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A SHORT HISTORY OF A L ANDM ARK RESTAUR ANT
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THE
GRAND CENTRAL
B A R & R E S TAU R A N T
COOKBOOK R E C I P E S & T A L E S from
A CL ASSIC AMERICAN RESTAURANT
S A N DY I N G B E R with R O Y F I N A M O R E
STEWART, TABORI & CHANG | NEW YORK
OUR APPETIZERS
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OUR APPETIZERS
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OYSTER ROCKEFELLERS SERVES 4
This is one of our signature dishes. Chef Scott Conant featured this dish on the Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate, calling it “old-school cooking at its best.” As he said, every component needs to be perfect. You’ll have some spinach left over. It could be a cook’s treat, or you could prepare another eight oysters.
24 Bluepoint oysters on the half shell Creamed Spinach (page 000) Hollandaise Sauce (page 000) Position an oven rack in the top position and heat the broiler. Remove the oysters from their shells. Place the shells on a rimmed baking sheet and spread 1 heaping tablespoon of the creamed spinach into each shell. Set the oysters on top of the spinach. Broil until the edges of the oysters are just starting to ruffle, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the broiler, top each oyster with about 1 tablespoon hollandaise sauce, and return the pan to the oven. Broil until the sauce browns, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Using tongs, divide the oysters among 4 dinner plates and serve immediately.
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OYSTER ROCKEFELLERS
OUR APPETIZERS
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JUMBO FRIED SHRIMP IN COCONUT
thick, whisk in a little more ice water. Let the batter rest
WITH MUSTARD FRUIT–DUCK SAUCE
on the counter for 30 minutes.
SERVES 4
Heat about 3 inches of canola oil in a large saucepan over
I really love the way this shatteringly crisp shrimp— coated with coconut—pairs with the sauce. It’s a special treat. The coconut has a tendency to brown quickly, so think about
medium-high heat to 360ºF. Heat the oven to 200 to 250ºF. Put the all-purpose flour in a shallow bowl. Put the coconut into another bowl. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
blanching (see page 000). The dipping sauce is spicy and
Holding a shrimp by the tail, dust the shrimp in the flour,
sweet, a combination of fruits that have been candied with
shaking off any excess and leaving the tail unfloured. Still
mustard and traditional Chinese duck sauce.
holding the tail, dip the shrimp into the batter and let the excess batter drip off. Coat the shrimp with the coconut,
FOR THE BAT TE R
squeezing the shrimp to make sure the coconut is packed
For the sauce
on. Transfer to the baking sheet. Repeat with the
1 (400g) bottle Vergani Mostarda di Frutta
remaining shrimp.
(Italian candied fruits in mustard), drained (see Notes) 1 cup Gold’s Duck Sauce (see Notes)
the hot oil and hold it for a count of 10, then release the
FOR THE SHRIMP
shrimp into the oil (this helps ensure that the shrimp won’t
1 1/2 cups ice water
stick to the bottom of the pan). Fry until the shrimp are
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Place t
2 tablespoons beaten egg (or Egg Beaters) 1 3/4 cups rice flour
he cooked shrimp on a rack set over a baking sheet and slide them into the oven to keep warm while you fry the remaining batches. Between batches, use a slotted spoon or spider to
Canola oil for frying
remove any bits of coconut floating in the oil.
1 cup all-purpose flour 3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
Arrange 5 shrimp around a small bowl of the sauce on a dinner
20 jumbo (8–12s) tiger shrimp, peeled
plate for each serving.
(tail left on) and deveined TO M A KE THE BAT TE R:
NOTES:
Whisk the ice water and salt in a
mixing bowl until the salt is dissolved. Add the egg and about half the flour and whisk until smooth. Add the remaining flour and whisk until completely smooth. The batter should be the consistency of medium-thin pancake batter. If it’s too 100
Working in batches, carefully lower a shrimp halfway into
Vergani uses a combination of peaches, pears, oranges,
clementines, kiwi, figs, papaya, and cherries for their mostarda. It is available in some specialty markets and from online sources. There are several online sources for Gold’s Duck Sauce if you can’t find it in your grocery store JUMBO FRIED SHRIMP IN COCONUT WITH MUSTARDFRUIT-DUCK SAUCE, COCONUT RICE
this take on New Orleans seafood. The shrimp, the Cajun
breaded shrimp early in the day if necessary; cover the bak-
Seasoning, and the Creole Rémoulade—it’s a perfect match.
ing sheet with plastic and refrigerate until you’re ready to fry.
1 1/2 cups cracker meal (see Note) 1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs 1 tablespoon cornmeal 1 pound rock shrimp 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
Before frying, check that the breading hasn’t gotten soggy. If it has, roll the shrimp in more breading mixture. Heat about 3 inches of canola oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat to 360ºF. Fry the shrimp in batches (don’t crowd them) until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels.
1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning (page 000)
Split the ciabatta loaves and slather the cut sides with Creole
Canola oil for frying
Rémoulade. Divide the shrimp among the 4 bottom pieces
FOR THE SANDWICHES
4 (6-inch) ciabatta loaves
and top each sandwich with 1/4 cup lettuce. Put the tops on the sandwiches, slice them in half, and serve.
Creole Rémoulade (page 000)
NOTE:
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
Pulse saltine crackers in a food processor to very fine crumbs.
If you can’t find cracker meal, you can make your own.
Put the crumbs through a coarse strainer to remove any large Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Put the cracker meal,
pieces. An 8-ounce box of crackers will make about 2 1/4 cups
bread crumbs, and cornmeal in a shallow bowl and whisk
of cracker meal.
to combine. Put the shrimp in a large bowl. Add the flour and toss with your hands, making sure all the shrimp are coated. Add the
SOFTSHELL CRAB SANDWICH
beaten eggs and toss again, coating all the shrimp. Sprinkle
WITH TARTAR SAUCE AND LET TUCE
the cajun seasoning over the shrimp and toss again.
SERVES 4
Lift a handful of shrimp from the bowl and let any excess batter drip off. Drop the shrimp into the cracker meal mixture and use your clean hand to roll them around and coat them lightly. Transfer the shrimp to the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining shrimp, keeping one hand for the wet shrimp and the other for the dry breading. If the breading begins to clump, put it through a coarse sieve. You can prepare the
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We serve two sizes of softshell crabs, depending on their availability. “Whales” are the largest available. They’re about 5 1/2 inches across, weigh about 6 ounces, and they’re the meatiest of the soft-shell crabs. But we also serve “hotels,” which are about 4 1/2 inches across but weigh just 2 1/2 ounces. We put two of these in a sandwich, and they give you a lot of crunch.
C A J U N F R I E D F L O R I D A P O P C O R N S H R I M P, C R E O L E R É M O U L A D E