Welcome to Chef in the Kitchen, a recurring Eater photo feature where we boldly go where few diners have gone before — into Seattle restaurant kitchens — to get a sneak peek of the chef du jour hard at work.
[Photos: S. Pratt]
Black truffle season just started, and it's quite possible that no other chef in Seattle is as excited about that than RN74's David Varley.
For me, it doesn't feel like the holidays without them. That's sort of an asshole statement, but I think there's certain things for me and my point of history that screams the holidays.
For this month's Chef in the Kitchen, Varely makes his chestnut agnolotti with foie gras and amaretti cookies. It's a dish that showcases three different black Périgord truffle preparations: a vinaigrette that uses the peelings, diced truffles cooked in with the pasta, and sliced truffles that have been warmed up in a pan layered on top. Rule number one in Varley's kitchen? Peel your damn truffles!
Not peeling truffles is barbaric. It's an extra piece of refinement for something that's luxurious. If you don't, you're short-changing your product.
Chef also strongly believes that black truffles should be cooked to get the ideal aroma and earthiness, "I think they taste better when they're cooked. I've seen a lot of people not really...they'll buy a truffle and just shave it over something at the table, but they're not really getting it."
The dish ($17) will likely be on RN74's menu through the winter, about the time black truffle season ends.
· RN74 [Official Site]
· All Chef in the Kitchen Coverage [~ESEA~]
