NEW YORK, March 7, 2009
Bistro-Style Eating, On A Budget!
Bill Poirier, Of Boston's Acclaimed Sonsie Eatery, Takes On "Chef On A Shoestring" Challenge
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Play CBS Video Video Recession Proof Dining Chef at innovative Boston restaurant Sonsie, Bill Poirier whips up a "Chef On A Shoestring" 3-course-meal for four people, all for under $35. Spinach salad, turkey meatballs, and chocolate ricotta!
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Spinach and Pear Salad with Crumbled Blue Cheese by chef Bill Poirier, The Early Show's "Chef on a Shoestring," March 7, 2009. (CBS)
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In The Spotlight Chef on a Shoestring Check out recipes and tips from many chefs who accepted our "Chef on a Shoestring" challenge!
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News Tools Recipes Galore Searching for a new dish? Get cooking with recipes presented on "The Early Show"!
Poirier is executive chef and partner of Sonsie, whose menus have been described as edgy, yet refined. The restaurant is considered one of Boston's most innovative, combining world bistro cuisine with a neighborhood feel. Poirier opened Sonsie in 1993, and it quickly became Boston’s culinary hot spot. Boston Magazine called it the place to “see and be seen.”
Poirier's mission on Saturday: creating a three course, gourmet dinner on our special, recession-lean budget of just $35.
He also tossed his chef's hat into our "How Low Can You Go?" competition: The "Shoestring" chef with the lowest total tab will be invited back to prep our blowout holiday meal at the end of the year.
The main event? The perfect spaghetti and meatballs.
His menu included:
FOOD FACTS:
Red Bartlett Pear: Bartletts are extremely aromatic pears, and have a definitive "pear flavor." Just as Yellow Bartletts change color while ripening, so do Red Bartletts, changing from a dark red, often with light vertical striping, to become a bright red. Aside from color, there are no other differences between the two types of Bartlett pears.
RECIPES
Stacked Spinach & Pear Salad with Crumbled Blue Cheese
INGREDIENTS:
2 pears (core removed)
4 cups baby spinach (washed)
8 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
METHOD:
Thinly slice pear into 1/8 inch slices horizontal and keep each pear together to retain its shape. Arrange alternate layers of half a pear and 1 cup spinach leaves per salad to make a stack.
Sprinkle each salad with 2 tablespoons of blue cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle each salad with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon vinegar just before serving.
Serves four.
Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs, Golden Raisins amd Pine Nuts
INGREDIENTS FOR MEATBALLS:
1 pound ground turkey
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
4 tablespoons soaked golden raisins
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
3 tablespoons chop onion
2 tablespoons chop parsley
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
6 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
METHOD:
To prepare meatballs place all above ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix all well and shape into eight 2½-ounce balls. Place meatballs on cookie sheet with pan liner and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes and reserve.
INGREDIENTS FOR SAUCE:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons sliced garlic
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounce)
6 fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup water
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 pound spaghetti
METHOD:
In sauce pot over medium high heat, sauté garlic with olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes, basil, water, salt and pepper to taste. Add reserved meatballs and simmer slowly for 30 minutes. Cook pasta and serve each portion with 2 meatballs and some sauce.
Serves four.
Chocolate Ricotta with Fresh Strawberries
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Crème de Cocoa Liqueur
6 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 cup sliced strawberries mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar
4 mint sprigs
METHOD:
Place ricotta, sugar, liqueur and chocolate syrup into a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Divide mixture into four martini glasses. Garnish each glass with strawberries and mint.
Serves four.
So, how did Bill do in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition?
Spinach & Pear Salad
pears $1.59
spinach $3.59
blue cheese $1.80
total $6.98
Spaghetti & Meatballs
turkey $3.99
pine nuts $1.99
raisins $1.79
garlic $.39
onion $.59
parsley $.99
bread crumbs $1.19
crushed tomatoes $1.59
basil $1.50
spaghetti $1.59
total $15.61
Chocolate Ricotta
ricotta cheese $2.29
Cocoa Liqueur $1.99
strawberries $2.50
chocolate syrup $1.99
mint $1.99
total $10.76
His total: $33.35!
Where does that put him?
1. Scott Peacock $32.60
Watershed Restaurant
2. Patrick Connolly $33.32
Bobo Restaurant
3. Bill Poirier $33.35
Sonsie Restaurant
© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
More From Chef On A Shoestring
Add a Comment
- Pine nuts and golden raisins in meatballs? Wouldn't it be cheaper and less weird to leave them out?
- Reply to this comment
- I can hardly wait to try the spinach salad. Maybe cut back on something so we can have garlic bread?
Thanks so much for this segment. - Reply to this comment
- Why was my comment, which was comment #2, deleted? If you delete any comment it should be that of poster "sockpuppet4" who weekly spews his idiocy and ridicule of your segment and its entertainment and informational value.
- Reply to this comment
- I agree that sockpuppet4 isn't too smart. I watch Food TV all the time and they have a lot of good ideas for excellent food on a budget. You just have to be a smart shopper and not afraid to try different things.
- Reply to this comment
- sockpuppet4 - you're so presumptive, I laugh in your face - I'm not a Republican, so your presumption merely reinforces you're ignorance and arrogance - I neither voted for Bush 43 either time and I proudly and intelligently didn't vote for Obama - boo, hoo, hoo!
- Reply to this comment
- Hmmmm. The name credibility2. Is that a designer name? Or is it something just off the rack?
You sure appear to be a little on the superior minded set today. The Republicans teach you anything else? - Reply to this comment
- Bistro-Style Eating, On A Budget!
OXYMORON! - Reply to this comment
