18 minute read
How We Did It
Deconstructing a shot from Stephen Hamilton’s The Restaurant Project
by JUDITH MARA
Advertisement
favorite dish Led Zepplin Burger
Restaurant Restaurant: Kuma’s Corner Chicago, IL
food stylist Jen Straus
prop stylist Paula Walters
butter poached maine lobster (from Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine)
ingredients
· 6- 1 1/4 pound lobsters, cooked and picked from the shell · 1/2 pound unsalted butter
cooking the lobster
In a saucepan, boil milk, water, butter, sugar and sea salt together. Add the flour and cook until dry.
Bring a very large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Drop the live lobsters into the water and cook for nine minutes.
Drain into a sink and cool with ice and running cold water.
Pick off the tails and the claws and knuckles, discard the bodies. Crack the shells gently with a heavy knife or cleaver and remove the meat from the shell. (Using scissors will help remove the knuckle meat easier).
Squeezing the tail firmly until it cracks will also allow you to then remove the tail meat by pulling the shell apart. Split the tails in half lengthwise.
Be certain the cartilage inside the claw is removed by making a small slit and sliding it out. This can be done the morning of the dinner and refrigerated until ready for dinner.
reheating the lobster
Melt one pound butter in a small stainless steel pot and have it hot, but not so warm that it is boiling or turning color, medium heat should work well on most stoves.
Using a basket or a slotted spoon place the lobster in the butter for a minute or until it feels warm to the touch. Do not overheat the lobster as the tails will begin to curl and become tough.
Remove the lobster from the butter and place in a warm bowl with just enough rum sauce to coat it lightly.
Assemble shortcakes with curried shallots, butter poached lobster and lime vanilla rum sauce. Garnish with small sprigs of cilantro, basil, and mint finish with a brunoise of shaved green papaya, mango and pineapple.
mark’s shortcake
ingredients
· 1½ cups all purpose flour · 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder · ½ teaspoons baking soda · 1 teaspoons salt · 1 ½ sticks butter cubed then frozen · ¾ to 1 cup buttermilk · ¼ cup heavy cream · 1/8 tsp ground clove
curried shallots
ingredients
· 8 shallots thinly sliced · 1 tablespoon ginger finely chopped · 1 serrano chili · 1 teaspoon tumeric · 1 tablespoon Madras curry powder · 1 teaspoon kosher salt · 1 cup rice wine vinegar
lime vanilla rum sauce
ingredients
· ½ cup lime juice · ½ cup rice wine vinegar · ¼ cup dark rum · 1 serrano chili · ½ vanilla bean split · ¼ cup shallots · 1 tablespoon ginger peeled and thinly sliced · ½ pound unsalted butter · Kosher salt · Fresh ground pepper · 1 teaspoon lime juice · 1 teaspoon rum
method
Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Add buttermilk until a soft dough is formed. Roll out to a ½ inch thickness and cut with a 3 inch cutter. Brush with cream and bake at 325F.
method
Put all ingredients into a stainless pot and bring to a boil, turn off and allow to cool.
method
Place the first seven ingredients into a stainless sauce pan over medium heat and reduce the liquids by 2/3 rd.
Then whisk in softened butter, season with salt and pepper, add lime juice and rum. Strain through a fine sieve discarding solid ingredients. Serve at once or hold in a warm place for up to one hour.
heavenly hots
by Ina Pinkney
When I tasted these light-as-air packed-with-flavor little pancakes, I was hooked.
ingredients:
· 4 eggs · 2 cups sour cream · 1/4 cup cakeflour · 2 Tbsp. potato starch · 3 Tbsp. sugar · 1/2 tsp. baking soda · 1/2 tsp. salt In a mixing bowl (or blender or processor) beat the eggs. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
Heat a griddle or fry pan on medium high heat. Coat with a thin film of oil. Carefully ‘drop’ a large spoonful of batter until it makes a circle of about 3 inches. When a few bubbles appear on the top, turn them over very carefully and cook until lightly browned.
We serve them with a peach, raspberry, blueberry compote. I personally think maple syrup is too strong a flavor for them.
crisp topping
by Ina Pinkney
ingredients:
· 7oz. flour · 4oz. sugar, white · 4oz. sugar, light brown · 1/2 tsp. cinnamon · 1/2 tsp. nutmeg · 6 oz. butter, unsalted, cut into small pieces Put all dry ingredients into a food processor and combine. Add butter and ‘pulse’ 7-10 times until the butter pieces are quite small - about the size of rice.
Fill an 8 oz. ramekin with blueberries and put 1/4 cup of topping on each.
