Chef Percoco Hits "Prime" Time With Steak Dinner
This week's Chef on a Shoestring Chef Evan Percoco has dazzled rock stars and royalty alike with his creative approach to American cuisine. He's worked everywhere from the Hard Rock Hotel to the residence of the Saudi Prince.
Now, as the executive chef at BOKX 109 American Prime in Newton, Mass., steak is the name of his game.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, the country's premier culinary learning laboratory, Percoco has forged his career on a bold, creative approach to American cuisine.
Chef Evan Percoco is here to cook up a delicious steak dinner with all the fixin's on our shoestring budget of just $40.
MENU
Grilled Asparagus with crab meat & orange vinaigrette
Spiced Crusted Sirloin with sweet potato succotash
Grilled White Peaches with honeyed mascarpone cheese
FOOD FACTS:
Blood orange: A sweet-tart orange with a bright red or red-streaked white flesh. Most blood oranges are best eaten fresh, but the more acidic varieties like the Maltese work well in cooked sauces like the hollandaise-based maltaise sauce. (epicurious.com)
Sirloin: The sirloin steak is beef steak cut from the lower portion of the ribs, continuing off the tenderloin from which filet mignon is cut. Of the steaks typically considered to be premium steaks, the sirloin is the cheapest, because the muscles still do quite a bit of work.
The sirloin is actually divided into several types of steak. The top sirloin is the most prized of these. The bottom sirloin is less tender, much larger, and is typically what is offered when one just buys sirloin steaks instead of steaks specifically marked top sirloin. The bottom sirloin in turn connects to the sirloin tip roast, which is generally considered to be a good, if somewhat tough, roast.
Cacao: The tropical, evergreen cacao tree is cultivated for its seeds (also called beans), from which cocoa butter, chocolate and cocoa powder are produced. (epicurious.com)
Succotash: This southern United States favorite is a cooked dish of lima beans, corn kernels and sometimes chopped red and green sweet peppers. The name is taken from the Naragansett Indian word msickquatash , "boiled whole kernels of corn." (epicurious.com)
Mascarpone cheese: Hailing from Italy's Lombardy region, mascarpone is a buttery-rich double-cream to triple-cream cheese made from cow's milk. It's ivory-colored, soft and delicate, and ranges in texture from that of a light clotted cream to that of room-temperature butter. It's versatile enough to be blended with other flavors and is sometimes sold sweetened with fruit. In Italy's Friuli region a favorite blend is mascarpone mixed with anchovies, mustard and spices. But in truth, this delicately flavored cheese needs little embellishment other than being topped with fruit. (epicurious.com)
RECIPES:
Grilled Asparagus with Crab Meat & Orange Vinaigrette
INGREDIENTS:
6 ounces asparagus pencil size woody ends removed
6 ounces crab meat
Marinade
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 bunch parsley minced
1 clove garlic minced
1 small piece orange rind (all pith removed)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
METHOD:
In a small bowl combine all ingredients and whisk until well combined. Pour half of the marinade over the asparagus. Fold in the other half of the marinade into the Maine Crab meat reserve in the refrigerator.
Place asparagus on the hot spot of the grill and cook until the vegetables are slightly charred and tender. Reserve for plating,
Blood Orange Vinaigrette
INGREDIENTS:
1 blood orange
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup olive oil
To taste salt and pepper
METHOD:
With a sharp paring knife, slice a thin piece of peel from both the top and bottom so the flesh of the orange is exposed. Follow the contour and shape of the orange and slice the peel and pith of the orange. Continue this process, turning the orange after each slice until the peel and pith have been removed. Grab the orange securely in one hand.
Make cuts along the inside of the membrane into the center of the fruit. (Putting a bowl beneath the orange will catch any overflow juices that might fall.)
Repeat this process along the membrane found on the other side of the segment. Once you're knife has reached the center of the segment the orange slice will pop free.
Repeat this process until you have removed all of the segments from the orange.
Over the bowl squeeze the membrane releasing any remaining juice.
In a small pot combine vinegar, honey and orange juice, place over medium heat reducing by half. Remove from heat add mustard and whisk in olive oil. Season and reserve for plating.
Plating
Arrange equally and artistically on three plates orange segments, and asparagus. Cover asparagus with marinated crab salad drizzling over vinaigrette.
Crusted Filet of Sirloin with Sweet Potato Succotash
Cocoa Ancho rub
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup salt
1 teaspoon roasted Cacao
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoons Ancho chili powder
1 teaspoons ground black pepper
METHOD:
Combine all ingredients in a spice grinder, pulsing till mixture is course and well incorporated.
Filet of Sirloin
INGREDIENTS:
1, 16 ounce Filet of Sirloin
2 tablespoons olive oil
METHOD:
In a bowl combine olive oil and beef. Coat the beef completely with oil and the cocoa rub. Let rest 1 1/2 hours at room temperature before grilling. Place meat on grill on high heat. Cook to desired doneness. Let meat rest about 8 minutes before slicing.
Succotash
INGREDIENTS:
2 ears Corn grilled and shucked
4 ounces fava beans
1 small sweet potato peeled and small diced
1 small red onion sliced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon tarragon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 half and half
To taste salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD:
On the preheated grill place two ears of corn charring on all sides. Let cool before removing the charred husk then remove the kernels from the cob. Brush sliced red onions with olive oil seasoning with salt and pepper. Place on grill hot spot cooking till charred and tender. Reserve.
Remove the fava beans from the pod. Blanch the beans in boiling salted water, cooking till tender about 2 minutes. Remove beans and plunge into chilled water. Peel off the outer shell, reserve.
In a sauté pan over medium heat add butter. Add diced sweet potato cooking slowly till tender. Add garlic, cooking till tender and translucent; add corn, onion, fava beans and half & half. Bring to a boil reducing by 1/3rd. Season with tarragon salt and pepper.
Grilled White Peaches with Honeyed Mascarpone Cheese
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 peaches peeled, pit removed
1 tablespoon ground hazelnuts (for garnish)
METHOD:
In a small pot heat the water and slowly combine the sugar until it is all dissolved, making simple syrup. Place the peaches in the syrup and allow to marinate for about 20 minutes. Place peaches on hottest part of the grill turning often minimizing charring. Cook until peaches are warmed all the way through, but not blackened.
Honey mascarpone
INGREDIENTS:
4 ounces mascarpone
1 ounce honey
2 ounces half and half
METHOD:
In a small bowl combine mascarpone, honey and half & half. Whisk until well incorporated. Add more half & half making the mixture a "sauce" consistency.
Plating
Plate grilled peaches and drizzle the mascarpone syrup over. Dust with the ground hazelnuts.
So, how did Evan do in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition?
Grilled Asparagus
asparagus $2.99
crab meat $3.99
parsley $.99
garlic $.39
orange $.22
honey $2.99
total $11.57
Steak & Succotash
sirloin $6.99
cacao $1.97
garlic powder $.89
onion powder $.89
cumin $.89
ancho chili $.89
corn $1.00
fava beans $1.09
sweet potato $.49
red onion $1.49
tarragon $2.49
half & half $1.19
total $20.27
Grilled Peaches
peaches $2.80
hazelnuts $.99
mascarpone $3.75
total $7.54
Total $39.38
"HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?" Leaders:
1. Amanda Freitag $37.17
The Harrison
2. Kelly Liken $37.20
Restaurant Kelly Liken
3. Matthew Accarrino $37.24