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Martine Pelegrin,
CHEF
~~~
New Chef, New Menu Items
at Whip In
Martine Pelegrin helps 'Whip Indianize'
comfort-food classics
By
Claudia Alarcn,
Fri., Sept. 9, 2011
Martine Pelegrin at the Whip In
Photo by John Anderson
Continuing his efforts to keep things
fresh and fun at Whip In, general manager Dipak Topiwala
hired Martine Pelegrin in April as chef and kitchen
manager. Austin food enthusiasts will remember Pelegrin from Le
Marseillaise, the online French bistro she operated alongside
her husband, Eric, until April 2009. Her culinary playfulness
and creativity fit right in with Topiwala's mission to "Whip
Indianize" comfort-food classics by adding Indian flavors.
"Martine has tremendous kitchen knowledge and a full grasp of
what spices can do," says Topiwala, the man behind such
delightfully wacky dishes as the South Asian Frito Pie:
Bastrop Cattle Company beef and Lone Star beer-curried chili,
Fritos, organic black bean masala, shredded jack and cheddar
cheese, sour cream, and homemade cilantro chutney. He consulted
with Pelegrin to develop the gravy for his "Indjun"
chicken-fried steak, and after seeing the success of the
dish and the potential Pelegrin had for the company, he offered
her the full-time position, a move that will allow Topiwala more
time to work on the new Whip In brewery.
"Chandan [Topiwala's mother] laid an
excellent foundation menu, so I want to follow her flavor
profiles by using ingredients that are not necessarily
traditional to Indian cuisine, yet still honor great home cooks
like her," says Pelegrin. "I am thinking, 'What would Indian
home cooks make if they had access to the variety of ingredients
that we do?'" Her specials change almost daily according to
ingredient availability and will change seasonally. Recently we
enjoyed shepherd's pie made with Loncito's lamb stewed in
sherry, curried, and covered with Yukon Gold potato mash, and a
pan seared, jalapeo-cilantro Gulf black drum fillet with
tomato-pastis sauce, served on spiced basmati rice with the
house cucumber salad. By popular demand, Pelegrin also serves a
rotating selection of Le Marseillaise appetizer favorites like
brandade, rillettes, pt, and eggplant caviar.
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