Results tagged “cheese” from iVillage - Secret Sauce
The Secret Sauce welcomes chef Tom Valenti to the blog. Valenti is the owner and head chef at Ouest restaurant in New York City.
Chef Valenti shares his techniques for creating simple yet delicious dishes by wrapping foods in ingredients like bacon, prosciutto and ham. He says, "Not only do these types of foods introduce flavor, but these particular things are great entertainment tools. You can finish last-minute in front of your guests and not be tied to the stove! The dishes are easy to prepare and you can throw them back into oven or broiler or even out on the grill if the weather permits."
Goat Cheese & Basil Stuffed Shrimp Wrapped in Prosciutto
Ingredients:Procedure:
- 12 large shrimp, about 12 oz, peeled and deveined
- 3 oz goat cheese, at room temperature
- 12 large basil leaves
- 6 large slices prosciutto de Parma (about 1 ½ oz), cut in half horizontally
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Put some goat cheese in the cavity of each shrimp.
- Wrap each with a basil leaf to hold the goat cheese in place, making sure that the leaf slightly overlaps the end of the shrimp.
- Wrap the entire shrimp with a piece of prosciutto.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a heavy-bottomed nonstick pan.
- Add the shrimp with the prosciutto’s seam facing down, and cook, turning, until the prosciutto is fused around the shrimp and crispy all over, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat, adding more oil as necessary.
Marinated Shaved Fennel
Ingredients:Procedure:
- 2 large fennel bulbs
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp coarse salt
- Few turns freshly ground black pepper
- Cut fennel bulbs in half lengthwise.
- Slice very thin on a Japanese mandolin.
- Assemble marinade in a bowl, whisk to combine.
- Add fennel to the bowl and mix well with marinade.
Click here to print this recipe!
About the Chef:
Chef Tom Valenti is one of the most revered chefs in New York City is the owner of Ouest Restaurant. A native of Ithaca, New York, Valenti began his life in the kitchen while still a high school student when he joined the staff of L'Auberge Du Cochon Rouge, a French restaurant in his hometown where he apprenticed to chef Etienne Merle. After graduating from high school, he served as a chef at a private estate in Westchester before beginning his long association with restaurateur Guy Savoy, first as a pastry chef for a Savoy-owned restaurant in Westchester, and then as chef tournant for Savoy's Paris restaurant. Tom Valenti's cuisine broke through the New York clutter when he became the first executive chef at Alison on Dominick, the West SoHo bistro where he was catapulted to stardom. In 1989, Esquire magazine dubbed this romantic rendezvous the "Best New Restaurant" in New York City, while Food and Wine magazine lauded Valenti as one of the country's "Ten Best New Chefs" in 1990. At Alison, Valenti's vast experience culminated in the creation of the bold, Southern France-influenced cuisine that has become his trademark.
Valentine’s books include Tom Valenti's Soups, Stews, and One-Pot Meals: 125 Home Recipes from the Chef-Owner of New York City's Ouest and 'Cesca and Welcome to My Kitchen: A New York Chef Shares His Robust Recipes and Secret Techniques.
More recipes from Chef Tom Valenti:
Chris Lee, Michelin-starred executive chef of Gilt Restaurant at The New York Palace Hotel, reveals the secret recipe for one of the most coveted menu items on both TV and in reality, "The Gossip Grill."
The inside dish on this hit-making sandwich? "[Gossip Girl cast members] Blake Lively and Penn Badgley came in for dinner last week and suggested that we rename the grill cheese to the new name, "The Gossip Grill––'You Know You Love It.'" It sounded good and it gives ownership to the characters of the show; so we changed it," says Chef Lee. "...I also changed the recipe because white truffle season is officially over."
Spotted: Top secret recipe by famous chef made...at home.
Learn this hush-hush recipe before you're the talk of the town.
XOXO, Secret Sauce
Method:
- Layer two (2) slices of fontina cheese between two (2) slices of white bread and shave a couple of slices of truffles in the middle of each sandwich; do the same for all four sandwiches.
- Heat a large fry pan over medium heat and add the butter.
- When the butter melts, add the sandwiches and cook until the bread is nice and toasted.
- Remove and slice sandwiches in half and place into four plates.
- Wild Arugula Salad: Place arugula in a small bowl with the vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, sliced shallots, and season with salt and pepper.
- Toss the salad well and garnish the plates with it.
 | In December 2007, a single white truffle weighing just over three pounds was bought at auction for a record $330,000. |
About the Chef:
A great chef from Philadelphia has slipped back into New York under the radar, almost without being noticed. Christopher Lee grabbed national attention as the executive chef at the Striped Bass in Philadelphia, captured the James Beard “2005 Rising Star Chef of the Year” award and was named one of Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs for 2006, as well as Philadelphia magazine’s “2005 Chef of the Year” and Philadelphia Inquirer’s “Four Star Rating” in 2006. But in Autumn 2006, the Long Island native returned to his New York roots to take the helm at Gilt Restaurant in the New York Palace Hotel.Chef Lee isn’t interested in creating a once in a lifetime experience. Although you’ll remember a meal at Gilt for the rest of your life, Lee’s New American menu is one you’ll want to select from again and again, sampling as much as possible, and coming back again as it changes with the seasons.