Store the topping in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bake the Crisps at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes.
ina’s vegetable hash
by Ina Pinkney
ingredients:
· Butter | 1440g · 1 ½ lb. Sweet potatoes, peeled and diced · 1 lb. Red potatoes, peeled and diced · ½ lb. Brussels sprouts, fresh or frozen · 4 Tbsp. Canola oil · 2 Spanish onion, medium, sliced · 1 Eggplant, medium · 2 tsp. Kosher salt · 1 lb. Corn, frozen kernels · 1 c. Cream, heavy · 2 tsp. Oregano, dried · 2 tsp. Thyme, dried · 1 Tbsp. Garlic, minced · 2 Tbsp. Lea and Perrins Worsctershire sauce · 4 tsp. Tamari, gluten free · 2 tsp. Black pepper, freshly ground · 2 tsp. Kosher salt (plus additional) · 1 Tbsp. Ina’s Dirty Spice Mix (recipe, page ) Bring 6 qt. of lightly salted water to a boil.
Using a perforated pasta basket, cook sweet potatoes in boiling water until tender. Remove to an ice bath. Drain thoroughly when chilled. Using the same method, cook the red potatoes and then cook Brussels sprouts until tender.
Heat a large sauté pan to medium high. Add 1 Tbsp. canola oil to pan. Sauté onions until lightly browned. Remove from pan to cool. Add 2 Tbsp. canola oil to pan. Sauté mushrooms until lightly browned. Remove from pan to cool.
Split eggplant in half lengthwise. Score skin and rub with 1Tbsp. canola oil. Season lightly with Kosher salt and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast at 400 F for 15-20 minutes until very tender. Cool, peel and coarsely chop flesh.
To assemble hash, mix all vegetables thoroughly. Into heavy cream, mix all additional ingredients. Pour heavy cream mixture over vegetables, mix thoroughly and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to develop.
To serve, heat a sauté pan to medium and film with canola oil. Add desired amount of hash and cook until steaming hot. Serve with poached eggs.
ina’s award-winning fried chicken
by Ina Pinkney
ingredients:
· 2/3 cup sugar · 2 1/2- 3 pounds chicken- natural or organic cut into 8 pieces · 1/2 gallon Buttermilk · 1 tsp. Garlic powder · 1 tsp. Kosher salt · 1 tsp. Black pepper, freshly ground · 3 quarts Trans fat-free oil (we use Canola)
coating:
· 4 cups Flour, all purpose · 2 tsp. Garlic powder · 1 tsp. Kosher salt · 1 tsp. Black pepper, freshly ground Wash the chicken and trim any visible fat.
Mix the garlic powder, salt, and pepper into the buttermilk.
Put the chicken into a 1 gallon self-closing plastic bag and pour in the buttermilk.
Close the bag, place on a cookie sheet or into a bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
Into a large, heavy 6 quart pot, put the oil and heat over medium heat until it reaches 275°F, using a thermometer.
While the oil is heating, remove the chicken from the bag and place on a rack to drain.
For coating, combine flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper into a large mixing bowl and combine.
Dredge and press the chicken into the flour mixture.
Shake off any excess flour. Re-dredge if any part is missing coverage.
CAREFULLY AND SLOWLY put the chicken into the hot oil SKIN SIDE DOWN.
Leave it alone (I’m not kidding!) for 10 minutes. Then you can gently turn the pieces to keep them separate.
cooking times:
Wings: 13-15 minutes, Legs: 15-17 minutes, Thighs: 18-20 minutes, Breasts: 20-25 minutes
If you’re not sure the chicken is done, use the tip of a sharp knife and poke to see if the juices run clear or use an instant-read thermometer, which should read 160°F.
gingerbread pancakes
by Ina Pinkney
ingredients:
· 5 oz. flour · 1/2 cup each - sugar, potato starch * see note at bottom · 1/4 cup whole wheat flour · 1 tsp. each - baking soda, ground ginger, ground cloves, dry mustard · 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice · 1/2 tsp. salt · 16 oz. buttermilk · 1/2 cup sour cream · 2 eggs · 1/4 cup vegetable oil · 2 Tbsp. molasses Yield: about 20 (3 inch) pancakes Preheat oven to 200.
Sift all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and stir vigorously.
Combine all wet ingredients and mix until well blended. Stir into flour mixture and blend well without over mixing.
Heat non-stick pan or griddle over medium-high heat and brush with oil. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbles appear on the tops - about 3 minutes.
Turn over and cook about 1 minute more.
Place pancakes, uncovered, on a oven-safe platter in the oven until all pancakes are made.
