Topolobampo's Mango Guacamole
By Chef/Owner Rick Bayless(Makes about 2 1/2 cups; serves 6) Ingredients: 3 large, ripe avocados1/4 cup diced red onion1/2 to 1 serrano chile to taste, seeded and finely chopped2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus a few sprigs for garnish1 tablespoon fresh lime juice1 large, ripe mango, peeled, flesh cut from the pit, and dicedSalt Cucumber and jícama slices or tortilla chips for serving Procedure:Remove the stem at the top of each avocado. Cut the avocados in half, running your knife around the pit from stem to blossom end and back up again. Twist the halves in opposite directions to free the pit, and pull the halves apart. Dislodge the pit, then scoop the avocado flesh into a large bowl. Coarsely mash the avocado with a large fork or potato masher. Gently stir in the onion, chile, chopped cilantro, lime...
Read MoreQ & A with Drew Nieporent
There are a lot of seasoned restaurateurs in this town, but few as versatile as Drew Nieporent. That’s why he named his company Myriad Restaurant Group. Nieporent’s accomplishments include cuisine from sushi at the world-famous Nobu to Mexican at Centrico. His most recent venture was also a huge risk. Opening an upscale French restaurant in this economy isn’t exactly a sure thing. But Nieporent and chef Paul Liebrandt pulled it off. Not exactly what you’d expect from a guy who once worked at McDonald’s. His key to success was a crucial understanding of quality and service at spots like Tavern on the Green, Le Perigord and La Grenouille. In 1985, Nieporent opened Montrachet followed by Tribeca Grill in 1990 then Nobu in 1994. Somehow, he still finds time for charity work, recognized this year at C-CAP’s annual fundraiser. On another...
Read MoreKittichai's Crispy Whole Fish in Lesser Ginger Curry
By executive chef Lulzim Rexhepi For fish:1.5 lbs whole fish6 oz Prik King Curry1/4 cup sliced red onion1/4 cup young ginger5 leaves Thai basil1/4 cup hearts of palm Method of preparation: Score the outside of the fish with a sharp knife and dust fish with all purpose flour. Fry in a large pot of oil that has been heated to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook fish for about 8 minutes, until golden brown. When the fish is cooked through, remove from oil and drain on paper towel. Add salt to taste and begin plating. Ingredients for curry:3 cans coconut milk1 can Prik King Curry2 tbsp fish sauce2 tbsp palm sugar1/2 jar young ginger Method of preparation:In a pot add 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil and sauté curry paste for about two minutes. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil and simmer...
Read MoreQ & A with Michael Psilakis
Mention Greek cuisine and most New Yorkers immediately think Michael Psilakis. So does Obama. The President invited him to cook at the White House for Greek Independence Day dinner. He’s come a long way from serving ice cream at Carvel. How did Psilakis brand himself in Greek cuisine? He introduced us to the simplicity, bold flavors and rich ingredients Greece has to offer. And at Anthos, he modernized it and developed his own style mingling Greek with modern cooking and other influences. Kefi, his casual Greek spot on the UWS, was so popular, that he and co-owner Donatella Arpaia relocated into a much larger space. It all started while he was running a restaurant called Ecco. One night a chef pulled a no-show and that was the beginning of a career in the kitchen for Psilakis. It hasn’t been an...
Read MoreRecession Proof Baking Tips
And we thought we’d run out of ways to save money cooking quickly. Luckily, that’s not the case. We just keeping finding more ways to save. We’re sort of addicted to thrifty, crafty ideas. And please, do feel free to send your own… Granita is a great summer dessert you can whip up on a whim. Did I mention it’s refreshing and fat-free and one of the cheapest things to make? You can make any flavor, but I made an espresso version for less than a dollar. Pour 2 tbsp of hot water over 2 tbsp each of instant espresso powder and sugar, stirring constantly until dissolved. Add 2.5 cups cold of New York’s finest water. Pour into a shallow container, cover, and freeze for at least six hours. Every couple of hours, use a fork to scrape the frozen mixture to create...
