Kenny Gilbert brings shrimp and grits to The Dish
Kenny Gilbert's curiosity in the kitchen started early as he learned from both his mother and his father and developed a passion for Southern food. From his start as executive chef of The Ritz Carlton in Amelia Island, Florida, to "Top Chef" favorite, his creative approach to cooking and hospitality has proven to be extremely successful and unmatched.
Here's how to make some of his signature dishes: local shrimp and grits, crispy brussels, chilled pemaquid oysters, skillet cornbread and drop biscuit, Kg's banana pudding and The Beast to drink.
Local shrimp and grits
(Black pepper queso, sun dried tomatoes, andouille sausage, scallions)
Serves 4
Yellow coarse grits:
Ingredients
1 c. Water
1 c. Cream
1/4 c. Butter
2 tsp. Salt
3/4 c. Stone ground yellow grits, anson mills or local ny grits
1/4 c. Pepper jack cheese
1/4 c. Cheddar cheese
1/4 c. Cream cheese
1/4 c. Monterey jack cheese
Procedure
Place water, cream, butter and salt into a pot.
Bring to a boil.
Whisk in grits.
Reduce heat to a simmer.
Stirring often cook grits for 20 minutes or until liquid has been absorb and mixtures is fluffy and tender.
Add cheese and stir until cheese is incorporated.
Grits should have consistency of fluffy mashed potatoes. Not thin and runny.
Reserve.
Black pepper queso:
Ingredients
1 (16 oz) beer, lager...pbr/rolling rock
1 quart half and half
1/4 c. Asian fried onions/shallots
1 t. Fresh ground black pepper
1/4 c. Buerre manie
1/2 lbs pepper jack cheese
1/2 lbs cream cheese
1/2 lbs cheddar
1/2 lbs monterey jack
Procedure
Place half and half, pepper and fried shallots/onions into a pot.
Bring to a simmer.
Whisk in cheeses and begin to melt.
Add buerre manie purée mixture with buerre stick/hand blender until smooth.
Reserve.
Shrimp stock:
Ingredients
3lbs fresh local white shrimp shells, heads included
2 quarts water
2 c. Crushed tomatoes
Procedure
Place shrimp shells, crushed tomatoes and water into a pot.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer.
Skim the proteins (scum of stock) that comes to the top.
Cook for 40-45 minutes.
Strain through a fine meshed strainer twice.
Reserve.
Garlic confit:
Ingredients
1 c. Peeled garlic cloves
2 c. Vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
Procedure
Place all ingredients into a pot.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Cook until garlic has a light golden brown color and is soft. 8-10 minutes.
Turn off heat and allow to cool in oil.
Reserve.
Rehydrated sun dried tomatoes
Ingredients
1 c. Julienne sun dried tomatoes
1 c. Water
Procedure
Bring water to a boil.
Pour over sun dried tomatoes.
Allow to rehydrate for 15-20 minutes.
Garnishes
Andouille sausage links, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2" half circles. Fried quickly until crispy.
Thinly sliced scallions on the bias.
Braised shrimp (1 portion batch)
Ingredients
2 t. Roasted garlic oil
11 (21-25ct) local shrimp, peeled/deveined and tail off
5 garlic confit cloves
2 t. Rehydrated sun dried tomatoes
4 oz shrimp stock
2 oz black pepper queso
1 t. Chopped herbs (blend of italian parsley, sage, rosemary)
1/4 tsp raging cajun spice
Pinch of kosher salt to taste
Procedure
Heat 10" skillet on medium high heat.
Add garlic oil.
Add shrimp and sear quickly on both sides.
Deglaze with shrimp stock and black pepper queso.
Add remaining ingredients and cook on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute.
Reserve.
Build plate:
Place grey scoop (8oz) of grits in center of a round plate.
Make the lunch ladle mashed potato well in the center of the grits.
Place shrimp, sun dried tomatoes and roasted garlic in the center well.
Pour sauce over the shrimp mixture.
Garnish with andouille sausage and sliced scallions.
Crispy brussels
(carolina gold rice porridge, padron peppers, fl citrus mop)
Serves 4
Carolina gold rice porridge
Ingredients
1 c. Carolina gold rice middlins
4 c. Water
1/4 c. Butter
1 tsp kosher salt
Procedure
Place water, salt and butter into a pot.
Bring to a simmer.
Add carolina gold rice and cook stirring occasionally.
12-15 minutes.
