SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHEFS - TUNA TARTARE, RATATOUILLE, COQ AU VIN

A few weeks ago, I attended a book signing at the Borders bookstore in Columbus Circle and met up close and personal several of my favorite chefs – Daniel Boulud, Tom Keller, and Eric Ripert. All are four-star chefs and were featured in the recently released book, “My Last Supper” by photographer Melanie Dunea. It’s an interesting book for the food person (aka “foodie”) who has (just about) everything. Fifty chefs are photographed and discuss what their last meal would be. http://www.amazon.com/My-Last-Supper-Portraits-Interviews/dp/1596912871/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197401250&sr=1-1

I sat in the front row and across the table from where Ms. Dunea, the chefs and the moderator, Mr. Friedman, were seated. Having all of their cookbooks, which have been used profusely, it was thrilling to be seated right across from such talented individuals. Two of my other favorite chefs, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Anthony Bourdain, were not present at the book signing but are also featured in the book.

Prior to the panel discussion, Mr. Friedman asked us to write on index cards what our last supper would be. I selected Eric’s Tuna Tartare; Tom Keller’s Ratatouille (aka Confit Byaldi); and Daniel Boulud’s Coq au Vin. After the formal panel discussion was over, Mr. Friedman started to read the audience choices for their last supper. Mine was the first one he read. Each chef smiled and thanked me for selecting “their” dishes. Chef Boulud said they were good choices and suggested that I add the “killer chocolate” from London that Ms. Dunea talked about during the discussion. Several audience members did not provide “serious” answers or their names. For example, one person wrote that their last supper would be a naked man covered with chocolate syrup. Well, I guess that is a serious answer, as I think about it again.

ASIAN TUNA TARTARE - CHEF RIPERT
1/4 cup corn oil
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 pound sushi-grade tuna
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon minced jalapeño
1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi powder
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus half a lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tomato--peeled, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch dice
20 best-quality potato chips
In a bowl, combine the corn oil and ginger and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours. Strain the oil. With a very sharp knife, cut the tuna into 1/8-inch dice. In a large bowl, combine the tuna with 3 tablespoons of the ginger oil, 3 tablespoons of the cilantro and the jalapeño, wasabi, sesame seeds, scallion and lemon juice. Mix gently and season with salt and pepper. Stand a 1 1/2-inch-tall and 2 1/4-inch-round mold or a biscuit cutter in the center of a salad plate. Fill the mold with tuna tartare, pressing gently. Lift off the mold. Repeat with the remaining tartare. Drizzle the remaining ginger oil around each tartare and sprinkle with the tomato, the remaining tablespoon of cilantro and a squeeze of lemon juice. Stand 5 potato chips in a circular pattern in each tartare and serve immediately. Recipe from Le Bernardin Cookbook: Four-Star Simplicity http://www.amazon.com/Bernardin-Cookbook-Four-Star-Simplicity/dp/0385488416/ref=pd_sim_b_title_2

CONFIT BYALDI (aka RATATOUILLE) - CHEF KELLER

This recipe appeared in the July 13, 2007 issue of “The New York Times” in a story about Tom Keller and his dish called “Confit Byaldi” (aka “Ratatouille”). http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9505E0D8173FF930A25755C0A9619C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2

For Piperade
1/2 red pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 yellow pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1/2 orange pepper, seeds and ribs removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
3 tomatoes (about 12 ounces total weight), peeled, seeded, and finely diced, juices reserved
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig flat-leaf parsley
1/2 a bay leaf
Kosher salt

For Vegetables
1 zucchini (4 to 5 ounces) sliced in 1/16-inch rounds
1 Japanese eggplant, (4 to 5 ounces) sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
1 yellow squash (4 to 5 ounces) sliced into 1/16-inch rounds
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/16-inch rounds

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/8 teaspoon thyme leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Assorted fresh herbs (thyme flowers, chervil, thyme)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For piperade, heat oven to 450 degrees. Place pepper halves on a foil-lined sheet, cut side down. Roast until skin loosens, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop finely. Combine oil, garlic, and onion in medium skillet over low heat until very soft but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, their juices, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Simmer over low heat until very soft and very little liquid remains, about 10 minutes, do not brown; add peppers and simmer to soften them. Season to taste with salt, and discard herbs. Reserve tablespoon of mixture and spread remainder in bottom of an 8-inch skillet.

