For Keith Coughenour, CEC, AAC, Executive Chef of the Duquesne Club, the best dishes start with the best ingredients.
When Keith Coughenour started with the Duquesne Club (Pittsburgh, Pa.) in 1992, the culinary program relied heavily on classical cuisine and French service, where vegetables and starches were brought to the table and members helped themselves.
Coughenour saw an immediate opportunity to evolve the club’s culinary program. He began serving composed dishes and combining the club’s classic roots with a more contemporary approach.
Today, Duquesne Club members embrace Coughenour’s modern methods and appreciate his diligence in sourcing quality ingredients like the sustainably raised trout featured in this dish, which Coughenour sources from a family-run trout farm just north of the city.
“The best dishes start with the best ingredients,” says Coughenour. “We then use a wide variety of techniques—both classic and modern—as tools to elevate the ingredients without over-manipulating them. Our goal isn’t to be flashy, but to improve the final product.”
Recipes: