This week, we celebrate 10 years of Foodie Chap on KCBS Radio.
There will be some fun memories to relive with chefs, purveyors, winemakers
and some special announcements to come. Thank you to the loyal listeners, chefs and winemakers, and all behind the food we love for making this weekly feature on KCBS Radio a success.
I wanted to begin the month of Foodie Chap celebrations by revisiting with my first chef to be featured a decade ago, Gerald Hirigoyen of Piperade in San Francisco. The Battery Street restaurant in the city's Financial District is on pause for the moment.
"Piperade will open again soon and will be stronger than ever and we look forward to serving customers new and old once again," Hirigoyen said.
As a teenager, Hirigoyen moved to Paris for a classical pastry apprenticeship under Master Patissier Jean Millet. By his mid-twenties, Hirigoyen arrived in the U.S. for stints at classic Bay Area French restaurants.
It was in 1991 that Hirigoyen’s gifted skills as a chef and restaurateur came to the forefront when he and a partner opened Fringale, a truly modern French bistro, to national acclaim.
In 2002, he opened the Basque-inspired restaurant Piperade with his wife, Cameron. Almost a decade on, this is still a hot spot.
The summer of 2004 saw the launch of his stylish Spanish tapas bar. Bocadillos, (which means "little sandwiches"). representing what Hirigoyen calls "San Sebastian meets Barcelona" in San Francisco.
Bocadillos closed in 2017 after 13 successful years.
Enjoy my conversation with the chef.
Pipérade with Poached Egg
Recipe by Gerald Hirigoyen
- 1/2-cup olive oil
- 4 large red or green bell peppers, seeded, deribbed, and finely julienned
- 1 onion, very finely sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 6 large vine-ripened tomatoes (about 6 ounces each), peeled and coarsely chopped (about 5 cups)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon + pinch piment d’Espelette
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 large eggs
- Optional garnish: toasted country bread or parmesan tuile
1. Warm the olive oil in a large casserole or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, onion, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon piment d’Espelette, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 40 to 45 minutes.
2. Fill a saucepan 3/4 full with water. Add 2 tablespoons of the vinegar and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low so that the water is just below a boil. One at a time, break each egg into a saucer and slip it into the water. Work quickly so that the eggs all begin cooking at nearly the same time. Poach until the whites appear cooked and are slightly warm to the touch and the yolks are still liquid, about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Using a slotted spoon, immediately remove the eggs from the water, shaking off any excess water, and place them on top of the pipérade. Sprinkle with piment d’Espelette. Serve immediately with toasted country bread or parmesan tuile.
Serves 4
FIVE TASTY QUESTIONS WITH CHEF GERALD HIRIGOYEN
1. What is you guilty food pleasure?
Dark chocolate
2. What libation is always in your fridge?
A bottle of champagne
3. What condiment is always in your kitchen?
Espellet pepper
4. If you were not working as a chef what might your profession be?
I would be a big wave rider.
5.You are planning your LAST SUPPER. What will you eat and who would your dinner guests be?
I would prepare a nice steak with a little sea salt and black truffles. Plus a butter lettuce salad with fresh herbs. My dinner guests would be Chef Auguste Escoffier, Mountaineer Sir Edmund Hilary and Cyclist Miguel Indurain.