Jimmy Bradley’s Saute of Zucchini with Almonds & Pecorino
Quick Sauté of Zucchini with Toasted Almonds & Pecorino (Adapted from The Red Cat Cookbook by Jimmy Bradley and Andrew Friedman) Serves 4 We’ve served this dish at The Red Cat since our first dinner back in 1999. The most important thing here is to not overcook the zucchini. When cooking it, check it with the back of your hand; get it out of the pan when it’s warm, but not too hot. This will unlock its flavor and help it meld with those of the almonds and oil. Ingredients ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving ¼ cup sliced almonds 3 to 4 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices, then into matchstick sized segments (about 5 cups matchsticks) Salt Freshly ground black pepper ¼ pound pecorino Romano, thinly sliced into 12 triangular sheets with...
Read MoreQ & A With Marc Aumont
Pastry chef Marc Aumont has spent his life in pastry – literally. Growing up in Chamonix Mont Blanc in France, Marc lived in an apartment directly above his father’s chocolate shop, La Gerbe d’Or. There, he spent time honing the craft of both chocolate and pastry. After time spent in France, Marc met chef David Bouley who lured him into opening a bakery in NYC, subsequently Bouley Bakery. As first a consultant and later the executive pastry chef, Marc helped create one of New York’s preeminent bakeries. Marc then spent time as executive pastry chef at Compass, earning accolades in 2002 from New York Magazine as a “pastry star” with a “sugar future.” Danny Meyer with Union Square Hospitality Group eventually brought him to The Modern, which found its home in the newly refurnished Museum of Modern Art. On...
Read MoreGusto’s Pumpkin Pansotti
Chef Amanda Freitag shares a brand new recipe from her kitchen at West Village Italian, Gusto. You can’t get more fall than a pumpkin pansotti with apple cider reduction… Pumpkin Pansotti with Spiced Hazelnuts & Apple Cider Reduction Chef Amanda Freitag (Serves 4) Ingredients for the pasta: 3 cups “00” flour (low gluten flour) ½ tsp. salt 3 eggs ½ tsp extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup semolina flour for dusting Ingredients for the filling: 1 medium or 2 small sugar pumpkins ½ cup ricotta cheese ¼ cup parmigiano reggiano, grated Salt and pepper to taste Pinch of nutmeg Ingredients for the sauce: 2 cups apple cider, reduced to ¼ cup ¾ cup hazelnuts Pinch cayenne pepper ¼ tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. nutmeg Salt 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp. butter Preparation for the pasta… Preparation for...
Read MoreLandmarc’s Spaghetti Carbonara
This week, chef Marc Murphy shares a signature Landmarc recipe, initially employed at the Tribeca flagship restaurant. Without further ado… Spaghetti a la Carbonara (serves 6 to 8 people) Ingredients: 1 box of spaghetti 6 whole eggs 2 cups grated parmesan 1 slab of bacon (small dice) fresh cracked black pepper salt to taste Preparation: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a large bowl combine eggs, cheese and pepper. Mix well. Cook bacon in a sauté pan until golden brown. Cook pasta to al dente, then drain (reserve some pasta water). Add hot pasta and bacon (with all the fat) to egg & cheese mixture. Mix well (add some pasta water if mixture is too dry.) Season with salt if necessary and serve. Phone: (212)343-3883 Address: 179 West Broadway, btwn. Leonard & Worth Sts....
Read MoreQ & A With Katie Lee Joel
Conscious consumption: It’s understanding how food from the earth becomes the meal on your plate, and it’s also the guiding culinary principle of Katie Lee Joel, occasional television star, wife of musician Billy Joel, and author of the upcoming cookbook, The Comfort Table. Before she was old enough to read a recipe, Joel was busy helping her grandmother turn fresh vegetables and meat from their West Virginia farm into the dishes that brought her family together every evening. Many of the rib-sticking recipes featured in The Comfort Table come straight from her grandmother’s kitchen, but they also reflect Joel’s personal credo of wholesome, organic ingredients and healthy living. A graduate of Miami University of Ohio in English and journalism, Joel has brought her culinary talents to Bravo’s Top Chef, a column in Hampton’s Magazine, a special correspondent position for...
