The Dish: Chef Michael Schlow

Chef Michael Schlow was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. A jock who played sports, he traded in a baseball scholarship and a 92-mile-per-hour fastball for culinary school. It's a decision that's clearly paid off.

He now has a restaurant empire that spans coast to coast, including Alta Strada, Tico and The Riggsby. His ninth restaurant is slated to open in March.

Schlow is also the author of "It's About Time, Great Recipes for Everyday Life." Food and Wine Magazine named him a "best new chef," and the James Bond Foundation awarded him "Best Chef: Northeast."

Here's how to make some of his signature dishes: tuna tartare with avocado, green onion pico, and crispy rice; village salad; cavatelli with broccoli rabe, prosciutto crumble and parmigiano; double-cut pork chop with hot cherry peppers, sausage, potatoes and onions; chocolate tart; and negroni.

Tuna tartare with avocado, green onion pico and crispy rice

Serves 4, served in 4 small glass jars or "rocks" glasses

Ingredients

8 oz of fresh, sushi grade tuna, small dice but not minced

1 tablespoon of finely diced red onion

1 teaspoon of finely minced jalapeno

½ teaspoon fresh chopped mint

½ teaspoon of fresh chopped cilantro

1 oz of olive oil

Large pinch of kosher salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients well. Reserve for plating.

Avocado

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado, cut in half, peeled, pit removed

Juice of 1 lime

Pinch of cayenne

Pinch of ground cumin

Pinch of salt

Directions

Puree all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Reserve for plating

Green onion pico

Ingredients

½ cup of thinly sliced scallions, whites and greens

Heaping tablespoon of diced red onion

2 heaping tablespoons of diced, ripe, tomato (whatever is ripest)

½ teaspoon of chopped cilantro

Pinch of cayenne

Pinch of salt

1 oz of extra virgin olive oil

Juice of half a lime

Directions

In a bowl, mix all ingredients together. Reserve for plating.

Rice

1 cup of cooked organic wild rice, drained and cooled

Directions

Use a fine-mesh strainer and fry rice in a 375°F fryer. Place on paper to dry. Reserve for plating.

To plate:

1. Take 4 small mason jars or similar

2. Place 2 oz of tuna in the bottom of each jar

3. Divide the avocado into 4 and spoon on top of the tuna

4. Divide the green onion into 4 and spoon evenly on top of the avocado

5. Cover the green onion with crispy rice

6. Serve all 4 glasses on a large plate

Village salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

18-20 large, cherry tomatoes, ripe, quartered

1 English cucumber, cleaned but not peeled, quartered long ways, then cut into ¼" inch slices

1 red onion, thinly sliced

12-15 pitted kalamata olives, torn, not chopped

Large pinch of fresh oregano

Pinch of dried oregano

3 oz of extra virgin olive oil

2 oz of red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup of "soft" imported Greek feta, large crumble

Directions

1. Place tomatoes in a large bowl, add salt, pepper, both oreganos, toss

2. Add everything else except the feta, toss and taste for seasoning

3. Adjust if necessary, should be slightly acidic

4. Place in a bowl, top with crumbled feta

5. Serve

Cavatelli with broccoli rabe, prosciutto crumble and parmigiano

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb of fresh cavatelli

4 oz of extra virgin olive oil

1 clove of garlic, large, smashed

3 pinches kosher salt

2 pinches black pepper

2 pinched crushed red pepper

2 heads of broccoli rabe, leaves removed from stems, stems finely sliced

2 tablespoons of prosciutto crumble (prosciutto that has been put through a sausage grinder or pulsed in a Cuisinart to resemble raw sausage)

3 oz of chicken stock

1 tablespoon of butter

½ cup of grated parmigiano

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil

2. Drop the cavatelli

3. In a large sauté pan, place the oil and the garlic and place over high heat

4. Once the garlic is golden brown, remove and discard

5. Add the salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper

6. Add the prosciutto and the broccoli rabe and sauté together for 30 sec-1 minute

7. Add the chicken stock

8. Continute to cook until the broccoli rabe is tender, about 3 minutes

9. Add butter, taste for seasoning

10. Strain cavatelli and add to the pasta sauce, toss over med heat until all the sauce is absorbed

11. Add cheese, toss, serve on a large platter

Double-cut pork chop with hot cherry peppers, sausage, potatoes and onions

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 double-cut rib pork chop (16-18 oz each) approx. 2 inches thick

4 oz of extra virgin olive oil

1 clove of garlic, smashed

3 pc of fennel sausage, cut into ½ inch think rounds

1 white onion, cut in half, then sliced

5 Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered (or cut into 1/6th if large), tossed with olive oil and roasted in a 450°F oven until golden brown, approximately 20-25 minutes

6 hot cherry peppers, cut into quarters

3 pinches of fresh, chopped rosemary

1 cup of rich chicken stock

2 oz of red wine vinegar

2 tablespoon of butter

1 tablespoon of chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 325°F. In the oven, place a sheet pan with a raised wire baking rack.

