Miami Food Blog

Jackie Sayet

Unusual trio delights the palate.

​During a complimentary press dinner Tuesday night at Solea, we were treated to a dip in humidity and a pistachio semifreddo that signaled talent was making pastries in the W South Beach Hotel kitchen.  The man behind this cooling and creamy lime green mound, topped with olive oil ice cream and Isomalt shard, is Executive Pastry Chef Antonio Bachour.

Born to a Lebanese mother and French father, Bachour, 34, grew up in Puerto Rico working at his father's classic French bakery.  He first found inspiration at age 10 in an eclair.

"Always eclairs. That was the first thing he taught me how to make," he explains.  It wasn't long after that he made the trip to New York to attend the French Culinary Institute, graduating in 1996.  He first arrived in Miami in 2001 and has played the executive pastry chef role at Talula, Devito South Beach, and Scarpetta, both in the Fountainebleau and most recently in the Big Apple.

With a team of six, Bachour is making sweet dreams happen for the hotel's restaurants, room service, living room, and banquet operations.

Short Order rang Bachour yesterday in the kitchen for a quick Q&A and to request a couple of recipes.

photo by adam larkey

​Chef John Critchley has attracted plenty of notice and praise for his sustainable fish dishes at Area 31. Rightly so, as few chefs have made sustainability so inherent to their cuisine. Plus his simply adorned and pristine seafood preparations taste great. We asked for a recipe and got one for Area 31's popular Gnocchi with Tuna Bolognese. Except you'll have to come up with your own gnocchi recipe, or just buy some at the market -- that part wasn't included.

One other note -- "confit tuna" is what the chef calls the local, line-caught, yellowfin tuna that he lightly poaches in extra virgin olive oil (the fish obviously doesn't have enough fat for a real confit). I imagine that you can take liberties with how you cook your tuna.

Jackie Sayet

Benack and his larger than life hogie

​If there ever was a po' boy rich enough for our girl Gwen Stefani, this is the one. Not too fancy, but with a sizable amount of midriff-bearing sass.

"We had this po' boy on the Miami Spice Menu last year," explains Benack. "I think we're going to bring it back for lunch this time around."

This New York native knows a thing or two about authentic po' boys.  He lived in New Orleans for six years.  That's equivalent to 312 of the iconic sandwiches, at the rate of one scarfed per week.  And who in their right mind would stop there when there's so many varieties to try?  Shrimp, oyster, shrimp and oyster (aka "Half & Half,") roast beef, and even soft shell crab during the season, which conveniently falls on Jazz Fest.

Benack will also be the first to tell you that in New Orleans, if the po' boy is served on a white table cloth, it's not going to be good.

But all bets are off when you're in Miami. This guy's learned a thing or two behind the line at Delmonico, with the big boss.  And Emeril doesn't mess around with Creole cuisine.  This po' boy is as sure a thing as there's gonna be in these parts.  BAM!  There are enough layers of spice and zing in the Creole tartar alone to have your taste buds in a titillating tailspin. Did we mention what the shrimp and their marinade bring to the table?  No tongue assault here. Each flavor reveals itself gradually, one after another, like a great page-turner.

Here's how it comes together behind the Emeril's Miami Beach line, easily repeatable in the comfort of your home kitchen.  Just remember to take Benack's advice on selecting the best, crusty baguette you can find for the task, since "the biggest and most important part is the bread."

Charles Froke

Intimidating, perhaps. Good to the last bite? Definitely.

Jackie Sayet

This clean plate club always chips in, even with the dirty work

Last week, Mario Batali unveiled a new recipe at an event to benefit his equally new charity, The Mario Batali Foundation.The recipe was for machaca, which comes from the Mexican word machacado -- 'pounded' or 'crushed'. The preparation originated with the ranchers and cowboys of northern Mexico, who would air-dry beef with chile peppers and spices in order to preserve it. The meat would then be rehydrated and slowly cooked over an open flame until falling apart.

