Chef on a Shoestring

Rick Moonen, Executive Chef
Oceana

Method:
Make a vegetable brunoise by gently sauteeing the vegetables over low heat in two tablespoons butter until the vegetables are soft but not colored. Remove from the heat and reserve.

Rinse off the shrimp under cold water and run a knife along the back of the shrimp, through the shell, to butterfly. Remove the dark colored vein with the tip of a knife and set the shrimp aside.

Butter the bottom of a shallow skillet. Season the chicken cutlets and the shrimp with salt and fresh ground white pepper. Arrange the shrimp in the buttered skillet with the meat of the shrimp touching the pan. Place the chicken in the same pan next to the shrimp and put the skillet over a medium heat to start cooking slowly. After about one minute the shrimp and chicken will begin to cook. Check to make sure the chicken and shrimp meat is not browning and continue to cook for an additional minute.

Flip the shrimp and chicken over and sprinkle the brunoise vegetables over them. Shake the pan to distribute the vegetables and add the sherry and bourbon. Allow the liquid to flame and reduce by half (aprox. 2 minutes). Remove the chicken and shrimp to a warm plate and pour the heavy cream into the reduced liquid left in the pan and turn the heat up high. Simmer the cream mixture for 3 minutes until it begins to thicken. Return the chicken and shrimp to the pan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and keep warm.

Ingredients:
3 Ounces Butter
1/2 Cup Onion, diced small
2 Cups Rice
6 Cups Chicken Bouillon
1 Bay Leaf
Pinch Dry Thyme Leaves
1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley

Method:
In a medium sized sauce pot add the butter and the onion. Place over a medium heat and sweat the onions for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except for the parsley and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and place in a 350 Degree oven for 13 minutes. Remove and let stand for ten minutes. Remove the bay leaf and fluff up the rice with a fork. Stir in the chopped parsley and serve.

To plate:
Place a generous spoonful of rice in the center of a warm dinner plate. Place chicken cutlet on top of the rice. Rest a few pieces of shrimp on top of each cutlet with the tails in the air. Spoon some of the cream sauce over the shrimp and cicken and sprinkle with any remianing parsley. Serve immediately.

Ingredients for the salad:
1 Pound Fresh white Mushrooms
1/2 Pound Cleaned Spinach Leaves
4 Ounces Shredded Carrot

Ingredients for the dressing:
1/4 cup Shallots, fine diced
1/2 Tsp. Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 Tsp. Thai Chile Garlic Sauce (optional)
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
3/4 cup Soy Sauce
1 1/2 cups Olive Oil

Whisk shallots, garlic, ginger, chile garlic sauce, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce together in a bowl. Add the olive oil slowly but do not emulsify. Place the spinach and carrots in a large bowl and sprinkle with a generous amount of the dressing. Toss together and distribute to four plates.
Thinly slice the white mushrooms and sprinkle over the spinach and serve.

Ingredients for the crust:
1/2 pound Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
2 1/2 cups Flour
2 Tbs. Cream
1 each Egg
Pinch Salt

Evenly dice the butter and place in a mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth, stopping and scraping the sides as you go. Turn speed to low and add the sugar, cream and the egg and continue to mix until ingredients are incorporated and smooth. Add the flour and salt and mix again until smooth. Scrap the dough from the bowl onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Pat down the dough and shape into a rectangle. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 1/2 hours.

Ingredients for the filling:
2 Egg Yolks
1 whole Egg
1/2 cup Sugar
6 Tbs Butter ( cut into small pieces and brought to room temperature )
3/4 cups Toasted Sliced Almonds
1/4 tsp Almond Extract
1 Tbs Grand Marnier

In a food processor cream together the yolks, whole egg and the sugar. Run the machine until the mix triples in volume. With the machine still running add the butter piece by piece until incorporated. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Prepare the grapefruit:
Peel the outside of the grapefruit with a vegetable peeler. Reserve the peels for the marmalade. (Recipe follows). With a knife, remove the remaining pith off the fruit down to the meat. Carefully segment the grapefruit into a small bowl. Squeeze any remaining juice from the segments into another small bowl and reserve for marmalade.

To make the marmalade:
In a small sauce pot place the grapefruit peelings from the 3 grapefruits with 3 cups of water. Boil until the liquid has reduced to one cup. Strain through a wire mesh sieve to remove the peels. Add 1 1/2 cups of sugar to the strained liquid along with remaining juice from the grapefruit segments. (t should be about 1 cup, supplement with fresh grapefruit or orange juice if necessary) Bring liquid to a simmer and cook until a thick syrup is created and the bubbles are lethargic. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

To finish:
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut off a small piece. Roll out on a floured surface until 1/8 inch thick. Use individual tart molds, preferably coated with a non-stick surface. Cut out a ring of the rolled out dough 1/2 inch larger than the circumference of the tart mold. Fill the mold, using your fingers to evenly coat the mold with the dough. Fill the tart until almost full with the filling. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. It will be golden brown and the filling puffs up slightly. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Arrange fresh grapefruit segments on the top of the cooked tart and glaze with the citrus marmalade. Enjoy!