Matt Selby
EXECUTIVE CHEF—CORNER HOUSE, DENVER, CO
“I finally realized in doing what I love, I want to do it in a city that I love.”
—Matt Selby
Born and raised in Denver, Matt Selby has worked hard to help put Denver on the culinary map. He started his culinary adventures by serving up burgers and cheese sticks in Bennigan’s kitchens and found his way into a lot of local Denver restaurants, most notably Rattlesnake Grill. Matt says, “Rattlesnake was my first real kitchen!” While there, he worked for Mel Master, a well-known Denver restaurateur, and worked at all of his restaurants at some point.
Matt soon made a move toward finer dining and earned local fame as the head of Vesta Dipping Grill in downtown Denver. He ran the kitchen as executive chef for fifteen years and received numerous write-ups in the local and national press.
In the fall of 2012, Matt finally left the restaurant to partner with James Iacino of the Seattle Fish Co. and real estate investor Scott Kinsey to create the bistro-style restaurant Corner House. Matt says, “Leaving the Vesta family was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made! I made that decision though, simply based on the overwhelming feeling that it was time to take the lessons I learned from that family, and apply them to my own restaurant.”
Food has inspired many of Matt’s tattoos. He says, “[My tattoos] are really just predominantly things I’m interested in, which is food, cars, toys, and family.” Matt drew his own first tattoo, a “little skateboarder dude.” He also has full sleeves that feature images ranging from salt and pepper shakers to the atomic age red robot. He says, “I collect old vintage windup toys. Cars and things like that, so I got the Chevy bowtie. I’m pretty white trash that way.” He also has chopstick instructions and his own take on the Catholic sacred heart, a “sacred peach.” In 2006, he got the words “Foie Gras” across his knuckles, which is the tattoo he is best known for because it is the most visible of his tattoos. After his first culinary tattoo of fennel, he started thinking in terms of things he would want to get tattooed. He had the desire to tattoo his knuckles for a while and would often run ideas by his wife. He says “One day I was driving home after a long day of work and it hit me like a bolt of lighting. Two words eight letters, was what I was looking for and very much ties into what I enjoy and what I do for a living.”
Truffle Salt–Cured Foie Gras
This recipe is included in honor of the “Foie Gras” tattoo on Matt’s knuckles.
- For Foie Gras: Slice the foie gras lobe in half, lengthwise. By hand, pick the halves apart. Look for and discard veins, blood line, membrane, and any other impurities. Place the cleaned foie gras pieces into a container and chill. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, pour the Riesling and place over medium heat. Bring the Riesling to a boil and allow it to simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes to cook out the alcohol. Remove from heat. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Pour the Riesling over the foie gras pieces, mix by hand, and allow foie gras to marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. Strain the foie gras and discard the wine. Then, in a mixing bowl, combine the kosher salt and truffle salt to homogenize. Set aside until after you’ve rolled the foie gras.
- Roll out 2 lines of cheesecloth, about 11⁄2 feet long, vertically onto a work surface. Place 1⁄2 of the foie gras onto 1 line of the cheesecloth, about 4" from the bottom and centered. At the end closest to you, where the foie gras has been placed, roll the bottom of the cheesecloth over the foie, so that the end touches cheesecloth to cheesecloth. Roll the cheesecloth with one hand firmly planted on the excess cheesecloth above the top of the roll and the other hand firmly pulling the foie to tighten. About halfway through rolling, pinch the sides of the foie to compact the foie roll. After you have finished rolling, twist the ends of the cheesecloth around the foie, to tighten the roll. Use a piece of butcher twine to tie one end, retighten, and then tie the other end. Repeat process with remaining foie.
- In the bottom of a baking dish or terrine pan, spread enough of the salt mixture to be sure that the foie gras will not touch the bottom of the pan. Place the foie rolls over the salt and then cover completely with the remaining salt. Allow foie rolls to cure covered in the salt in the refrigerator for at least 16 hours. After they have cured, pull the foie rolls out of the salt, brush away excess salt, and unwrap from cheesecloth. Rewrap foie rolls with a clean linen until ready to serve.
- For Pickled Cauliflower: Place the thinly sliced cauliflower in a mixing bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and simmer uncovered on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Strain; then pour the mixture over the cauliflower. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature uncovered for 1 hour and then chill for at least 1 hour (can hold cold for at least 1 month).
- For Pear Gastrique: In a saucepan, combine the diced pears, red wine, water, sugar, and Fresno chili. Place mixture over high heat and allow mixture to reduce until thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the minced rosemary, remove from heat, and place covered in fridge, until cold, at least 1 hour.
- To Complete: To plate, slice Foie Gras into 1⁄4” disks. Place the disks on a plate, and then place a small amount of Pickled Cauliflower over each piece. Finish by spooning about 1⁄2 teaspoon of the Pear Gastrique over each piece of Foie Gras. Garnish with finely snipped chives.
