Memories of Chef Anne Burrell
plus a recipe for a no-bake cheesecake
Anne Burrell, the celebrity chef, known for shows such as “America’s Worst Cooks,” died two days ago.
Before she became a famous Food Network celebrity, she was a chef-instructor at the Institute for Culinary Education (ICE…no, not that ICE) in New York City. It was there where I had the great fortune to have her as my teacher.
Mind you, this was 22 years ago. I had recently left my job at Oxygen TV, where I was the editorial director for marketing and helped launch the network. As exciting a job as it was, I had always been—and I feel safe using this word—obsessed with food. It wasn’t just because I’d grown up in a family that talked about what to have for Wednesday’s dinner while in the middle of dinner Tuesday. I read cookbooks before bed. I cooked for my family from about the age I could reach the stove. I’d idly pondered going to the CIA (no, not that one either, the Culinary Institute of America) instead of the traditional university route.
It was no surprise to my friends or family when I enrolled at the now unfortunately anagrammed ICE in the professional division. For the six-month program, we had a number of different chef-teachers for the various subjects. There was Chef Ted, whose soufflé recipe I still use and Chef Cara, the pastry chef, who obviously had an impact on me, but when Anne Burrell showed up the first day of class, with her platinum hair standing straight up like the bristles on a startled porcupine, it was her attitude that made us take notice. She gave off a no-nonsense, don’t fuck-with-me vibe—just the right preparation for dealing with future restaurant chef-bosses. Still, she lit up the room with her personality. It was obvious she was a woman who knew how to have fun, and most importantly, truly cared about teaching—which is why she made the perfect co-host for “Worst Cooks in America.”If you saw her on that show, you were seeing the real Anne.
She was the best cooking teacher I’ve had. I will admit she sort of terrified me, but in a good way. I only wanted to do the right thing by her. When she would come around to taste my food, normally outgoing me would just shut up and wait for any glimmer of a compliment. It’s not that she wasn’t generous with praise, it’s just that you knew she meant it when she said it. I quote her near daily when I cook.
Two of her best tips:
”Salt it so tastes like the ocean!” When boiling water for pasta, a pinch of salt will not do. A generous teaspoon or two (assuming you’re cooking pasta in the full compliment of water needed, which is 11/2 to 2 tablespoons of kosher salt for one pound of pasta in 6 quarts of water) helps season the pasta from the inside out and ensures the overall dish tastes good. (Don’t fear…all the salt will not be absorbed by the pasta.)
The point with all cooking is to build flavor, and a generous amount of salt is the secret to why professionally cooked food tends to taste better than what you cook at home. Anne made sure we generously salted any meats before sauteeing as well. For home cooks, if you don’t already, try sprinkling the next burger or steak you cook with kosher salt, let it sit for 40 minutes at room temperature (or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator) and then cook it.
But, how do you know if your sauté pan is hot enough?
“Listen to your pan. Do you hear applause?” Anne taught us to cook with all our senses. And hearing was as important as seeing (and taste, natch). The idea being when you heat your pan, you’ll know it’s hot enough to properly sear a steak when you touch a corner of the steak to the pan. It should make a noise like a crowd of people applauding you. (Go try it, I’ll wait. You see? It really does sound like that.) And beyond having a pan that appreciates you, your meat will develop a lovely restaurant-worthy crust. If you pop the steak/chicken/fish into a pan that isn’t hot enough, it is more likely to steam first, and stick. And less likely to cook evenly.
Anne Burrell brought joy and energy to everything she did, not just teaching. May she rest in peace.
Because I am away from my beloved oven at the moment, today’s recipe is actually last week’s for The Contrarian. But to be fair, the Nutella No-Bake Cheesecake is so delicious and so easy to make, it’s worth repeating over and over again.
Notes on the making:
For success, your cream cheese and Nutella need to be at room temperature so they will blend properly.
Why two types of sugar? The granulated sugar helps to break down and smooth out the cream cheese and you beat it. The confectioner’s sugar also contains corn starch, which helps to set the cheesecake.
No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake
Serves 8 generously, 12 politely
What you’ll need:
1 8-inch springform pan
For the crust:
24 (approx 216 grams) Oreos or Oreo Thins cookies
5 tablespoons (71 grams) butter, melted
For the filling:
16 ounces (454 grams) of cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (15 grams) confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons (10 grams) cocoa (I use Guittard Red)
13 ounces (1 1/2 cups) Nutella
What You’ll Do:
Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan. Crush the Oreos to a fine crumb. I know it makes one more thing dirty, but I whizz the cookies in my food processor to ensure a fine, even crumb. You can, of course, place the cookies in a plastic bag and bash away at them with a rolling pin, but work to make as uniform a crumb as possible. Stir the crushed cookies together with the melted butter. Press the mixture up the sides and then across the bottom of the pan firmly. Refrigerate the crust while you continue with the next step.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand-mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese with the granulated sugar, confectioner’s sugar and cocoa for 1 minute, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue beating until the cream cheese is smooth, the color is uniformly light brown and no lumps of cream cheese remain. Add the Nutella, and blend on medium speed, stopping every 30 seconds or so to scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters, to make sure the mixture blends evenly. When the mixture is blended, raise the speed to medium-high and whip for 20 seconds to loosen the mixture and add some air.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours, and up to 5 days. When ready to serve, run a knife around the outside of the crust. I decorated my cake with Kinder Bueno pieces just before serving. For pretty slices, cut with a hot, dry knife (run a knife under hot water, then dry and use, repeat for each slice.) Serve with whipped cream and raspberries or strawberries, if desired.
Did you see that Instant Pot is now making a “Make America Great Again” branded version? For those of you who own Instant Pots, does this news make you want to:
a. Toss your Instant Pot into Boston Harbor.
b. Sell it at my next garage sale along with my other unnecessary appliances, such as my bread maker.
c. Whatevs. Nothing cooks chili chicken verde like my Instant Pot.
Leave your thoughts about Instant Pot, Anne Burrell, or how you’re distracting yourself from an especially difficult week of news, in the comments.
Nice to learn more of your background. You gave a nice tribute to a teacher that you respect!
What an honor. Her spirit must be thanking you. I love your blog Marissa!
Id love to see you post a chicken verde instant pot recipe.
So young..may she RIP. Hadn't heard of the MAGA instant pot. Ughh. Can't they stay out of the instant pot market? Leave us cooks alone!