Home Cooking

International chef de cuisine Pascal Courtin is right at home in his home kitchen.

Gregarious Frenchman Pascal Courtin is the corporate chef for Sidney Frank Importing Company. To create his specialties at his home overlooking Serra Mesa, Courtin remodeled his kitchen so it could handle four ovens and two Dacor cooktops. Form and function were equally important in the remodel, since he occasionally hosts cooking classes in his home.

He selected a kitchen by Studio Becker, and then hired Bergen & Bergen in the Morena district to install it. The DuPont Zodiaq countertop, a composite of quartz and man-made materials, is just one of the new features that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Courtin was born in the heart of Bordeaux, France’s fabled wine region. After earning several certifications in gastronomy and restaurant management from Gascogne, a culinary school in Talence (a suburb of Bordeaux), and a certification in oenology from La Tour Blanche, he trained extensively at Claude Darroze, the celebrated restaurant in Langon, France. He came to San Diego to serve as executive chef for the late Sidney E. Frank, the billionaire liquor baron, who lived his later years in Rancho Santa Fe.

When Courtin isn’t globetrotting to demonstrate recipes that complement Sidney Frank brands such as Jägermeister, Tommy Bahama Rum and Grey Goose Vodka, he fills his time as a private chef and cooking teacher.

“I love when people visit me in my kitchen,” says Courtin, a member of the American Personal and Private Chef Association. “I like to teach in groups of 12. We all fit around my cooking island and together learn the basics of fine cooking.”

The chef admits he’s been too busy to hold many classes lately, but he does have a collection of recipes on his Web site, whatscookingpascal.com. To celebrate fall, Courtin suggests his scrumptious pumpkin soup (for that recipe, see page 63).

Abalone Sliders

1⁄2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 abalone steaks (available at The Abalone Farm, abalonefarm.com)
Aioli sauce (see recipe below)
3 assorted rolls (French, sourdough, sesame), cut in half and toasted
3 assorted heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
Fresh greens
White baby carrots, steamed, for garnish
Baby beets, steamed, for garnish

Drizzle the olive oil into a hot skillet. Sauté the abalone steaks for a minute on each side until lightly browned. Set aside.

Spread the aioli sauce on each half of the toasted rolls. Assemble the sliders by placing a slice of tomato onto the bottom half of a roll, then alternating layers of abalone and tomato. Top the last layer with an onion slice. Each slider should have three slices of tomato, two abalone steaks and one slice of onion.

Place the sliders on a plate and garnish with fresh greens, carrots and beets.

Aioli Sauce

6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 egg yolks
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄2-tablespoon tarragon vinegar
1 pinch cayenne pepper

In a bowl, whisk together the crushed garlic, egg yolks, salt and mustard. Very slowly pour in the olive oil, a few drops at a time, whisking constantly until all the oil is incorporated and the mixture is emulsified. Add the tarragon vinegar and season with cayenne pepper. Refrigerate until needed. Will keep for up to two days.

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