The Dish: Chef Tiffani Faison Sweet Cheeks

Chef Tiffani Faison was born in Germany and raised as a self-professed Army brat around various parts of the United States. She was just 14 years old when she got her first restaurant job and later worked for some of the world's most renowned chefs.

Her success led her all over the map but she finally settled in Boston to open her first restaurant, Sweet Cheeks, which has been hailed as the best barbecue restaurant in town by Boston Magazine. Her restaurant Tiger Mama opens in December, and made Zagat's list of the "most anticipated" openings in the country.

Here are some of her signature dishes:

Tiger Chili Crab

For the paste:

¼ C Garlic

½ C T Scallion Whites

3T Fresh Ginger

2 Thai bird chili

2T grapeseed oil

For the sauce:

3C Ketchup

1.5 C Shao Hsing Wine

½ C Oyster Sauce

½ C Tamarind Concentrate

¼ C low sodium soy

1C rice wine vinegar

2- 3 T butter

Salt to taste

10# King Crab, legs only

Garnish:

½ C Cilantro Stems

½ C Scallions, but thin, soaked in ice cold water and drained thoroughly

Combine the first five ingredients in a food processor to a paste consistency

Add the wine and cook until alcohols are released and liquid is reduced by half

Add the oyster sauce, tamarind and ketchup, allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes

Add the crab legs into the sauce, cook until crab is just tender add butter, remove and serve.

Garnish with cilantro stems, scallions, drizzle burre blanc over crab.

Beurre Blanc:

1.5 T Shallot, sliced

8 black peppercorns

5 cilantro stems

¼ C champagne vinegar

3T white wine

¼ c Heavy Cream

1.5 c Unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Reduce wine, vinegar, peppercorn and cilantro to aprox 2-3 T remaining liquid, add cream and reduce to half

Whisk in butter to emulsify, strain

Bread:

Country bread (Italian Francese) soaked in olive oil & grilled heavily. Rub with raw garlic clove.

Serve with Crab.

Farm Salad

Serves 8-10

1.5 cups Cooked farro

1 cup Red grapes, halved

2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved with the core removed

2 cups Brussels sprouts, peeled leaves (outside leaves discarded)

5 cups Baby arugula

½ cup Grated Parmesan cheese, divided

½ cup Candied hazelnuts, crushed

Honey-Shallot dressing (recipe follows)

EVOO

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees.

Toss the halved Brussels sprouts with 2 Tbsp. EVOO, salt and pepper.

Roast for 5-7 minutes until nicely charred but not burnt. Let cool to room temperature.

In a large mixing bowl, toss the farro, grapes, roasted Brussels sprouts, peeled Brussels sprout leaves, hazelnuts, and half the parmesan cheese. Toss with ¼ cup of the honey shallot dressing.

Add the baby arugula, 2 tablespoons of EVOO, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust with more dressing and/or EVOO if desired.

Arrange on serving platter and garnish with the remaining Parmesan Cheese.

Honey-Shallot Vinaigrette

1ea. Large shallot, chopped

¼ cup Champagne vinegar

¼ cup Wildflower honey

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 Teasp. Lemon juice

1 Teasp. Kosher salt

1 Cup Canola or Grapeseed oil

In a blender, combine chopped shallot, vinegar, honey, lemon juice, Dijon, and salt. Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Slowly add the oil in a thin stream until fully incorporated.

The dressing will keep refrigerated up to one week in an air tight container.

Pineapple Pumpkin Curry

For the paste:

6 ea Shallots plus 2 shallots

10 cloves garlic plus 2 cloves

¼ c galangal plus 2T garlic

1T Turmeric, fresh

2.5 T Cumin Seed, whole

1.5 T Coriander

½ c lemongrass, chopped

4 ea thai chilis

1 C Shrimp Paste in soy bean oil

Fry the larger quantities of shallots, garlic & ginger until golden brown and cooked through (garlic and shallots should be whole)

Toast all spices and grind everything in a food processor until smooth.

For the Curry:

8c Pumpkin, Cubed plus 1 meduim sugar pumpkin, seeded & roasted to just cooked

16 oz coconut milk

8 oz chicken stock

3T Grapeseed Oil

1 quill dried Vietnamese cinnamon

3 C Fresh Pineapple plus 1 cup large cubes

In a heavy bottomed pot, fry curry paste, add pumpkin, coconut milk, chicken stock & pineapple.

Allow to simmer, cook pumpkin and reduce liquid by ½

Puree everything to smooth and pass through a china cap, season fish sauce and salt to taste

Add cubed pineapple and place in roasted pumpkin.

Garnish with fresh Thai basil, cilantro, dill & coconut cream from the cocktail

Serve with Premium Fragrant Jasmine Rice

Meekong Thai Tea

1 C Thai tea (dry)

4 C water

Brew Thai Tea, set aside

Palm Sugar Simple Syrup (1 to 1 ratio by weight of water to palm sugar)

Coconut Cream top

1 C Sweetened condensed milk

2 C Coconut milk

Pinch salt

Mix Sweetened Condensed Milk, Coconut Milk & Salt

Place in an ISI canister, charge & cool

1.5 oz Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon

To make the cocktail:

3 oz tea

1.5 oz Bourbon

3/4 Palm Simple

Shake to cold

Finish with ISI foamed coconut milk

Butterscotch Pudding

Yield: 6 each

4 Butter

1 c packed Dark Brown Sugar

2.5 c Heavy Cream

2T Pure Vanilla Extract

1.5 c Whole Milk

.5 t Kosher Salt

8ea Egg Yolks, lightly beaten (please use great eggs)

For the Caramel:

1 c granulated sugar

¼ c water

1t lt. corn syrup

.5c Apple Cider

Method of Prep:

Melt the butter, add brown sugar to dissolve

Remove and add milk, cream & brown sugar and simmer

Temper into egg yolks slowly and strain through a chinoise

Cool and cover overnight

Bake in a water bath with plastic wrap and foil covering the pudding for 30-40 minutes (depending on oven) until consistency is wobbly but not firm, cool.

Caramel:

Combine sugar, water and corn syrup , cooking until sugar dissolves. Increase heat, brushing the sides down with a brush, not stirring until it becomes deep amber.

CAREFULLY add the cider, it will splatter and seize up like crazy. Keep room temp

Basic Chantilly cream with vanilla and 10X

Gingersnaps, crumbled

Maldon salt to garnish