Steve Corry

Simple, pure, and fresh flavors are what chef Corry brings to Portland, ME.

 

 

Photo Credit Steven Vote

Specialty: California-Influenced New American cuisine

Chef Steve Corry began his career as a brewmaster in northern California, but beer wasn’t enough to satisfy his hunger for all things food-related. In 1999, Corry moved east and attended the New England Culinary Institute in Burlington, VT. Eventually returning to California, Corry went to work at the sophisticated and well-known Domaine Chandon Winery in Napa Valley.

Corry again headed back east, garnering more restaurant experience until 2003, when he and his wife opened Five Fifty-Five in Portland, ME. At the forefront of the burgeoning New England culinary movement, the restaurant is known for serving simple, fresh food, something Corry’s dubbed “new New England.”

Harking back to the chef's days in California's wine country, the restaurant's well-thought-out wine selection has received many awards and is appreciated by many a wine lover. Combined with its welcoming setting, this thoughtful approach to menu and drink has created one of Portland’s hottest eateries.

The chef was dubbed one of Food & Wine’s Top Ten Best New Chefs in 2007. Chef Corry involves himself in celebrity chef events and is a great supporter of many charities.

Fun fact: Corry’s major pet peeve is when fellow chefs taste food in the kitchen with their fingers.

Recipes:

Bang’s Island Mussels

Lobster "Corn Dogs" with a Trio of Dipping Sauces

Hot Pepper Ice Cream


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Bang's Island Mussels from Chef Corry

Roasted garlic and pickled cherry peppers add extraordinary flavor to steamed mussels.

By Steve Corry

Photo Credit Illustration by Michael Toland

Recipe courtesy of chef Steve Corry.

Note: The cherry peppers in this recipe will need two weeks to pickle.

SERVINGS

6 to 8 as an appetizer

2 tablespoons diced orange peppers
2 tablespoon pickled cherry peppers, seeded and roughly chopped (see recipe below)
2 bulbs roasted garlic (see recipe below)
3 pounds Bang’s Island mussels
1 cup dry white wine
4 ounces butter
2 tablespoon chopped chives
Lemon juice to taste
Salt to taste

Pickled Cherry Peppers:

1/4 gallon water
1/4 gallon vinegar
1/4 cup salt
1/4 pound red cherry peppers
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped

To make Pickled Cherry Peppers:

Sweat mirepoix in small amount oil until tender. Add water and vinegar and bring to boil. Add salt. Return liquid to boil. Remove liquid from heat and cover cherry peppers with hot liquid. Allow to pickle for 2 weeks.

To make Roasted Garlic:

Cut 2 bulbs garlic in half (across equator). Cover garlic in olive oil and roast in oven at 300 degrees F approximately 1 1/2 hours or until garlic is spreadable. Remove garlic from oven and let cool. Once cool, squeeze garlic into a mortar and pestle and crush into paste.

PREPARATION

Heat a pan over high heat until smoking hot. Add a splash of oil, orange peppers, cherry peppers, and roasted garlic and sauté 10 seconds. Add mussels and toss. Add white wine and reduce by 1/2, then add butter, chives, lemon juice, and salt. Toss; cover mussels and allow to steam until mussels open. Once mussels have opened remove mussels from pan, leaving sauce behind. Let sauce reduce until thickened, then pour over mussels. Serve with crusty grilled bread.

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Corry's Lobster "Corn Dogs" with a Trio of Dipping Sauces

 

Sink your teeth into an aquatic twist on the original corn dog complemented by three unique dipping sauces.

