Chef recipes that can be made at home – wow!  Although in years past the term chef cookbook was nearly synonymous with coffee table book, rather than a book you would actually cook from, recent chef cookbooks have actually been ‘cookable’!  Bistro Laurent Tourondel is one of those books.  From a simple Fava Bean salad, to Gnocchi, to Chocolate-Espresso Cookies, chef Tourondel presents wonderful dishes that you will and can make.  Sure some of the dishes are more complex, but overall this cookbook has a wonderful balance of approachable recipes that will make your mouth water.  In the introduction Chef Tourondel suggests which recipes are best suited for novices and discusses how to use the book.  As Chef Tourondel says “when you are in your kitchen, I hope you will have fun and take pleasure in cooking” – with this cookbook you’ll not only take pleasure in cooking his recipes but in feasting on the results as well.  Try the recipe for Chef Tourondel’s “BLT Grilled Tuna Sandwich” below, for an excellent example of what “Bistro Laurent Tourondel” has to offer. 

BLT Grilled Tuna Sandwich

From Bistro Laurent Tourondel by Laurent Tourondel, Wiley 2007.

Inspired by the famous pan bagnat sandwich of Provence, which is made with canned tuna, I created this version with fresh tuna. It is great for a picnic since you can make it up to several hours in advance. The taste will only improve as the flavors of the ingredients meld together. For a change, substitute pesto for the tapenade.

Serves 6

• 1½ pounds yellowfin tuna, cut into 12 slices, about 1⁄3 inch thick
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ½ cup olive oil
• 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 large bunch arugula, tough stems removed (about 2 cups)
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup Tapenade
• 1 loaf rustic Italian bread, cut into twelve ½-inch-thick diagonal slices, toasted
• 12 slices applewood-smoked bacon, cooked until crisp
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced
• 6 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler or mandoline slicer
• 1 ripe avocado, preferably Hass
• 1 bunch fresh basil, tough stems removed

GRILL THE TUNA Preheat a grill pan or barbecue grill to high heat. Sprinkle the tuna on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the tuna on the pan or grill rack and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until rare to medium-rare, depending on your preference.

DRESS THE ARUGULA In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the arugula and toss well.

ASSEMBLE THE SANDWICHES Spread some of the mayonnaise and tapenade on each slice of bread. Divide the bacon, onion, tomatoes, eggs, cheese, and avocado over half of the slices. Top with the tuna, basil, and the arugula salad. Cover with the remaining bread, coated-sides down.

TO SERVE Cut the sandwiches in half and serve immediately.

CHEF’S TIP: To make these sandwiches easier to eat, wrap them in butcher paper or waxed paper.

WINE SUGGESTION: DA RED, DOMAINE ALFRED, 2003, EDNA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA.

A blend of Pinot Noir and Syrah, this wine has both bright fruit and earth tones that show off aromas of red cherries, black pepper, and smoked tomatoes.

About Bistro Laurent Tourndel: New American Bistro Cooking

Superstar chef Laurent Tourondel is redefining bistro food in America with his growing empire of BLT ("Bistro Laurent Tourondel") restaurants. Now, with this exciting cookbook, Tourondel shows you how to prepare his simple yet spectacular food at home. From new takes on French and American classics to dazzling dishes featuring Asian, Mediterranean, and Latin American flavors, his nearly 150 recipes are sophisticated enough to impress any guest, yet accessible enough to prepare in your own kitchen. Illustrated with more than 150 striking photographs, Bistro Laurent Tourondel gives you everything you need to take casual cooking and entertaining to a new level.

Available at Amazon.com

PermaLink

Martha Stamp's “The New New Southern Basics” is full of recipes that are simple, yet wonderfully appealing.  As a Southern-focused cookbook, many traditional Southern dishes are presented.  In addition, many basics such as homemade ketchup, jam, and pickles are presented. It’s these basics that make “The New New Southern Basics” interesting and provides the food with the warmth of home-style cooking.  The combination of the basics, Martha’s wonderful Southern food, and the way she presents all of this make this cookbook very appealing.  If you’re looking for Southern recipes or if you’re looking for great recipes for simple basics that can be made at home then take a look at “The New New Southern Basics”.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup with Cheddar

From The New New Southern Basics by Martha Stamps, Cumberland House Hearthside 2007 

A delicious way to eat your vegetables. This is a good way to use broccoli and cauliflower that may have gone a little limp.