NOTE: You can find potato starch (not flour) in a box in the Jewish Food Section of your supermarket. It might also be in the natural food area.
tasso ham
by Justin Brunson
ingredients:
· Pork Ham Cuts (roughly 5#/20#) | 1ea | 4ea · Kosher Salt | 53g | 212g · Onion Powder | 25g | 100g · Brown Sugar | 22g | 88g · Black Pepper | 15g | 60g · White Pepper | 15g | 60g · Garlic Powder | 10g | 40g · Pink Salt #1 | 7g | 24g · Hot Paprika | 4g | 16g · Cayenne Pepper | 5g | 20g · .Allspice | 5g | 2g
rub
· 1c Black Pepper (rough grind) · 1T Cayenne Pepper · 2T Garlic Powder
- Rub meat evenly with cure and let sit for 9 days wrapped, preferably in cryo-vac - Rinse in cold water - Rub with rub and smoke at 225 degrees to internal temp of 160 degrees - Cool completely
tamarind shandy
From Uncle Boon’s, New York, NY
serves 1
ingredients:
· 1 1/2 oz. Tamarind Simple Syrup · 1 oz. fresh lime juice · 5 dashes of house-made pomelo bitters (substitute grapefruit or any citrus bitters) · Top with Goose Island Sofie
tamarind simple syrup:
· 8 tsp. tamarind paste · 2 cups palm sugar · Add 3 cups boiling water
honey nougatine
by Geovanna Salas, Pastry Chef at Table Fifty-Two
ingredients:
· 2/3 cup sugar · 1/2 cup honey · 1 tablespoon butter · 1 cup toasted almonds or pistachios Combine sugar and honey in a heavy sauce pot and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stop stirring and bring syrup to 360°F. Remove from heat and stir in butter and nuts. Scrape the mixture onto baking sheet lined with lightly oiled parchment paper. Spread evenly with an oiled spatula, or press into the pan with a lightly oiled piece of foil. Be careful, it’s hot! Let cool until set. Chop coarsely.
milk honey pudding
by Meg Galus, Executive Pastry Chef at Park Hyatt Chicago and NoMI restaurant
ingredients:
· Egg yolks | 120g · Local raw honey | 100g · Cream | 500g · Nonfat milk powder | 50g · Gelatin sheets | 8g To bloom gelatin: Completely submerge gelatin sheets in ice water and wait until they soften, about 5 minutes.
Bring the cream, honey and milk powder to a boil over high heat. Using a whisk, slowly temper the hot liquid into the egg yolks, making sure not to curdle the yolks in the process. Add to the cream mixture and cook until it reaches 82°C or nappe, when the liquid is thick enough that when you run your finger down the back of the spatula it holds a line.
Remove from heat and strain the mixture into an ice bath (an empty bowl set over a bowl of ice). Add the bloomed gelatin after about a minute, and whisk. Chill in the fridge until set.
Mix lightly and portion into cups.
honey madeleines
ingredients:
· Butter | 1440g · Sugar | 1200g · Light brown sugar | 160g · Honey | 240g · Salt | 16g · Eggs | 1600g · Cake flour | 720g · All-purpose flour | 720g · Baking powder | 40g Cream butter, sugars and honey until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Mix in all sifted dry ingredients until just combined. Pipe into Madeleine molds and freeze until ready to bake. Bake at 325°F for 10 minutes, turn, then bake 4 more minutes until golden brown. Unmold and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
honey vanilla ice cream
ingredients:
· Milk | 2700g · Cream | 1430g · Vanilla extract | 25g · Vanilla beans | 3ea. · Honey | 550g · Sugar | 200g · Glucose powder | 310g · Milk powder | 170g · Salt | 8g · Stabilizer | 12g · Egg yolks | 840g · Butter | 225g Combine milk, cream, vanilla extract, vanilla bean, and honey in a heavy saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Combine sugar, glucose powder, milk powder, salt and stabilizer in a mixing bowl. Add yolks to the powdery mixture and temper into hot liquid. Over medium heat and stirring frequently with a spatula, cook to nappe or until mixture thickens enough that when you run your finger down the back of the spatula it holds a line. Remove from heat and whisk in butter until melted. Strain with a fine strainer to catch any bits. Allow to chill.
