Chef from Plat 99 shares recipes for 3-course romantic meal
3 courses… plus a cocktail. Just for your and your sweetheart!
Check out the “romantic meal” for Valentine’s Day, running from the 10th to the 17th, at Plat 99. Chef Eli Laidlaw tells us more AND shares a few recipes!
Valentine’s Menu
Hanky Panky
Vim & Petal gin or Starlight vodka | tattersall sour cherry |
dry curacao simple syrup | lemon juice | sparkling wine
First Course
endive salad | marcona almond | pomegranate vinaigrette | basil | manchego
Second Coursechoice of
red wine fresh pasta-short rib ravioli | roasted mushroom | horseradish carrot puree | red wine sauce
pan roasted chicken| blue cheese and caramelized leek bread pudding| white balsamic jus
roasted pumpkin ravioli | roasted mushroom | brown butter rum sauce
Third Course
chocolate cake| raspberry mousse| chocolate torte| salted caramel whipped cream
RECIPES:Endive salad-
1 head endive
1 handful arugula
2 leaves chopped basil
¼ cup chopped marcona almonds
¼ cup shaved manchego
Salt and pepper to taste
Split endive in half lengthwise into 2 half’s, then slit each half again so you have 4 long spears. Cut out the small root on a bias at the end of the endive and cut 2 or 3 times into bias cut pieces. Toss with the arugula, basil, salt and pepper, and pomegranate vin, plate into a medium bowl, top with the chopped almonds and shaved manchego.Pomegranate vin-
1 cup pomegranate juice
½ cup cane or white balsamic vinegar
2 cups good quality olive oil
1T sorghum
2T whole grain mustard
Salt to taste
Mix together the juice, vinegar, mustard, sorghum and stir well to combine. While whisking or while blending, stream in olive oil to emulsify the vinaigrette. Season to taste with the salt and more oil or vinegar if needed.
Roasted chicken-
1 skin on chicken breast
Salt and pepper
Butter/ oil
Thyme, garlic, rosemary
Heat a medium sized pan over medium high heat, season both sides of the chicken breast with salt and pepper and pat the skin dry with a paper towel. Add a little bit of the oil to the pan and swirl to coat, place the chicken in the pan skin side down, before you let go drag the chicken around the pan a second to help it not stick. Let the chicken sear 2 minutes. Once the chicken has seared, put a spoon full of butter in the pan, a few sprigs of the rosemary and thyme, and a clove of crushed garlic. Tilt the pan a little bit towards you and with a spoon baste the melted butter over the chicken until the underside starts to tur white, then place the whole pan in the oven for 8 minutes or until breast is just barely cooked through. Remove chicken from oven, flip over and transfer to another pan or a small roasting rack in a warm place to let the chicken rest so the juices disperse well and the meat becomes more tender.White balsamic pan sauce-
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
½ cup roasted chicken stock
1 tablespoon cold butter
In the pan that you cooked the chicken in, pour off any leftover fat and add then white balsamic, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon gently scrape up and brown bits called “fond” on the bottom of the pan. When the balsamic has reduced slightly, add the chicken stock and reduce by half until it stars to become a little thicker and close to a glaze, now add the cold butter and turn off the heat, swirling until all the butter is melted, drizzle over the chicken.
Caramelized leek and blue cheese bread pudding-
1 leek, washed and sliced
2 tablespoons good blue cheese
10 slices crusty bread or a dryer bread, diced
Salt and pepper
5 egg yolks
½ quart heavy cream
1 Tablespoon chopped thyme and rosemary
Butter
In a medium pan, melt the butter and add the leeks, cook over medium heat stirring until the leeks start to melt and caramelize. Add the chopped rosemary and thyme and take off heat.
Mix together the cream and egg yolk to make the “royale” batter, mix in the crumbled blue cheese and bread, toss and squeeze to coat well and get the bread to start absorbing the liquid. Add in the caramelized leeks, salt and pepper and mix again. Mixture should be wet but not soggy, enough to make a ball in your hand and not fall apart. In a piece of parchment paper, form the mixture into a log shape on the back end of the paper, fold over and roll into a parchment paper log. Twist the ends in opposite directions to tighten the log, hold in cooler for at least 20 minutes to set. When ready to use, slice off a disk off the bread pudding and sear in a sautee pan on both sides and bake in the oven until fully heated through.
To learn more, visit:www.thealexander.com
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