Serves about 12

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 head broccoli, broken into florets, with the tender stem chopped
• 1 head cauliflower, broken into florets, with the tender stem chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• Dash nutmeg
• 1 cup grated sharp white Cheddar cheese
• Croutons

Heat the olive oil in a heavy stock pot. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes. Add the broccoli, cauliflower and garlic, stir, and cook 5 minutes. Add the stock and Itailian seasoning then bring to a boil. Cook about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are quite soft. Let cool. Purée in batches in a blender. Return to the pot, stir in the cream and seasonings and heat through. Stir in the cheese and heat to melt the cheese. Serve with croutons for garnish.

About The New New Southern Basics

Southern cooking was an act of art and love at one time, according to restaurateur Martha Stamps, but during the middle of the twentieth century an "abomination of honest southern cooking" took place. Blessedly, a change is occurring throughout the nation and particularly in the South. Today's homemakers are looking to get back in touch with the foods and character that previous generations took for granted. The cuisine celebrated in The New New Southern Basics performs that role, reaching back to a generation that took the time to do things right and recreating the basic southern foods in ways that accommodate the tastes and nutritional concerns of our time. Martha Stamps exalts the use of fresh ingredients and cooking from scratch, noting that this is more than a matter of style; it tastes better and is much more valuable nutritionally and economically.

Available at Amazon.com

PermaLink

Having received accolades from the likes of Gourmet Magazine, The New York Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle who declared it as having “one of the best wine lists in the city”. One wonders where Chef Leticia Limon and staff get their inspiration. Luna Park prides themselves on using local, seasonal, sustainable ingredients which is one of the ways they keep their menu so new and inviting, serving everything from the traditional Steakhouse fare to Country Fried Trout with Fennel-Cherry Tomato Arugalita and Ancho Remoulade. There is always something for everyone.  And you can wash that meal down with one of their signature cocktails, and finish off your meal with a mouth watering dessert like the Make your own S’mores or Bourbon Almond Chocolate Cake with Espresso Bean Ice Cream. 

Today they share with us a fabulous starter Warm Goat Cheese Fondue, which will definitely be making an appearance at my next gathering, and a delicious Breaded Pork Cutlet.

Enjoy!

Warmed Goat Cheese Fondue

Leticia Limon, Executive Chef & Brad Weir, Sous Chef, Luna Park

Servings: 6-8 people

• 1 cup of Heavy Cream
• 1 lb. Montrachet goat cheese (other brands are ok)
• 1 Sliced Granny Smith apple
• 1 Toasted French baguette

Bring cream to a boil, turn off heat and add goat cheese.  Stir to mix cheese.  Transfer cheese to a votive or sterno-based fondue set to keep warm.

Serve with apple slices and toast.  Recipe can be doubled by adding 1 cup of cream for every pound of cheese.

Breaded Pork Cutlet with Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes and Apple-Cranberry Sauce

Leticia Limon, Executive Chef & Brad Weir, Sous Chef,  Luna Park

• 1 oz olive oil
• 1 oz butter
• Egg wash, salted
• 1 ea pork cutlet
• Bread crumbs
• 6 oz mashed potatoes
• 1 cup green beans, blanched
• 4 oz green bean sauce
• 1 TBL Cranberry Sauce
• Pinch chives, chopped

Heat olive oil and butter in sauté pan. Dip pork cutlet in egg wash and dredge in bread crumbs until well coated. Sauté cutlet until golden brown on both sides, approximately two minutes each side. In a separate sauté pan, heat green beans with green bean sauce until heated through. On a warm dinner plate mound mashed potatoes in center of plate and lean green beans against the potatoes at 3 o’clock. Lean pork cutlet against beans and potatoes at 5 o’clock. Place cranberry sauce on top edge of cutlet and garnish with chives on top of the cranberry sauce.

Pork Cutlet Preparation

• 2 pieces pork loin, 2oz. each
• 1 cup crimini mushrooms
• ½ oz gruyere cheese

Roast mushrooms in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Grind in food processor to a fine chop. Place pork pieces between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to a thickness of ¼ inch. Place 1 TBL mushrooms on top of 1 piece of pounded pork. Top with cheese, and then top with the other piece of pounded pork.

