Printer-friendly versionIn this episode of New Orleans Chefs, sponsored by DCS by Fisher & Paykel, Chef Darin Nesbit from Palace Cafe prepares Palace Cafe's Jazz Brunch.
Click here for Chef Darin Nesbit's Profile
Café Spinach Salad
Serves 4
Candied Bacon
1/2 C Diced Bacon
1 T Dark Brown Sugar
1 T Water
1/2 T Cracked Black Pepper
Cook bacon for 8 minutes at 350°. Mix brown sugar with water and pour over cooked bacon. Toss well and add black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until crisp. Reserve rendered fat for vinaigrette.
1 lb Fresh Spinach, washed and picked (stems removed)
1/2 C Sherry Vinaigrette
1/4 C Red Onion, shaved
1/2 C Chopped Boiled Egg
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Season spinach with salt and pepper, then toss with sherry vinaigrette. Top each salad with shaved red onion, candied bacon and chopped boiled egg.
Sherry Vinaigrette
Yields 6 oz of dressing. Dressing will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.
1 oz Cane Syrup
1/2 oz Sherry Vinegar
1 1/2 t Creole Mustard
3 oz Rendered Bacon Fat
1 oz Olive Oil
1 T Shallots
1 1/2 t Garlic
Kosher salt to taste
Puree all ingredients except for olive oil and bacon fat. In a slow steady stream, add oil and fat until the dressing is emulsified. Season to taste.
Café Eggs Benedict
Serves 4
Pork "debris"
2 lbs Boston pork butt
3 cups Chicken broth
1/4 cups Roasted garlic
Creole seasoning to taste
Sweet cheddar cheese biscuits
1 1/2 oz sugar
1 cups all purpose flour
3 oz cake flour
2 t baking powder
Pinch of Salt
1 1/3 oz butter, cold, diced
4 oz freshly grated mild cheddar cheese
4 oz buttermilk
Hollandaise sauce
2 ea egg yolks
1 t white wine
1 dash tabasco
1/2 ea lemons, juice only
6 oz clarified butter*
1 oz tasso, finely diced
Salt and white pepper to taste
Poached eggs
3 cups water
1/2 cups white vinegar
8 ea eggs
For pork debris: Season pork butt on all sides with Creole seasoning. Place seasoned pork butt in a large casserole dish and bake uncovered in a 350° oven for 45-55 minutes. Pour in chicken broth (casserole dish should be filled about half-way), cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Uncover, add roasted garlic and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool, then pull “debris” from the bone with a fork. Meat should be extremely tender and fall easily from the bone.
For sweet cheddar cheese biscuits: Preheat oven to 350°. Combine dry ingredients in a medium size-mixing bowl. Cut cold butter into dry ingredients using two knives or a pastry cutter. Dough should be in pieces the size of small peas. Mix in grated cheese. Add buttermilk and squeeze dough together by hand. Dough will be slightly wet and sticky. Careful! Do not over mix. Sprinkle a dry, smooth surface with flour. Place dough on floured surface and lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Knead slightly, then pat down or roll out dough to a 1” thickness. Cut out 3” wide biscuits with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a large water glass dipped in flour. Start at the edge closest to you and work your way clockwise. The center area should be cut last. Place biscuits on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or sprayed with baking spray. Squeeze together remaining dough and repeat rollout and cutting procedure until all dough is used. Bake biscuits for 30 minutes, or until golden.
For hollandaise sauce: Whisk together egg yolks, white wine, Tabasco, and lemon juice in a double boiler or metal bowl placed atop a pot of boiling water. Rapidly whisk yolks until they fluff up to almost triple their original volume and turn pale yellow. If necessary, temporarily remove yolks from heat while whisking – they’ll scramble if they get too hot. Remove yolks from heat and slowly whisk in clarified butter. Adjust seasoning and add diced tasso. Sauce should be pale yellow and have a thick, creamy consistency.
*To clarify butter by gently melting butter in a sauté pan. Once butter has melted, skim the cloudy fat off the top and discard. Set aside and allow clarified butter to cool to room temperature.
To serve: Bring water and vinegar to a simmer in a large pot and poach eggs. Split biscuits in half. Place two halves on each serving plate and top each with a generous amount of pork debris. Place a poached egg on each and spoon hollandaise sauce over eggs.
Café au Lait Crème Brûlée*
Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 C Heavy whipping cream
2 T Ground Chicory Coffee
1/3 C Sugar
6 ea Egg Yolks
1 t Vanilla Extract
1 T Turbinado Sugar or Raw Sugar
1 ea Large Egg
TO PREPARE: Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Combine the whipping cream and ground espresso beans in a heavy small saucepot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Whisk the egg yolks, one large egg and vanilla gently in a large bowl. Whisk in the warm cream mixture gradually. Pour through a fine strainer into another bowl; check for coffee grains and re-strain if necessary.
Pour the mixture into four 6 oz. ramekins. Bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until the custard is set enough to jiggle as a unit when the dish is tapped; the center should still be slightly liquid. Cool to room temperature and chill, covered, in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours or until set.
Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Caramelize the sugar with a small kitchen torch or brûlée iron, keeping the flame moving to create a uniform medium amber color. Serve with chocolate covered espresso beans and raspberries.
