Creamed Spinach with Trent Hazelberg

About Trent

Trent started his culinary journey at the Grey Rock Mansion as a dishwasher about a quarter of a century ago, and after working his way through the kitchens at Heidel House, moved to Kohler where he spent the next 14 years in the kitchens of Kohler hospitality, meeting and learning from some of the world's top chefs, including the legendary Jacque Pepin and Lydia Bastianich. At Kohler, Trent moved ahead quickly. Before long, he was named Interim Head Chef of Whistling Straits (one of the nation's top-10-rated golf courses), then Sous Chef at the American Club's Wisconsin Room, and then Head Chef and Restaurant Manager of the Cucina Ristorante. (And yes, he also managed to rub shoulders with Tiger Woods early in his tenure there.)

After a decade and a half in a high-pressure environment and a growing family (twins!) at home, Trent hung up his chef coat and put on his selling shoes, speaking to restaurants on behalf of a Madison fish company about products he'd been so passionate about as a chef. Then came an opportunity that he couldn't resist: returning to his Green Lake roots to lead the culinary team at ThunderBoss, joining the restaurant project from its beginnings, from designing menus to training the kitchen team.

These days, Tent is back in the sales world but says, "You can't take the kitchen out of the cook." One of his favorite things to do is to take a bunch of random ingredients out of the fridge, have a general thought of what to make, and let the ingredients lead the way to a final dish—his advice: "Once you understand the basics, the rest is imagination. Do not let the kitchen scare you. I have a great friend that is a very successful chef at a very posh resort. He almost burnt down the kitchen we were working in on more than one occasion. So, get in the kitchen, burn something, try something new, and never stop eating to feed your mind and soul."

From the Kitchen of Trent Hazelberg:

Creamed Spinach

A versatile sauce, dip or side to help amplify your favorite recipes.

"I've used this with grilled beef flatiron or tenderloins, pork chops, grilled chicken pizzas and even seafood like crab and shrimp dips. i hope it inspires you to get in the kitchen and make dinner for yourself and your families." Trent Hazelberg

You will need:

• 1 Shallot, minced

• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced

• 1/4 Cup Butter

• 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour

• 2 Cups Heavy Cream

• 2 Cups Milk

• 6 Oz Fresh Spinach

• 1 Tsp. Nutmeg

• Salt and Pepper to taste

Making the Dish:

Step 1: Blanching the Spinach

1. Fill a gallon-sized container with ice water.

2. Boil water in half-filled, large 1 to 2-gallon pot.

3. Add a tablespoon of salt to the water.

4. When water is boiling rapidly, add fresh spinach and stir with a large spoon or ladle for 10-15 seconds only.

5. As soon as the spinach turns bright green, dump it and water into a colander or strainer and drain.

6. As soon as hot water is drained, dump the spinach into ice water.

7. As soon as spinach is cooled, remove from ice water and let drain in colander, squeezing it out a bit to help remove residual water.

8. Set aside. You have now learned a fancy culinary skill called blanching.

Step 2: Making the Bechamel

1. Melt butter in a large sauce pan or stock pot and saute shallots and garlic on medium neat until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Turn heat to medium-low and add flour to the pot, stirring flour and butter together to create a "roux".

3. Add milk and heavy cream, turning heat to medium-high to high and whisking. The sauce will start thickening like magic within a minute or two.

4. Continue to whisk for another two to three minutes to make sure that all ingredients are thoroughly combines.

5. Turn off heat. Add nutmeg and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Step 3: Combining the Ingredients

1. Using a blender, add your blanched spinach to the bechamel and blend until it turns into a beautiful, bright green, creamy goodness.

2. After sufficiently pureed, taste the sauce once more to see if you need to add any more salt, pepper or nutmeg.

3. SAFETY WARNING from Trent: "If your Bechamel is still hot, please use caution using a drink blender with a closed top. If you turn your blender on high and let it go, you will more than likely send flying hot bechamel throughout your kitchen and maybe on yourself. The heat creates a sort of vacuum in the blender. In order to break this vacuum, you just need to quickly pulse the blender three times before letting it blend on its own."