Paul Jensen grew up on Long Island, the grandson of a chef, and the son of a police officer who also owned a catering business, so his culinary interests were developed and nurtured early. Following his retired grandfather to Nashville, he moved here in 1992 to pursue an apprenticeship at the Opryland Hotel Culinary Institute, and graduated with a class that included a number of Nashville’s now-prominent chefs. While at Opryland, Jensen had the chance to represent Tennessee in the celebrated Chaine des Rotisseurs culinary competition, eventually going all the way to the international competition, where he placed fourth. He’s continued to have tremendous success in prestigious competitions ever since.
In 1999, Jensen’s participation in a Nashville competition judged by the executive chef from the five-star Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs brought an offer of a place on the Broadmoor staff. Jensen started his career there as a garde manger chef, eventually rising to running the fine dining restaurant in the hotel. While in Colorado, he continued his high level of competition, but also regularly on his day off taught cooking classes on freshly prepared meals.
Fresh food is a particular interest for Jensen, and he takes a serious interest in sharing with his students his devotion to the importance of cooking fresh meals rather than microwaving processed stuff from boxes. “I like to build the recipes around the food I find,” he says, referencing his love for buying fresh farmers’ market seasonal foods, “not food around recipes.”
Jensen has quite a few students too, since last July he traded his high-octane cooking career for a teaching job at Nashville State Technical Community College, which he hopes will allow him more time with family and to explore his interest in teaching, and other potential business possibilities. With his background, he should make an outstanding addition to Nashville’s exciting culinary culture.
Kumquat Marmalade
This recipe is a tribute to my grandfather, Doc Jensen—it was the recipe he prepared when he, my father and I presented a generations cooking class in 2003.
Yield: 6 cups
2 cups kumquats
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 cups water
Slice the fruit thinly, put into the water and let stand overnight. The next day boil the kumquats until tender, pour into a bowl and let stand overnight. On the third day add the sugar, boil once again for approximately. 1 hour.
Seared Tuna with Fennel and Cucumber Slaw
2 8 ounce tuna steaks
1 small bulb fennel (fennel tops chopped)
1/2 English cucumber
1 small red onion (julienned)
1 ounce rice wine vinegar
1 ounce granulated sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
olive oil as needed
1 Tablespoon chopped ginger
Combine salt, pepper, chopped fennel tops, 1/2 ginger, 1/2 garlic. Season tuna with mixture. Continue by julienning fennel, cucumber and red onion. Place these vegetables into a colander and sprinkle salt liberally. Let stand for fifteen minutes. Add remaining ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste. In medium sauté pan, heat a small amount of oil to smoke point. Add tuna and sear on both sides. Cook to desired doneness.
Spinach and Frisee Salad Tossed with Balsamic Marinated Watermelon, Toasted Pepitas and Chipotle Vinaigrette
Yield: 4
4 cups frisee
4 cups spinach
1 cup small diced watermelon
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup toasted pepitas, glazed with tequila
2 1/2 ounces chipotle peppers
1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
3 Tablespoons honey
salt and pepper to taste
Begin by toasting pepitas in a sauté pan. Once the seeds are nicely toasted, glaze with tequila. Set seeds aside to let dry. Next begin the vinaigrette, use a small hand blender or food processor. Puree chipotle peppers with vinegar and honey begin to emulsify olive oil into puree. Marinate watermelon in balsamic vinegar. Clean spinach and frisee, toss with other ingredients and serve.
Braised Buffalo Short Ribs with Honey Balsamic BBQ Sauce
2 each 2” x 6” buffalo short ribs
1 cup mirepoix (mixed carrots, onions and celery)
2 tablespoons garlic
1/4 cup canola oil
1 quart beef stock
1 tomato
1 Tablespoon rosemary
1 Tablespoon thyme
1 1/2 Tablespoon liquid smoke
2 Tablespoon paprika
2 cups ketchup
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup honey
1 cup balsamic vinegar
In braising pan just large enough to hold the ribs, heat oil on high heat. Season ribs with salt and pepper and sear on all sides. Add mirepoix, garlic and tomato sauté until caramelized. Add beef stock, ketchup, honey and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a simmer. Add remaining ingredients and place covered in a 350º oven for two hours.
Remove ribs from sauce, puree sauce and strain
Lemon-Thyme Brined Chicken with Natural Pan Sauce
2 whole chickens
3 Tablespoons chopped garlic
1 ounces fresh thyme
3 lemons
To taste, salt and pepper
1 cup olive oil
2 cups brown stock
cornstarch as needed
Zest and juice the lemons. In a food processor combine the zest and juice with garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Then emulsify oil into mixture. Remove the breasts and the thighs from the chickens. Marinate them for up to one hour, and then bake in a 350º oven for about 30 min. Cook chicken bones in pot with brown stock. When chickens are cooked through, deglaze pan with fortified brown sauce. Thicken with cornstarch slurry.
Watermelon Sherbet
12 ounces watermelon (seeded)
4 ounces simple syrup
2 ounces heavy cream
Pinch salt
Puree watermelon, strain out the liquid. Combine with simple syrup, heavy cream and a pinch of salt. Place in ice cream freezer and spin until slushy, place in home freezer overnight, then serve.