The secret to his success is sourcing familiar ingredients, but always in season and always of the highest possible quality. He’s able to source the best by maintaining excellent personal, loyal relationship with local farmers and other top-notch purveyors. Not only is he able to get the freshest sustainable fish and seafood, the finest cuts of meat, but he’s also one of top five white truffle buyers in the city.
Like his mentors, including Portale, his plates are works of art, but every dab of sauce or garnish also enhances the main ingredient.
Visit Chef Chris Lee on the web @ giltnewyork.com
Chris Lee "Extra" Secret Sauce
October 19, 2007
Here's yet another favorite recipe from Brigit Binns, Mascarpone-Stuffed Dried Apricots.
Says Brigit, "I love this dish because it perfectly embodies my belief that skipping steps is fine as long as you don’t skimp on quality, flavor, and style. Earthy-sweet dried apricots, creamy-rich and just slightly tart mascarpone, and a glass of Italy’s finest dessert wine are complemented by a few of the best almonds in the world, for the crunch factor. Here, it’s about the shopping, not the cooking—yet it’s hard to get more tastefully civilized!"
Kick up your feet and enjoy this deliciously easy dessert, Mascarpone Stuffed Dried Apricots with a Glass of Vin Santo and Marcona Almonds:
Procedure
- Cut each apricot almost—but not all the way—in half, crosswise, to make a stuffable pocket.
- Stuff each with a teaspoon of mascarpone, close it up gently, and place three apricots to one side of a large plate.
- Either make a small mound of the almonds on the other side of the plate, or place them in a small dish, such as a wide bamboo sake cup.
- Pour the vin santo into tiny glasses (grappa glasses work well) and place one next to the apricots.
- Repeat to plate five other servings.
Note: Bring the mascarpone to room temperature for 10 minutes.
Serves 6.
| Vin santo literally means "holy wine." |
More About Brigit:
You can find this recipe, Brigit's Smoky Shrimp Escabeche, and many more in her new cookbook, The Relaxed Kitchen.
Visit Chef Brigit Binns on the web @ brigitbinns.com.
Order a copy of Brigit Binns' The Relaxed Kitchen here.
Secret Sauce Rewind
- Get the recipe for Brigit's Smoky Shrimp Escabeche
By overwhelming request, the Scotto family shares their Columbus Day recipe for Bread and Ricotta Dumplings with Genovese Sauce, as featured on TODAY:
Procedure: Dumplings
- Put ricotta in a fine strainer set over a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. The cheese will become dry and firm.
- In a large bowl, combine ricotta, flour, eggs, parmesan, bread crumbs, parsley and black pepper. Stir together gently until a soft dough forms. Add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky.
- Dust hands with flour and shape into the size of small golf balls using approximately 2 tablespoons of dough for each one. Place dumplings on a floured baking sheet.
- In a large pot, bring 6 quarts lightly salted water to a boil. Set up an ice bath next to stove filled with ice and water.
- Gently place dumplings in pot of boiling water; do not over crowd so dumplings are able to float freely. Cook until they rise to the surface, about 6 minutes. Scoop them out of pot with a wire skimmer and transfer to ice bath. When cool, drain, transfer to a bowl and toss with olive oil; set aside.
Procedure: Sauce
- In a 12-inch sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium to high heat until hot.
- Add garlic, onion, anchovy, olives, capers, red pepper and oregano; cook together until light in color and translucent.
- Add red wine and cook for 2 minutes, then add tomato sauce and lower heat.
- Simmer for additional 10 to 15 minutes then finish sauce with fresh lemon zest, reason with salt and pepper.
To Assemble and Serve
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Place dumplings in an oven proof casserole dish. Cover dumplings with sauce, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and bake in oven for 20 minutes.
- Serve as soon as the dumplings are removed from oven. The dumplings can also be placed in individual gratin dishes and served the same way.
Makes 6 servings.
Watch the Scottos cook up this recipe on TODAY:
Scottos Columbus Day Recipes:
October 8, 2007
It's Columbus Day and our favorite Italian family, The Scottos of Manhattan's FRESCO by Scotto® and FRESCO on the go®, are back on Secret Sauce to share another simple recipe for your kitchen, Three Cheese Polenta Gratin alla Genovese.
Elaina Scotto says about this multi-purpose dish, "If you're feeling like you need a pick me up, try this polenta gratin. You will love it. It’s comfort food at it’s best! The best part—it’s simple to make. It works well as a side dish or an appetizer. Happy Columbus Day!"
