Big Easy Still Hits The Spot

(CBS)  Commander's Palace is not just any restaurant. It's considered an institution in New Orleans.

The restaurant has been apart of the Crescent City's food history for 125 years. It has been the place to dine for people like Mark Twain and Jefferson Davis. Tory McPhail is the current head of this historical restaurant. In fact, he was to be on The Early Show last year, when Hurricane Katrina struck. So now he has been invited to prepare some New Orleans dishes as The Saturday Early Show's Chef on a Shoestring, with a budget of just $40.

Commander's Palace is located in the center of New Orleans' Garden District. The restaurant initially seemed to have weathered the hurricane. From the outside, it seemed to have not suffered too much besides a few broken windows here and there.

The flooding inside the restaurant was not initially visible, but it turned out there was extensive water damage inside. The restaurant is undergoing some massive reconstruction, and McPhail is hoping to reopen at the end of September.

Growing up in Ferndale, Wash., McPhail's childhood centered on the kitchen and the land. He tended ducks, chickens, rabbits and geese as well as gardens of carrots, potatoes and rosemary. At age 17, Tory told his high school counselor that he was destined to be a chef. With a strong work ethic, a love of food and one restaurant job already under his belt, he went directly to the ACF-accredited cooking school at Seattle Community College.

Upon graduation, school counselors recommended that McPhail go to New York or New Orleans; ultimately, it was the pull of Mardi Gras that swayed his decision. Once he arrived in New Orleans in 1993, he was hired by Executive Chef Jamie Shannon of Commander's Palace. A quick study, Tory started as garde manger and moved through all 12 stations in the kitchen in two years. In 1995, he was named Sous Chef at Palace Café, then a part of the Commander's Palace family of restaurants.

Two years later, McPhail opted to broaden his culinary knowledge and experience. His first move was to Palm Beach, Fla., to work at The Breakers, where he was quickly promoted to chef. Then, seeking European cooking experience, he traveled to London to work in the Michelin Two-Star Picasso Room and its sister restaurant, L'Escargot. McPhail left Britain in late 1999 for a chef stint in the Virgin Islands, cooking Caribbean-Creole at Mongoose Restaurant before rejoining the Commander's family in late spring of 2000 as a key figure in the opening team of Commander's Palace in Las Vegas.

In November of 2001, McPhail returned to the kitchen in New Orleans, where his mentor, the late Jamie Shannon, taught him what it takes to "command" a culinary staff of 50 in one of American's most prestigious restaurants.

A dedicated proponent of local farmers and fishermen with fresh, seasonal products, McPhail insists that his dishes represent New Orleans to the fullest. To that end, roughly 90% of his ingredients come from within 100 miles of Commander's Palace. Constantly demonstrating innovation and creativity, McPhail celebrates the rich gastronomic heritage of Commander's Palace and continues to evolve New Orleans cuisine into the forefront of American's culinary scene.

FOOD FACTS:

Redfish is a North Atlantic saltwater fish that's found from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico. It's a great flaky fish. Black drum is a good substitute. If you can't find either, Chef McPhail says that flounder is a good alternative.

Sugar cane vinegar: This is a pantry item in New Orleans, which is why it is not factored into the overall cost of the meal. It's like having ketchup in your fridge. It's made from sugar cane syrup and varies in quality. Cane vinegar, made from sugar cane juice, is most popular in the Philippines (where it is called sukang iloko), although it is also produced in France and the United States. It ranges from dark yellow to golden brown in color and has a mellow flavor, similar in some respects to rice vinegar, though with a somewhat "fresher" taste. Contrary to expectation, it is not sweeter than other vinegars and contains no residual sugar. You can get cheap cane vinegar in Asian markets, but it is recommended that you use a smoother cane vinegar made in Louisiana.

RECIPES

Watermelon Salad with Whiskey Smash Vinaigrette
Serves 4

Ingredients
1/4 of medium-sized yellow watermelon
1/4 of medium-sized red watermelon
1 head Bibb lettuce, rinsed
2 lemons (zest one and reserve to use in the lemon olive oil recipe and the crepe recipe)
8 sprigs mint, picked
1 cup sugar cane vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup whiskey
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Remove and discard the rind from the yellow watermelon.
   
2. Cut green skin from red watermelon, and using a vegetable peeler, shave enough two-inch strips from the white rind to measure 1/2 cup.
   
