Creativity takes over when bluprint chef steps in the kitchen
Sam Burman, 27, chef de cuisine of bluprint restaurant and lounge at Chicago's Merchandise Mart, has built quite an impressive culinary resume in a short time. He's spent time developing his skills at some of the area's most notable restaurants including Tru, Avenues, Zealous in Chicago and Tramonto's Steaks and Seafood in Wheeling.
Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Burman's interest in food began while cooking with his mother when he was young.
"I enjoyed observing, helping out, the aromas and the end result -- everyone coming together," Burman fondly recalls.
He began cooking around the Columbus area when he was 15. "I lost my mom at 12 and was put in a situation where I was looking for an outlet to get interested in."
In 1999, Burman moved to Chicago to further pursue his cooking interests capitalizing on the city's culinary depth and gaining experience in restaurant design and construction, menu development and kitchen management. At bluprint since it opened in July 2007, Burman is responsible for the menu from food creativity to production.
"I'm in a unique building where trends and imaginative thinking take over; it's a great opportunity to take that same approach with food," Burman says.
Do you have a cooking style? We call it imaginative American. I tell my two sous chefs that too much time is spent trying to identify a style. There are so many great cultures that all lend so much to the culinary world. We reflect things from Spain, Italy and France and include a little from molecular gastronomy. Our focus is to put great ingredients together to come up with a great dish so that people get up from the table feeling a little better than when they sat down.
Where does your culinary inspiration come from? It comes from the people that I am surrounded by. The industry as a whole is about building relationships with people. We utilize all of the local markets in the spring and summer. Our daily specials are often inspired by what we pick up and bring back. We can be imaginative and take an ingredient that we haven't worked with before and create something new.
What is your favorite dish to prepare? Right now it's Kona Kampachi. This fish from Hawaii is dressed with a ginger syrup made with fresh ginger, sugar and water that is pureed and passed through a chinois. The dish is garnished with Aleppo peppers, fresh Florida tangerine, Marcona almonds from Spain and finished with sea salt from France.
Do you have a favorite ingredient? Salt. There are so many different salts and they all have different mineralities and flavors. The palate receives salt differently depending on what type of salt it is. We use smoked salt in some of our preparations, and our tomato salad is made with Hawaiian black salt that is black from the charcoal left over from volcanoes. Salt is often used to finish dishes.
Whose culinary work do you admire? I admire chefs who cook without ego. It's important to be great at what you do and still be real with people. I never want to be a chef who sits in the office; I want to cook and create. You have to treat everyone with respect and be willing to teach someone who wants to learn something from you.
What was it like working with Rick Tramonto? I opened four different concepts with Rick, and one thing I got from him was the importance of attention to detail everywhere in a restaurant from a great wine list to the first visual impression when entering the restaurant. It's important to take time to walk the space and consider everything from candle and business card placement to the first thing you want the customer to see and smell. We placed a basket filled with apples and quince at the entrance once, and it was so aromatic it grabbed you. You have to consider the whole package when you operate a restaurant.
What culinary trends do you support? I support molecular gastronomy -- working with hydrocolloids. These products are used in the food industry for a lot of store-bought ingredients. They allow you to achieve certain textures when working with ingredients. For example, a tapioca-based thickener can be used to make a fennel gel.
Do you have a favorite kitchen tool? My favorite tool is the dehydrator. Food can be dehydrated, and it doesn't change the color. We can intensify ingredients by dehydrating them as well. Dehydrating red peppers can add a crunchy element to a dish. An almond puree can be dehydrated to make a tuille, which is just another way to put almond in a dish.
What is the coolest thing about your kitchen at home? My KitchenAid coffee grinder. It looks like an old gas pump and shoots out coffee as it grinds it. It is something I use every day.
What do you like to cook for yourself? I like Asian noodles, Thai cellophane noodles, made with fresh vegetables and vegetable broth.
When you're not cooking, what do you like to do? I love to be outdoors, hang out with friends and participate in cultural activities. It's nice to get out of the city sometimes -- take excursions.
What do you think is the secret to success in the kitchen? The quality of product that you put out. If people come into a restaurant and enjoy what they have, they will come back and be willing to try something else that's on the menu. What you do as a chef can bring people in, and there's no greater tool than word of mouth.
Tell us about this recipe. Grilled Smoked Pork Chops. For this recipe we use Doroc or Six-Spotted Berkshire pork. Bluprint uses pork from Heritage Foods. All the pork is 100 percent pasture-raised and comes from small independent family farms that are certified humane and do not use antibiotics, hormones or animal by-products. The brine works for all cuts of pork.
Enjoy this at home or at bluprint restaurant and lounge, 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 135, Chicago, (312) 410-9800. www.bluprintchicago.com.
bluprint's Grilled Smoked Pork Chop
1 10-rib rack of pork, about 7-8 pounds
Brine
1 gallon water
1 cup kosher salt
1½ cups brown sugar
2 bay leaves
10 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons Juniper berries, crushed
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1¼ tablespoons black peppercorn, rough grind
Mix all ingredients together for the brine and heat in a medium stock pot until the sugar and salt are dissolved; cool the brine in the refrigerator.
When brine is cool, add the pork rack and cover with a plate to keep the pork submerged. Allow to brine for 6 hours.
Remove pork from brine and place in a smoker. Smoke at 180 degrees until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Allow to cool.
Cut pork rack into 1½-inch chops, rub with a small amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill to desired temperature.
Serves six to seven.
Cook's note: At the restaurant we use a blend of apple wood and hickory bark in the smoker.
Chef Sam Burman, bluprint, Chicago
bluprint's Grilled Smoked Pork Chop
1 10-rib rack of pork, about 7-8 pounds
Brine
1 gallon water
1 cup kosher salt
1½ cups brown sugar
2 bay leaves
10 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons Juniper berries, crushed
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1¼ tablespoons black peppercorn, rough grind
Mix all ingredients together for the brine and heat in a medium stock pot until the sugar and salt are dissolved; cool the brine in the refrigerator.
When brine is cool, add the pork rack and cover with a plate to keep the pork submerged. Allow to brine for 6 hours.
Remove pork from brine and place in a smoker. Smoke at 180 degrees until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Allow to cool.
Cut pork rack into 1½-inch chops, rub with a small amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill to desired temperature.
Serves six to seven.
Cook's note: At the restaurant we use a blend of apple wood and hickory bark in the smoker.
Chef Sam Burman, bluprint, Chicago