Home for the Holidays, Cary Magazine

HOME
FOR THE
Holidays
WRITTEN BY TARA CROFT
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JONATHAN FREDIN
hey create gourmet goodness all
day, every day. So what, exactly, do
restaurant chefs eat when they take
off their chef ’s coats and fire up the
stove at home?
We met up with chefs from five top
area restaurants for a look at the dishes
typically found on their holiday tables.
They offered up a blend of comfort food
classics and designer delicacies, complete
with recipes so their favorites can find a
place in your family’s holiday spread.
CARY MAGAZINE 19
HOME FOR THE
Holidays
VODKA CURED SALMON
2-pound Scottish salmon filet, skin removed
1 cup kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon black pepper, freshly ground
1 bunch dill, roughly chopped
1 large red beet, peeled, grated
1/4 cup vodka
In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar, salt and black pepper together.
With your hands (I recommend wearing gloves as the beets will stain your hands) add
the dill and grated beet to the salt mixture. Combine thoroughly.
Place half of the curing mixture on a baking sheet in a single layer. Make sure that there is
enough surface area to cover the entire fish. Place the salmon on top of the mixture. Rub the top
of the salmon with the vodka and cover the fish with the remaining half of the cure.
Let the fish cure for 2 1/2 hours in the refrigerator. Rinse the fish under running water.
Place the filet on a new pan. Store it in the refrigerator to air dry and remain cold.
HORSERADISH CREAM
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
Whisk the horseradish, crème fraiche, mustard and salt together in a mixing bowl.
Gently fold the whipped heavy cream into the mixture just before serving.
Serve this as a condiment for the cured salmon.
20
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
Chef John Childers
“I like to serve this dish like many
CHEF DE CUISINE, HERONS, CARY
of the dishes served during the
Favorite holiday tradition: My holiday dinners are usually potluck with the
holidays, family style. I usually
family. My mother and grandmother usually prepare the meal that we’ll eat
for dinner, but in the meantime we have a buffet line of snacks. My mom likes
to make cocktail weenies. I’ll always do something lighter like a cured fish or
composed salad. You know you’re going to be eating a lot of rich things like
mashed potatoes and mac and cheese.
We do an advent calendar every year. I still buy one for myself and my wife.
Kitchen tool you can’t live without: You have to have a knife. Whenever people
garnish the fish with mixed
greens and sliced lemons. Serve
the horseradish cream chilled in a
bowl with a large spoon. Trust me,
once your family and friends try
ask me what kind of knife to buy, I tell them to research Japanese knives.
this, no spoon will be big enough.
Typical holiday spread: A lot of food, for not a lot of people. Christmas would
The best thing about this dish is
be ham with all the trimmings — dressing, sweet potato casserole, green bean
casserole. Anything that’s traditional we have it, down to jellied cranberry sauce in
a can.
that is good to serve all year long at
Dish: Vodka Cured Salmon, Horseradish Cream and Pickled Baby Beets
any family get together or party.”
– Chef Childers
PICKLED BABY BEETS
12 baby beets, washed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups champagne vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the beets on a baking sheet and cover them
with the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. Roast the beets in the oven until they are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove the beets from the oven to cool.
In a large sauce pot, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring the pickling liquid
to a boil. Once the sugar and salt are dissolved, turn off the heat and allow the liquid
to cool to room temperature.
Once the beets are cooled, peel them and slice into quarters.
Place the beets into a container with a lid and completely cover them with the
pickling liquid. Allow the beets to pickle for at least 2 hours before serving. They can
be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Serve the dish family style or on a large platter. Slice half of the
salmon and place the pieces next to the remaining unsliced filet.
This makes for easy eating and an elegant presentation. Crackers
or toasted baguette can be used as an accompaniment. Serve each
piece with a slice of salmon, a dab of cream and a pickled beet.