Read MoreStanton Social’s Pumpkin-Goat Cheese Croquettes
This week Chris Santos shares a highlight from Stanton Social‘s fall specials, a vegetable I’m extremely partial to – the pumpkin… Pumpkin-Goat Cheese Croquettes drizzled with maple mascarpone & crispy sage Croquettes 1 lb pumpkin puree 1 lb goat cheese eggs 1 bunch thyme picked 2 cups fine bread crumbs salt to taste 1 bunch sage Mascarpone Maple Drizzle 1 cup mascarpone 1/2 cup heavy cream 3 tbsp maple syrup Mix thyme, goat cheese and pumpkin puree in a small bowl. Refrigerate. Make small 1 ounce “balls'” of the mixture. Dredge in beaten eggs, then coat with coarse bread crumbs (panko works best). Refrigerate again. For the mascarpone – mix 1 cup mascarpone, 1/2 cup heavy cream and 3 tbsp maple syrup. Pan fry the croquettes until golden. as they are frying toss in leaves of sage. Remove from...
Read MoreQ & A with Harold Dieterle
Though Harold Dieterle found celebrity as the first winner of Bravo’s Top Chef, his life-long culinary experience has involved less glamour and more hard work. His Sicilian mother’s home cooking ignited Dieterle’s fascination with food, propelling him first toward a home economics class in middle school, and then as a dishwasher at The Marina on Fire Island. Realizing his growing affinity for the professional kitchen, he traveled to Spain in 1995, garnering stages under the country’s most revered chefs. Upon returning to New York later that year, the Long Island-native began his formal culinary education at the CIA. Chef positions at East Hampton’s Della Femina and the Upper East Side’s Red Bar followed, and then in 2002 he met Jimmy Bradley, owner of The Harrison. Studying under chefs Joey Campanaro (of current Little Owl fame) and Brian Bistrong, Dieterle...
Read MoreQ & A With Ralf Kuettel
Ralf Kuettel acquired his passion for nature’s edible bounty honestly. Reared in the foothills of the Swiss Alps, the budding chef grew up roaming the Turbenthal woods and tending to livestock and produce on his parents’ farm. Kuettel embraces a culinary concept that showcases the rich flavors of each season’s flora and fauna, as well as the classic Franco-Swiss technique he studied as a young man. Kuettel first ventured onto the New York restaurant scene in 1989 at Union Square Café under Chef Michael Romano. One year of intense kitchen training later, Kuettel took a brief hiatus to the West Coast, but the allure of New York’s restaurant scene drew him back. He launched himself into a four-year turn as executive sous chef at Soho’s Zoe. After short-lived stints at Cena and the Chelsea Wine Vault, Kuettel at last...
Read MoreAnita Lo’s Kimchee & Tofu Dumplings
We’re launching into fall with a new Friday feature: “Dining Out At Home.” This week chef Anita Lo divulges a recipe inspired by the newly sanctioned Rickshaw Dumpling Bar. She even created this dish, exclusively for Restaurant Girl readers. If you’re so inclined to take on a chef’s recipe – we highly encourage it – please send us a photo of the finished product and any kitchen disaster or success story that transpired. (We’ll happily post them!) When the feeling moves us, we’ll even publish our attempts at recreating a dish or two. Without further ado, we bring you Anita Lo’s… Kimchee and Tofu Dumplings Ingredients: -1 quart kimchee, squeezed dry -1 package firm tofu, drained -1/4 cup scallions, bias cut -1 bunch shiso, finely chopped -3 Tbsp. soy sauce, or to taste -1 egg, beaten with a pinch...
Read MoreQ & A With Sam DeMarco
Having grown up in an all-Italian Brooklyn household, Sam De Marco was raised on the caliber of authentic home cooking most New Yorkers travel to the Italian countryside for. He worked his way up the ladder, training under David Burke at the The River Cafe as well as Gray Kunz at Adrienne. Having forged on to develop his own imaginative global fare at both District and First, De Marco’s since reemerged at Fireside in The Omni Berkshire Hotel. In this sleek library nook, he infuses his signature global technique into comfort food, serving smoked prime rib with horseradish cream, sea scallops “Wellington”, lobster salad on a brioche bun, and wild boar bolognese strozzapreti (a nod to his Italian roots). He’s even got his own signature cocktail: Chef Sammy’s cucumber gimlet. Status: Single/Married/DivorcedMarried and a beautiful 1 year old daughter...
