2003 Menus & Recipes
Bananas Foster I Spicy Curry Tuna Tartare I Lemon Spice Macaroons I Water melon/tomato gazpacho with basil oil I Lobster Pierogi
Bananas Foster
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon3 teaspoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter
3 cups firmly packed brown sugar
6 ripe bananas peeled and quartered
1/3 cup Meyer's Spicy Rum
1/3 cup banana liqueur
6 scoops of vanilla ice cream
Mix cinnamon and white sugar and set aside. In saute pan, mash together butter and brown sugar. Melt mixture together over medium-high heat. Add bananas. Remove from heat, add rum. Return to heat to ignite the alcohol. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar into flames. When flame burns down, remove from heat and add banana liqueur. Return to heat to ignite again.
When flames extinguish, place 1 scoop ice cream on a dessert plate and top with hot banana mixture. Serve immediately.
Yield: 6 servings
Source: Dan Cutchall, Gumbo's
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Spicy Curry Tuna Tartare
For the tuna:2 cups sushi grade tuna, diced small
3 tablespoons curry oil (see below)
1 to 2 tablespoons hot chili sauce or Tabasco
6 scallions, chopped, white tops only
2 tablespoons lemon confit (preserved lemons), chopped, optional
3 tablespoons chives, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
For the curry oil:
1/2 cup Jamaican curry or Madras curry powder
2 cups canola oil
To prepare the tuna: Put all but the salt and pepper into a bowl over ice, and toss to combine. Add more curry oil if needed, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep chilled until ready to serve. Serve on plantain crisps or crisp crackers.
Yield: 2 1/2 cups
To prepare the curry oil: Put oil and curry powder together in a saucepan over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the oil starts to bubble. Remove from heat, whisk again, and set aside to cool. When the oil has completely cooled, strain and put in a glass jar. The oil will keep for several weeks at room temperature or several months if refrigerated.
Yield: 1 3/4 cups
Source: Cheryl Smith, Melting Pot
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Lemon Spice Macaroons
For the cookies:Almond Macaroons
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon star anise
2 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups almond flour
2/3 cup egg whites
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
For the lemon filling:
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
4 lemons zested and juiced (use Meyer lemons if available)
2.5 ounces butter
To make the cookies: Sift the confectioners' sugar and almond flour together and place in a large bowl. Begin to whisk egg whites using an electric mixer on medium to high speed with the cream of tartar and one tablespoon of the granulated sugar. Allow this to run for 5 minutes until the whites are frothy and fully mounded. Then add the remaining sugar and put on high speed for 30 seconds until the meringue is tight and smooth. Immediately fold this meringue into the almond flour/confectioners' sugar mixture and continue to fold once the whites are incorporated for one minute to break down the meringue until the mixture flows slowly like lava.
Using a piping bag, squeeze out quarter or half-dollar-size circles of the batter onto Silpat mats (French baking mats) or parchment paper leaving room for them to spread. Allow the cookies to set at room temperature to form a crust about 30 minutes. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 20 minutes and when hardened on top, remove to cool.
To make the lemon filling: Place eggs, sugar, and lemon juice and zest in a heavy saucepan. Place over medium heat and begin to stir constantly using a wire whisk. Cook until the mixture thickens, and continue to cook for a full minute. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, use an immersion blender, or place in a blender and mix for 30 seconds to lighten the mixture.
To assemble: Use a metal spatula to remove the macaroons from the paper and turn them over one by one. Fill a pastry bag or baggie with a hole cut at the corner and fill with the lemon filling. Place a dollop of the lemon filling on half the macaroon halves and use another macaroon to complete the sandwich.
Store covered in the refrigerator.
Yield: 75 sandwich cookies
Source: Bill Yosses, Citarella
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Water melon/tomato gazpacho with basil oil
Ingredients:Water melon and tomato gazpacho:
1 heirloom tomato or yellow ripe
3 large tomatoes (Red ripe)
2 hot house cucumbers
8 oz. water melon ripe
2 red bell pepper, seeded
1 red onion peeled and diced
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
dash tabasco
Salt and pepper
Basil oil:
4 sprigs fresh basil
4 sprigs fresh mint
1/4 cup olive oil
Method:
Water melon and tomato gazpacho:
Dice roughly the large tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, melon and red onion and marinate with the sherry, olive oil, Tabasco, salt and pepper, refrigerate overnight.
Reserve one heirloom tomato for the garnish.
Next puree all marinated ingredients in a blender on high speed, until smooth texture.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Basil oil:
Mix the basil + mint + olive oil in a blender and process for 5 seconds.
Bring the ingredients to boil in a medium pan, whisking constantly for 3 minutes.
Let cool to room temperature and strain through a café filter.
Presentation:
Serve in chilled glasses or bowls, garnish with diced heirloom tomato and a few drops of basil oil.
Yield: 4 Servings
Source: Geoffrey Zakarian, Town Restaurant
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Lobster Pierogi
Lobster Filling2 pounds potatoes peeled and quartered
1 pound lobster meat
1/2 pound unsalted butter
2 tablespoons of chopped chives
salt and pepper to taste
1 recipe of pierogi dough, recipe follows
1 recipe morel & pea ragu (recipe follows)
Roll dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut dough into 2-inch circles. Wrap and set aside. Boil potatoes in salted water until tender and drain. Place through ricer and fold in butter and chives. Fold in lobster meat. Check seasoning.
Pierogi Dough
2 cups flour
4 ounces sour cream
2 ounces butter
1 egg
1 tablespoons of chopped chives
salt and pepper to taste
Place flour in bowl and form a well. Add remaining ingredients and mix by hand. Form in a ball, wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Roll to 1/8 inch thick and cut into 1 1/2-inch circles. Place 1 Tbs of filling in center. Fold over and pinch shut. Place in boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Sauté in butter and toss with morel ragu.
Morel Ragu
1 pound morel mushrooms
1 pound spring peas
2 minced shallots
1 clove minced garlic
1 Tbs butter
6 oz chicken stock
2 Tbs sour cream
Sauté mushrooms, shallots and garlic. Add peas and stock and simmer for 2 minutes. Whisk in sour cream and toss with pierogi.
Source: Michael Symon, Lola Bistro
Bananas Foster I Spicy Curry Tuna Tartare I Lemon Spice Macaroons I Water melon/tomato gazpacho with basil oil I Lobster Pierogi I Top of Page
All recipes are copyrighted by their respective chefs.