About Chef Z

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Chef Jeff Zahniser is a Certified Executive Chef and a Certified Culinary Educator. He is currently working as a Culinary Instructor for Liberty Ranch High School in Galt, California. Chef Z, as his students call him, has had a varied and interesting career since graduating with honors from The Culinary Institute of America. Chef Z was the Executive Chef at the City Hotel in Columbia, CA, has owned and operated his own catering company in Los Angeles, CA, and was the Executive Chef for Wyndham Hotels in Southern California. Chef Z strives to create a positive experience learning life lessons in the kitchen. Chef Z was named Sacramento County Office of Education Teacher of te Year and went on to be named Teacher of the Year for the entire county. Chef Z teaches Culinary Arts 1 & 2. He also teaches Introduction to Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts Chef Z’s students have gone on from these program to get jobs at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, Tuolumne Meadows Lodge and Bear Valley Ski Resort. Many of his students have matriculated into many other post-secondary programs around the state.

Thursday, July 28, 2011




Dried Fruit an Olive Tapenade
  • 1 cup chopped dried fruit (Figs or Apricots)
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 Tbls. Olive Oil
  • 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon chopped Rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
  •  cups chopped olives (Kalamata)
  • 2 cloves Chopped Garlic
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  •  cup chopped toasted walnuts
  • 1 8 oz. package cream cheese
Servings/Yield: 2 cups
1.Place walnuts on sheet pan and toast in a hot oven. Chop and reserve.
2.Seed the olives if needed.
3.Combine all remaining ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency is achieved.
4.Serve tapenade over the cream cheese and topped with chopped walnuts and fresh herbs.
Serve with Rosemary Focaccia.
Source
Chef Jeff

Rosemary Focaccia




Rosemary Focaccia
  • 5 sprigs Rosemary
  • 1 Pkg. highy active dry yeast
  • 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
  • 3 ½ cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
  • 2 teaspoons Salt
  • 6 tablespoons Olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon Black pepper, freshly ground
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1 pinch Sugar
Servings/Yield: 10 servings | 1 loaf
Rating: 
1.Strip the leaves from the rosemary stems and reserve about a third and leave whole.
finely chop remaining leaves,
2.Add yeast and pinch of sugar to lukewarm water and mix until dissolved. Allow mixture to stand in a warm place for 5 minutes.
3.Place the flour, baking powder and salt together on work surface and mix together well.
Form dry ingredients in a large well, add rosemary, yeast, 1/4 cup olive oil and black pepper.
4.With your fingertips work the ingredients together until a soft dough forms. Use a dough scrapper to form the dough into a ball.
Dip you fingers into extra flour and work dough into a ball. Be careful not to add to much additional flour because dough should remain sticky.
5.Sprinkle the dough with additional flour and begin to kneed the dough.
Kneed until dough is smooth and shiny. 
6.Brush the inside of a mixing bowl with olive oil and put dough into the bowl. Roll the dough around to coat the entire surface with oil.
7.Cover the bowl with a wet dish towel and let the dough stand in a warm spot for 30 minutes to proof.
8.Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare a half sheet pan by brushing it with olive oil.
9.Kneed the dough for an additional 5 minutes to knock out the accumulated air. Let the dough rest for 5 more minutes.
10.Turn dough out onto the sheet pan and with your fingertips flatten the dough out to cover the pan.
11.Brush dough with olive oil and decorate with reserved rosemary leaves.
Poke the dough all over with your fingers to form dimples.
Lightly sprinkle with salt.
12.Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until crisp crusted on bottom and lightly browned on top.
13.Cut into interesting shapes and serve with tapenade.
Source
Chef Jeff