For vegetables, heat oven to 275 degrees. Down center of pan, arrange a strip of 8 alternating slices of vegetables over piperade, overlapping so that 1/4 inch of each slice is exposed. Around the center strip, overlap vegetables in a close spiral that lets slices mound slightly toward center. Repeat until pan is filled; all vegetables may not be needed. Mix garlic, oil, and thyme leaves in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle over vegetables. Cover pan with foil and crimp edges to seal well. Bake until vegetables are tender when tested with a paring knife, about 2 hours. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more. (Lightly cover with foil if it starts to brown.) If there is excess liquid in pan, place over medium heat on stove until reduced. (At this point it may be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Serve cold or reheat in 350-degree oven until warm.)

For vinaigrette, combine reserved piperade, oil, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. To serve, heat broiler and place byaldi underneath until lightly browned. Slice in quarters and very carefully lift onto plate with offset spatula. Turn spatula 90 degrees, guiding byaldi into fan shape. Drizzle vinaigrette around plate. Serve hot.
http://www.amazon.com/French-Laundry-Cookbook-Thomas-Keller/dp/1579651267/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198168419&sr=1-1

COQ AU VIN - CHEF BOULUD
I modified this recipe slightly, using a chicken in lieu of a rooster and turkey bacon (Sorry, Chef).

For Marinating
1 750-ml bottle Red Burgundy
1 large onion, sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 large carrot, peeled, sliced

1 large garlic clove, peeled, flattened

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 chicken legs and 4 chicken thighs

For Cooking

1 tablespoon olive oil

Turkey bacon cut crosswise into strips

3 tablespoons flour

2 shallots, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

4 large fresh thyme sprigs

4 large fresh parsley sprigs

2 bay leaves

2 cups chicken free range chicken broth
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms
1 pound of one-inch pearl onions, or boiling onions, peeled
Chopped fresh parsley

Combine wine, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and peppercorns in large pot. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes. Cool completely; mix in oil. Place chicken pieces in large glass bowl. Pour wine mixture over chicken; stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 day and up to 2 days, turning chicken occasionally.

Transfer chicken pieces from marinade to paper towels to drain; pat dry. Strain marinade; reserve vegetables and liquid separately.

Heat oil in heavy large pot (wide enough to hold chicken in single layer) over medium-high heat. Add bacon and sauté until crisp and brown. Transfer bacon to small bowl. Add chicken, skin side down, to drippings in pot. Sauté until brown, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to large bowl. Add vegetables reserved from marinade to pot. Sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. Mix in flour; stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in reserved marinade liquid. Bring to boil, whisking frequently. Cook until sauce thickens, whisking occasionally, about 2 minutes. Mix in shallots, garlic, herb sprigs, and bay leaves, then broth. Return chicken to pot, arranging skin side up in single layer. Bring to simmer; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pot and simmer chicken 30 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken over. Cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat.
Add mushrooms; sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to plate. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet. Add onions and sauté until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer onions to plate alongside mushrooms; reserve skillet.
Using tongs, transfer chicken to plate.

Strain sauce from pot into reserved skillet, pressing on solids in strainer to extract all sauce; discard solids. Bring sauce to simmer, scraping up browned bits. Return sauce to pot. Add onions to pot and bring to simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook until onions are almost tender, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and bacon. Simmer uncovered until onions are very tender and sauce is slightly reduced, about 12 minutes. Spoon off excess fat from top of sauce. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce and vegetables over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.

http://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Bouluds-Cafe-Boulud-Cookbook/dp/068486343X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198168062&sr=