CARY MAGAZINE 21
HOME FOR THE
Holidays
CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA
6 3-ounce chicken cutlets, pounded to evenly
flatten
6 paper-thin slices prosciutto
6 thin slices provolone cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 14-ounce container chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chef Enzo Foto
HEAD CHEF, GEORGINA’S PIZZERIA, MORRISVILLE
Favorite holiday tradition: We do a toast every year. I make
homemade limoncello. My wife (Linda) gets out the shot glasses
and whoever’s here is a part of our toast.
Essential kitchen tool: A microplane grater. When you shred the
Pecorino Romano, it looks like snowflakes, and it feels warm and fun.
Typical holiday spread: Lasagna — pasta is a big thing. Antipasti.
Pastries. My wife is a big baker. She makes like five types of cookies
every year.
Dish: Chicken Saltimbocca
22
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
Place the chicken cutlets flat on the work
surface. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
Lay 1 slice of prosciutto and provolone cheese atop
each chicken cutlet.
Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over each.
Beginning at the short tapered end, roll up each
chicken cutlet as for a jelly roll. Secure with a
toothpick.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large
skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook
just until golden brown, about 2 minutes per
side. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice,
and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of
the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring the liquid
to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and
simmer until the chicken is just cooked through,
about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to
a platter. Simmer the cooking liquid over high
heat until it is reduced to about 2/3 cup, about
5 minutes. Season the cooking liquid with salt
and pepper, to taste. Remove toothpicks from the
chicken. Drizzle the reduced cooking liquid over
the chicken and serve immediately.
HOME FOR THE
Holidays
CHESTNUT-APPLE SOUP
4 quarts chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 quart whole milk
1 white onion, peeled and chopped
24 ounces coconut milk
4 ounces dry sherry
6 green apples, peeled and cored
2 pounds chestnuts, roasted and peeled
1/4 cup honey
1/4 pound unsalted butter
salt to taste
In a large pot, heat butter over medium high
heat until light brown, then add the chestnuts, onions and apples. Cook until onions are tender, and
then deglaze with dry sherry. When the alcohol is
cooked off, add the chicken stock and coconut milk.
Once this comes to a boil, reduce heat and add in the
milk and honey. In small batches, blend the soup until smooth. Omit liquid if you want it a touch thicker
and strain through a fine mesh strainer or chinois for
a smoother texture. Season to taste with salt and add
more honey for sweetness, if desired.
Chef Steven
Devereaux Greene
EXECUTIVE CHEF, AN, CARY
Favorite holiday tradition: My favorite thing is just getting
together — eating and cooking together.
Essential kitchen tool: A Japanese knife is the main thing. I use
a blender a lot for making soups, smoothies, things like that.
Typical holiday spread: Glazed ham. Usually for Christmas
we’ll do a roasted ribeye. My grandmother always liked prime
rib with horseradish and au jus. My mom always makes green
bean casserole and a bunch of different desserts. Glazed yams.
Dish: Chestnut-Apple Soup with Poached Cranberries,
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Duck Confit
24
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
POACHED CRANBERRIES
1 pound of fresh cranberries
1 cup port wine
1/2 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
1 orange (juice and peel)
In a medium sauce pot, add all ingredients
except the cranberries and bring to a boil.
Once the liquid is boiling, reduce to a simmer
for two minutes. Pour the hot liquid over the
cranberries and cover. Poach the cranberries
and let sit for at least 20 minutes.
5-SPICED PUMPKIN SEEDS
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 pound unsalted butter
3 tablespoons 5-spice ground
salt
In a medium sauté pan, brown the
butter over medium high heat then add
pumpkin seeds and toast about two minutes.
Strain the seeds onto an absorbent towel and
season immediately with salt and 5-spice.
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To assemble:
Warm your serving
bowls slightly and
ladle hot soup into
the bowls. Next,
garnish with duck
or chicken confit
(usually available
in specialty stores;
just remove bones
and break into small
pieces). Add the
warm cranberries
and pumpkin seeds.
You can also finish
this dish with fresh
picked thyme.
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CARY MAGAZINE 25
HOME FOR THE
Holidays
ROASTED SWEET POTATOES
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1/4 cup olive or canola oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Peel potatoes and cut each potato in half
lengthwise; slice into half moons.
