Steaks fit for a president
Photo credit: | Bill Clinton's favorite steak, served with a side of onion rings
When it comes to discussing presidential tastes, Walter Scheib, the former executive chef at the White House, likes to keep pretty mum.
"It's like Ronald Reagan and jelly beans," he said, referring to the Gipper's penchant for the confection. "Word got out that he liked them, and that's all anyone served him. If I say, 'oh, Hillary likes X,' that's all she'll see for the rest of her life."
Scheib has served under the Clintons and the second generation of Bushes, and though he's shy about discussing their tastes over the phone, he did reveal a few snippets of their culinary preferences in a book he published last year, "White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen." He has since made a career as a caterer armed with presidential anecdotes. He started his own company, The American Chef, shortly after leaving the White House.
"Most of my profit comes from going around the country [and discussing my experiences]. People just want validation that the first families are just like them," says Scheib.
One would imagine that the two presidents had different tastes, but according to Scheib, the culinary camps were determined by gender, not politics.
"If we opened up a burger joint in the basement, both presidents would have been just as happy. They both believed if something was good, putting melted cheese on it would improve it 100 percent." Predictably, the first ladies were more diet conscious: Hillary Clinton was a fan of local, regional cooking; Laura Bush was "adament about organics."
Although Scheib was likely privy to some very juicy moments, he prefers to tell the humorous, humanizing stories. "We don't do dirt," he said. "It's about the honor and pleasure I received from serving them. It's about showing that they are like typical Americans. That's been the pleasure of my new job."
Q&A with Walter Scheib
How did the two presidents tastes differ? They didn't really. If you look at it geographically, Texas and Arkansas are pretty close. They both have lots of barbecue and lots of spicy foods. The main difference was the steak dinners. The Bushes would more often look for beef.
Is it true that Chelsea Clinton was vegan? By her senior year in high school, she had assumed a fully vegan lifestyle. When she was getting ready to go to Stanford, Mrs. Clinton didn't want her to go out to dinner every night in the public eye, so she asked that Chelsea spend some time in the kitchen, learning how to cook. She was very serious about learning to cook, she didn't take it lightly at all. She's one of the only graduates of the Walter Scheib White House cooking school.
If Hillary Clinton gets the presidency, would you return to the White House? The woman who's the chef there now is the first female chef in the White House. I can't see any need to go back. Why would Hillary throw out a woman to hire an old white guy?
RECIPE
Bill Clinton's porterhouse steak and onion rings Serves 4
Ingredients 1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices and separated into rings 2 cups buttermilk 4 dry-aged, prime porterhouse steaks, at least 1 1/2 inches thick (24 ounces each, or less if desired) 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper Vegetable oil, for frying the onion rings 1 cup all-purpose flour
Directions 1. Put the onion rings and buttermilk into a medium bowl and let the onions soak for 1 hour at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate overnight. 2. When ready to cook the steaks, preheat the broiler. Or prepare a charcoal grill for grilling, letting the coals burn until covered with white ash. Or preheat a gas grill to high. 3. Brush the steaks with oil and let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. 4. While the steaks are marinating, fill a deep-fryer with oil according to the manufacturer's directions and preheat to 350 degrees. (Alternatively, fill a large, deep cast-iron skillet with oil to a depth of 3 inches and heat until a thermometer registers 350 degrees. 5. While the oil is heating, broil or grill the steaks to desired doneness; an internal temperature of 135°F will give a nice, medium-rare steak. Time will vary greatly based on how powerful your grill or broiler is and how thick the steaks are, but it should take about 8 minutes per side. 6. Meanwhile, season the flour with salt and pepper. Drain the onion rings and toss in the flour just to coat, shaking off any excess. Fry in small batches until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and season with salt.7. To serve, put one steak on each of four dinner plates, and set a stack of onion rings alongside.
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