Cooking – New York Style: Marvelous Main Courses and Decadent Desserts

Our recipes continue from some of the top chefs in New York who share their innovative and creative recipes for main courses and desserts, from Suvir Saran of dévi, Ari Nieminen of Water’ Edge and Florian Bellanger of Fauchon.

Pease read our additional recipes article: Cooking – New York Style: Appealing Appetizers to Tempt your Senses from David Burke of davidburke & donatella, Jordy Lavanderos of Secretes and Julian Medina of Zócalo. Be sure to read the articles on the chefs and the restaurants in our Destinations, Restaurants, Chefs' Recipes, and Gastronomy sections.

Suvir Saran, originally from New Delhi, India, is the co-executive chef and co-owner of devi,  8 East 18^th Street, which opened in September 2004, and features home-style Indian cooking. When not busy cooking, he found time to write a cookbook, Indian Home Cooking, published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers in September 2004, and has another cookbook due out in 2006.

Tandoori Lamb Chops (Burrah Kabab)

Serves 4

Burrah literally means “big” so this is a recipe for people who like big kebabs. The chops need to marinate overnight to absorb the marinade so if you spend a few minutes to toss together the marinade the night before, the next night’s dinner will take almost no time at all to put together. The papaya paste acts as a tenderizer but if you can’t find it, the chops are tender enough without it. Drain the yogurt for at least 2 hours before using or the lamb will never develop that savory crust during cooking.

Cut 3-4 deep slashes in each of the chops. Mix all of the remaining ingredients except the oil and melted butter in a non-plastic bowl large enough to hold the chops. Add the chops and toss to coat in the marinade. Put the chops with the marinade in a large, resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight. Preheat the oven to 550Ëš F or preheat the grill. 

Add the oil to the bag with the chops, reseal, and massage the bag between your hands to mix the oil. Remove the chops from the marinade. If roasting in the oven, put the chops in a single layer on a rack in a foil-lined baking pan and roast 20 minutes; remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes; then turn the chops, drizzle with the butter and roast 10 more minutes. If grilling, grill 5 minutes each side; let rest 5 minutes off the grill, then brush with the butter and grill 5 more minutes each side.

Crispy Okra Salad (Kararee Bhindi)
Makes 4 servings
Time: 25 minutes

It isn’t a traditional dish, but something Panditji (my family’s Brahman chef) and I came up with when I was a young boy, maybe 10 or so years old. The recipe that we came up with had the okra slit in half lengthwise. It was then dusted with chickpea flour, lemon, and spices and allowed to marinade for 20 minutes or so and then deep-fried. Since coming to the U.S., becoming a cook in my own right and catering and cooking in restaurant kitchens, I have streamlined the recipe further.

Okra is also called Lady Finger in India and other countries, and is considered best when it is the size of the ring finger of a lady with small hands. At that size okra is not too fibrous, tough or hairy, and it is also easier to stem and slice. The key here is in the way we cut it. The traditional Indian way of cutting it crosswise has been bypassed and a fine julienne or lengthwise cut Okra is selected, not part of the first recipe I came up with years ago. I like to serve it alongside of thinly sliced red onions and julienne tomatoes. They add nice textural and flavor contrasts without taking away from the brilliance of the okra.

Chaat Masala, the spice blend used to dust the quickly fried okra, is a masala (blend of spices) that is used most often in the street food style dishes that come from the subcontinent. Chaat Masala is a blend of mostly sour and some pungent spices. It is available in all Indian groceries and also online. One can make it at home as well, but the quality of the packaged blend makes it unnecessary.

Crispy Okra Salad:

Canola oil, for frying
1          pound              okra, stemmed and julienned lengthwise
½                                 small red onion, thinly sliced
2                                  small or 1 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded and julienned
¼         cup                  chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
½                                 lemon, juice or more to taste
½         teaspoon          salt, or more to taste
1½       teaspoons        chaat masala, or more to taste

Heat at least 2 inches oil to 350° F (you can check this with a deep-fry or instant-read thermometer) in a countertop deep fryer or in a pan on the stove. Fry the julienne okra in batches small enough not to crowd your pan or fryer and make sure to let the oil return to temperature (350° F) between batches. Fry it until crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes – the seeds will swell and it will be deeply colored at the edges – then transfer to drain on paper towels.

Toss the okra together with the onion, tomato and cilantro, squeeze the lemon juice over all, and season to taste with salt and chaat masala.

Ari Nieminen, a Finland native, is the Executive Chef of Water’s Edge Restaurant, 44^th Drive at the East River, Long Island City, and interestingly enough, once worked under his mentor David Burke at the River Café in New York, before joining Water’s Edge, which features New American cuisine.

Hot Smoked Salmon
Serves 2

2 six-ounce portions of salmon
4 ounces chardonnay, such as Husch from California
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 sprig tarragon
1 bay leaf

Marinate the salmon: Mix the chardonnay with salt, sugar, tarragon and bay leaf. Marinate the salmon in the wine mixture for 10 minutes; turn over and continue marinating for another 10 minutes. Remove the salmon from the marinade, rinse once and pat dry. Coat the fillets lightly with olive oil.

To smoke: Set the smoker on the burner. Place the wood chips and 2 cubes of sugar on the bottom. Turn heat on high and wait for smoke to develop. Place the salmon on the rack inside the smoker and close lid tightly. Wait 2 minutes and turn heat to medium-low. Continue smoking for another 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep the lid closed for 5 minutes, then remove the salmon from the smoker.

