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Kea Lani
Chef Dean Fearing talks about fresh corn
during his Maui demonstration.

East meets
Southwest

Award-winning Southwest
cuisine chef shares tips
for home cooks

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By Mary Alice Powell
Special to the Star-Bulletin

WAILEA, MAUI - In Chef Dean Fearing's culinary vocabulary, "canoe" refers to a conveyance quite different from a watercraft.

The chef's canoe is a cupped corn husk that gained interest, color and flavor as he filled it with corn puree, jumbo sautéed shrimp, Diablo sauce and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds in a demonstration at the Kea Lani Resort Saturday.

Chef Fearing is the award-winng executive chef at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and is considered the last word on Southwest Cuisine in the United States. The Shrimp Tamale with Diablo Sauce is typical of the creativity that has brought him a long list of awards, including James Beard Perrier-Jouet Best Southwest Chef award, one of the top 10 restaurants by Food and Wine magazine, and famous customers including President and Mrs. Bush.

It was the popular chef's third appearance at the resort's Food and Wine Masters series. At last weekends Masters, Chef Fearing shared the spotlight with D.K. Kodama, executive chef/owner of the Sansei Restaurant and Sushi Bars in Maui and Honolulu.

Based on extravagant designer kitchens and costly, trendy cookware, Fearing believes that home cooking is making a comeback, but it takes more practice than it equipment, he said.

He admitted to being a longtime gadget and cookware junkie, but said only a few kitchen essentials are necessary to enjoy cooking.

"First, do we have good sharp knives at home?" he asked. "Get a bag of potatoes and another of carrot and practice slicing and dicing them until you are comfortable. It takes time."

He lists a stock pot, a iron skillet, and a saute pan as basics for most cooking. But make sure they're good, heavy ones; not those colored pans that are 10 for $10 with matching lids, he advised.

He added a cutting board to the list.

"I bought a Cuisinart and a Kitchen Aid and have every attachment for them," he confessed. "But I don't like to clean all of the parts. It is much easier to wash a cutting board in the sink."

The corn puree, made with fresh kernels which bake to a thick creamy texture he guarantees to be as good as ice cream, gave Fearing an excuse to encourage home cooks to be flexible with ingredients.

When someone in the audience announced that fresh corn is not currently in the markets, he said, in his low-key manner, "Then use fresh frozen corn. Be flexible."

Flexibility is key, he said. Why use a green-tinged tomato when canned ones will work and have more taste?

"What you have to do is start being creative and to keep thinking. If you see a recipe for lobster, don't turn the page. You may get an idea from it to use somewhere else. You have to go through the 101s. Everyone wants to be great right away. It takes practice, just like a basketball player has to practice to be good on the team. ...

"I have made millions of mistakes. I just registered them and didn't make them again."

Shrimp Tamale with Diablo Sauce

1 tablespoon canola oil
12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt to taste
1-1/2 cups Diablo sauce (recipe follows)
4 corn husks, soaked in water until soft with the ends tied to create a canoe shape
2 cups corn puree, recipe below
1/4 cup Mexican farmers cheese or substitute parmesan
4 cilantro sprigs
Toasted green pumpkin seeds, chopped
(PI)Corn Puree:
6 ears fresh sweet corn, shucked and washed
Maple syrup to taste, if necessary
Salt and fresh lime juice to taste

Heat oil in a large pan over high heat. When hot, immediately add shrimp and season with salt. Saute 3 minutes until opaque. Add Diablo sauce and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

To form corn-husk canoes, tear a narrow strip from each husk and use it to gather each end of the husk.

To make corn puree: Use the largest holes on a grater to grate corn off the cob until all juice is extracted. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until corn is thick and creamy. If the corn is not sweet enough, add maple syrup. Season with salt and lime juice.

To assemble, fill corn husks with corn puree and stand 3 shrimp with the tails up on each filled husk. Place filled husks on serving plates and spoon any excess Diablo sauce from saute pan over the top. Sprinkle with cheese and pumpkin seeds. Garnish plate with fresh cilantro sprig.

Diablo Sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 habanero chilies, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 red bell peppers, chopped
Half of a mango, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 cup chicken stock
Lime juice and salt to taste

Heat oil until slightly smoking. Saute shallots and garlic until light brown. Add chilies, cumin, ginger and red pepper. Stir about 30 seconds before adding mango and chicken stock. Simmer 20 minutes.

Puree and season with salt and lime juice. Sauce can be used hot or cold.

Nutritional information unavailable.

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