Food

  Ever wonder what some of Chicago's top chefs fix for Christmas dinner? We asked five of them to share a special holiday recipe with us. Happy Cooking!

•   Charlie Trotter, Charlie Trotter's
•   Rick Bayless, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo
•   Gale Gand, Tru Restaurant and Cenitare Restaurants
•   Rick Tramanto, Tru Restaurant and Cenitare Restaurants
•   Randy Zweiban, Nacional 27


Charlie Trotter
Whole Roasted Cornish Game Hens Stuffed with Wild Rice and Apricots
From "Gourmet Cooking For Dummies"

Cornish hens weigh up to 2 1/2 pounds and are four to six weeks old. One hen is usually enough for one serving. Cornish hens are usually best roasted or broiled. These beautiful hens make a statement when served whole. They can be stuffed with traditional stuffing, or with fruits and rice, as in the following recipe. In this recipe, the nuttiness of the wild rice goes nicely with the slight gaminess of the hen.

Specialty tools: Cooking twine
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

4 small Cornish game hens
Salt and pepper
4 cups cooked wild rice
1/4 cup diced dried apricots
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon

1. Season the outside and the inner cavity of the hen with salt and pepper.
2. In a medium bowl, toss together the wild rice, apricots, pecans, and chives. Stuff the hen with the wild rice mixture. Truss the hens with twine and place on a rack in a roasting pan.
3. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic, and tarragon and brush over the outside of the hens.
4. Roast the hens in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden-brown and crispy and the juices from the thigh run clear. (Prick the thigh with a fork to check the juices.) Baste the hen with the butter mixture every 10 minutes while roasting. Remove the string before serving.


Rick Bayless
Christmas Eve Salad of Jicama, Beets, Orange and Peanuts
Ensalada de Noche Buena

Understandably, Christmas specialties in Mexico have a clear Spanish profile: bacalao (salt cod), pork-stuffed turkey, crispy fritters, the nougat-like candy called turrón, and beets. The color of crimson poinsettia (called flor de noche buena, "Christmas Eve flower," in Mexico) a beet salad seems the perfect visual accent for the holiday table. Add the crunchy sweetness of jícama to the tanginess of the tender beets (expect the beets to tint everything they touch), give the mixture an orange freshness, then garnish it with chopped peanuts, sugar cane and the whimsically Mexican colored candies. Festive and barroque, criollo and tropical--Mexico at its finest!

If I hadn't spent so many Christmases in Mexico, I'd probably want to serve this salad year-round, especially in the summer, when fresh-dug beets are so good. Now, for me, that'd seem like fruitcake in July, so I reserve it for an elegant first course to a holiday meal, though its riot of colors works wonderfully on a buffet as well.

A note about sugar cane: If you haven't worked with it before, don't be anxious. It's easy (though it takes a big sharp knife to peel), because it has a loose grain like balsa wood. You can simply shave off pieces to sliver. Your guests will enjoy picking up the pieces to chew on (you can't eat them); they have a delightfully fresh sweetness.

Serves 8

4 large beets, peeled and green tops removed
3 seedless oranges
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
A generous 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium (about 1 pound) jícama
10 romaine lettuce leaves, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
2/3 cup roasted, salted peanuts
1 3- to 4-inch section of sugar cane, peeled and cut lengthwise into slivers, for garnish
A tablespoon or so of colored candy cake decorations (grajeas in Mexico), for garnish

1. The beets. In a small (1- to 1 1/2 quart) saucepan, simmer the beets in salted water to cover until tender, about 20 minutes, depending on size. Cool to lukewarm, then cut into small sticks and place in a large bowl. With a zester or vegetable peeler, cut the zest (colored rind) from 1 of the oranges; finely chop. Mix together the chopped orange zest, lime juice, orange juice, salt, sugar and olive oil in a large bowl. Pour over the beets and let stand 1 hour.

2. The jícama and oranges. Peel away the brown skin and fibrous exterior layer of the jícama (a small knife works best for this), then cut in half. Lay each half on its cut side and slice 1/4-inch thick; cut slices into small sticks. Cut stem and blossom ends off oranges, stand on cutting board and, working close to the flesh, cut away the rind and all white pith. Cut between each white membrane to remove the segments.

3. Finishing the salad. Just before serving, add the jícama and most of the orange segments (save a few for garnish) to the beets; taste the mixture and season it with additional salt, if the salad seems to need it. Lay out the lettuce on a serving platter. Scoop the salad into the center, then sprinkle with the peanuts and reserved orange segments. Garnish with the sugar cane and candies, and the colorful salad is ready to serve.

Advance preparation--The beets will keep in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days; let them come to room temperature before using. The oranges, jícama, and sugar cane can be cut up and refrigerated the night before serving.
Shortcuts--If time is of the essence, buy a jar of high-quality pickled beets, cut them up and dress them as directed in the recipe.