Egg Wash

• 2 eggs
• 2 Tablespoons salt

Combine ingredients and mix well.

Green Bean Sauce

• ½ shallots
• ½ cup lemon juice
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¾ cup vegetable stock
• 2 Tablespoons kosher salt

Process shallots in food processor until finely chopped. Combine with all other ingredients.

Apple-Cranberry Sauce

• 2 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small pieces
• ½ lb cranberries
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick

Combine all ingredients in saucepan. Cook slowly over low heat, stirring with whisk until apple pieces break down and the sauce has thickened. If sauce begins to dry out before apples have broken down, add orange juice as needed.

Blanched Green Beans

• 8 oz. Blue Lake Green Beans
• 1 cup salt
• 4 qts. Water

In a large pot combine salt and water (water should taste like the ocean, add salt if needed), and bring to a rolling boil. Add beans and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from pot and immediately place into ice water to stop the cooking.

• 3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled
• ¼ cup garlic cloves
• 2 TBL slat
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cream
• ¼ cup butter
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Place potatoes, garlic and salt in a large pot and cover with water. Over high heat, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook 30-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain potatoes and pass though a food mill. Combine milk, cream and butter in a sauce pan and bring just to a boil. Add liquid to milled potatoes and stir together gently. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

About Luna Park

In the seven years since it first opened its doors, Luna Park has received many accolades including ones from The New York Times Magazine and Gourmet Magazine.  With its casual and funky décor, lively bar scene and reasonably-priced menu highlighted by fresh seasonal ingredients, Luna Park is a Bay Area sensation. Executive Chef Leticia Limon emphasizes simplicity without sacrificing excitement in her menu at Luna Park, highlighting flavorful seasonal ingredients and presenting food in a way that is both comforting and creative. 

PermaLink

“Soup's on” is a phrase you expect for lunch or dinner, but for breakfast? Or dessert?  Well, when it's a cold fruit soup then yes it is perfect for breakfast or dessert.  At  Boreas Bed & Breakfast Inn (Long Beach, WA) their Cranberry-Raspberry Fruit soup is a favorite fruit entrée for morning brunch.  The recipe combines cranberries, raspberries, apple juice and a hint of cinnamon with half-and-half for a creamy fruity soup that is sure to be a great start to your day.

Boreas Inn's Cranberry-Raspberry Fruit Soup

Serves  6-8

• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2 cups apple juice
• 1 cup  fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries (or you can use a frozen three-berry blend)
• ½-1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups half-and-half, divided
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Whipped cream, additional raspberries and mint for garnish.

In  a  3-quart  saucepan, bring  cranberries  and apple juice to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.  Add raspberries or berry mix and boil for a minute or so.  Press the berries through a sieve or process in a food mill at least once and up to three times to remove as many seeds as possible.  Discard the seeds and return the juice to the sauce pan.  Bring the berry juice to a boil.  Add the sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Remove from the heat.

Allow mixture to cool for 5 minutes and then stir 1 cup of the berry mixture into 1 ½ cups half and half.  Mix until well-blended. Return this mixture to the pan and bring to a very gentle boil.  Mix cornstarch with remaining half and half, then stir into soup, blending well.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes (don’t  allow the soup to come to a rolling boil.  Serve hot or chilled. If desired, add some  fresh berries to the serving dishes, pour in the soup and garnish with a tiny dollop of heavy  whipped cream topped with a sprig of fresh mint.  

Suggestion:  make a double batch and store in the fridge for up to a week. Shake well before  serving. 

About Boreas Bed & Breakfast Inn

The ambiance at Boreas Bed & Breakfast Inn entices you to never go home again.  If you love sumptuous three-course breakfasts created from local delicacies, glorious ocean views, beautiful surroundings, and gracious service, Boreas Inn is your getaway!  Susie Goldsmith and Bill Verner, Boreas owners/innkeepers, live in a separate residence within feet of the inn; close enough to provide the guest services they are famous for, while allowing their guests a great feeling of privacy, exclusivity and unequaled comfort.

