Recipe

Dry Aged Beef Kafta Skewers

INGREDIENTS FOR BEEF KAFTA:

2.5 lbs Dry Aged Beef, ground

1 Vidalia Onion, large, fine diced

3 Garlic cloves, minced

¾ cup Fresh Parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp Urfa Biber Pepper, dry

1 Tbsp Oregano, dried

1 tsp Allspice, ground

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Cumin, ground

1 tsp Coriander, ground

½ tsp Ground Cinnamon

2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

PROCEDURE FOR BEEF KAFTA:

Mix all the ingredients together. Portion into about 2 ounces balls and then form into rounded oblong pieces about 2 inches long. Smoke at 225F for 15 minutes. Remove from the smoker and skewer the meat using soaked bamboo skewers. Finish cooking the skewers on the grill to create a charred outside. Serve over the Quinoa Tabouleh with Sun-Dried Tomato Oil, Chopped Pistachios and Tandoori Yogurt Sauce.

INGREDIENTS FOR QUINOA TABBOULEH:

1 cup Cooked Quinoa

1 cup English Cucumber, small dice

1 cup Heirloom Tomato, small dice

½ cup Italian Parsley, chopped

½ cup Fresh Mint, chopped

4 each Scallions, sliced

½ cup EVOO

3 Tbsps Lemon Juice

1 Garlic Clove, minced Salt and Pepper, to taste

PROCEDURE FOR QUINOA TABBOULEH: Mix all the ingredients together, check seasoning, adjust if needed, label and store.

PROCEDURE FOR

SUN-DRIED TOMATO OIL: Place ½ cup of Sun-Dried Tomatoes and 1 cup Olive Oil in the Vitamix and blend for 5 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth and place into container for service.

INGREDIENTS FOR TANDOORI YOGURT:

2 cups Greek Yogurt, plain

½ cup Preserved Lemons, diced

¼ cup Spiceology Tandoori Glory (Salt-Free)

1 tsp. Cumin, ground

1 Tbsp Lime Juice Salt and Pepper to taste

PROCEDURE FOR TANDOORI YOGURT: Mix all the ingredients together, label and store.

Recently, James Allen, Executive Chef at Blackthorn Club at the Ridges achieved “some good traction” with a dry-aged beef kafta skewer (a Lebanese version of a kebab) over quinoa tabouleh with preserved lemon, tandoori yogurt and sun-dried tomato oil. But not all of the international dishes are quite so elaborate. He pointed to the Latin American chimichurri sauce that is always available as a meat topping, a Japaneseinspired appetizer with crispy rice and ahi tuna and French classic braised veal cheek.

He has even made an African sausage with beef, pork and exotic spices.

Allen brought his French training into play with a Crawfish Limousine, a classic cognac and egg yolk cream sauce tossed with crawfish and house-made spaghetti and topped with crispy kale.

“Members really loved it,” he says. “They enjoyed it so much that I’m probably going to bring it back in the fall.”

Recently he also resurrected another old-school recipe, Dover Sole a la Meuniere, a simple dish with a lemon sauce enriched with clarified butter and flecked with parsley.

“A lot of members who travel bring some of those flavors they experienced into my menus and our kitchen staff is eclectic so our menus should be too,” Allen says. “We have our pastas and risottos, but I think that Spain has some of the best food on the planet and I use that cuisine’s flavors and cooking techniques such as blooming herbs in oil to fully develop their flavors.”

Some favorites are pork birria taquitos (“these rolled tacos are easier to eat than traditional ones and they’re not as messy,” he notes) and paella prepared in a cast iron pan with the day’s freshest catch. Also well received was a mozzarella ravioli with house-made chicken and cilantro sausage, chipotle cream, roasted corn and poblano pepper salsa. To keep the theme going, dessert that night was a guava panna cotta.

Our Bavarian Pretzel Bites are on track to be one of the most profitable products for menus everywhere. A delightful taste, these bites have the versatility to fit on any menu and be served in every daypart. Oh, and they’re good at making customers smile.

One member who travels regularly to Mexico requested that Allen prepare Chiles en Nogada, poblano peppers with a walnut-based white cream sauce and juicy pops of pomegranate. Another member who is Argentinian asked for ceviche, which Allen made for him.

The club’s extensive Indian membership also trusts Allen to prepare authentic versions of their cuisine’s most beloved dishes such as lamb vindaloo and tikka masala.

“After a dinner featuring Indian