Read MoreQ & A With Marc Meyer
Having begun his career over twenty years ago at Odeon, Marc Meyer has since become quite an entrepreneur. With restaurateur and wife Vicki Freeman, the pair own and operate three thriving NYC restaurants – Provence, Cookshop, and Five Points – a significant feat in one of the world’s most fickle cities. While they succeed at mixing business and pleasure, Meyer concedes to a bit of time in couples therapy during the launch of Five Points. Five Points’ brunch has such a cult following that it compelled Meyer to write a book on the very subject. But most recently, the chef’s been spending time in the kitchen at his latest venture, Provence, where he serves a grilled pork loin with apricots, blueberries and radicchio as well as wild striped bass with corn pudding and corn & tomato salsa. What did...
Read MoreQ & A With Philippe Bertineau
As this month marks the ten year anniversary of Payard Patisserie and Bistro, we deemed it appropriate to go “Behind Kitchen Doors” with executive chef Philippe Bertineau. Bertineau cultivated his technique as sous chef at such prestigious restaurants as London’s Auberge de Provence and New York City’s Daniel before joining up with pastry chef Francois Payard to launch Payard on the upper East Side. With a talent for the southwestern cuisine of his native France, Bertineau sticks to his roots and dishes out some of New York’s best modern bistro fare. From rich homemade foie gras with pearl onion chutney to succulent duck leg confit on a corn galette, his dishes reveal themselves as elegant as this David Rockwell-designed classic. Status: Single/Married/Divorced Married What did you want to be when you grew up? Growing up in France my dad...
Read MoreQ & A with Johnny Iuzzini
Johnny Iuzzini’s earned three stars from Michelin, four stars from the New York Times, and a James Beard Award for Pastry Chef of the Year in 2006. He’s worked under the highest acclaimed chefs in the industry (Payard, Haas, Poitier), and now proudly wears his title as Executive Pastry Chef at Jean Georges. Like a straight-A student, Iuzzini’s accolades undoubtedly match his talents and CIA education. Here, he dazzles with a mango lassi with carrot froth as well as decadent dessert flights. And to think, his dream was to race motorcycles… Status: Single/Married/Divorced Single What did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to race motorcycles or be a stunt man. How did you get into food? When I got my working papers at 15, I got a job washing dishes at a local country...
Read MoreQ & A With Scott and Heather Fratangelo
Husband-and-wife team, Scott and Heather Fratangelo, have figured out the equation to both a happy marriage and a thriving career in food. At Spigolo, their UES Italian team effort, the two manage to maintain a packed house with month-long waits for reservations. While Scott serves as the executive chef, Heather skillfully leads the pastry and wine programs. Their ambitious menu features veal scallopine paired with beet greens and spring onions, and grilled pork rib chop with plum mustardo and roasted artichokes. You simply can’t skip dessert at Spigolo: Heather bakes an inspired mascarpone tart with balsamic figs as well as an exotic, coconut panna cotta with papaya, mango and pineapple. Status: Single/Married/Divorced Married to each other. What did you want to be when you grew up? Scott: Race car driver Heather: Nurse What was your first job in...
Read MoreQ & A With Nicole Kaplan
Chef Nicole Kaplan does not mess around in the kitchen: she’s played with the big boys in the NYC dining scene, toting her talents in pastry at Danny Meyer’s Eleven Madison Park, and now, Mario Batali’s Del Posto. Ranked as one of the top pastry chefs in the country by Chocolatier Magazine and Pastry Art & Design, we’re grateful she changed her mind on becoming a flutist. Currently, she is creating some of the city’s sweetest sensations at Batali’s Meatpacking locale. Signature desserts include millefoglie di lamponi- a Napolean of local raspberries, Tahitian vanilla ice cream, ice wine granita and raspberry-rose gelato as well as budino di cioccolato – a chocolate pudding with chocolate streusel and whipped cream. Status: Single/Married/Divorced Married with 2 little boys What did you want to be when you grew up? A Broadway singer. How...
