The Mind of a Chef Season 3 Episode 9 Winter

The Mind of a Chef season 3 episode 9 titled Winter takes a deep dive into the culinary world's approach to cold weather. Chef Sean Brock, a self-proclaimed winter enthusiast, shares his passion for cooking using seasonal and local ingredients through the episode.

The episode starts with Sean taking a trip to Boone, North Carolina, to explore the winter landscape of the Southern Appalachian Mountains- a region he considers to be his home. As he walks through the snow, he takes time to point out the flora growing in the snow, which will be incorporated into his cooking later in the episode.

Sean begins the cooking section of the episode by fashioning a burlap sack into a carrier for his ingredients and heading out to forage. He collects a range of produce from nature, ranging from ramps to wild celery, and uses his experience and knowledge of the Southern Appalachian flora to pair them with complementary flavors. With his haul of seasonal ingredients, Sean returns to the kitchen to start cooking.

The first dish he prepares is called Hot Biscuits and Molasses, an iconic Southern dish. Instead of using store-bought molasses, Sean creates his by slow cooking sorghum, a traditional Southern ingredient, for hours until it forms into a thick syrup. He pairs this with homemade hot biscuits and whipped butter, creating a cozy winter breakfast that's perfect for the cold weather.

Next on the menu is a dish that Sean considers to be the epitome of Southern winter comfort food: Potlikker soup. This dish is traditionally made by boiling down leftover greens with ham hocks, creating a broth that is rich in flavor. Sean modernizes the dish by incorporating his foraged produce, creating a soup that is entirely dependent on the season.

Sean rounds out the episode by cooking a dish that he finds particularly special: a whole roasted duck. He explains that while he usually dissects the bird into various parts before cooking, he believes that cooking the whole bird together creates a better dish. To add his personal touch, Sean stuffs the duck full of foraged spices and herbs from earlier in the episode. He Slow-roasts the duck to perfection, creating a succulent dish that has a mélange of flavors from the produce he incorporated.

Throughout the episode, Sean's passion for winter and seasonal cooking is palpable. His appreciation for native produce and traditions of the Southern Appalachians and his emphasis on supporting local communities is evident in the episode. Winter is an episode that not only showcases Sean's culinary skills, but also his love for his home and local culture.