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Five favorite restaurant dishes to make at home
(Orange County Register, The (CA) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) I know what you probably think. As food editor, I dine at fancy-shmancy restaurants several nights a week. Right?
I hear it all the time. When introduced to strangers, their first comment relates to the restaurant mother lode they think I've struck.
"Oh, you must eat out all the time," they gush in envious tones.
It's usually my husband that kicks in with a summation of our eat-out reality. Phil explains that I like to cook, and that I need to cook to be able to write recipes. Testing, he clarifies, is part of the process. Most nights, we eat at home.
I love my job, and I'm not complaining. But I am not a restaurant critic. For me, dining out is often a treasure hunt of sorts, a search for dishes that can easily be prepared at home. I'm searching for uncomplicated dishes that rock my palate.
Here are five of my easy favorites from 2005:
_Frrrozen chocolate secret: It's an icy chocolate paradise served in a gigantic goblet, and even first lady Jacqueline Kennedy couldn't get the recipe when she wanted to serve it at the White House. I'd heard about the legendary Frrrozen Hot Chocolate for years, and finally had the opportunity this year to taste it at New York City's Serendipity 3. I wasn't disappointed. The restaurant has been a New York institution for decades, and they wouldn't reveal how to make the oh-so-popular concoction until last year on the occasion of their 50th anniversary. One of the three owners, Stephen Bruce, revealed the recipe in his book "Sweet Serendipity" (Universe, $19.95).
The cornerstone of the dish is a ganache-like mixture made with several varieties of dark chocolate, hot chocolate mix, milk and a little sugar. The mixture is whirled in a blender with ice and more milk until it reaches the consistency of a frozen margarita. Topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings, it's served with fat straws and a long-handled spoon. Mmmm, perfect for an at-home super treat.
(Serendipity 3 is at 225 E. 60th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues), New York, N.Y.; (212) 838-3531.)
_More ham and eggs with cheese, please: What fun it was to watch food editors and restaurant critics from around the country nosh showoff samples from chefs. As part of the 2005 conference of the Association of Food Journalists held in San Francisco, there was a tasting event featuring dishes from 10 of the city's best restaurants. The servings were small, but the selections were ambitious.
Examples included offerings from chef Gerald Hirigoyen of Bocadillos, colorful sushi rolls stuffed with foie gras and pickled mango; chef Michael Tusk of Quince, mouthwatering chickpea ravioli with squid sauce. And chef Michael Mina of Michael Mina Restaurant produced delectable lobster corn dogs with mustard sauce.
But it was the line at Town Hall's station that was jammed. Food professionals were coming back for seconds and thirds. Its dish, Faith's Warm Smithfield Ham and Cheese Toast, was the buzz in the room. And the restaurant's chef-owners, brothers Mitchell and Steven Rosenthal, were poaching quail eggs as fast as they could, trying to keep up with the demand. Standard-size chicken eggs are used in the dish served at Town Hall, but they adapted the recipe to make appetizer-sized versions for the tasting.
The dish, inspired by restaurant consultant Faith Wheeler, is a masterful takeoff on a grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich. Buttered bread is stuffed with Smithfield ham or prosciutto and tasty St. George white cheddar. Toasted and plated, it's topped with a poached egg and some jalapeno-spiked Parmigiano-Reggiano cream sauce. After a final sprinkling of very finely grated Parmigiano, it's torched to lightly caramelize the surface. Irresistible.
(Town Hall is at 342 Howard St., San Francisco, (415) 908-3900, in a south-of-Market area called Rincon Hill.)
_Under the Tuscan sun, where beans are king: Tuscans, known by their countrymen as mangiafagioli (bean eaters), are famous for their bean dishes. When spending a week with Lucy Luhan at her bed and breakfast outside Florence, our group tasted her incredible beans on more than one occasion.
She had to provide encores. We insisted. The former Orange County, Calif., restaurateur is almost embarrassed by the dish called Lucy's Beans, because it is so easy. Plump cooked beans, called fagioli bianchi di Spagna, are combined with leeks that have been sauteed in extra-virgin olive oil. She serves them as a side dish, or as an appetizer accompanied by large slabs of garlicky bread and a dish of pickled red bell peppers.
Shaped like large lima beans, the beans are light beige and have thick, meaty interiors. Of course, when Luhan prepares it, the olive oil is extra-special because it's made from olives grown on her estate. And the leeks she uses are harvested from her garden. I experimented with regular store-bought canned beans, leeks and an off-the-shelf, high-quality extra-virgin olive oil. The dish isn't exactly the same, but it is very, very good. It makes a delicious side dish served with lamb or beef, or atop toasted baguette slices as hors d'oeuvres, each embellished with a small fresh basil leaf or a smidgen of finely chopped prosciutto.
A search on the Internet didn't turn up any dried beans, but I found canned beans at Claro's in Tustin; they are labeled Bianchi di Spagna on one side of the can, and Butter Beans on the other (produced in Italy by Annalisa). A can of Albertson's butter beans offered a similar product.
