Having the opportunity to learn and cook alongside Chef Leslie Tripp and his team was definitely a pleasure as we learned to make new recipes and sharpened our techniques during A Taste of New England Food Lovers Package (February 20-22, 2015).
Growing up in Connecticut, Chef Leslie Tripp found his way into the world of restaurants at the young age of 12, working 2-3 days per week at a small restaurant in New Haven, and by the time that he had entered high school he had worked his way around the kitchen from station to station honing his skills.
Chef Leslie Tripp
After graduating high school, he went to Paris, France to attend the prestigious culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu, which opened in 1895, and list the notable Julia Child as one of its famous alumni. He continued to hone his culinary skills with an internship at The Ritz Hotel on Place Vendome, at the Hotel Fleming in Rome, and later doing a stage at the legendary two Michelin star Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons located in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, England.
After spending time in Europe he returned to the States working at restaurants including the New Haven Lawn Club where he was the Executive Chef for twenty years. It was there that he met Louis Sr. and Mary Tagliatela, the owners of the Saybrook Point Inn & Spa. They enlisted his help as a consultant in 1989 for the then-restaurant at the Inn, Terra Mar. When the Tagliatelas renovated the former Terra Mar restaurant and opened it as Fresh Salt in 2011, they convinced Chef Tripp to join them as the Executive Chef.
The restaurant’s focus of fresh sea-to-table and farm-to-table is evident from the large herb garden where Chef Tripp grows a variety of herbs and salad greens, to his relationships with small, family owned local farms, to the 4-5 fishing boats that call him as they are coming in with their daily catch of swordfish, tuna, black sea bass, lobsters, clams, oysters, and mussels, to the local cheese maker who supplies their burrata.
A Taste of New England
When not working in the kitchen at Fresh Salt, he enjoys spending time with his wife of 34 years, Judy, and his two grown daughters, Maria, and Chelsea who has followed in her father’s culinary footsteps, graduating from the prestigious The Culinary Institute of America (known in the industry as The CIA), and who now works as a pastry chef in Chicago.
Chef Leslie Tripp graciously shares his recipe for New England Pot Roast to give you a delicious Taste of New England and Fresh Salt restaurant.
New England Pot Roast
Serves 4 – 6
Pot Roast Ingredients:
3
|
Pounds (1.4 kg)
|
Beef Brisket
|
2
|
Tablespoons
|
Olive Oil
|
1
|
Large
|
Onion, diced
|
4
|
Cloves
|
Garlic, diced
|
2
|
Large
|
Carrots, diced
|
1
|
Teaspoon
|
Rosemary, chopped
|
1
|
Teaspoon
|
Thyme Leaves, chopped
|
2
|
Cups
|
Chianti
|
2
|
Cups
|
Beef Stock
|
3
|
Tablespoons
|
Tomato Paste
|
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
|
Vegetable Ingredients:
3
|
Large
|
Carrots, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
|
3
|
Ribs
|
Celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
|
2
|
Large
|
Parsnips, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
|
2
|
Large
|
Potatoes, peeled, diced into half-inch pieces
|
18
|
Pearl Onions
|
|
1
|
Bay Leaf
|
|
2
|
Sprigs
|
Rosemary
|
2
|
Sprigs
|
Thyme
|
Method: Preheat oven to 350° F (177° C).
Searing Flat Meat
Season beef with salt and pepper and set a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil and beef to pot, lightly sprinkle the beef with flour and sear evenly on all sides – 5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and reserve. Add onions, garlic, carrots, and chopped herbs. Cook, stirring often. Delglaze pot. Add wine, tomato paste, beef stock, and seared meat to pot and simmer. Add bay leaf and herbs, cover with foil, and transfer to oven.
Blanching Vegetables
Take remaining vegetables (carrots, pearl onions, celery, parsnips, and potatoes) and put in a pot of boiling water for blanching. Separately blanch vegetables until three-quarters cooked. Strain, then coat vegetables with 8 ounces of butter, toss with parsley, and reserve..
Cooking the meat in red wine
Remove the beef from the oven when cooked and tender and take it out of the pan. Strain liquid from pan and discard the pan vegetables. Reduce the liquid by half.
To Serve: Slice beef against the grain, spoon sauce over the top, and arrange the buttered vegetables around.
The next class, Food Lovers Package, Tour de France, will be held from March 6-8, 2015. Look for future seminars on the Saybrook Point Inn & Spa website: www.Saybrook.com under the Events section.
Tour de France – Food Lovers Package
Read the Gastronomy section to read about our experience at A Taste of New England Food Lovers Weekend.
Visually stunning with luxurious amenities and attentive service by professional, knowledgeable, and caring staff, is what sets the high standards for the Saybrook Point Inn & Spa and creates lasting memories for its guests.
Guests who like to travel with their dogs will appreciate the Inn’s pet-friendly policy welcoming dogs 50 pounds and under, and of special note is the dog-walking service and special canine packages available.
The Saybrook Point Inn & Spa is easily accessible by car, train, plane, or boat as the hotel has its own marina with transient slips available. Driving time from Boston and New York City is approximately 2 hours.
For guests arriving by Amtrak the Inn offers complimentary shuttle service from the Old Saybrook train station to the Inn. For guests who want to fly to Old Saybrook, the closest airport is Tweed New Haven Regional Airport located approximately 35 minutes from the Inn.
Read more about the Saybrook Point Inn & Spa in the Hotels and Resorts section, about our dining experience in the Restaurants section, about our experience in Sanno Spa in the Spas section, about our bike adventures in the Adventures section, and Chefs’ Recipes section for an interview with Chef Leslie Tripp who graciously shares a few of his tempting recipes from the restaurant.
Please visit their website, www.Saybrook.com, for more information on special packages and upcoming events.
Saybrook Point Inn & Spa
Two Bridge Street
Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Toll-Free Telephone: +1-800-243-0212
Telephone: +1-860-395-2000
Fax: +1-860-388-1504
Email: info@saybrook.com
Website: www.Saybrook.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaybrookPointInn
Read more about the Old Saybrook and the surrounding area in the Destinations section.
Follow Saybrook Point Inn on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SaybrookPointInn
Follow Luxury Experience on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LuxuryExperience
© February 2015. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com All rights reserved.