PermaLink

Chef Alessandro Cartumini combines his Northern Italian upbringing with local ingredients and artisanal products to create the contemporary Italian cuisine of Quattro (E. Palo Alto, CA).  His culinary training began as a child growing up in a family devoted to food; he read cookbooks and practiced cooking in the kitchen. His culinary career began at 14 when he became an apprentice to Chef Sergio Mei at the Pitrizza Hotel in Costa Smeralda, Sardegna, Italy.  Following 15 years of culinary experience in Milan, Berlin, London and San Diego, Chef Cartumini became Executive Chef at Quattro where he says “I like to combine classic preparations with seasonal ingredients”.  Today, he shares with us his recipe for “Citrus Scented Ahi Tuna Tartar with Saffron Focaccia Crisp”. Describing the dish, Chef Cartumini says “I add to the tuna a great extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany that I use in Quattro as a finisher for many of my dishes. I tend to utilize lots of ingredients and I personally believe in the right balance of them in order to create a taste and a consistency in the palate that make the simpler preparation unique. In this dish, the saffron focaccia adds a great scent to the fresh and slightly spicy tuna. I tried this recipe for the first time at an off-site event with 50 pounds of tuna and 1000 saffron focaccia crisps. It was a good way to see if our clientèle would like it. By the end of the night it was gone…”.  Give this amazing dish a try for yourself or stop by Quattro and let Chef Cartumini create his spectacular version for you! 

Citrus Scented Ahi Tuna Tartare with Saffron Focaccia Crisp

By Alessandro Cartumini, Executive Chef at Quattro Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley.

Serves 4, as an appetizer

• 1 lb ahi tuna loin, center cut
• 1 tsp chives, washed and thinly chopped
• 4 basil leaves thinly shaved
• Zest of ½ lemon  
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 Tbsp very good extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pinch ground pink peppercorn
• 1 teaspoon small diced shallots
• ½ teaspoon garlic cloves, oven roasted until soft then chopped
• 1 pinch ground chili flakes
• 4 drops of Tabasco (or more if you like it spicier)
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• Juice of 2 blood oranges reduced in a small sauce pan until syrup
• 1 blood orange peeled and cut into 4 wheels
• Smoked salt to garnish
• 12 small slices of focaccia topped with extra virgin olive oil and toasted in the oven at 325°F until very crispy

Small dice the ahi tuna.

Reserve blood orange reduction, slices, focaccia crisps  and smoked salt for last.

Season tuna with all remaining ingredients.

On the serving plate place one blood orange section in the center.

Pack tuna tartare in a round mold and place atop blood orange.

Sprinkle smoked salt on top and drizzle blood orange reduction around.

Lay 3 focaccia crisps on one side.

Enjoy.

Saffron Focaccia

By Alessandro Cartumini, Executive Chef at Quattro Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley.

• 4 Cups bread flour
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 ½ Cup water
• ½ Cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1oz beer yeast
• ½ Tbsp saffron powder

Boil water and infuse saffron for 30 minutes.

Combine dry and wet ingredients in a bowl and mix for 3 minutes at low speed in a mixer.

Move to a faster speed for about 7 minutes.

Proof at 75-80F for 1 hour.

Spread dough into a well oiled sheet pan, brush top with extra virgin olive oil.

Proof for 30 minutes at 75-80F.

Brush lightly with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with rock salt.

Bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes.

When golden brown, remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.

About Quattro Restaurant

The Italian word for "four", the name is in line with the architectural design of the restaurant as a large light airy room with glass on three sides. The room is lit dramatically at night and illuminates the front of the hotel entrance. Quattro  features Northern Italian seasonal and light cuisine with a fresh Cal-Italian twist at breakfast and lunch. The dinner menu features contemporary Italian cuisine, with roots in northern Italy, and is known for showcasing the finest local ingredients and artisanal products, including handmade pastas and breads and farm-fresh cheeses. Executive Chef Alessandro Cartumini, a native of Lago Maggiore in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, features locally grown produce and artisan products from northern California farms. Attentive, unobtrusive service compliments the exquisite menu and an extensive wine list features predominantly California wines with many boutique offerings as well as an extensive Italian selection.

PermaLink