Celebrity Chef Recipes

Daniel Boulud’s Smoked Salmon and Caviar Crêpe “Cake” (Serves 6-8)

The Crêpes:

Ingredients

4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornstarch
Pinch of sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 eggs
3 1/2 cups milk

Directions

1. Put 3 1/2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, swirling the pan, until the butter melts and turns a deep golden brown.  Remove the pan from the heat and spoon off the clear browned butter; discard the sediment.  Let the butter cool to warm.

2. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and eggs together in a large bowl just until combined.  Whisk in the browned butter.  For convenience, pour the batter into a pitcher with a spout.  Cover the batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or, preferably, overnight.

3. Set a large plate or a small baking sheet close to the stove and line with plastic wrap.  Heat a nonstick 6- to 8-inch non-stick skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat.  In a separate pan or in the microwave, melt 1 tablespoon butter.  Gently stir the crêpe batter just to bring it together again.

4. Swirl a few drops of the melted butter over the bottom of the hot pan.  Lift the pan off the heat and pour in about 2 tablespoons of batter, tilting the pan and swirling the batter so that the batter covers the bottom of the pan in a very thin even layer.  Return the pan to the heat and cook the crêpe until it starts to bubble on top.  Run a blunt knife or spatula around the edge of the crêpe, then lift the crêpe up with your fingers and flip it over.  Cook the second side for only about 20 seconds.  Transfer the crêpe to the lined plate and continue making crêpes, dotting the pan with melted butter and gently stirring the batter between crêpes, until you’ve used all the batter—you should have about 9 to 10 crêpes (as the crêpes are made, stack them on the plate.)  Let cool.

The “Cake”:

Ingredients

1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped dill
Finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 pounds thinly sliced smoked salmon
4 3/8 ounce (150g) tin Sevruga caviar

Directions

1.  Stir together the sour cream, dill, lime zest, and lime juice; season with salt and pepper.

2. To assemble, put one crêpe on the plate that you will be serving the “cake” on.  Spread the crepe with some of the sour cream mixture.  Put a layer of the smoked salmon over the sour cream and top with a crêpe.  Repeat the layering until all of the crêpes, sour cream, and smoked salmon have been used finishing with a crêpe on top.  (At this point, the cake may be frozen, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to two weeks.  Defrost in the refrigerator before adding the caviar.)  Spread a thin layer of caviar on top.  Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.  To cut the “cake” use an electric knife.

José Andrés Gambas al Ajillo (Serves 5)

The Sautéed Shrimp:

Ingredients

1 pound 31/35 count white shrimp  peeled and deveined
¼ cup Spanish extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
5 Arbol chiles
5 tablespoons of brandy
5 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup Brava sauce (recipe below)
Kosher salt to taste

Directions

Thinly slice the garlic cloves with a knife, mandoline or slicer and set aside. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until it begins to fry. Add the Arbol chile and cook for one minute. Turn the heat up to high and add the shrimp. When the shrimp starts to change color, add the brandy, lemon juice and brava sauce and stir to combine. Remove from the heat, season with salt and serve.

The Brava Sauce:

Ingredients 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ounce whole garlic (peeled and sliced)
2 Arbol chiles
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Spanish sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 pounds whole canned tomatoes (pureed)
1 tablespoon Spanish wweet pimenton
Kosher salt to taste

Directions

In a medium size pot over medium heat add the oil, garlic and Arbol chile and sauté slowly until they start to brown. Add the sugar and stir until it melts. Add the vinegar and tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the tomato puree and simmer until almost dry. Add the pimenton and adjust seasoning with salt if necessary. Strain through a sieve and reserve for later use.

Stack the shrimp into 5 shallow bowls, garnish with the parsley and serve.

Laurent Tourondel’s Granola Cranberry Tart with Mandarin Sorbet  (Serves 6)

The Compote:

Ingredients

2 lbs. strawberries, roughly chopped
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 cups dried cranberries
1 tbsp. orange zest
All-purpose flour
Sugar
Salt
Cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½ -inch pieces
Vegetable shortening
Cold water
White vinegar
Granola, for topping (recipe below)
Mandarin sorbet

Directions

1. Combine the strawberries, 1 cup of water and the sugar in a medium pot set over low heat and gently cook until all the juices from the strawberries are released (approximately 15 minutes)

2. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the liquid into a clean pot and discard the solid

3. Heat the liquid from the strawberries and whisk in the cornstarch, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens (about three minutes)

4. Remove from heat

5. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the cranberries while the liquid is still hot

6. Cover and refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 8 hours

The Dough:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F

2. Using a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the flour, sugar and salt and mix well

3. Slowly add the butter and mix until pea size lumps form

4. Add the shortening and mix until coarse grains form

5. Add the water and vinegar and mix until the dough is smooth and uniform

6. Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at 30 minutes before rolling out

7. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thick

8. Place dough into a 9” tart pan and trim any excess dough around the sides with a paring knife

9. Line the tart with parchment paper and dried beans or pastry weights and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and completely cooked through

10. Let cool

To Serve

Preheat oven to 325°F

1. Remove compote from refrigerator, and add the orange zest and mix until well combined

2. Fill the tart shell with the compote and cover the compote evenly with granola

3. Bake for 15 minutes until tart is warm and granola is crisp

4. Serve with Mandarin Sorbet

The Granola:

Ingredients

Old-fashioned oatmeal
Steel-cut oats
Sliced almonds
Corn flake cereal
Ground cinnamon
Salt
Canola oil
Honey
Maple Syrup
2 oranges
Vanilla beans, split and scraped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F

2. In a large bowl combine the oatmeal, steel-cut oats, almonds, corn flakes, cinnamon and salt and mix until well combined

3. Bring the canola oil, honey, maple syrup, orange zest and split and scraped vanilla beans and seeds to a boil in a small pot set over medium heat; allow to boil for 1 minute

4. Remove the vanilla bean from the liquid and pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients

5. Mix until well combined, using a rubber spatula

6. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper

7. Pour mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread the granola evenly using a metal spatula

8. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, tossing the granola with spatula halfway through, until golden brown and evenly toasted.

9. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet on a rack and cool until it reaches room temperature

10. Break the granola into smaller, bite size, pieces and store the cool granola in an airtight container for up to one week.