Watch CBS News

Chef Kevin Sbraga serves up lobster rolls on THE Dish

“Top Chef” season 7 winner Kevin Sbraga shares his ultimate dish on “CBS This Morning: Saturday"
Chef Kevin Sbraga’s signature lobster roll on THE Dish 04:52

Kevin Sbraga is quickly making a name for himself. The up-and-coming chef runs Sbraga in Philadelphia and The Fat Ham in Philadelphia.

Perhaps his biggest claim to fame, however, is his victory on the seventh season of "Top Chef."

Now, Sbraga is showing "CBS This Morning: Saturday" how to cook a few signature dishes: The lobster roll, country ham fritter, gemelli, charred cabbage, heirloom tomato salad with soy Chile vinegrette dressing, green tomato red snapper and a strawberry shortcake sundae to top it off.

Lobster Roll

Ingredients

1 pound cooked lobster meat

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon chopped chives

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco

1 tablespoon butter

4 slices brioche bread

1 Granny Smith apple, shaved

1 stalk celery, shaved

Oil, for frying

1 Yukon gold potato, thinly sliced

Preparation

Combine lobster meat, mayonnaise, chive, lemon juice, salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce in medium bowl; mix.

Melt butter in skillet. Sauté each slice of brioche bread until golden brown on each side. Remove bread from skillet and top with lobster mixture, apple, celery and second piece of bread.

Heat oil to 350°F in heavy bottomed skillet.

Rinse potatoes in water and pat dry. Fry potatoes in oil until they float and turn golden brown. Remove from oil, drain, and sprinkle with salt.

Serve chips with lobster roll.

Makes 2 servings.

Country Ham Fritter

Ingredients

For the croquette:

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup country ham, diced

¼ cup celery, small diced

¼ cup onion, small diced

1/4 cup red bell pepper, small diced

1 clove garlic

3 tablespoons butter

¼ cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dredging

2 ½ cups milk

1 teaspoon Tabasco

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable oil, for frying

2 eggs

1 cup bread crumbs

For the dressing:

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon chives

1 teaspoon parsley

½ clove garlic, minced

2 dashes Tabasco

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

For the croquette:

In a sauté pan over medium high heat, heat canola oil; add ham and fry until lightly browned and heated through. Remove ham and add celery, onion, bell pepper and garlic to leftover oil and cook until just tender. Reduce heat to medium low; melt in butter and add flour, stirring constantly until the mixture is uniform. Add milk, and cook on low heat slowly until thickened. Season with Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper. Return ham to pan. Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet or into a metal bowl and cool, covered, in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Heat oil to 350°F.

Form croquette dough into 2-inch balls; dredge in flour, then eggs, then roll in bread crumbs. Fry in small batches, until croquette floats and is golden brown. Remove from oil and drain.

For the dressing:

Combine all ingredients. Serve with croquettes for dipping.

Makes 6 servings.

Gemelli

Ingredients

1 pound Gemelli

1 dozen Escargot

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon shallots, minced

¼ cup Cooked Ham Hocks (recipe follows)

2 cups Ham Hock Broth (recipe follows)

¼ cup English Peas, shucked and blanched

6 sprigs of mint, torn into small chunks

½ cup butter, cut into cubes

Pea tendrils for garnish

Grated locatelli for garnish

For Ham Hock Broth:

2 pounds smoked ham hocks

1 bay leaf

2 cloves

1 medium onion

2 stalks of celery

2 heads of garlic

15 black peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole coriander

1 teaspoon cardamom

½ bunch of thyme

4 liters chicken stock

Cheesecloth and twine

Preparation

For the Ham Hocks and Ham Hock Broth:

Prepare some cheesecloth by spreading it over a large bowl. In a large stock pot, place whole ham hocks and cover with chicken stock. Cut onion and celery into ¼ inch pieces and place inside the cheesecloth. Cut the two heads of garlic in half and add it to the cheesecloth bowl. Add remaining ingredients and tie the cheesecloth tightly with kitchen twine. Place in the stock pot with hocks and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for 4 hours, until the hocks are tender. Remove cheesecloth bag and discard. Strain the stock and cool down the ham hocks. When the hocks are cool, pull the meat off of the bones and set aside for the pasta. Save the remaining stock for pasta.

For the Pasta:

Sear Ham Hocks in a hot sauté pan until they begin to get crispy. Add garlic and shallot and move around in the pan until soft. Add peas, snails and hock stock. Bring to a simmer, mound in butter, mint and cooked pasta, season with salt.

