Jonathan Waxman brings NY steak to the Dish

In 1984, The New York Times described Jonathan Waxman's West Coast style restaurant, Jams, as "a culinary comet." For more than three decades, the Berkeley hippy turned renowned chef has been serving up his "California Cuisine" in New York City.

Here is how to make some of his signature dishes: NY steak with corn and tomatoes with romesco salsa, JW potatoes, cauliflower gratin, wilted rainbow chard, Heather's pistachio layer cake with vanilla butter cream and fresh raspberries and Bud's cocktail to drink!

NY steak with corn and tomatoes with romesco salsa

Serves 4

16 ounce NY steak, trimmed of all bone, sinew & with a 1/4 layer of fat

2 tb olive oil

3 ears of corn

1 pint of tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

1 tb chopped basil

2 ounces butter

1. Season steak with sea salt and fresh black pepper

2. Roast corn with husk in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, turn occasionally

3. Cut tomatoes in half

4. In a cast iron skillet, add the olive oil and heat to medium-high; saute steak for 5 minutes a side. Remove and add the tomatoes, basil, corn, and garlic. Cook for five minutes.

5. Turn off heat, add the butter. Season corn and tomatoes, place on a platter. Slice steak wafer thin slices and place on top of corn. Garnish with romesco salsa.

Romesco salsa

3 tb each hazelnuts and almonds

3 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1 red pepper

1 serrano pepper

2 tb sliced onion

2 slices of sourdough baguette

3 tb sherry vinegar

4 tb olive oil

2 tb smoked paprika

1. In a sauce pan, add the nuts, onion and garlic with 1 tb olive oil. Season and cook slowly for 20 minutes

2. Meanwhile, roast the peppers and toast the bread in the broiler until golden brown.

3. Top, peel and seed the peppers

4. Dice the bread

5. When nuts are cooked, let cool

6. Peel the garlic and leave whole

7. Put all the ingredients in a vita mixer and puree until soft then season with salt & pepper.

JW potatoes

2 russet potatoes

2 cloves garlic

2 branches of rosemary

3 tb olive oil

3 tb butter

1. In a 6-quart pot, add 1 cup of water. Place a plate inside and pit potatoes on the plate. Add 1 teaspoon sea salt, rosemary and garlic.

2. Heat the water to a simmer, cover and cook for 40 minutes. Make sure to add water if necessary.

3. Remove potatoes and let cool

4. Heat oven to 450

5. In a bowl, add the butter and olive oil, crush the potatoes into bite sized pieces and season with sea salt. Toss well, place in a roasting pan and cook in oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until browned and crunchy.

Cauliflower gratin

2 heads of different colored cauliflower

4 cloves of garlic (peeled and cut in half)

1tb + 2 tb butter

1tb extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup grated gruyere

1. Heat oven to 375. Heat cream with garlic over a low simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and keep warm.

2. Minimally core the cauliflower then slice in 1/2 wide tranches.

3. Butter a large ceramic roasting terrine, then lay in the tranches of cauliflower. Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.

4. Roast in the oven for 12 minutes or until lightly colored.

5. Pull the terrine out and pour in the cream and dot the cauliflower with the remaining butter.

6. Cook for 15 minutes, then top with gruyere, cook for 10 minutes more, until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Serve hot

Wilted rainbow chard

2 bunches rainbow chard

3 tb butter

2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)

2 tb olive oil

1. Wash and mince the chard.

2. In a large skillet add 1 tb butter, oil, garlic and heat until sizzling; add the chard and cook for five minutes.

3. Add 1 cup of water and cook another 5 minutes.

4. Taste for seasoning and add the remaining butter. Serve hot.

Heather's pistachio layer cake with vanilla butter cream and fresh raspberries

6 oz almond paste

3 c sugar

12 eggs

8 yolks

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. Almond extract

9 1/4 oz cake flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 c pistachio flour

1/4 c sugar

8 oz clarified butter

2 cups heavy cream

3 tb sugar

1 pint raspberries

1. Beat almond paste in a electric stand mixer and very slowly add 3 cups sugar, eggs and yolks, stopping and scraping the sides often to make sure there are no almond paste lumps.

2. When all the sugar and eggs are incorporated, whip over boiling water until warm to the touch. Whip on mixer on speed 3 until very thick and pale.

3. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Remove from mixer, transfer to a big mixing bowl, and sift flour, 1/4 cup sugar and salt, gently folding in the dry.

4. Fold in the pistachio flour, then add about 2 c of the batter to the butter, combine gently but thoroughly, then combine with the rest of the batter.

5. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Let cool, cut cake into thirds.

6. Whip the cream, add the sugar and layer the cake with whip cream, and stud each layer with the raspberries.

Bud's cocktail

3 tb each Appelton, Bacardi dark rum, and Mt. Gay

2 tb each (fresh juice only) grapefruit, lemon and orange juice

2 tb Cointreau

2 teaspoon angostura bitters

3 tb simple syrup

Place ingredients in a pitcher, add 2 cups ice, stir for 2 minutes and serve over ice garnished with orange wedges and pineapple