Note: You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe.
4 cups sugar
1 cup water
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 pound butter
1 pound cashews
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon salt
Melted white chocolate (optional)
In a sauce pan, bring the sugar, water, corn syrup and butter to a boil. Cook until the mixture reaches “hard crack” stage, 300˚ to 310˚. Remove from heat. Add cashews, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine. (You must work quickly and carefully at this point so doesn’t overcook or start to get hard.)
Using oven mitts to hold the pot, with a high-heat silicon spatula, spread the mixture as evenly as possible onto a 13” x 18” sheet pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Allow to cool completely at room temperature.
When the brittle is completely cooled, you can melt some chocolate in a double boiler. Drizzle the chocolate over the top of the brittle. Allow the chocolate to harden, then break the brittle into pieces as needed.