Read MoreQ & A With Anita Lo
It’s been seven years, and chef Anita Lo is still proud to call the West Village restaurant Annisa, her own. Lo has reigned as head chef, co-owner, and creative mind for the better part of a decade, while serving as consulting chef and partner for the successful (and soon to be nationally expanding) dumpling house, Rickshaw Dumpling Bar. She also found time to promote a calcium-filled diet, assuming a full-fledged milk mustache in the Got Milk? campaign. At Annisa, Arabic for “women” (co-owned by Lo and Jennifer Scism), signature dishes include grilled Australian lamb tenderloin with Szechuan peppercorn, white soybeans and garlic chives, as well as the smoked Berkshire pork loin with millet, swiss chard and gruyere. Status: Single/Married/Divorced Single (gay) What did you want to be when you grew up? A concert pianist. What was your first job...
Read MoreQ & A With Marc Murphy
Restaurateur and chef Marc Murphy and his wife, Pamela Schein Murphy, blazed a trail to Tribeca when the two introduced Landmarc to the neighborhood. Murphy’s modern interpretation of an Italian-inflected French bistro was well-received not only by the locals, but also by the NYC’s dining public at large. Though he’s trained in some of the most upscale of kitchens, including La Fourchette & Le Cirque, he’s managed to integrate his penchant for the casual with his haute techniques at both Landmarc and West Village seafood shack, Ditch Plains. Having created a highly successful patent that changed the face of neighborhood dining, Murphy launched Landmarc at the Time Warner Center earlier this year. A hard formula to beat, Landmarc’s laid back atmosphere and unusually affordable wine list seem a welcome change for a posh urban mall, brimming with the cream...
Read MoreCrave’s Traditional Shrimp Ceviche
Chef Todd Mitgang’s first week out of the gate at Crave Ceviche Bar promptly yielded a dish of the week: a very good sign indeed. His inventive twists on the traditional result in champagne-soaked arctic char and “black and blue” veal cured in sherry vinegar and crushed olives. The menu at this beachy midtowner winningly deceives with an appetizer labeled “traditional shrimp ceviche.” Though anchored in a straightforward marinade of lime juice, jalapeno and cilantro, succulent shrimp are tossed with terrifically charred nibbles of corn, tangy hearts of palm, and tomatoes. But what really sets this dish apart is the salty crunch it receives from a whimsical sprinkling of ancho chile-spiced popcorn. Address: 946 Second Ave., nr. 50th Street Phone: 212.355.6565 Until we eat again, Restaurant Girl **Don’t forget to subscribe for Restaurant Girl’s Weekly...
Read MoreQ & A With Will Goldfarb
Somewhat of a pioneer in the pastry movement, Will Goldfarb launched the radically successful dessert bar Room 4 Dessert. There he charmed diners with such vanguard creations as litchi sorbet with tea air and choco bubbles. Though Room 4 Dessert has recently shut its doors (due to creative differences amongst partners), Goldfarb shows no signs of slowing down. His newest venture, Picnick, will bestow a “green” kiosk on Battery Park, bearing haute sandwiches and pannacotta in paper cups (opens Labor Day weekend). A student of Le Cordon Bleu and Ferran Adria’s at Spain’s three-starred El Bulli, Goldfarb has emerged an ingenious “mad scientist,” fascinated with chemically altered states of cooking. Status: Single/Married/Divorced Happily married. How did you meet your wife? She interviewed me to see if I would be a good roommate for a shared apartment on Bleecker Street. ...
Read MoreQ & A With Craig Koketsu
As the executive chef at NYC’s first seasonal restaurant, Park Avenue Summer, Craig Koketsu’s menu will morph at the whim of the seasons (as will the space itself). Craig Koketsu has become quite adaptable to change: afterall, he oversaw Manhattan Ocean Club’s kitchen as it transformed into the chic Quality Meats. Craig didn’t travel a traditional path to the kitchen, instead spending his early years in UC Berkeley’s library. From there, he skipped culinary school and went straight to numerous California kitchens then to NYC to work under the tutelage of luminary Christian Delouvrier at Lespinasse. This summer’s menu, which will soon fall (as well as the space itself) into autumn, purveys soy-battered soft shell crabs, grilled langoustines and fluke dabbed with plum & cilantro paste. Status: Single/Married/Divorced Married to my incredibly beautiful and talented wife, Juliana Cho. What...
Read MoreCheck out My Book – Try This