 

By Steve Corry

Photo Credit Illustration by Michael Toland

Recipe courtesy of chef Steve Corry

SERVINGS
2

Corn Dog Batter:
2 cups fresh local milk
1 ear fresh local corn
2 each farm-fresh eggs
1 1/2 cups organic yellow cornmeal
1 cup AP flour
1 tablespoon Maine sea salt
4 tablespoon cornstarch (for dredging)

1. Remove corn kernels from cobb with sharp knife.

2. Cut cobb into 4 or 5 pieces.

3. Simmer kernels and cobb in milk 10 minutes and then strain and cool “corn milk.”

4. Add beaten egg yolks to “corn milk,” then fold in cornmeal, flour, and salt. Dredge each lobster dog in cornstarch before dipping in batter.

Lobster Dogs:

2 each shucked lobster tails
1 pound sweet cream butter, clarified
1 teaspoon Maine sea salt
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
2 each wooden skewers

1. Place 1 raw lobster tail in center of 12" by 12" square plastic wrap.

2. Roll tail tightly in plastic wrap and twist both ends to form tight sausage or hot dog shape.

3. Tie a simple knot on both ends to secure package.

4. Gently perforate tail package with tip of sharp pointed knife, being careful not to penetrate too far into lobster.

5. Repeat procedure with second tail.

6. Poach tails in clarified butter at 140 degrees F 10 to 12 minutes, until firm.

7. Remove tails from butter and refrigerate.

8. Reserve clarified butter for use in preparation of truffled lobster hollandaise dipping sauce.

9. Once tails have cooled remove plastic wrap and insert wooden skewers lengthwise into tails, about 3/4 way in.

10. Return skewered tails to cooler and allow to chill thoroughly

11. Dredge each lobster dog in cornstarch, then dip tails into corn batter and fry in 350 degree F vegetable oil 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

12. Remove from fryer, drain, and season with Maine sea salt.

13. Serve immediately with dipping sauces.

Dipping Sauce #1 — Truffled Lobster Hollandaise:

3 each farm-fresh egg yolks
6 ounces clarified lobster butter (see above)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Maine sea salt, to taste

1 teaspoon shaved and chopped black truffles

1. Over a double boiler whisk egg yolks until consistency of heavy cream.

2. Slowly drizzle warm clarified butter into eggs while whisking.

3. Slowly drizzle lemon juice into eggs.

4. Season to taste with sea salt.

5. Fold in truffles just before serving.

Dipping Sauce #2 — Curried Oven Roasted Tomato Ketchup:

6 each organic local red tomatoes, quartered
2 each shallots, peeled and halved
1 ounce extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons curry spice blend (see below)
2 ounces Maine Wildflower honey
2 ounces red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Maine sea salt

1. Place tomatoes and shallots on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with curry spice blend.

2. Roast in a 400 degree F oven 20 to 25 minutes, until shallots are golden.

3. Transfer to stainless steel saucepot. Add honey and vinegar.

4. Simmer over low heat 15 minutes.

5. Transfer to food processor and puree until smooth.

6. Season to taste with sea salt and serve chilled.

Curry Spice Blend:

2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds, toasted and ground
2 tablespoons whole cardamom seeds, toasted and ground
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1 pinch saffron
1 tablespoon dry mustard, ground
1 teaspoon cayenne, ground

Dipping Sauce #3 — Maine Maple Champagne Mustard Sauce
1/4 cup brown mustard seeds
1/2 cup white mustard seeds
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/4 cup champagne
2 tablespoons cold water
2 teaspoons Maine sea salt
2 ounces Maine maple syrup

1. Grind mustard seeds in spice grinder to fine powder.

2. Whisk together mustard powder, vinegar, champagne, water, and salt.

3. Whisk in maple syrup.

4. Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight.

5. Serve at room temperature.

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Hot Pepper Ice Cream from Chef Steve Corry

Spice up vanilla ice cream with cayenne pepper in this homemade ice cream recipe.

By Steve Corry

Photo Credit Illustration by Michael Toland

Recipe courtesy of chef Steve Corry

Ingredients:

12 ounces sugar
3 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large vanilla bean, split and seeded

Preparation:

1. Combine all ingredients.

2. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.

3. Chill overnight.

4. Churn in an ice cream machine.