Presentation: Serve salmon with a dollop of Sauce Gribiche (recipe follows). 

Sauce Gribiche
4                                  hard-boiled egg yolks
4                                  hard-boiled egg whites, finely chopped
1          tablespoon      dry English mustard
2          tablespoons     capers, finely chopped
2          tablespoons     cornichon, finely chopped
¼         cup                  tarragon, chopped
4          tablespoons     fresh lemon juice
1½       cups                 extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a bowl, crush the egg yolks with the mustard powder. Gradually whisk in the olive oil and lemon juice. Add the egg whites, capers, cornichon and tarragon; season to taste.

Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Cognac Lamb Jus, Roasted Bell Pepper and Cucumber Salads, Jasmine Rice with Dried Fruits and Toasted Almonds

Serves 4

Marinade:

Combine all ingredients and place lamb in the marinade for 6 hours.

Lamb:

Preheat oven to 425º F. Season the lamb rack with salt and fresh ground pepper, sear in a hot pan. Finish cooking in the oven, turning occasionally, until internal temperature reaches 115º F. Remove it and allow it to rest in a warm area for ten minutes. Brush the rack with the Dijon mustard, coat with herbs, and return to the hot oven for one minute. Cut into chops.

Sauce:

Trimmings from the lamb rack

Roast lamb trimmings in olive oil until browned. Add shallots, garlic and herbs; then cook 5 minutes; then add tomatoes, cook 5 more minutes. Deglaze with wine and cognac; simmer 5 minutes to cook out the alcohol. Add veal stock; simmer until thickened to sauce consistency, strain through a fine mesh sieve or chinois. Finish with butter.

Rice Pilaf:

Preheat oven to 350º F. In a small pot, bring water to a boil. Melt butter in large saucepan and sweat the onion in the butter. Add the salt. Add the rice, then boiling water. Bring to a boil, stir and cook on stovetop until the liquid is below the level of the rice. Cover the saucepan and place in the oven for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the fruits, scallions and cilantro, then fluff the rice with a fork. Keep covered. Add the toasted almonds just before serving.

Pepper Salad:

Cucumber Salad:

1          cup                  hot house cucumber, diced, lightly salted and drained
2          tablespoons     Greek yogurt or labne kefir yogurt
1          teaspoon          lemon juice
1                                  dill, chopped
1                                  red onion, diced and soaked in ice water for 15 minutes

Combine all ingredients and taste for seasoning adjustment of salt and pepper. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. (This can be made up to 2 days in advance.)

Parisian-born Florian Bellanger is the Executive Pastry Chef at Fauchon , 442 Park Avenue at 56^th Street, where he is imparting his own creativity to classic French pastries that has both the locals and tourists lining up for an authentic taste of Paris in New York. Before joining Fauchon in New York, he was the pastry chef at Le Bernadin in New York, and also worked at Fauchon in Paris.

Fauchon Raspberry Éclairs

Prepare the pâte à choux (cream-puff pastry), the raspberry pastry cream and the raspberry fondant icing following the recipes below. Once you have made these 3 components, you can assemble the éclairs.

Pâte à choux:
¾         cup                  whole milk
¾         cup water
½         teaspoon          granulated sugar
¼         teaspoon          fine sea salt
4          ounces             unsalted butter
9          ounces             all-purpose flour
5                                  whole eggs

Preheat oven to 375° F. In a saucepan, bring the milk, water, sugar, salt and butter to a boil. Add the all-purpose flour and stir until combined. Continue to cook the dough over low heat for about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the stove. While stirring continuously, add the eggs one at a time until each egg is combined. The dough should be firm.

Using a piping bag with a #12 round tip (½-inch opening), pipe the pastry into six 6-inch-long tubular shapes on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper. Bake with the oven door left open an inch wide for 25 minutes until the pastry is light brown. It is important to keep the oven door slightly open to let the steam out; otherwise the pâte à choux will not puff enough. After baking, allow the pâte à choux to cool at room temperature.

Raspberry pastry cream:

In a saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Add the vanilla bean, turn off the heat, and let it infuse into the milk for 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, egg yolks and cornstarch until combined. Add this mixture to the boiling milk and stir continuously over low heat until the cream becomes thick and shiny. Remove the saucepan from the heat and mix in the butter until combined.

Pour the pastry cream in a clean bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the cream for about 2 hours. When the cream is cold, stir in the raspberry puree and raspberry liqueur. Using a spatula, fold in the whipped cream. Set aside.

Raspberry fondant icing:

Slightly warm the white fondant icing in a microwave oven (100° F). Stir in the raspberry puree and raspberry liqueur. Set aside.

Assembling the éclairs: Cut each éclair in half horizontally (you should have a long top and bottom). Using a piping bag or a teaspoon, fill each bottom with raspberry pastry cream. Cover each éclair with the top. Using a spatula spread some raspberry fondant icing on top of each éclair. Refrigerate until serving.

Note: The fondant icing should be used at “body temperature”(slightly warm). If the fondant is too thick, stir in 1 or 2 teaspoons of water to thin it out.

Fauchon Berry Charlotte Cake

Makes one 8-inch round cake

Ladyfinger Biscuit:
3                                  egg yolks
4          tablespoons     granulated sugar
2                                  egg whites
¼         cup                  all-purpose flour
1                                  baking sheet tray
1                                  cake ring - 8 inches diameter, 1½ inches highRaspberry Syrup:
1          cup                  water
½         cup                  granulated sugar
½         cup                  raspberry puree