Mixture should resemble creamy grits/porridge (oatmeal consistency).
Reserve.
Blistered brussels sprouts and padron peppers
Ingredients
2 c. Quartered brussels sprouts
1 c. Stemmed and halved padron or shishito peppers
Kosher salt to taste
Procedure
Preheat fryer to 350 degrees
Fry brussels sprouts and padron peppers until golden brown.
Remove and drain.
Season with kosher salt to taste.
Reserve.
Fl citrus mop
Ingredients
1 c. Apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. Orange marmalade
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic clove, shaved thin
3 t. Scallions, sliced thin
1/4. Water
1 tsp kosher salt
Procedure
Combine all ingredients together and mix into a bowl.
Building plate:
1/2 cup porridge placed in deep bowl.
1 c. Blistered brussels sprouts and padron peppers on top of porridge positioned 12:00 to 6:00.
Place 2 t. Citrus mop over the brussels sprouts and padron peppers.
Garnish with thinnest sliced scallions and fresh black pepper.
Chilled pemaquid oysters
(succotash salad, datil pepper remoulade + hot sauce, crushed saltine crackers)
Makes 1 dozen oysters
Oysters
Ingredients
12 ea pemaquid oysters
Procedure
Shuck oyster saved in natural liquor. Throw away top shell.
Clean bottom shell and reserve.
Datil pepper hot sauce:
Ingredients
12 each datil or habenero peppers
1/2 c. Red bell pepper, large diced
1/4 c. Spanish onion, large diced
6 garlic cloves
1/2 c kosher salt
1 c. Water
1 quart white vinegar
1 tsp xantham gum powder
Procedure
Place datil or habenero peppers (stems, seeds and all. Do not break down pepper), red bell peppers, spanish onions, garlic cloves, kosher salt and water into a blender.
Puree.
Place mixture into a plastic container and wrap with plastic wrap.
Place container in a warm place allow to ferment for 24 hours. (note: ideally for 2 weeks.)
Place fermented pepper mash into a pot with vinegar.
Bring mixture to a boil.
Place hot sauce mixture into a blender with xantham gum powder.
Puree.
Strain hot sauce through a fine meshed strainer (chinois).
Save the pepper mash/pulp! Very important!!!!
Place hot sauce into hot sauce bottle or squirt bottle and reserve.
Datil pepper mash remoulade:
Ingredients
1 c. Mayonnaise (dukes or hellmanns)
2 t. Datil pepper mash/pulp
1 t. Stone ground mustard
1 t. Chopped capers
1/4 c. Small diced red onion
1 tsp chef kenny's raging cajun spice
1/4 c. Fresh lemon juice
Zest from quarter of a lemon
1 tsp sugar
1 t. Chopped fresh dill
Procedure
Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix together well with a whisk.
Reserve.
Succotash salad:
Ingredients
1/4 c. Blanched (iqf) baby lima beans
1/4 c. Grilled fresh corn, shucked
1/4 c. Grilled zuchinni, small diced
1/4 c. Fresh lemon juice
3 t. Vegetable oil
1 t. Sugar
1 t. Chopped fresh dill
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Procedure
Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix together.
Reserve.
Building the oyster
1 tsp of remoulade on oyster shell.
1 t. Succotash salad on top of remoulade
1 shucked oyster on top of succotash
1/4 tsp hot sauce on top of oyster
1/2 t. Crushed saltine crackers on top of oyster.
Place oysters on top of crushed ice and serve.
Skillet cornbread and drop biscuits
(alaga cane syrup butter, green tomato jalapeño jam and assorted pickles)
Serves 4
Assorted pickles
Ingredients
1 quart white vinegar
2 c. White sugar
1 c. Water
1 t. Kosher salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cinnamon sticks
1 t. Mustard seeds
1 c. Cauliflower florets
1 c. Baby carrots
1 c. Sliced cucumbers
1 c. Okra
Procedure
Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, water and spices into a pot.
Bring to boil.
Add vegetables.
And stir.
Bring back to a boil.
Remove and place into a plastic container and place into refrigerator.
Cool down overnight.
Reserve.
Green tomato jalapeño jam:
Ingredients
2 c. Green tomatoes, quartered
1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed
2 c. Apple cider vinegar
1 c. Sugar
1 tsp salt
8 sheets gelatin, bloomed
Procedure
Place tomatoes, jalapeño, sugar, salt and vinegar into a pot.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Cook until liquid is reduced by half.