Here's how:
Procedure:
- Preheat oven on broil setting.
- Bring water, olive oil, and milk to a boil in 4-quart sauce pan. Add polenta in a thin stream, stirring constantly with a whisk. Lower heat and cook while stirring until polenta is thick as porridge, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Remove from heat and whisk in ricotta evenly through polenta then fold in mozzarella and fontina; cheeses will begin to melt. Season with salt and pepper.
- Butter 8x12-inch casserole or gratin dish evenly. Pour hot polenta into casserole and spread evenly with a spatula.
- Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese evenly across top of polenta.
- Place in oven on broiler setting on middle rack and bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until top of polenta is golden brown. Remove from oven, set aside for 5 to 7 minutes, and then serve. Letting polenta rest will allow cheese to melt evenly inside casserole which also needs to cool down because of it being so hot.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Watch the Scottos cook up this recipe on TODAY:
More on The Scottos:
Visit The Scottos on the web @ frescobyscotto.com.
Scotto Secret Sauce Rewind:
- Elaina Scotto's Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Fresh Spring Berries
- John Scotto's Spring Salad with Baby Spinach, Peas, Mint & Warm Goat's Cheese Crostini
- Anthony Scotto's Pistachio Crusted Sea Bass with Salsa Verde and Roasted Artichokes
- Video: The Scotto's Trip to Italy on TODAY
July 19, 2007
Daniel Humm, Executive Chef, Eleven Madison Park in New York, brings you one of his personal favorites, Beet Salad with Goat Cheese & Olio Verde.
Executive Chef Daniel Humm takes a modern approach to classic flavor combinations, creating sophisticated dishes that emphasize purity, simplicity, and seasonal flavors. “The texture and sweetness of the beets balances the tartness of the cheese. The different colors make it such a beautiful dish when it is plated.”
Play chef and recreate Daniel Humm's tasty Beet Salad recipe in your kitchen tonight:
Procedure
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Brush beets with olive oil and salt, and then wrap them individually in aluminum foil. Cook in the oven for approximately one hour, or until soft. Let beets cool so you can handle them.
- Peel the beets and cut into wedges. Toss in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Scoop the fresh goat cheese (the cheese should be very fresh and soft) into a bowl. Arrange the beets on top and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Sprinkle with fleur de sel and pepper mix to taste. Garnish with Nasturtium leaves.
About the Chef:
As a child growing up in Switzerland, Daniel Humm’s parents had always hoped that their son might follow in the footsteps of his father and become an architect. Instead, young Daniel took his inherited sense of structure and design and applied it to his true passion: cooking.
In 2003 Daniel moved to the United States and settled in San Francisco as Executive Chef at Campton Place. He quickly garnered attention for his innovative interpretation of contemporary French cuisine, with accolades such as Four Stars and 2004 Rising Star Chef from the San Francisco Chronicle, James Beard Foundation nominee for Rising Star Chef in both 2004 and 2005, and inclusion on the Best New Chefs 2005 list by Food & Wine.
In 2006, Daniel became Executive Chef at Eleven Madison Park in New York City, part of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group. Executive Chef Daniel Humm takes a modern approach to classic flavor combinations, creating sophisticated dishes that emphasize purity, simplicity, and seasonal flavors and ingredients. Off to a great start, in his first year at the restaurant, Daniel led Eleven Madison Park to receive its first Three Star review from The New York Times in January 2007.
Visit Executive Chef Daniel Humm on the web @ elevenmadisonpark.com.
July 16, 2007
FRESCO by Scotto® Restaurant has been open since November 1993. It's well known as the power broker's lunch and star-filled dinner. Now, the food of Fresco is available in your very own kitchen!
Here, John Scotto of the Scotto Family shares his favorite recipe for Spring Salad with Baby Spinach, Peas, Mint & Warm Goat's Cheese Crostini for you to enjoy this summer:
Procedure:
- In a large bowl, combine spinach, peas, basil, mint, parsley and onion. Toss with enough lemon dressing to moisten.
- Toast bread slices under hot grill, then spread with goat’s cheese. Reduce grill to low setting and warm through.
- To serve, place salad in the center of each plate. Place 2 goat’s cheese crostini beside each salad, drizzle a little olive oil over goat’s cheese and add freshly ground black pepper.
Yields 6 servings.
About the Chef:
John Scotto was born in the borough of Brooklyn. He attended Poly Prep, Union College, and attended the London School of Economics.
John has been in both the restaurant and night club business for the last 20 years.
John appears on our monthly cooking segments, as well as all other television presentations.
John lives in New York City with his wife and two children.
Visit The Scottos on the web @ frescobyscotto.com
Secret Sauce Rewind:
- Elaina Scotto's Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Fresh Spring Berries
- Anthony Scotto's Pistachio Crusted Sea Bass with Salsa Verde and Roasted Artichokes