In a mixing bowl, combine oil and
seasonings; mix well. Add potatoes and toss well.
Spread potatoes evenly on sheet trays.
Roast in oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes,
rotate trays and roast 10-12 minutes or until
lightly browned.
Serve with Caramel Butter Sauce.
CARAMEL BUTTER SAUCE
Chef Jay Pierce
EXECUTIVE CHEF, LUCKY 32, CARY AND GREENSBORO
Favorite holiday tradition: Thanksgiving is really all about side dishes.
We don’t even eat that much turkey. Nobody in my family likes dark
meat, so that goes in the freezer, and for Christmas I’ll make a turkey
gumbo that we can eat as a late breakfast.
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound light brown sugar
1/2 pound unsalted butter, cut into chunks
Heat cream in saucepot. Add sugar and
stir continuously till melted.
When completely melted, remove pot
from heat and stir in butter one piece at a
time until all butter is incorporated.
Essential kitchen tool: A wooden spoon. And the little gadget that I
love is a vegetable peeler.
Typical holiday spread: I always cook a turkey; every year is different
and I’ll try different flavors. Stuffing made with cornbread. Oyster
dressing. Collard greens. Sometimes I’ll make roasted and whipped
sweet potatoes. Brussels sprouts with bacon.
Dish: Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Caramel Butter Sauce
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26
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
“Butter sauce is really good on a table.
In a restaurant where the plates are
hot, it breaks your butter sauce. It’s
hard to have something that’s delicate
like that in a restaurant.”
– Chef Pierce
HOME FOR THE
Holidays
MUSHROOM
THANKSGIVING DRESSING
8 slices white bread (or other bread of your choice)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 small leek
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup chopped mushrooms of your choice (shiitake and crimini make a good combination)
1 stick unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped sage, thyme and/or marjoram
1 cup chicken or turkey stock
Chef Regan and Dawn Stachler
OWNERS, LITTLE HEN, HOLLY SPRINGS
Favorite holiday tradition: We don’t always spend holidays with family. We’ve
always done Thanksgiving alone since we moved here, or we’d have people come
over. Either way it’s always this ridiculous spread because (Regan’s) incapable of
making a small Thanksgiving meal. A couple years ago we had four turkeys because
we wanted to try them. Usually the day before we’ll bake, depending on how many
pumpkins we have, something like seven pies and give some to neighbors. – Dawn
Essential kitchen tool: I have mini tongs. The big ones are just too cumbersome.
And probably something nobody ever talks about is a good towel. – Regan
Typical holiday spread: It’s all very traditional. Green bean casserole — we do it
our own way; it’s not so casserole-y. Sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes. Every year
we’ll change up what we’ll do for cranberry sauce. – Dawn
Dish: Mushroom Thanksgiving Stuffing
TIP: For a delicious
cornbread stuffing, substitute
cornbread for half the bread
in this recipe.
28
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut bread into 1-inch cubes. Spread bread
cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or
until lightly golden. Give the pan a shake midway
through so the cubes brown evenly. Remove pan and
let the bread cubes cool.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan
over medium heat. Sauté the onion and celery
until the onion is slightly translucent and then add
mushrooms and sauté for 1 more minute. Deglaze
with a portion of the stock. Remove from heat and
let cool.
Transfer the bread cubes, chopped herbs and
the cooked celery and onions to a large bowl and
toss to combine.
Drizzle a bit of the stock over the bread
cubes and gently mix. Repeat until all the bread
has been moistened but not too wet. You might
not use all of the stock. You’re just looking to
moisten the bread cubes before baking. Don’t let
them get soggy.
Butter a baking dish, transfer the dressing to
the dish and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the
top is crispy.
Clean and trim the leek. In a small saucepan,
place the leek on the bottom and fill with enough
water to cover. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt, pinch
of white pepper, a bay leaf and a sprig of thyme.
Bring to slow simmer and cook till fork tender.
Serve hot, layering dressing on a bed of
braised leeks.
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fruit (slivered almonds, raisins,
diced apples, etc.), do it just
before adding the stock.
CARY MAGAZINE 29