You wait a long time to hear a fine chef ask such a startling question:

        “Where's the Velveeta?” bellows David Cook, standing in the kitchen.

        Talk about irony. Here was the accomplished chef-owner of Daveed's in Mount Adams, who regularly prepares seared foie gras, grilled ahi tuna and something called Shiitake Brandade D'Affinois Cake at his restaurant, desperately searching for that soft, neon-orange processed cheese that most professional cooks won't touch.

        But Mr. Cook had little choice.

        Here's how he got into this Velveeta predicament.

Chris Lemmon meets chef David Cook at her home in Milford. (Craig Ruttle photos) | ZOOM |

        For the first part in our new Chef's Dinner Club series, we called Chris Lemmon in Milford late one afternoon to ask if we could bring Mr. Cook over to fix dinner. The catch: He could use only the ingredients in her fridge and pantry to prepare the meal for Ms. Lemmon, her husband and four teen-agers.

        Ms. Lemmon didn't hesitate to say “yes” to our offer, of course.

        “It was going to be frozen pizza night,” she says.

        Then, we put Mr. Cook on the phone to quiz her on exactly what food he had to work with.

        “You have chicken?” he asks.

        Pasta in the box?

        Greens?

        Any dip?

        Cheese?

        Ah, Velveeta.

        Hearing this end of the conversation, the improvisational meal sounded like a serious challenge. But Mr. Cook's creative mind was already working during the 45-minute drive from his restaurant to Milford.

To keep the family occupied while finishing dinner, the chef creates a quick cheese dip. | ZOOM |

       

News, good and bad

       

        At 5:05 p.m., Ms. Lemmon meets the chef at the door and shows him to the kitchen. This was indeed a big day: Not only did Ms. Lemmon have a fancy chef cooking dinner, but her shiny new kitchen stove had been delivered that morning.

        “I don't even know how to use it,” she says.

        The chef kneels on the floor rummaging through the refrigerator.

        He is pleased by the discovery of fresh strawberries, but disappointed there are no sweet peppers. Ms. Lemmon points to a green bell pepper.

        “Yuck. I hate green peppers,” Mr. Cook says with disdain.

        He prefers his peppers red.

        Next comes the infamous request for Velveeta. Mr. Cook chunks the cheese product (actually a Meijer brand called “Cheezy Does It”) into the bowl and zaps it in the microwave. He stirs a dollop of Ragu tomato sauce into the melted cheese, along with a generous pinch of Taco Bell chili powder from the cupboard. Back into the microwave it goes.

CHEF'S DINNER CLUB

A few weeks ago, we asked readers to tell us why they would like a chef to come to their house to fix dinner. It was easy: Everyone who wrote qualified as members.     Here's how the club works: We choose a member (Chris Lemmon was the first to send an application) from the roster and call them late on an afternoon to invite the chef over. If they say yes, we bring the chef over to fix dinner that night. The chef can use only the ingredients in the house.     Although we can't guarantee every member will be chosen, you still can apply for the club by writing: Chef's Dinner Club, The Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202; fax: 768-8330.

CHEF'S LESSONS

• When preparing the meal for the Lemmon family, chef David Cook used a common technique called deglazing. After sauteing the onions and carrots for the pasta sauce, for instance, the chef added a little chicken broth over heat and scraped up brown bits from the pan using a spoon. When dissolved in the liquid, those bits add flavor to sauces. You also can use wine, vinegar and even water to deglaze a pan.     • After blanching the cauliflower, Mr. Cook drained the vegetable and covered it with cold water. This is called shocking, a technique that helps stop the vegetable from cooking. Shocking helps keep the cooked vegetable crisp, colorful and nutritious. An important tip: Don't shock the cooked vegetable longer than five minutes or it may become soggy.     • A final tip from the chef: When frying large amounts of bacon (half-pound or more), pour off the grease half-way through cooking. Otherwise, the bacon may poach in its own fat and turn out soggy instead of crisp.

        “My idea was to make a dip to keep the kids at bay while I finished dinner,” explains Mr. Cook.

        Ms. Lemmon has no tortilla chips for dipping, so she sends her youngest son, 13-year-old Danny, off on his bike to buy some. Danny pedals home a few minutes later with a bag of potato chips. The grocery was out of tortilla chips, but the spud kind will do, everyone agrees.

        By now, the other Lemmon kids wander into the kitchen: 17-year-old Ben, his twin sister, Jenny, and 15-year-old Greg. The news of the day is that another kid threw something from a car at Jenny on her walk home from school.

        “And I didn't even do anything,” pleads Jenny, who escaped injury.

        She and her brothers dip melted cheese and watch, wide-eyed, as the chef works, running from refrigerator to sink to stove and back.
       