Garnish with pea tendrils and grated locatelli cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Charred Cabbage

Ingredients

For the Cabbage:

4 liter water

4 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoons black peppercorns

1 tablespoons caraway

1 bay leaf

1 bunch thyme

1 lemon, cut in half

1 green cabbage, whole

For the Tomato Pie:

6 cups whole canned san marzano tomatoes

1 cup ritz crackers, crushed

½ cup locatelli, grated

½ cup sautéed onions

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon salt

Canola oil

Sliced scallions for garnish

Preparation

For the Cabbage:

In a large stock pot, add water, salt, peppercorns, caraway, bay, thyme, lemon. Bring to a simmer. When ready add the whole cabbage to the water, you can use a small pan to keep it submerged if you need to. Bring heat to low and slowly poach the cabbage until tender; it should take 2 to 3 hours. Remove cabbage whole and refrigerate.

For the Tomato Pie:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a casserole dish for layering. Starting with the first layer, distributing evenly, layer as follows: 4 cups tomatoes, ½ cup of the ritz crackers, all of the grated locatelli, sautéed onion, the remaining tomatoes, mayonnaise, salt, and the final layer is the remaining ritz crackers. Bake for 1 hour at 350°F.

To Finish:

Remove the whole cooked cabbage, and cut into 8 large chunks, dry well. Prepare a sauté pan (cast iron would be ideal) over medium heat and cover the bottom with canola oil. When hot add cabbage carefully one piece at a time, not overcrowding the pan. Cook on one side for about 1-2 minutes until nice and charred, flip and cook another minute to heat through. Cabbage is then plated and garnished with about a tablespoon of the tomato pie and sliced scallions.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Soy Chile Vin Dressing

Ingredients

4 heirloom tomatoes (red, yellow), sliced into wedges

1 ripe peach, sliced into wedges

3 cioppolini onions, shaved

1 licorice stick, grated fine

Mint and basil for garnish

For the dressing:

1 cup white soy sauce

4 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons minced ginger

1 teaspoon sliced Thai Chile

2 tablespoons wildflower honey

Preparation

For the dressing:

Combine all ingredients.

Toss the tomato wedges and peaches together with the soy chile vin. Arrange on the plate and garnish with a few slices of cioppolini, basil, mint and a few sprinkles of licorice.

Makes 4 servings.

Green Tomato Red Snapper

Ingredients

4 cups tomato water

1 ½ fluid ounces Beefeater Gin

1 ½ teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground

1 ½ tablespoons salt

3 fluid ounces lemon juice, fresh squeezed

3 tablespoons prepared horseradish

4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

4 tablespoons guindilla pepper brine

10 dashes Tabasco

2 tablespoons sriracha

4 pounds tomatoes, Jersey beefsteak

1 ½ tablespoons salt

16 stalks celery hearts

4 tablespoons guindilla pepper brine

4 tablespoons tomato water

4 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

Preparation

Puree tomatoes and salt (from second preparation) in blender until smooth. Strain over cheesecloth to extract tomato water. Puree green tomatoes in a blender until smooth. Combine tomato water and green tomato juice.

Mix in black pepper, salt, lemon juice, horseradish, Worcestershire, guindilla brine, Tabasco and sriracha. In a vacuum packaging machine add celery, guindilla brine, tomato water and vinegar. Compress on tightest setting. Pour 1 ½ ounces of gin in a glass, top with green tomato mix, add ice then wash from one glass to another.

Garnish with pickled celery and guindilla pepper.

Makes 16 servings.

Strawberry Shortcake Sundae

Lemon Poppyseed biscuit. Strawberry compote. Orange Chantilly. White balsamic gastrique. Strawberry ice cream.

For Lemon poppyseed biscuit:

Ingredients

2 ½ cups bread flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

3 tablespoons cold butter

2 lemon zest

1 ½ cups cold heavy cream

2 eggs (for egg wash)

Granulated sugar (for dusting)

Preparation

Combine bread flour, salt, baking powder, poppy seeds, and lemon zest in a bowl.

Mix cold butter into the drys until the butter is the size of peas. Add heavy cream to the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms. Do not overmix. Roll the biscuit dough between two sheets of parchment until it is ½ inch thick. Use a circle cutter to cut out biscuits.

Egg wash and top with granulated sugar.

Bake at 375°F for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown.

For Strawberry Compote:

Ingredients

2 parts strawberries to 1 part sugar

Preparation

Bring to a boil and cook until tender.

For Orange Chantilly:

Ingredients

1 pint heavy cream

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 orange zest

1 sheet gelatin

Preparation

Bloom gelatin. Add all ingredients into a mixer with a whip attachment and whip until stiff peaks.

For White Balsamic Gastrique:

Ingredients

Equal parts white balsamic vinegar and sugar

Preparation

Place in a pot and bring to a boil. Cook until it reaches 235°F.

For Strawberry Ice Cream:

Ingredients

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar, divided

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and ¼ cup sugar in a mixing bowl, set aside in fridge for 1 hour.

In large mixing bowl beat eggs until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Gradually add ¾ cups sugar, mixing well. Stir in milk and vanilla and mix well.

Add strawberries with juice and mix well.

Gently stir in whipping cream just until combined.

Pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.

Makes 6 servings.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.