3. Place peelings in a stainless steel bowl. Remove and discard rest of rind from the watermelon.
   
4. Bring cane vinegar and 2 tablespoons of the sugar to boil in a medium saucepot.
   
5. Pour over rind slices, let stand for 45 minutes.
   
6. In another stainless steel bowl, muddle half the mint with the remaining sugar and the juice of the two lemons. Stir in the whiskey and oil, season with the salt and pepper.
   
7. Cut both watermelons into 2-inch squares a half-inch thick, removing as many seeds as possible. Tear the Bibb into large pieces, toss with watermelon squares and vinaigrette. Arrange on four salad plates, and garnish with the pickled rind and mint.

Citrus Seared Redfish
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 lemon, zested, peeled, and cut into segments
1 lime, zested, peeled, and cut into segments
1 orange, zested, peeled, and cut into segments
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 eggplant, peeled, sliced, and grilled (optional)
1 red bell pepper, charred, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 onion, peeled, sliced and grilled
1/4 bunch of Italian parsley
2 Roma tomatoes, cut in half and grilled
1/2 cup scallions, sliced on the diagonal
1/4 cup oil
2 Tablespoons plus 3 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 seven-ounce pieces of fish

Method

1. In an electric coffee mill, combine the citrus zest with the salt, parsley, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and grind together for 15 seconds until incorporated.
   
2. Pour out the seasoning into a bowl and set aside.
   
3. Combine all the citrus segments together in a medium glass bowl, and season with granulated sugar, lemon oil, and scallions. Then set aside.
   
4. To cook the fish, place a large sauté pan on the stove over medium high heat and add the vegetable oil to the pan. Preheat for three minutes.
   
5. Season the fish with the citrus salt on all sides; cook in the sauce pan for three minutes on each side or until done. When cooked, place the fish on top of the grilled tomatoes, onion, and red bell pepper
   
6. Top off the fish with the marinated citrus and serve at once.

Lemon-Infused Olive Oil

1. Use half of the lemon zest you reserved in the salad recipe and place it in the olive oil.
   
2. Let it sit and infuse the oil for an hour before using.

Method for grilling the vegetables

1. Lightly oil your grill pan.
   
2. Place the tomatoes cut-side down first.
   
3. Using medium heat, grill for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
   
4. Repeat with the bell pepper and the onions.

Cream Cheese Crepes, Flambéed Cherries and Shaved White Chocolate
Serves 4

Crepe Recipe
Yields about 8 crepes

4 large eggs
5 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon unsalted butter for crepe pans
1 cup milk

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients together with whisk until smooth, but take care not to over-mix.
   
2. Pass through chinois or a fine strainer. Then allow strained batter to rest in refrigerator overnight, covered.

For crepes:

1. Place 1/4 teaspoon melted butter in non-stick eight-inch Teflon pan.
   
2. Bring pan to medium low temperature and place about 3/4 to 1 ounce of crepe batter in pan, gently rotating pan to evenly disperse batter around bottom of pan and about half-inch up sides of pan.
   
3. Cook until just set. You don't want any color on the crepes. They should be "blonde" in color, not brown.

Filling recipe:

1 8 ounce box of cream cheese
Zest of 1/2 lemon (the one you reserved from the salad recipe, chopped finely)
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

Method

1. Whip cream cheese and sugar using an electric stand mixer until smooth with paddle on high speed.
   
2. Turn machine to low and add lemon zest and mix just until smooth.

To fill crepes: Lay 8 crepes out on lines pan or table. Spread filling mixture evenly over all crepes. Fold crepes in half then in half again. Place in heat-proof pan and set aside in warm oven.

Flambéed cherries recipe:

2 cups pitted Bing or Rainier cherries
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup Kirsch
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Method

1. In medium sauté pan over medium high heat, place butter and sugar in pan and cook just until butter melts and begins to bubble.
   
2. Add cherries all at once and turn heat up to high.
   
3. Cook cherries about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or just until cherries begin to soften and release a little liquid.
   
4. Add alcohol all at once. Add flame. Allow pan to flambé.
   
5. Place pan back on heat and cook until liquid has reduced by half to three-quarters. Set aside.

To assemble:

1. Heat crepes in preheated 350-degree oven for six to eight minutes covered with a moist towel so that they don't dry out.
   
2. Place two of each warm stuffed crepe on a plate and distribute the cherries and liquid evenly among each of the plates.
   
3. Garnish with powdered sugar and a couple thin shaves of white chocolate on the top.