Special adult dessert

       

        Mr. Cook begins by setting frozen chicken breasts in a colander to thaw, and putting pasta water on to boil. He dices bacon, onion and carrots to jazz up the jarred Ragu sauce. With rapid knife strokes, he slivers flour tortillas to sizzle for a tossed salad.

        Soon, Ted Lemmon arrives, sweaty from a long run. His wife had warned him the chef was coming over, so after saying hello, he hustles off to shower before dinner.

        Back in the kitchen — steamy and smelling like smoky bacon — Mr. Cook remembers the fresh strawberries and asks if there's any alcohol in the house (other than the Bud Lite in the fridge). Ms. Lemmon grabs a chair to pull down a bottle of vodka.

        “We've had that for 11 years and haven't used it,” she swears.

        The chef sniffs the bottle and decides it's fine to sprinkle on the berries for an “adult” dessert. He plunders the refrigerator door to find a bottle of caramel sauce.

        “I'm not done yet,” Mr. Cook says.

        He drizzles the caramel over the strawberries and shoves the bowl into the refrigerator.

        While the kids set the table, Mr. Cook wraps up the meal: He tosses blanched cauliflower with margarine and grated Parmesan (from a can, no less). The cooked pasta shells are stirred with bacon and preshredded mozzarella in a casserole dish. The chef puts browned chicken breasts in another dish with a sauce he made using bottled salad dressing, canned chicken stock and a dab of Ragu.

        “Got any bread crumbs?” he asks.

        “How 'bout croutons?” Ms. Lemmon responds.

        Mr. Cook crushes the bread cubes and sprinkles the crumbs over the chicken. Just before the family sits down, the chef shakes shredded iceberg lettuce in a pot with bottled salad dressing and garnishes the greens with the crisp tortilla strips.

The Lemmon family says grace before eating the meal prepared by their guest chef. | ZOOM |

        “Don't be offended, but you sure do use a lot of pots,” says Ms. Lemmon, looking at the stack in the sink.

        The chef only grins.
       

Dinner in 70 minutes

        It's 6:15 p.m., and Mr. Cook has prepared a three-dish meal, plus an appetizer and dessert, for a hungry family of six in an unfamiliar kitchen using only available ingredients.

        “Now if I were doing the cooking, I'd probably stop right here,” Ms. Lemmon says, pointing to the salad, pasta and cauliflower.

        Lucky for her, she didn't have to cook on this night.

        The Lemmons bow their heads to say grace, and then start passing their plates.

        “Don't forget the strawberries,” Mr. Cook says, before he leaves.

Recipes
        Cheesy Cauliflower

        1 head cauliflower, washed and broken into florets

        3 quarts boiling, salted water

        3 tablespoons butter or margarine

        1/4 cup grated Parmesan

        Salt and pepper, to taste

        Add cauliflower to hot water. Stir and boil 1 minute or until barely tender. Drain immediately and shock cauliflower by covering it with cold water for a few minutes. Drain well.

        In large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add cauliflower, stir and saute a few minutes. Add Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste and toss. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

        Milford Pasta Casserole

        3/4 box small shell pasta

        3 quarts boiling, salted water

        8 thick slices bacon, diced or julienned

        2 tablespoons butter or margarine

        1/2 tablespoon olive oil

        1 carrot, diced

        1 onion, diced

        1 cup chicken broth

        3/4 jar Ragu or other pasta sauce

        1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

        Salt and pepper, to taste

        Cook pasta in boiling water 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

        In medium skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat. Pour off grease half-way through cooking and continue to cook until crisp. Set bacon aside to drain.

        In medium skillet over medium-high heat, add butter, olive oil, diced onion and carrot. Toss vegetables until light brown. Add chicken broth and stir to deglaze bottom of pan. Add pasta sauce and simmer 5 minutes.

        Place cooked pasta, bacon and sauce in casserole and stir in mozzarella. Place in preheated 350 degree oven about 6 minutes. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

        “Lemmon” Chicken

        6 5-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

        Salt and pepper, to taste

        3 tablespoons olive oil

        1/4 cup vinaigrette salad dressing (such as Italian) or 3 ounces balsamic vinegar

        1/4 cup chicken broth

        1/4 cup Ragu or other pasta sauce

        2 cups seasoned croutons, crushed

        Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper to taste. In large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Saute chicken until golden brown on both sides and done in center. Remove chicken to casserole dish and keep warm.

        Deglaze pan with salad dressing or vinegar, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan with wooden spoon. Add chicken broth and pasta sauce, stir and simmer a few minutes to blend. Pour pan sauce over chicken and sprinkle with crushed croutons. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

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