Read MoreMing Tsai's Pork Apple Potstickers
Famed Chef & Owner of Blue Ginger Ingredients: (Makes 45 to 50 pot stickers) Dipping Sauce 3 tablespoons sambal ulek 3/4 cup rice vinegar 3/4 cup naturally brewed soy sauce 11/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion greens Pot Stickers 1 pound ground naturally fed pork 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger 2 tablespoons naturally brewed soy sauce 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and tender green parts (1/8-inch-thick slices) 2 cups 1/4-inch-dice, peeled Granny Smith apples 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped, or 1/3 cup dried cranberries Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large egg 2 tablespoons water 1 package (50 count) round dumpling or pot sticker wrappers Grape seed or canola oil for frying Shredded romaine lettuce for serving Procedure To make the dipping sauce,...
Read MoreThe Waverly Inn's Truffled Mac & Cheese
By Chef John DeLucie Ingredients: 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi 1 tablespoon table salt 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered mustard or dijon 5 cups milk (see note) 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese , shredded (2 cups) 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese , shredded (2 cups) 1 teaspoon table salt Da Rosario white truffle oil to taste 1 fresh truffle Preparation:1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add macaroni and 1 tablespoon salt; cook until pasta is tender. Drain pasta and set aside in colander.2. In now-empty Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add flour, mustard, and cayenne (if using) and whisk well to combine. Continue whisking until mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in...
Read MoreQ & A with Danny Abrams
There are few restaurateurs as seasoned as Danny Abrams. He has successfully opened some 15 restaurants, bars, and clubs since he got his start as a busboy and roller-skating waiter. And did you know his brother, Steve Abrams, owns the Magnolia Bakery empire? Apparently it runs in the family. Many of his ventures are still thriving today, including Smith’s and The Mermaid Inn as well as The Harrison and The Red Cat, now run by former partner Jimmy Bradley. How does he do it? Abrams’s answer: “I think I worked hard, hired people smarter than myself, and was open to all feedback.” It seems like everyone’s branching out to the Upper West Side these days, but Abrams foresaw the UWS restaurant rush early on. Rarely does a restaurant concept travel from downtown to uptown so well, but The Mermaid...
Read MoreRecession Proof Baking Tips
Tip #1 — Why throw out leftover holiday candy when you can bake with it. Let’s take Easter: Old, uneaten chocolate bunnies and Perugina eggs make great ingredients for everyday desserts. Just break them up into chunks and use them as a substitute in anything from cookies to cakes, or just about anything that requires a hint of chocolate. Save the high quality stuff for yourself and melt it down to make yourself a cup of iced chocolate! Tip #2 — Nothing says recession more than the “Poor Man’s Pudding” from The Settlement Cookbook, which by the way is delicious. It’s rice pudding made with only four cheap ingredients and little effort. Take a half cup each of pudding rice (such as Arborio) and sugar, and mix it with a quart of milk and an 1/8 teaspoon of salt....
Read MoreQ & A with John DeLucie
New Yorker’s love a challenge. Just look at the Waverly Inn. Two years later and reservations are still tough to come by. Walk-ins crowd around the front bar hoping for a table. But what differentiates the Waverly Inn different from every other sceney restaurant is the quality of the cooking. That’s where John DeLucie comes into the picture. He’s the chef and co-owner of the Waverly Inn. De Lucie’s not your typical chef. He worked in the corporate world for many years. But at age 30, he called it a day and threw himself into the kitchen. He started off prepping salads in the basement of the original Dean & DeLuca store in SoHo. Since then, he cooked at Oceana, Nick & Toni’s, & The Tribeca Grand, before teaming up with Graydon Carter to open the Waverly Inn. This...