VARIATIONS AND IMPROVISATIONS
Summer Beet-and-Jícama Salad--Replace the orange segments with sliced plums (and, if you'd like, replace all or part of the jícama with apple). Sprinkle the salad with toasted almonds and, unless it's a special occasion, skip the candy sprinkles.


Gale Gand
Chocolate Pavlova Wreath
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand from Tru
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

½ cup egg whites, at room temperature (from about 4 eggs)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
pinch of cream of tartar
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup high quality cocoa powder, sifted
1 ½ cup heavy cream
10 strawberries, green parts trimmed off, cut up
2 kiwi, peeled and sliced into half moons
Fresh mint leaves
Powdered sugar
3-inch pillar candle

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a clean, dry bowl until foamy. Add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, cream of tartar, vanilla, and vinegar and continue whipping until stiff, smooth, and glossy, about 5 minutes more. Add the sifted cocoa powder and mix 10 to 20 more seconds.

On a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit a sheet pan, use a pencil to draw or trace a circle 9 inches in diameter. Line the sheet pan with the parchment, pencil side down (you should still be able to see the circle). Spoon the meringue into a ring and spread using an offset spatula or the back of the spoon to smooth the top, forming peaks if possible.

Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake until the meringue has puffed up and cracked on the top, about 45 minutes more. Turn off the oven, prop the oven door open, and let the pavlova cool in the oven at least 30 minutes, to room temperature. This ensures a gradual cooling, which protects the delicate meringue.

Before you're ready to serve place the meringue on a serving platter and whip the cream with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. When you're ready to serve pile on the whipped cream spreading it almost out to the edge then arrange the fruit decoratively and tuck in some mint leaves. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and place pillar candle in center and light. To serve, slice into wedges.

Notes about the recipe: This is a fudgy chocolate version of the traditional Pavlova. It comes out with a brownie-like interior.


Rick Tramanto
Roasted Cod with Spinach and Clam Sauce

Serves 4.

4 6-ounce cod fillets
salt and pepper
5 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 shallots, minced
½ cup white wine
1 dozen fresh manila clams
2 cups clam juice
2 cups canned chopped clams
1 lemon, juiced
½ tablespoon basil, chopped
½ tablespoon tarragon, chopped
½ tablespoon parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons butter chopped into pieces
2 cups spinach, cooked
1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season cod with salt and pepper. Sear in a sauté pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil on both sides.

2. Remove cod from sauté pan and place in oven for four minutes. Set aside.

3. Sauté 4 cloves garlic and 2 shallots in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add white wine and manila clams. Steam until clams open.

4. Add clam juice, canned chopped clams, lemon juice, basil, tarragon and parsley to sauté pan.

5. Add butter and toss until butter emulsifies.

6. In another pan, sauté cooked spinach with remaining olive oil, remaining garlic, remaining shallots and crushed chili flakes.

7. To serve, place ½ cup of spinach on plate. Top with cod fillet and then pour clam sauce all over plate.


Randy Zweiban
Mojo Marinated Pork Cubano

For the Mojo:

6 each Cloves Fresh Garlic Diced
1 teaspoon Scotch Bonnet Pepper Diced
1 ½ Tablespoons Jalapenos Diced
¼ Cup Toasted and Fresh Ground Cumin
¼ Cup Toasted and Fresh Ground Coriander
1Cup Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Sherry Vinegar
1/8 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
1/8 Cup Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley
½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Toasted Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 Cup Canola Oil

In a saucepan heat the oil until hot but not boiling (approx 175 degrees). In a stainless bowl, combine the Garlic, Chilies, Cumin, Coriander, Cumin, Salt and Pepper. Pour the warm oil over this mixture and let cool to room temperature. Whisk in the Vinegar, Lime Juice and fresh herbs. Put in a blender to blend smooth.

For the Pork:

4 lbs Pork Butts cubed into 6 pieces

For the Spice Rub:

2 Tablespoons Toasted and Fresh Ground Cumin Seeds
1 ½ Tablespoons Toasted and Fresh Ground Black Peppercorns
1 T Toasted and Fresh Ground Coriander Seeds
1 T Sugar
½ T Kosher Salt
1 T Paprika
1 T Dried Chile Molido

In a dry sauté pan, toast the Cumin, Black Peppercorns and the Coriander for a few minutes over medium heat until just a little puff of smoke starts to appear and then grind in a spice or coffee grinder.
Mix together with the other spices.
Dried Chile Molido or Chile mix can be found at most Spice stores.

To assemble:

Spice Rub the pork and keep in the refrigerator overnight.
Put the pork in a bag an add ½ of the mojo and marinate overnight.
Slow Roast the pork in a 300 degree oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Cool and shred, or cut into chunks and serve with rice, beans and more mojo as a sauce.

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