Think peas, lentils and other pulses are one-trick ponies? Think again. We had the pleasure of speaking with Chef Lars Kronmark, an award-winning chef and instructor at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) Greystone, about how pulses are a staple throughout his recipe repertoire.
Pulses, Lars says, are a big part of his coursework. “The CIA has recipes filed by category – and you can flip through and find pulses in almost every one. The soup category, of course, but also purees and bases, sauces and reductions, fillings, sides, and main courses in regions like Europe, the Mediterranean and India.”
The popularity of pulses throughout the world and different culinary categories has a lot to do with their versatility. There are two essential culinary purposes of starches, Lars says, and pulses fulfill them both. “Pulses are carriers of flavor, and can also soften flavors that might be too harsh on their own.”
A lentil and leek puree, for example, can serve as a base for a spicy crusted duck breast to help moderate the richness of the duck and the heat of the spices. Or, Lars tells us, pulses can be used to carry the particular flavor you want, rather than soften it.
“You can take the same chickpea fritter and prepare it with roasted garden vegetables as an appetizer, with cured pork as an entrée or with a fruit compote as a dessert – it’s like a blank canvas.” And don’t worry, Lars isn’t just rattling off imaginary dishes; his St. Croix pork fritter, which can be made with chickpea flour, was the star and winning dish of the 2012 Napa Valley Cochon 555, a highly regarded mobile cooking competition.
Stay tuned – Although we can’t share Lars’ award-winning St. Croix fritter recipe (that’s a secret!), next week Lars will share another mouthwatering recipe right out of his kitchen at The Culinary Institute of America.
About Lars Kronmark
Chef Lars Kronmark is an award-winning Chef-Instructor at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) Greystone campus in St. Helena, Ca. Originally from Denmark, Kronmark was hand-picked by some of the finest culinary educators in the U.S. to open the school in 1995. Today, he is renowned for mastery of both his native Scandinavian fare and contemporary American cuisine. Kronmark is also recognized as a Certified Wine Professional, and instructs wine-related cooking and food pairing classes. 