Read MoreAnthos' Greek Salad
By Chef & Co-Owner Michael Psilakis IngredientsSalad: ¼ head baby romaine, washed and trimmed ¼ head Red Belgian endive 1 oz. baby beets (pink, red and orange roasted with EVOO salt and pepper, peeled and quartered) 1 oz. yellow wax beans (blanched, chilled, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces) 1 oz. green peas (blanched, chilled, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces) 1.5 oz. Dodonis feta cheese, cut into ¼ in. cubes. 5 Kalamta olives quartered and pitted Small handful picked herbs (chives, dill, parsley and baby basil) Vinaigrette: 1/8 Cup red wine vinegar ½ lemon, juiced 2TB Dijon mustard 3 cloves of garlic confit Salt and pepper to taste 1 Cup EVOO Method:For the vinaigrette, puree the first 5 ingredients in a blender, then emulsify by slowly drizzling in the EVOO while whisking. Combine the vegetables and herbs in...
Read MoreQ&A with Marcus Samuelsson
There are a lot of chefs who do more than just cook. But there are few as accomplished or as interesting as Marcus Samuelsson. Marcus was born in Ethiopia, then adopted and raised in Sweden. His culinary career began selling bread to tourists by boat. Samuelsson learned Swedish technique and cooking at the Culinary Institute in Göteborg. He worked as an apprentice in both Austria and Switzerland before traveling to the America to work at Aquavit. There, he was quickly promoted to executive chef, and just a few months later, became the youngest chef to receive three stars from the New York Times. Recently, Samuelsson traveled back to Africa and wrote a pan-African cookbook, The Soul of a New Cuisine. He also opened AQ Cafe and just recently partnered with Starbucks to raise awareness of African cuisine. As an...
Read MoreIndochine's Vietnamese Bouillabaisse
By Chef-owner Huy Chi Le Serves 4 Ingredients:Seafood 2 dozen freshly cleaned mussels12 shelled & deveined large prawns1 cup calamari rings½ lb medium scallops Vegetables2 cups finely shredded Chinese cabbage½ cup fried minced shallots4 sprigs Asian basil (for garnish)4 lime wedges (optional) Broth4 cups fish broth (chicken broth can be substituted)2 cups coconut milk2 tablespoons finely shredded kaffir lime leaves½ tablespoon shrimp paste2 tablespoons garlic chili paste (more or less to taste)½ tablespoon curry powder (or paste)5 tablespoons undiluted Vietnamese fish sauce4 tablespoons tomato paste1 tablespoon sugar Procedure: Bring the broth, coconut milk, shrimp paste, chili paste, fish sauce, tomato paste and sugar to a boil; reduce heat; add the curry powder and lime leaves; simmer at medium heat for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add the mussels and let simmer for 2 or 3 minutes....
Read MoreQ & A with Takashi Yagihashi
What comes to mind when you think of Detroit? The auto industry, Detroit Red Wings, and Eminem. Detroit’s not really known for its food. But Takashi Yagihashi has changed that. He debuted on the Detroit dining scene with Tribute, a highly acclaimed French Japanese restaurant and followed it up with a second venture, Takashi, where he puts a French-American spin on Japanese cooking in Chicago. Before landing in Detroit, Yagihashi got a degree in interior design. Instead, he ended up training at Yoshi’s Cafe, then French Ambria. He’s also opened Noodles in Macy’s and has written a cookbook on all things noodles, called “Takashi’s Noodles,” which explores everything from spaghetti to soba gnocchi. At Takashi, his menu features yellowtail kampachi with monkfish foie gras and Tosasu dressing as well as a roasted strip steak with wasabi, miso-glazed fingerlings, and fried...
Read MoreRecession Proof Baking Tips
In my endless search for ice cream recipes that don’t require an ice cream machine, I unearthed a Hershey’s Chocolate Cookbook from 1934. It’s my best discovery to date and the cheapest to make. Start by melting 2 oz. of dark chocolate in a bowl over boiling water. Add a cup of sweetened condensed milk and stir for five minutes. Then add a cup of water, let cool, add 1 cup of whipped cream, and 1/4 tsp of flavoring extract. Place it in a shallow pan and put it in the freezer. It’s easier than making brownies. I love old school desserts — junket custards, jello molds, upside down cake. This pineapple dessert is easy, cheap and truly gratifying. I found it In the Settlement Cookbook. It calls for three inexpensive ingredients and yields excellent results. Mix together a half...