"Machaca is easy to make, authentically Mexican, and takes the flavor of tacos, burritos and many other dishes to a whole new level," says Batali. It can be prepared from either skirt steak or veal -- at his event, Batali chose Strauss Meadow Reserve veal from Allen Brothers. The meat is marinated in a mixture of Worcestershire, lime juice, garlic, chipotle, cumin and black pepper. It's easy to make, and Short Order has got the recipe:

Malka Espinel started working with pastries at Grove Isle, back in the day when Mark Militello was running the restaurant there. The Colombian-born chef went on to work at a couple of other notable spots (such as 1220 at The Tides) and then teamed with Johnny Vinczencz at his original Astor Place establishment; at Sundy House; and at Johnny V's in Ft. Lauderdale (625 East Las Olas Blvd.;954-761-7920) -- where she is still composing fantastic treats today. Ms. Espinel is simply one of South Florida's very finest pastry chefs, as evidenced by this delectably creative "drunken" mojito rum cake, which she serves with tropical fruit salsa, Tahitian vanilla ice cream, and churritos.

Jackie Sayet

How do they get it so creamy?

Yard House Ginger Crusted Salmon

The main claim to fame for Yard House, the new 12,000-square-feet Coral Gables resto-pub (Yard House, Village of Merrick Park; 305-447-9273) has been its' peerless beer selection -- 130 on tap, with a glass-enclosed keg room housing up to 5,000 gallons at a time. But executive chef and partner Carlito Jocson wants you to know that beyond the brews, plasma screens, loud music, and boisterous crowd is some serious food. Not all serious, mind you -- there are over 100 items on the menu, including fun stuff like burgers, etc. -- but Jocson cooks up some American fare fused with Pacific Rim inflections (influenced, perhaps, by his Filipino heritage). This recipe for Ginger Crusted Salmon with Wasabi Mashed Potatoes will allow you to taste a bit of the Yard in your own house.

Chef Kurtis Jantz

Corning glory

Rival NBA Finals cities may be embroiled in a pizza war, but Orlando's pride extends beyond the court and oven this time of year, into the corn fields.  Sweet and delicious Zellwood corn is in season now, grown and harvested just a few hours north to the delight of chefs like Kurtis Jantz and Chad Galiano of Neomi's in Trump land on Sunny Isles Beach.  Galiano recently blogged on the tasty kernels that these molecugastro wunderkinds were whipping up for a recent Paradigm seating.  Which got me thinking... what about the home cook?  They answered the call (or was it email? tweet?) and the results look scrumptious.

Chestnut pasta before/after

 This distinctive pasta dish from Alex Pinero, chef de cuisine at Fratelli Lyon, blends chestnut pasta with mushroooms, mascarpone and truffle to a distinctively rich, woodsy effect. The Design District restaurant uses chanterelles, piopini and chiodini mushrooms (the equivalent of honshimeji whites/browns), which you won't find at Publix, but buttons, cremini, and portobellos can be utilized instead ("minus the gills as they will turn the dish black"). If you don't have a chitarra or chitarra attachment to your pasta machine, any similarly shaped strand should do.

Fratelli Manager Aniéce Meinhold recommends a medium body red wine to pair with the pasta -- perhaps Langhe Nebbiolo from Moccagatta, a family-owned Barbaresco producer from the Piedmont region. "The Langhe Nebbiolo we currently stock is the 2005, a warmer year for Piemonte resulting in a more fruit forward and approachable wine. Their total production is only 5500+/- cases, so we are really talking tiny!"

Pepitas Crusted Goat Cheese Cake with Roasted Beets, Baby Greens, and Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette

Johnny Vinczencz is a Broward star these days. His Johnny V and Smith and Jones  restaurants (respectively established 2003 and 2008) both dish the chefs' robust American cuisine from behind glossy storefronts on E. Las Olas Boulevard. But it was in 1995, at the Astor Place hotel on Miami Beach, that Mr. V first burst onto the scene with innovative takes on familiar comfort foods. Thankfully the old goat hasn't lost a step -- speaking of which, try to use a good quality goat cheese when preparing this unbeatable beet salad.

