A Menu Fit For The Stars
For our latest Chef on a Shoestring challenge, we asked Angus McIndoe to cook a mouth-watering meal that could satisfy the most finicky celebrity eaters, but that would be priced for the thriftiest.
There are hundreds of restaurants in New York City's Theater District, but McIndoe's restaurant is the one where everyday people can dine alongside Broadway stars. McIndoe was labeled by the New York Times as the "gatekeeper to the stars." Celebrities such as Paul Newman and Matthew Broderick visit the three-story restaurant regularly.
The 33-year-old Scottish chef opened his restaurant in the fall of 2001. The eponymous "Angus McIndoe" is located on West 44th Street, next door to the St. James Theater - currently featuring the Broadway hit, "The Producers." The location is not coincidental; many of the investors in McIndoe's restaurant are producers of "The Producers," including Mel Brooks, Bob and Harvey Weinstein, and the show's original stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.
The restaurant business is in McIndoe's genes. His grandfather owned three hotels in northern Scotland. Angus and his seven siblings grew up waiting tables and serving at the bar as soon as they could balance a tray full of dishes or buff up a knife and fork. In the late 1980s, McIndoe moved to England and became a waiter in the London branch of Joe Allen's, which like its New York City location, was the venue for a riotous nightly party when the curtains came down on West End shows.
McIndoe came to Manhattan on holiday in 1990. On a whim, he says, he tore up his ticket and stayed. He attended culinary school in Chicago and started waiting tables at Joe Allen's sister restaurant, Orso. After a year, he left to run Joe Allen's.
In 2001 he opened his own casual restaurant. McIndoe lives in New York with his wife and their young son.
On The Saturday Early Show, McIndoe took the Chef on a Shoestring challenge to create a three-course meal for four for $30 or less.
His menu: an appetizer of Chilled Apple and Curry Soup; an entrée of Ginger Poached Salmon and Corn Salad; and for dessert, Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis.
Terminology
Poaching: A cooking method that cooks food gently in liquid, according to the New Food Lover's Companion. The liquid is kept just below the boiling point, when the liquid's surface is beginning to show some quivering movement. The amount, temperature and type of liquid used depends on the food being poached. Poaching produces a delicate flavor in foods, while imparting some of the liquid's flavor to the ingredient being poached. McIndoe says he loves the way poaching gently infuses flavor into the fish.
Panna cotta: An Italian dessert, "Panna cotta" translates to cooked cream. McIndoe served panna cotta with a fruit sauce made from strawberries, called a strawberry "coulis."
Coulis (koo-LEE): Coulis is a French food term that refers to a thick puree or sauce. McIndoe created this coulis by pureeing strawberries.
Recipes:
Chilled Apple and Curry Soup
Ingredients:
3 medium Granny Smith apples, sliced into 1/4 inches slices (reserve 1 apple for garnish)
6 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium white onion, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 celery rib, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and diced into small pieces
1 cup light cream or half-and-half
10 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
In a 6-quart pot, add the olive oil. Sauté the apples, potatoes, onions, celery, garlic, ginger and curry powder on medium high heat, stirring frequently until vegetables are softened (approximately 5 minutes).
Add broth, lower heat to medium-low, and simmer about 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.
In a blender, puree the contents of the pot in batches, until smooth. Then put the blended contents in a large bowl and cool uncovered in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.
When you're ready to serve, stir light cream into chilled soup and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve chilled. Slice remaining apple into 1/4 inch slices and fan 1/4 of the apple on the top each serving of the soup as a garnish.
Ginger-Poached Salmon with Cucumber-Dill Yogurt
Ingredients:
Four 6 ounces salmon filets (with skin on)
Ingredients for Poaching Liquid
8 cups of water
1 celery rib, chopped into about five pieces
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black pepper
juice of one lemon (reserve the lemon halves for the poaching liquid)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
Combine water, celery, onion, bay leaves, black pepper, lemon juice, the lemon halves, garlic and ginger together in a sauce pot, and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer the poaching liquid for 15 minutes.
In an 8-inch skillet, press the 4 pieces of salmon skin side down and add the simmering stock to cover the salmon. Poach on medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes for medium doneness. The liquid should not be boiling.
Remove sauté pan from heat and using a spatula, gently remove salmon pieces and place on plate, and cover with plastic wrap. Cool salmon in refrigerator for 15 minutes, and then carefully peel off skin.
Ingredients for Cucumber-Dill Yogurt
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
half a medium seedless cucumber (or scrape out seeds with spoon), chopped into 6 pieces
1 bunch of fresh dill, stems removed
salt and pepper to taste
Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender, and puree until smooth.
Grilled Corn Salad
Ingredients:
5 ears of corn
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 small red onion, peeled and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Shuck and clean corn. Place corn on a grill or grill pan. Grill corn until evenly and lightly browned, turning occasionally. The corn should be tender to the touch. Remove corn from the grill and chill on a plate in the refrigerator uncovered. Using a sharp paring knife, shave corn kernels from the cob into a mixing bowl.
For the dressing: In a large bowl combine cilantro, red onion, red bell pepper and lemon juice. Make sure the ingredients are well combined. Whisk in the olive oil last. Mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the corn kernels. Toss once more to make sure all ingredients are well blended.
To plate: Pour the cucumber-dill yogurt sauce onto a plate and place the poached ginger salmon on top. Spoon some of the corn salad on top of the salmon.
Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis
Panna Cotta Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, plus a spoonful to sprinkle into ramekins for coating
1 tablespoon gelatin powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
4 oven-proof ramekins or teacups
1/2 cup cold water for dissolving gelatin
2 cups water for double boiler
fresh mint for garnish (optional)
Coat the ramekins with the softened butter and sprinkle sugar in them; remove excess sugar by holding ramekin upside down and tapping. Set aside.
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine heavy cream and 1/2 cup of sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Do not bring cream to a boil.
In a metal mixing bowl, dissolve gelatin in 1/2 cup of cold water, and set aside for about five minutes. Meanwhile in a saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Place the mixing bowl over the saucepan. This will soften the gelatin to a more liquid state. Stir the gelatin into the cream-sugar mixture.
Remove cream/gelatin mixture from heat. Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
Divide mixture into 4 ramekins (or teacups) and set in refrigerator (uncovered) overnight, or 4 to 6 hours, until firm.
Strawberry Coulis Ingredients:
1 pint of fresh strawberries hulled and cut into quarters (set aside 4 large strawberries for garnish)
1/2 cup of sugar
juice from a 1/4 lemon
In a food processor, puree the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Over a bowl, put the strawberry mixture through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
To serve: Run sharp paring knife around the edges of ramekins, place upside down on plate and pop out the panna cotta. Once the panna cotta is on the plate, drizzle coulis around plate, slice a strawberry and fan over the top and place sprig of mint on top of fanned strawberry.