Chef Gabriel Kreuther is one of the world’s most highly regarded maestros of the kitchen. Despite being born in Alsace, France, his greatest impact has come here in America. 

After culinary school, Kreuther worked his way through Michelin-star kitchens in France, Germany and Switzerland. After arriving in New York in 1997, he immediately began accumulating “best chef” and “best restaurants” awards.

In June 2015, he bestowed his own name on what’s become one of the United States’ most honored restaurants, “Gabriel Kreuther,” in Midtown Manhattan. The restaurant now holds a Michelin star and three stars from the New York Times. 

This fall, Kreuther’s world-class handcrafted chocolate will also be made and served at Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate, located next door to Kreuther’s restaurant. Here, guests can enjoy freshly made chocolates from distinguished pastry chef Marc Aumont and his team of artists, as well as other European-inspired pastries.

Here are some of Kreuther’s signature recipes: 

Alsatian Baeckeoffe with three meats

This recipe requires either an Alsatian Baeckeoffe terrine or a large lidded Dutch oven that can easily serve 6-8 people.

Ingredients for meat

1 lb of boneless pork tenderloin
1 lb of boneless lamb shoulder
1 lb of boneless beef chuck-eye roast

Note: Various meats can be substituted -- for example, chicken can be substituted for the pork.

Ingredients for marinade

Salt
Pepper
1 small to medium yellow onion
1 medium carrot
2 medium leeks (white only)
1 sprig thyme
2 bay leaves
3 parsley branches
2 pieces of clove
1 1/2 bottle of Silvaner or Riesling wine (or dry white wine)

Ingredients for cooking 

2 oz of unsalted butter
4 lbs Yukon gold medium potatoes
4 small to medium yellow onions
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 branch of Marjoram
1 tbsp Coriander seeds, crushed
The wine from the marinade
Salt
Pepper

Ingredients for dough to seal the lid 

1/2 lb flour
1/2 cup water

Note: Doing this recipe requires either an Alsatian Baeckeoffe Terrine or a large lidded Dutch oven that can easily serve six to eight people. The recipe is also traditionally started a day in advance. 

Directions

1. Cut all three of the meats into cubes of about 1 and 1/2 inch and season with salt and pepper. Then peel and slice the carrot into coin-shaped slices. Slice the white of the leeks and the onion in the same manner. 
2. Add everything together and then add in whole the thyme, bay leaf, parsley and cloves. Pour the wine over the top. Cover and let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator. 
3. Preheat the oven to 350-375 degrees.
4. Butter the bottom and the sides of the terrine. Peel and then wash the potatoes, slice on a mandolin to 1/8 of an inch-thick slices. Season in a bowl with salt and pepper.
5. Next, remove the marinated meats and vegetables dish from the refrigerator. Take a colander with a bowl underneath and strain it so that you are saving the liquid for cooking. Then separate the vegetables from teh meat. 
6. Add the vegetables into the potatoes. Mix together and add in the smashed garlic, the sliced onions, Marjoram and the crushed Coriander seeds. 
7. Then take half of the potato/vegetable mix and spread out onto the bottom of the terrine. Next, add in the meats into one single layer. Add the rest of the potato/vegetable mixture over the top, pressing it slightly with your hands.
8. Lastly, pour the wine over the top so that it is almost at the same level of the ingredients -- about 1/2 inch below. Cover with lid and place in oven for four to five hours. (Note: cooking varies with the temperature of the oven).

Direction to make the dough 

1. Simply mix the flour and water together in a bowl. Roll into a ribbon and take a brush with water to humidify the lid of the tureen where it joins and then press the dough against the lid. You can brush some egg wash on it and sprinkle some poppy seeds and/or salt so that later, you can eat pieces of it.

To serve 

1. Once it is cooked, the dish is served very, very hot and usually, opened in the center of the table so that when you open the lid, the steam and the flavor is a dramatic experience for your guests and it is often served with a nice green Bibb lettuce salad with a simple dijon vinaigrette.

Green Bibb salad with fine herbs

Ingredients

2 heads of Boston lettuce, cleaned and washed. (Spin in a salad spinner and reserve until further use).
2 tbspns chervil, chopped coarsely
1 tbspn dill, chopped coarsely
2 tbspns, flat Italian parsley, chopped coarsely
1 handful red veined baby sorrel
2 tbspn chives, chopped
1 tbspn tarragon, chopped coarsely

Directions

1. Mix all of the herbs with the lettuce leaves and then season with the vinaigrette in a large salad bowl just before serving. 

Ingredients for vinaigrette

1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 medium garlic clove, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt, pepper to taste
5 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp grape seed oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp heavy cream of water

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the garlic, the chopped shallot, the vinegar and the salt and pepper and whisk evenly together to dissolve the salt.
2. Then add in the remaining ingredients and whisk again. This vinaigrette can be made ahead and reserved in the refrigerator in a small bottle. Just shake when needed.

Alsatian pretzels with horseradish mustard dip

Serves 6, makes 12 medium pretzels 

Ingredients 

1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (115 degrees Fahrenheit)
3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tbsp, unsalted butter, melted
Grape seed oil
2 1/2 quarts water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk, beaten wiht 1 tbsp of water
Fleur de Sel, poppy seeds

Directions

1. Combine the warm water, the sugar and kosher salt into a Kitchenaid mixer bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top, mixing it in. Set aside for five minutes or until the mixture foams. 
2. Add the flour and butter and using the douch hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and let the machine knead the dough until it is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl. This takes about four to five minutes. 
3. Next, remove the dough from the bowl.It may be in an oblong shape. If so, just lightly reshape it in your hands into more of a roundish mound and set aside on the work surface. Clean the bowl and then oil it well, returning the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size. (60 minutes if the room temperature is cool).
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Take two non-stick cookie sheets and line them with silicone coated with parchment paper and very lightly coat with just three drops of grapeseed oil. Set aside.