2. In large sauté pan, place 2 oz of olive oil and place pan over high heat

3. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and 1 pinch of chopped rosemary each

4. Wait for oil to be very hot then place pork chops in the pan and cook until golden brown on each side, approximately 2 minutes per side. (If you do not have a large enough pan, do each pork chop separately so as not to overcrowd.)

5. Place the pork chops on the wire rack and cook slowly for about 18-22 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 140°F.

6. While pork chops are cooking, place another large sauté pan on the stove and add the remaining 2 oz of oil and the garlic clove, place on high heat until garlic turns golden brown. Remove garlic.

7. Add sausage slices and lower the heat to med. Cook for approximately for 3-4 minutes then add the onions and continue to cook until sausage is cooked through and onions become tender, approximately 5 minutes.

8. Add remaining pinch of rosemary, roasted potatoes, cherry peppers, chicken stock and vinegar. Return heat to high and cook for 2 minutes.

9. Swirl in butter and add chopped parsley

10. Taste and adjust seasoning, should be a little spicy, rich, and a little tart. Reserve.

To plate:

1. Once the pork chops have come out of the oven and have rested for 3-4 minutes, take the meat off the bone and make long slices to fan out near the 2 bones.

2. Keep the sausage and pepper mixture to the side and present at the table to be spooned over the meat

3. Serve

Chocolate tart

Makes 2, 9-inch fluted tarts

Pasta frolla (crostata dough)

Makes 2, 9-inch fluted crostata shells

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

12 tablespoons butter

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 yolks

1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. Place butter and flour in mixer

2. Using paddle, meal butter and flour together until the mixture resembles corn meal

3. Add sugar gradually

4. Add yolks gradually

5. Add vanilla extract

6. Add water

7. Mix on low speed until dough comes together

8. Mix for a few additional minutes until dough ball forms and comes away cleanly from sides of bowl

9. Scale dough to 537 grams each

10. Preferably, chill dough for 24 hours before using

11. Break dough up into rough pieces, knead back together until smooth

12. Roll dough out into circle

Crust

Directions

1. Roll out pasta frolla and place into a 9-inch tart pan

2. Press evenly into corners of tart shell

3. Freeze shell for about 10 minutes or until dough is firm

4. Place foil in lining inside tart shell

5. Fill foil lining with tart weights

6. Bake at 325°F low fan for 7 minutes and rotate pan

7. Bake for an additional 7 minutes or until color starts to develop

8. Remove from oven and cool for at least 20 minutes before removing tart weights and foil

9. Pierce surface of tart shell several times with a fork to prevent air pockets from forming

10. Place shell back in oven and bake for 7-minute intervals, rotating pan each time until the surface is evenly colored, light golden brown

11. Fill shell with chocolate tart filling (recipe below) and continue to bake

Filling

Ingredients

4 pounds, 5 ounces of 55% Valrhona

4 pounds, 5 ounces heavy cream

10 ounces trimoline

9 eggs

3 tsp salt

Directions

1. Place trimoline and salt directly into chocolate

2. Heat heavy cream pour over chocolate slowly whisk in eggs and salt

3. Pour into baked tart shell

Baking and assembly

1. Bake at 280°F for 7 minutes

2. Rotate pan and continue baking for an additional 7 minutes

3. Do not allow chocolate filling to boil in oven

4. Remove when chocolate filling has begun to set

5. Allow tart to cool to room temperature before placing in reach-in

6. Allow tart filling to chill for a six hours until completely set before slicing. Slice tart with a hot, wet knife

7. Store slices in air-tight container

Negroni

Ingredients

3 tall collins glasses, filled with ice

1 1/2 cup of Hendricks gin

1 1/2 cup of Campari

1 1/2 cup of Dolin sweet vermouth (or other sweet vermouth)

Orange slices (halves) for garnish

Directions

1. Fill a pitcher with regular ice cubes

2. Pour gin, Campari and sweet vermouth in to pitcher

3. Stir with bar spoon for 1 minute

4. Strain into collins glasses, garnish with a half orange slice and serve