John Peter Corso Brings Brooklyn Flair to Vero Beach

John Peter Corso is from a neighborhood called Canarsie, which he calls “a special part of Brooklyn.” His childhood memories include lots of good food, and that put him on the path to becoming a chef.

“Canarsie has a little bit of everything—some of the best pizza, Italian ices, Italian bakeries, German bakeries, great Chinese food. There was a pier where I would go crabbing.” Culinary inspiration was everywhere—at least in retrospect.

However, before he thought about becoming a chef himself, Corso got into motorcycle racing, learned how to build motorcycles, and worked as a Honda technician. Eventually, however, he got a job at the Friar Tuck Inn in the Catskills, and that was what gave him the inspiration and the skills to make culinary arts his career. He recalls, “We served breakfast, lunch, dinner, and coffee, and I worked all of them sometimes. That’s where I really learned to cook.”

At the Friar Tuck Inn, there were two chefs who trained Corso—one eagerly and one reluctantly. “One would teach you anything, the other guy wouldn’t; so I learned to watch.” Even though the chef was trying to play things close to the vest, Corso picked up a lot just through careful observation.

Now, as executive chef at Pointe West Country Club in Vero Beach, Corso looks for opportunities to bring his New York style to the fore. “I love making things that you can’t get here, things from Brooklyn and New York,” such as Italian bread and Italian sausage; broccoli rabe sausage is a personal specialty. However, he knows that versatility is an important part of his job. “I love Italian, but as a country club chef, you have to be able to do it all. I do German nights, I make my own pastries—a lot of people don’t make their own pastries, you know—and I do sushi.”

One of Corso’s earlier jobs in Vero was as the chef for Lakes of Pointe West, which is now The Brennity. There, he had the special opportunity of working with his mother. “She ordered all the produce, she watched the kitchen. And when I wasn’t there, she watched to make sure nobody was stealing, which was awesome.”

Corso’s road has taken him from his roots in Canarsie to a country club in Vero Beach. But there’s no doubt that he’s brought a lot of Brooklyn with him.

Appetizer: Shrimp and Clam Oreganata

When he was growing up in Brooklyn, Corso and his family would go to Long Island to enjoy this dish.

Serves 3

• 1 dozen clams on the half shell (cooked, reserve the clam juice)
• 1 dozen shrimp, cooked and split
• 8 garlic cloves, roasted and chopped
• 2 cups breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup Locatelli grated Romano cheese
• Juice of one large lemon
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 1 tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
• 2 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the clams and shrimp on an oven pan. Top with garlic, breadcrumbs, Romano cheese, oregano, salt, pepper, and basil. Add the lemon juice and olive oil on top of the breadcrumb layer. Bake until the top is golden brown. Heat the reserved clam juice and add it as you take the pan out of the oven. Add the chopped parsley and lemon wedges as garnish.

Entrée: Chicken Milanese

A popular item at Pointe West, this dish is brimming with the Italian flavors Corso loves. The homemade breadcrumbs turn stale bread into a delicious treat. Corso serves this atop a baby arugula salad.

Serves 2

• 1 lb. chicken breast, sliced and pounded into cutlets
• 2 cups crumbs from stale bread
• 1/2 cup Locatelli Romano cheese
• 2 eggs
  1/4 cup flour
• 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
• 1 tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Break up the stale bread and put it in a food processor. Process until coarse to medium. Then mix it in a bowl together with the Romano cheese, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, and basil.

Break the eggs and blend the yolks and whites. Bread each chicken piece with a dusting of flour, followed by egg, followed by breadcrumbs. Sauté in olive oil until golden brown.

Dessert: Italian Napoleon Pastries

“This is something I’m famous for,” says Corso. While he makes his own puff pastry from scratch, he offers this user-friendly recipe that combines store-bought ingredients with French and Italian cuisine.

Serves 4

• 1 pound cake or plain sheet cake
• 2 boxes instant chocolate pudding
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup Amaretto liqueur
• 2 puff pastry sheets
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet shaved chocolate
• Amaretto whipped cream (below)

Make the chocolate pudding following the package directions for pie filling; as it starts to thicken, add the Amaretto.

Spray two cookie pans with PAM to prevent sticking. Place the puff pastry sheets on one of them, and top with the other to keep them flat; place in preheated oven and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 35 minutes, until golden brown.

Slice the cake lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces.

On a cutting board, place one sheet of golden-brown cooked puff pastry. Spread a 1/2-inch layer of the chocolate Amaretto filling and make all the edges even. Lay down the slices of cake to cover the whole area of the filling and make all the edges even. Top with the second puff pastry.

Make an additional chocolate ganache topping by heating the 1/4 cup of heavy cream in a double boiler or microwave and combining with the semisweet shaved chocolate. Top the pastry combination with the ganache, spreading it evenly. The ganache is optional.

Refrigerate for three hours and cut into portions.

Serve with Amaretto whipped cream on top or alongside.

Amaretto Whipped Cream

• 1 qt. heavy cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 packet Knox gelatin
• 1/4 cup Amaretto liqueur

Whip the heavy cream until it is frothy and then add the powdered sugar, gelatin, and Amaretto liqueur. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form.