5. Bring the 2 and ½ quarts of water and the baking soda to a hard boil in a wide large skillet or saucepan.  As the water is coming to a boil, turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled countertop and divide into 12 equal pieces.  Roll out each piece of dough into a 12-14 inch ribbon.

6. For a pretzel shape, place the ribbon in front of you.  Take one side and loop it over in a curve shape toward the middle of the dough.  Press the end of the dough slightly down to adhere it to the other part of the dough; use a little water if needed to help stick the pieces of dough to each other.     

7. Do the same with the opposite end of the ribbon crossing it over the first piece leaving a little space in between the crossed section.  Do the same with all the remaining ribbons.

8. Using a large flat spatula, carefully place each pretzel into the boiling water for 30 seconds, cooking only two at a time by place one in first, then placing the other one in, flipping the first one and then flipping the other one so that each side gets equal cooking time.  Return them each back onto the cookie sheet and repeat the process for the remaining pretzels. 

9. Once they are all cooked, lightly brush them with the egg wash making sure it doesn’t drip down the sides.  Lastly, sprinkle some salt and poppy seeds over the top of each.

10. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and starting to show the hallmark signs of pretzel crackling.  Remove the pretzels from the oven and using the flat spatula again, transfer them from the cookie sheets to a cooling rack.  Let cool for about 5 minutes then enjoy them with the dip.

Horseradish mustard dip 

Ingredients 

1 cup sour cream
3 tbsp horseradish
1 tbsp dijon mustard
Salt to taste

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk all ingredients together and chill in the refrigerator until needed.

Brussel sprouts with apple wood smoked bacon 

Ingredients

6 strips of apple wood smoked bacon, cut into matchstick-length strips 
1 lb brussel sprouts, washed, halved and blanched for four minutes in salted water
Salted water
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp sour cream or yogurt
Salt
Pepper, freshly ground
Nutmeg

Directions 

1. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Strain out half of the grease from the pan, keeping the cooked bacon strips in the pan. 
2. Add the chopped onion, sweat it for a bit more, then stir in the chopped garlic.
3. Lastly, mix in the heavy cream and sour cream. With a whisk, mix everything together and bring to a boil for about two minutes. 
4. Reduce the heat, season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg and then add the hote blanched brussel sprouts. (Note: Make sure the brussel sprouts are hot when you add them to the bacon/cream).
5. Mix nicely with a wooden spoon and reduce the heat further, and let it slowly simmer with a lid on for about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
6. As they cook, the brussel sprouts will loosen up and lightly fall apart. This can be helped along by using the wooden spoon to break apart a few of them.

Baba Au Rhum with homemade whipped cream and berries 

Ingredients

1/3 cup golden raisins 
2 tbsp high proof dark rum 
6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk 
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tbsp Kosher salt

Directions

1. Combine the raisins and rum in a small bowl and set aside. Melt one tablespoon of the butter and grease well a eight to ten-cup bundt pan or kugelhopf mold with the softened butter.
2. Heat the milk to 115 degrees Fahrenheit and then pour it in the bowl of a kitchenaid mixter fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir in the yeast and sugar and allow to sit for five minutes or until it foams. 
3. With the mixer on low speed, first add the eggs, then the flour, the salt, and the remaining five tablespoons of butter. 
4. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat for five minutes. Scrape down the cake batter from the sides of the bowl and beater to form the dough into a ball. It will be very soft. 
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rise until doubled in size. It will take about an hour. 
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 
7. Drain the raisins. fold them into the dough with a spatula and spoon into the prepared pan.
8. Smooth top, cover the pan with a plastic wrap and allow to rise until the dough reaches the top of the pan for 50 minutes to one hour.
9. When the oven is ready, bake the cake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Meanwhile, make the syrup. 

Ingredients for syrup 

2 cups water
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 vanilla bean, split open and scrape out the inside vanilla (1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anis
Zest of one lemon
3/4 cup of dark rum 

Directions 

1. In a medium sauce pan, combine the brown sugar, 2 cups of water, the vanilla bean, cinnamon, star anis and lemon zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat. 
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Strain into a bowl. Discard solids and stir in the rum.
3. Remove the baba from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then tap it out of the baba pan onto a baking rack set over a sheet pan.
4. Pour the syrup very slowly onto the warm cake, allowing it all to soak in thoroughly. (Note: Amazingly, the liquid will be absorbed into the baba, so be sure to use all of the syrup. Any leftover dippings can be poured into a small pitcher and served on the side).

Ingredients for whipped cream

2 cups (1 pint) cold heavy cream

Directions

1. Before starting, cool down the bowl of the electric mixer in the refrigerator for about a half hour so that it helps to keep the cream cool when mixing. 
2. Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until the cream forms stiff peaks. Stay next to mixer, watching it so that it doesn’t over-beat and turn your cream grainy.

To serve 

1. Can be served with some quartered strawberries that have been marinated a bit beforehand with some sugar or some sort of other berries and an ice cream-like rum raisin.
2. Slice pieces of the soaked baba cake and place on dessert plates. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream on the side and then let your guests add more syrup from the pitcher.

The Kachelofen

Ingredients

1.5 oz Wolfamer Amaro
.75 oz Grand Marnier
.75 oz Port Charlotte Whiskey

Directions

1. Stir and serve the rocks garnished with an orange peel.