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Q & A with Alex Guarnaschelli
The last time we caught up with Alex Guarnaschelli was two years ago. A lot has changed since then. She’s still the executive chef at the celebrity hangout, Butter. But now, she hosts Food Network’s “The Cooking Loft,” became a mom and an imminent cookbook author. Guarnaschelli trained with some of the finest chefs, including Guy Savoy, Larry Fiorgione, and Daniel Boulud. Since 2005, she’s been in the kitchen at Butter. While her cooking may not get as much attention as the scene, it deserves it. She manages to pull off Greenmarket cuisine year-round. For spring, she’s created a spring pea salad with crispy bacon, chervil, tarragon and parmesan, as well as a Hudson Valley duck breast with sunchokes, roasted date puree and sunflower greens. First thing’s first — how’s juggling motherhood and a fulltime restaurant job? To me...
Read MoreGramercy Tavern's Belleville Cocktail
Created by Tobias Rower (Inspired by the Corpse Reviver #2) Ingredients:*1 oz. cognac *1 oz. dry vermouth (we recommend Dolin) *1 oz. St. Germain *¾ oz. lemon Procedure:Shake & serve up with a dash of pernod and a brandied cherry in a martini glass. Gramercy TavernAddress: 42 East 20th Street, nr. Park Avenue SouthPhone:...
Read MoreQ & A with Ming Tsai
If after reading this interview, you remember one thing, remember this: Chef Ming Tsai does not cook Asian fusion. “Fusion just leads to confusion,” insists Tsai and there’s nothing confusing about his cooking at Boston’s acclaimed Blue Ginger. Tsai’s cooking style? East Meets West, which makes sense when you consider his childhood. A Chinese American, Ming Tsai, grew up in Ohio, where he worked at his parents’ Chinese restaurant. It was there he learned his way around a restaurant before attending Yale University. Over the years, Tsai’s earned himself a highly regarded reputation, but few know that he not only developed the Food Allergy Reference Book, but also helped pass a law requiring local restaurants to adhere to food allergy safety codes. A few of his other accomplishments include a PBS show, traveling cooking show – Ming’s Quest –...
Read MoreQ & A with Amanda Cohen
There’s a lot of respectable vegetarian restaurants in New York these days — raw, macrobiotic, and even microbiotic food. Most are guilty of mock meats, like faux franks, veggie bacon and tofurkey. Not Amanda Cohen. She lobbies against them at Dirt Candy, her new — and controversially named — tiny restaurant in the East Village. Yes, the name is awful and no one can resist poking fun. “At least people remember it!” Cohen says and, if she do it all over again, she’d keep the name. Her inspiration is sincere: “Vegetables are mother nature’s candy.” She’s also gotten quite a bit of press on her review of a New York Times dining brief about Dirt Candy. To think, Cohen used to deep fry buffalo wings for a living. She changed directions, working in some of the city’s best vegetarian...
Read MoreCentro Vinoteca's Mushroom Risotto Stuffed Quail with Sauteed Kale, Pine Nuts, Amarena Cherries and Jus
By Chef Leah Cohen Serves 4 For risotto filling: 1/2 onion, diced small 2 tbsp olive oil 1 cup Carnaroli rice 1/4 cup white wine 3 cups of chicken stock 1/4 cup roasted maitake mushrooms, chopped 4 tbsp butter 1 tbsp white truffle oil 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano Salt to taste Sweat the onions in olive oil until tender. Add rice and toast for 2 minutes. Deglaze with white wine and cook until almost all the wine has evaporated. Add hot chicken stock in 1/3 increments, constantly stirring the rice in the same direction to build up the starch. (The rice might need more or less chicken stock, there is no exact measure but 3 cups should be pretty close.) Once the rice is cooked a little less than al dente fold in butter, cheese, oregano and...
Read MoreCheck out My Book – Try This