Pan sauteed diver scallops with braised short ribs

This weeks recipe comes from one of Miami's elite chefs, Pascal Oudin of Pascal's On Ponce. Oudin has trained under Ducasse, Vergé, and Jean-Louis Palladin, who mentored the young Frenchman when he first came to the States in 1982. After a lengthy stint as executive chef of Grand Café in Coconut Grove's Grand Bay Hotel, Oudin premiered his own place in 2000 and has served the most elegant country French fare in Miami ever since.

This week's NT review is of Petit Rouge, a charming 24-seat French bistro in North Miami. Chef/owner is Neal Cooper (formerly of Neal's and Il Migliore); chef de cuisine is Daniel Small. In keeping with our recent theme of light, summertime recipes, here's one for Petit's delicious Frisee lardon salad -- a can't-miss taste combo of greens dressed in red wine-Dijon vinaigrette, with poached egg, brioche, and cubes of slab bacon.

Simon Hare

This light and zesty crab dip is a favorite among Chef Allen's clientele, and when scooped up with fresh, crisp chips of yuca, boniato, potato and green plantain...well, let's just say you'll wonder why you wasted all those years with potato chips and onion dip.

You asked, we fetched. Mercy wrote in: "I tried making Michy's croquetas and matched up the ingredients well -- but what breading is used?  Can you give me the receipe for the croquetas and fig marmalade? It is one of my favorites."

The recipe for croquetas with blue cheese and jamón serrano is actually on page 3 of Michelle Bernstein's cookbook Cuisine á Latina -- which I believe loosely translates to strike while the iron is hot. Then again, admittedly my Spanish still needs some work.

I could have just copied the recipe from said book, but gave Ms. Bernstein a call to get more details on the marmalade jam. My timing probably could have been better -- she was in New York getting set for the James Beard Awards dinner -- but Michelle did have some new croquetas news. A vegetarian spinach and feta croqueta has been added to Michy's menu (or is it Sra. Marinez' menu?), and she seemed genuinely excited about how good it tastes -- maybe even surprised.

As for the marmalade, Bernstein suggests purchasing a good brand of fig marmalade, and combining 8 oz. of it with two tablespoons of sherry vinegar and two tablespoons Amontillado Jerez. Where can you find a fine fig marmalade? Michelle says that, "believe it or not", the food sections at Marshall's and TJ Maxx at times carry a reputable Spanish import.

Cinco de Mayo, like Independence Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, St. Patrick's Day -- heck, like most of our holidays -- means little  to Americans other than an excuse to congregate in large groups and get shit-faced on booze. Sad, really, but I'll leave that as fodder for social scientists and such. I'm here instead to provide fodder for the mother of guacamoles -- the one prepared tableside at Rosa Mexicano. This is something you can toss together quickly, then add some tortilla chips and -- yeah, that's right, go ahead and have your beers and margaritas, too. I wouldn't want to be a party-pooper or anything.

Steamed snapper with summer squash, tomato, artichoke and basil

The first entry in our new Great Chef Recipe Files comes from Marco Ferraro, the talented top toque at Wish at The Hotel in South Beach. Ferraro was born in Italy, tutored at The French Culinary Institute in New York, trained at Michelin two-star Le Muscandin in Mougins, and followed up with two-years at Vongerichten's Jean-Georges in New York. In other words, the guy has cred.

The recipe is lengthy, but other than removing the hearts from artichokes (which can be a prickly task), each step is pretty straightforward. I don't know about you, but I'd sure be impressed if somebody invited me to their home for dinner and brought this bright, summery dish out from the kitchen.

I'd also be happy with a bottle of Les Charmes, Chardonnay, Macon-Lugny, ‬‪Burgundy, 2007, which chef Ferraro recommends as a suitable match with the snapper: "The wine is green-gold in color, fresh and vibrant with aromas of hazelnut, citrus flower and acacia honey. It will complement and enhance the flavor of the snapper and squash, and with its clean, crisp and beautiful lasting flavor on the finish it will not overpower any ingredients."
                                       
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