(Lucy Luhan's Villa Lucia is at 144 Via dei Bronzoli, Montevetollini, Italy.)
_Liver love: Think you don't like fried chicken livers? My advice is to try these before passing judgment. Many of Orange County's French chefs, regulars at The Golden Truffle in Costa Mesa, adore them. Noisy and crunchy exteriors reveal hearts that are as tender as warm butter. Chef-owner Alan Greeley makes the dish by request. He says that his French colleagues love it so much that they often order it instead of dessert. He serves the livers on a folded, starched white linen napkin.
These delectable chicken livers can be called beignets, or simply fried chicken livers a la Greeley. He says that fans aren't limited to French chefs, joking that a few vegetarians have "gone over to the other side" after eating them. Much of what makes these livers so darn heady is the marinade. The trimmed chicken livers are soaked in a mixture of buttermilk, herbs and Frank's hot sauce. The hot sauce is moderately spicy and its vinegar-y edge complements the meat in a luscious way, while the buttermilk works on the texture. It breaks down the fibrous structure making the meat creamy when cooked.
Dipped into a beer batter similar to a tempura batter, the livers are deep-fried in hot canola oil. They puff beautifully, the outside turning a deep golden brown. The meat is slightly spicy and a little tart. Just before serving, Greeley adds salt and pepper to taste, but admits that a good ranch dressing might be good, too.
(The Golden Truffle is at 1767 Newport Blvd. (between 17th and 18th streets), Costa Mesa; (949) 645-9858.)
_Corn like no other: It was our waiter at The Slanted Door in San Francisco who urged my husband and I to add one of the daily specials to our order. It was funny because he had just scolded us for ordering too much food. But he could see food excitement in our eyes. He couldn't let us miss out on the fresh corn kernels stir-fried with chanterelles.
The James Beard Foundation named chef-owner Charles Phan as Best Chef in California in 2004. His immensely popular restaurant serves contemporary Vietnamese fare, showcasing locally grown, seasonal produce, plus ecologically farmed meat and poultry.
We ate every kernel of that corn. A sauce made of fish sauce, lime juice and sugar gave the dish that classic Vietnamese trio of tastes _ sweet, sour and salty flavors in perfect balance. The chanterelles, trumpet-shaped wild mushrooms with a somewhat chewy texture, contributed umami to the dish, a meaty flavor that is often labeled the fifth taste (a sensation distinct from sweet, salty, bitter and sour). Phan, who was born in Vietnam, advises that shiitake mushrooms can be substituted for the chanterelles. He said ground pork could be added if desired.
I don't associate corn with Vietnamese cuisine, but he said that corn is very common in Vietnam. Often it's roasted on an open fire and seasoned with chili, or combined with sticky rice for a sweet snack.
Sounds good, but I doubt that those dishes could compete with his corn and mushroom stir-fry.
(The Slanted Door is at 1 Ferry Building, No. 3, San Francisco; (415) 861-8032.)
RECIPES
Stir-Fried Corn and Mushrooms
Yield: 4 to 6 side-dish servings
\ cup fish sauce; see cook's notes
\ cup sugar
\ cup water
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use
1 cup fresh chanterelle or shiitake mushrooms cut into 1-inch pieces (if using shiitake, remove and discard stems)
8 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off cob; or 4 cups frozen corn, defrosted; see cook's notes
} cup chopped green onions, including some dark green stalks
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cook's notes: Fish sauce is sold at Asian markets and supermarkets with large Asian specialty sections.
Chef Phan would use only fresh corn because it has the sweetest taste. So the choice is yours: Tuck this recipe away for next summer, or stray from his recipe and use frozen corn.
Procedure:
1. In small bowl, combine fish sauce, sugar, water and lime juice. Stir until sugar dissolves.
2. Heat wok over high heat with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add mushrooms and cook until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in a few tablespoons of fish sauce mixture to deglaze pan, then place mushrooms and their juices on plate. Wipe out wok with paper towel.
3. Return wok to high heat and add remaining tablespoon vegetable oil. Once hot, sear corn and then deglaze with another tablespoon or so of fish sauce mixture.
4. Return mushrooms to wok and stir over low heat. Add green onions. Taste and add more fish sauce mixture to dish, as needed. Season with pepper and serve.
Nutritional information (per serving): Calories 301 (21 percent from fat), fat 7 g, protein 9 g, carbohydrates 50.1 g, fiber 3.2 g, sodium 937 mg, calcium 22 mg
_Source: Adapted from "The New American Cooking" by Joan Nathan (Knopf, $35)
Chicken Liver `Beignets'
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
1 pound chicken livers
1 cup buttermilk
{ cup Frank's hot sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons finely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh oregano
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary
} cup beer
2/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dredging
Pinch salt
1 egg yolk
2 ice cubes
Canola oil for frying
Salt and pepper, if needed
Procedure:
1. Trim livers as needed, cutting off fat and connective tissue, dividing lobes. Pat dry.
2. In glass or ceramic bowl, combine buttermilk, hot sauce, pepper, oregano and rosemary. Add livers and toss. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. Combine beer, 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, salt and egg yolk for batter; whisk to combine. Add ice cubes; stir.