*For orange ginger ice cream, to 3 liters of honey vanilla ice cream base, add:
· 1 teaspoon orange extract · Ginger puree | 50g · Fabbri mandarin delipaste | 170g
milk chocolate honey ganache
ingredients:
· 1 cup sliced rhubarb · Cream | 1400g · Vanilla bean | 1 ea. · Honey | 200g · Milk chocolate | 2kg · Butter, room temperature | 400g Boil cream, vanilla, and honey in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and pour over milk chocolate and mix until smooth. Add softened butter and burr ??? and mix again until smooth. Pour into two ½ sheet pans lined with silpat or aluminum foil, shiny side up; let set overnight before cutting into small pieces.
roasted potatoes with rosemary & sage
by Judith Mara
serves 4
ingredients:
· 1 1/2 pounds potatoes (see note above) scrubbed and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks · 2-3 Rosemary sprigs, cut into smaller sprigs and smashed with the flat side of a knife · 10 very small sage leaves or large leaves cut into 1/2-inch pieces · 5 garlic cloves (optional) smashed with the flat side of a knife · 4 Tablespoons olive oil · Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper Use any type of red, yellow white or purple (boiling) potatoes you find at the farmer’s market. Rosemary and sage are sturdier types of herbs and can hold up to baking. This is a great side dish to accompany pork, beef or grilled fish.
Preheat oven to 400˚
Toss the potatoes, herbs, and garlic together in a baking dish large enough to hold them in one layer. Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes and give them another toss. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the potatoes (you can always add more later).
Roast for 20 minutes, turn over, then roast another 10-15 minutes or until browned and soft. Taste for seasoning. Serve piping hot.
farm market vegetable cheese tart
by Judith Mara
This tart is a real show stopper dish with fresh vegetables and arugula (yes, arugula, sometimes called rocket, is an herb) from the farmer’s market.
serves 8 ingredients:
· 2 sheets all-butter puff pastry* (Dufour or Trader
Joes are preferred, unless you make your own) · 1 egg, whisked · 1 tablespoon whole grain or Dijon mustard · 1 1/2 cups (give or take a little) grated Gruyere, sliced Taleggio or 1 cup crumbled goat cheese · 1 pint small tomatoes such as Sun Gold, cherry or grape, halved and sprinkled with a touch of salt. · 1 medium red onion, cut in 1/4-inch slices · Olive oil · 1 bunch of arugula or rocket
Thaw pastry according to instructions.
With a rolling pin, roll out both pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Roll into 10” x 14” rectangles or 12” x 12” squares. Transfer one sheet to a large baking sheet. Cut remaining pastry into 4, 13” long x 2-inch wide strips. Brush an 1-inch perimeter around the pastry on the baking sheet with egg wash. Twist one of the pastry strips and place on an edge of the pastry flush with the bottom but leaving about 1-inch of space on the top. Lightly press ends down. Repeat all around the pastry until an edge is formed. Brush top with remaining egg wash. (Use leftover pastry to make cheese or cinnamon straws.)
Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork about a dozen times and spread the mustard across the bottom. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes.
Place oven rack in the middle and preheat oven to 400˚.
While dough is resting, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a sauté pan and heat on medium-high. Sauté onion slices until they are slightly browned, remove from heat.
Top the pastry with the cheese, the tomatoes and the onions. Bake until golden and crisp and cheese is soft, about 20 minutes.
When pastry is done, remove from oven and top with arugula. Lift some of the tomatoes and onions up over the arugula. Tart can be served warm or at room temperature.
*You can also make this with one sheet of puff pastry but it will be smaller. Instructions: Roll out pastry as instructed above. Using a sharp knife, lightly score a line around the pastry, 1-inch in from the edge to create a rim, then prick the inner rectangle with a fork. Continue as instructed reducing the amount of toppings.
herb stuffed tomatoes
by Judith Mara
serves 2, per tomato
ingredients:
· 1 beefsteak tomato · Sea salt and fresh ground pepper · Handful of fresh, chopped herbs: any combination of basil, oregano, Italian parsley, tarragon, arugula or thyme · 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan or
Pecorino cheese · 2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs · Olive oil · Aged balsamic vinegar (optional) Pre heat oven to 375˚ or heat grill.
Slice tomato in half. With the cut side up, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let sit for at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the herbs, and mix grated cheese and bread crumbs together in a small bowl. Place tomato halves on a doubled sheet of foil. Sprinkle tomatoes with chopped herbs (reserve a small amount for garnish) and then the cheese mixture, drizzle with a little olive oil and pat down.
If baking, transfer tomatoes on foil to a baking dish and bake for 18-20 minutes. If grilling, close foil around tomatoes. Place to the side of the grill. Check after 10-15 minutes to see if they are soft. Continue grilling until done.
Optional serving idea: Drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar.
L A T E SU M M E R
NO 008