Add bloomed gelatin sheets.
Dissolve.
Place tomato mixture into a blender and puree until smooth.
Place into container and chill.
Alaga cane syrup butter:
Ingredients
1 lbs butter, soft
1 lbs alaga cane syrup
Procedure
Place into mixer with paddle attachment and whip until smooth.
Reserve.
Jalapeño cheddar drop biscuits:
1 quart ap flour
1/2 c. Sugar, white
1 t. Baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 each jalapeño peppers, chopped
1 c. Grated cheese blend (cheddar/monterey jack)
1 c. Vegetable shortening
1 c. Buttermilk
1 c. Ice water
Procedure
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine all dry ingredients into a bowl along with cheese, jalapeño and mix together well.
Add shortening and cut in until the size of small peas.
Add buttermilk and ice water.
Mix until mixture forms soft dough.
Line half sheet pan with parchment paper.
Using yellow scoop (1.5 oz), place 4 down and 3 across.
Place in oven and back for 8 minutes.
Rotate pan.
Bake for another 8 minutes and remove.
Reserve. Optional: brush with butter.
Skillet cornbread
Ingredients
1 quart cornmeal
2 c. Ap flour
1/2 c. Sugar
1 t. Baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 t. Kosher salt
1/2 c. Vegetable oil
1 c. Canned hominy
1 c. Canned creamed corn
2 c. Eggs
2 c. Buttermilk
Procedure
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine all ingredients and mix well into a large bowl.
Place 1 t. Butter in a 5 inch cast iron skillet.
Place skillets into oven and allow butter to brown.
Remove from oven and place 1 grey scoop (8 oz) batter into hot skillet.
Place into oven and set timer for 11 minutes.
Rotate after 11 minutes and set for another 11 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove and cool to room temperature.
Cut into fourths.
Reserve.
Build plate:
Line oval plate with liner.
Place skillet on one side of plate.
Place two biscuits on top of cornbread.
Place 1 oz scoop of butter in a ramekin and 1 oz scoop of jam in a ramekin and place next to the skillet.
Fill remaining space with assorted pickles.
Kg's banana pudding
(bourbon banana panna cotta, banana bourbon compote, gingersnap cookies, toasted vanilla meringue
Served in mason jar
Serves 12
Bourbon banana panna cotta:
Ingredients
1 quart cream
2 bananas
1 c. Brown sugar
1 tsp chinese 5 spice
1 t. Vanilla extract
1/4 c. Bourbon
8 sheets gelatin, bloomed
36 each gingersnap cookies
Procedure
Place cream, bananas, 5 spice, brown sugar, vanilla and bourbon into a pot.
Bring to a simmer.
Place into a blender with gelatin sheets.
Puree until smooth.
Place 3 gingersnap cookies into each 8 oz mason jar.
Add 3 oz of panna cotta mixture on top cookies.
Place into refrigerator and allow to set.
Reserve.
Banana bourbon compote:
Ingredients
2 bananas, sliced
1/4 c. Butter
1/4 c. Brown sugar
3 t. Bourbon
1 tsp. Chinese 5 spice
Procedure
Place butter and brown sugar into a pot.
Cook until well combined and mixture becomes a toffee consistency.
Add 5 spice and bourbon.
Mix with whisk.
Add bananas.
Mix well.
Cool down and reserve.
Vanilla meringue:
Ingredients
6 egg whites
1 lbs powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 t. Cornstarch
Procedure
Place egg whites into mixer with whip attachment.
Add powered sugar, vanilla paste and cornstarch.
Whip until stiff peaks.
Place into pastry bag.
Build plate:
Place 1 t. Crushed gingersnap cookies on top of panna cotta.
Add 2 t. Banana compote on top of crushed gingersnap cookies.
Add 1 t. Crushed gingersnap cookies on top of banana compote.
Pipe nice rosette of meringue on top of crushed gingersnap cookies.
Torch lightly until golden brown.
Garnish with 1 gingersnap cookie.
The Beast
3 oz. Of rhumbero (wine based rum)
¾ oz. Of passion fruit
4 thinly sliced jalapeños
¾ oz. Allspice simple syrup
Top with 2 oz. Ginger beer
Put all ingredients in shaker with ice. Shake well. Pour in glass, top with ginger beer and garnish with lime wheel.
Allspice simple syrup
2 qt hot water
2 qt sugar
2 t. Vanilla bean paste
4 t. Allspice powder