4. Heat 2 inches of canola oil in large deep skillet or Dutch oven on medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Place flour for dredging in shallow pan or plate. Remove livers from marinade, dip in flour, then dip into batter. Cautiously add to oil (do not crowd pan). Fry until deep golden brown, turning over when bottoms are golden. Drain on paper towels. Taste and add salt and/or black pepper as needed. Serve.
Nutritional information (per serving): Calories 297 (80 percent from fat), fat 26.5 g, protein 4.5 g, carbohydrates 10.1 g, fiber 1.2 g, sodium 341 mg, calcium 22 mg
_Source: Alan Greeley, chef-owner, The Golden Truffle, Costa Mesa.
Serendipity 3's Frrrozen Hot Chocolate
Yield: 1 very generous serving
6 { ounces of your favorite dark chocolates, such as Scharffen Berger Bittersweet, Valhrona (72 percent) chocolate or Dove Dark chocolate
2 teaspoons store-bought hot chocolate mix
1 { tablespoons sugar
1 { cups whole milk, divided use
3 cups ice cubes
Garnish: Whipped cream
Garnish: Shaved chocolate
Procedure:
1. Chop chocolate into very small pieces. Place in top of double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. Add hot chocolate mix and sugar, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended. Remove from heat and slowly add { cup milk, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. In blender, place 1 cup milk, cooled chocolate mixture and ice. Blend on high speed until icy consistency of a frozen daiquiri is reached. Pour into giant goblet and top with generous dollop of whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Provide straw and long-handled iced-tea spoon.
Nutritional information (per serving): Calories 850 (64 percent from fat), fat 51 g, protein 15.1 g, carbohydrates 69 g, fiber 0.7 g, sodium 389 mg, calcium 45 mg.
_Source: Adapted from "Sweet Serendipity" by Stephen Bruce (Universe, $19.95)
Lucy's Beans
Yield: 8 servings
3 large leeks, trimmed, white and light green portion (2 cups when sliced)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 (14-ounces each) butter beans (fagioli bianchi di Spagna) with liquid
Pinch dried red pepper flakes
Salt to taste, if needed
Procedure:
1. Cut leeks (white and light green portion) in half horizontally. Place under cold running water and pull layers apart to wash away any dirt. Place cut side down on cutting board and cut into thin slices.
2. Heat olive oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes or until leeks start to soften. Reduce heat to low and cook gently 3 minutes (do NOT brown). Add beans, liquid and pepper flakes.
3. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer gently 10 to 15 minutes. Canned beans have varying amounts of liquid with them. If pan becomes too dry, add a little water or chicken broth. If there is too much liquid after simmering, continue to simmer until desired consistency is reached. Taste and add salt and/or more chili flakes as needed.
Nutritional information (per serving): Calories 280 (38 percent from fat), fat 11.8 g, protein 9 g, carbohydrates 40 g, fiber 3.1 g, sodium 125 mg, calcium 28 mg
_Source: Lucy Luhan, Villa Lucia, Tuscany, Italy
Faith's Warm Smithfield Ham and Cheese Toast
Yield: 4 sandwiches
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 jalapeno chilies, cut in half lengthwise; see cook's notes
{ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided use
Salt and pepper to taste
8 slices sourdough bread, about {-inch thick
4 slices Smithfield ham or prosciutto
1 cup grated white cheddar cheese, such as St. George
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 poached eggs; see cook's notes
Cook's notes: Use caution when working with fresh chilies; wash work surface and hands thoroughly upon completion and do NOT touch eyes or face. To poach 1 or 2 eggs, spray 1-quart saucepan with nonstick spray. Fill half full with water and bring to boil. Add { teaspoon distilled vinegar. Reduce heat to medium-low to simmer. Break 1 egg into a measuring cup. Carefully slide egg into water holding lip of cup as close to simmering water as possible. Repeat with remaining egg. Simmer, uncovered, 3 to 5 minutes or until whites are completely set. Remove with slotted spoon.
Procedure:
1. Combine cream and chilies in large saucepan. Place on medium to medium-low heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, or until cream coats the back of a wooden spoon (to test, dip spoon in mixture, then draw your finger across _ if it doesn't run and leaves clear path, it's done). Add 7 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (reserving 1 tablespoon); stir on heat until cheese melts. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Assemble sandwiches, using ham (or prosciutto) and grated cheddar cheese as filling. Butter outside surface of bread. Toast until golden brown in panini machine or on grill pan. Place sandwiches on plates. Top each with poached egg. Ladle cheese sauce over each and sprinkle with reserved cheese. Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown top surface. OR, if you don't have a torch, you can place sandwiches on baking sheet and toast until broiler.
Nutritional information (per serving): Calories 570 (84 percent from fat), fat 53 g, protein 8.5 g, carbohydrates 15.2 g, fiber 1.1 g, sodium 985 mg, calcium 30 mg
_Source: Town Hall, San Francisco
___
(c) 2005, The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.).
Visit the Register on the World Wide Web at http://www.ocregister.com/
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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