RIP Chef Michael Chiarello…

Brilliant Chef Michael Chiarello died at the age of 61 on Friday night – shocking news that stunned the culinary world.

My wife Alex and I first met Chef in 2012 when we were invited to a dinner at his house in Napa Valley.

Chiarello was known for his restaurants Coqueta, Ottimo and Bottega in Yountville California in the heart of Napa Valley, as well as Coqueta in San Francisco as well.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Chiarello died at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa due to an allergic reaction that resulted in anaphylactic shock. He had been at the hospital receiving treatment for the allergic reaction for the past week. 

We attended a number of events with him at his house, and he was a passionate lover of food and wine.

Chiarello’s family released this statement:

“As we navigate this profound loss, we hold dear the moments we cherished with him, both in his kitchens and in our hearts. His legacy will forever live on in the love he poured into every dish and the passion he instilled in all of us to savor life’s flavors.”

Many Chefs have paid tribute to Michael, including Thomas Keller of the acclaimed Yountville restaurant The French Laundry:

Chiarello was famous for his Italian-inspired Californian cuisine. In 1987, he opened his first restaurant, Tra Vigne, in Napa Valley and never looked back.

Alex and I were part of a great event at his house when he showcased his love of “live fire” cooking.

Chef Chiarello’s “Live Fire” Cooking!

As you can see, he meant it! He cooked a stuffed rolled pork for everyone – and he used live fire to finish the dish – here’s a video I shot at the time and you really get a sense of his love of food and the joy of cooking:

The result was delicious, and I got a shot of it as it was served at our table:

To honor Chef, I made one of the signature dishes from his “Live Fire” Cookbook…

Chef called this section of his book the “Big Burger Bash”, including the recipe for a three pound burger that feeds six!

I chose to make this “Blue Cheese-Stuffed Burger With Zin-Onion Marmalade!”

This is the exact recipe from Chef and it serves six – adjust according to how many you choose to make.

Here are the ingredients for the Zin-Onion Marmalade:

2 medium red onions

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp course sea salt, preferably gray salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme

2 cups Zinfandel wine

Slice off the ends of the onions and then halve them and peel. Slice into thin half moons, results in about 4 cups of onions.

Heat saucepan over medium high heat, pour in olive oil then add the onion, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until onions are carmelized, about ten minutes.

Add the thyme and cook for one more minute, then add the Zinfandel – always use good wine because if it’s good enough to drink it’s good enough to eat!

I used the absolutely terrific Zinfandel from Napa Valley’s Outpost winery – and they have terrific Cabernets, Granaches and more!

Cook until the sauce has been reduced by 2/3rd, about 5 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and let cool.

Now, time to make your burgers! The “Live Fire” Cookbook has several pages filled with great burger combinations like this one…

Here are the ingredients for the burgers:

3 lbs ground chuck – Chef notes that the fat ration in the meat should be 80-20% for full flavor

3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 tbl coarse sea salt, preferably gray salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

6 sourdough rolls

Of course, any Chef who has a cookbook called “Live Fire” wants you to make tthis on a grill over over charcoals.

Chef wants you to carefully form the burgers…lightly press one into a 4-1/2 inch diameter – and make them thin!

As you see in the video, I added the blue cheese to the middle of the bottom burger…leaving a 1/2-inch margin around the side, then added the top layer and sealed it with my fingers.

Once your burger is sealed, add the salt and pepper and put them on the grill.

Close the cover and cook for five minutes, then turn them over for 4 more minutes – they will be medium rare.

Put each one on a roll and add the onion marmalade, a glass of Zin and here is the result…

It was delicious..lthe sharpness of the bleu cheese blends perfectly with the slightly smoky grilled meat and of course the smooth, rich flavor of the zinfandel onion marmalade – all blended perfectly.

As Chef noted in the cookbook:

“The combination of blue cheese and Zin onions makes this one of my favorite burgers. Serve with a good Zinfandel. (Duh.)”

This is a delicious combination, and it was an honor to make it and remember a great Chef and terrific person….I ended the meal with a toast to a great Chef who has sadly been taken from us much too soon.

Sadly, Alex and I had to pay tribute to another Chef who died much too soon…

Chef Jesus Lee Fernandes was featured on “Somebody Feed Phil” and we were so honored to eat at his restaurant in Lison just months before he suddenly passed away…here’s a look at this creative Chef and his food…

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RIP Chef Michael Chiarello…

Categories: cookbooks, Food, food blog, Food Review, Hamburgers, Memoirs, Recipes, Restaurants, Talent/Celebrities, wine

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