The Dish: Chef Michael Voltaggio

Born in Maryland, chef Michael Voltaggio got his first job in the culinary world thanks to his brother, a sous chef at a local hotel restaurant. After an apprenticeship at the prestigious Greenbrier Resort and jobs with renowned chefs like Charlie Palmer and Jose Andres, he broke out on his own.

In 2011, he opened Los Angeles's Ink and it was soon named GQ's Best New Restaurant in America. Two years later, Voltaggio was named one of Food and Wine's best new chefs. His latest ventures include Strfsh in Santa Monica, and the upcoming Monger in Miami. 

Here are some of Voltaggio's signature recipes: 

Cinnamon coffee cake with whiskey caramel 

Topping ingredients

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup firm packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
4 tbsp butter diced

Cake ingredients

2.5 cups ap flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
3 large eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup crème fraiche

Caramel ingredients

475 grams sugar
125 grams corn syrup
250 grams water
200 grams Dewars 12 year

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix all topping ingredients until it's a sand consistency. 

2. Preheat oven to 325*f. Butter the inside of 2 each 5.5 x 3" loaf pans and dust lightly with flour.  Line the bottom and long sides of the loaf pans with parchment paper. 

3. For the cake: sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, the salt, and half of the  cinnamon (3 tsp). In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. In a mixer with paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and mix until light and creamed. 

4. Add the buttermilk egg mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and mix until batter forms. Fold in the crème fraiche. Take out 1/3 of the batter and mix the remaining cinnamon into it. Gently fold that into the rest of the batter to create a swirl batter. Divide into the two pans. Divide the crumble evenly over the top of each cake.  Place loaf pans on a sheet pan and bake for 40-45 minutes rotating twice during baking. Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes on a rack until ready to cut.

5. Place everything in a pot excluding the whiskey and mix until its like wet sand. Cook on high heat until it becomes an amber color and smells like caramel. Add the whiskey and cook until it's the consistency of maple syrup.

Crab cake waffles 

Ingredients

1/2 cup warm water
1 package instant yeast (8.75g)
1 tbsp sugar
2.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup butter melted
1 tbsp old bay
2 tbsp Chopped fresh chives
1# lump crabmeat

Directions

1. Mix yeast and water together in a bowl until yeast is completely dissolved. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the eggs, buttermilk and butter. Wrap and leave in a warm place for 1-2 hours.

2. At this point, refrigerate until ready to cook. When ready to serve add the crab meat and chives to the waffle batter. Bake in waffle iron following manufactures instructions.

3. Season with a pinch of Old Bay, some butter and Dewars syrup. 

Fresh corn grits with scallions and cheddar cheese

Ingredients

12 ears of fresh corn
1/2 cup butter diced
1 bunch of scallions sliced, green part only
1/2 cu[ fiscalini or another good quality aged cheddar cheese shredded
salt and pepper to taste 

Directions

1. Shuck the corn. Using the medium sized circle blade of a box grater, grate the corn and its milk into a container until it's down to the cob capturing every drop of its milk and shaved kernels. Discard cobs or save to make a corn stock. Pour the corn and milk into a nonstick pan. Place on medium heat stirring with a rubber spatula like you are making scrambled eggs. 

2. Continue cooking until the starch has thickened and the corn is a porridge consistency. Remove from heat, fold in butter, scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the top with the cheese and more shaved scallion greens.  

Little gem lettuces with avocado Green Goddess dressing and shaved radish

Ingredients

12 each radishes shaved thin
3 heads little gem lettuce
2 each ripe avocados
10 grams picked parsley leaves
10 grams picked basil leaves
10 grams shaved scallions
10 grams tarragon leaves
1 clove of garlic
40 grams lemon juice
40 grams extra virgin olive oil
3 grams sea salt
1/4 cup shaved fresh chives 

Directions

1. Peel the avocados and remove the pits. Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Cut the gems in half. Toss the gems in some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Place onto a plate. 

2. Spoon the goddess over top of each half. Sprinkle with shaved chives. Shingle the shaved radishes like fish scales over the dressing.  

Classic scotch egg with Dewars mustard

Ingredients

30 each large eggs
3 lbs fine ground pork sausage
2 lbs ground bacon
¼ cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped chives
To taste salt and black pepper
4 cups panko bread crumbs
2 cups Egg wash for standard breading procedure
4 cups flour for standard breading procedure
4 liters canola oil for frying 

Sauce/garnish ingredients

1 cup whole yellow mustard seeds (do not substitute mustard powder) 
1 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 
1 cup Dewers 12 year 
½ cup dijon mustard 
½ cup honey 
¾ cup tamari soy sauce 
1T salt 
2 each red onion (thin sliced) 
2 cups lemon juice
1 cup petite parsley

Directions

1. Place eggs into a metal pasta or fryer basket. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once water boils, add eggs and cook for 6 minutes in the boiling water. After 6 minutes, remove eggs, plunge into ice water until ready to peel.  

2. In a food processor, pulse until the panko is fine. Set up a standard breading procedure. Flour, egg wash, Panko. Scoop 30 each 1oz. scoops of the pork unto a cookie tray lined with parchment paper. With wet hands, press each scoop until flat. Using a spoon, make a dent large enough that the egg can rest in it. Brush each dent with egg wash so it will stick to the egg when fried. Place 1 marinated egg on to each sausage patty. Make 30 additional 1oz. scoops of the mix. Press them on a separate tray. 

3. Lightly brush each one with egg wash. Carefully pick each one up and place on top of each egg with the egg washed side touching the egg. Keep a small container of water near in order to dip your hands which keeps the meat from sticking. Carefully shape each egg/sausage package into a tight, egg shaped meatball. Place each one back on the tray and refrigerate until ready to apply breading. Set up standard breading procedure. 1 pan of flour, 1 pan of egg wash, 1 pan of bread crumbs. Dip each egg one at a time in the flour, then egg, then bread mixture, then back into the egg, then back into the bread mixture. Repeat this until all eggs are evenly and uniformly coated. Reserve until ready to fry. 

4. Heat canola oil in a fryer or pot to 350*f. Fry each coated egg until golden brown. Place the fried eggs on a cookie tray that has a meat rack on it. Once all eggs are fired and crispy, bake them in a 350*f oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven, using a serrated knife, carefully cut each one in half. 

5. Take mustard seeds and grind to powder in a coffee grinder. Combine mustard seed powder with rest of the ingredients and blend till smooth. Soak red onions in lemon juice until ready to serve. Spoon a small amount of Dewars mustard on to each plate. Place 1 half of each classic scotch egg onto each plate. Garnish top with thinly sliced red onions and petite parsley

Cornflake crusted chicken

Ingredients

1 box corn flakes
1 doz extra large eggs
1 qt AP flour
AN salt
Whole chicken 

Citrus brine ingredients

5 gallons water
5 cups kosher salt
5 lbs. light brown sugar
1 cup coriander seed
½ cup cloves
½ cup black peppercorns
2 cup fennel seed
½ cup all spice
½ cup mustard seed
19 tbsp pink salt
1 sprig of thyme  

Directions

1. Bring brine ingredients to a boil and steep 'til cool. Once cooled strain and store in walk in. 

2. Clean chicken and place in brine for 1 ½ hours. Remove from brine and allow to air dry.

3. Take cornflakes and pulse in robot coupe till flakes are the size of panko bread crumbs. Using standard breading procedure take chicken and place in flour then eggs then into cornflakes. Fry @350*F till golden brown or have an internal temperature of 160*F. Season with salt and then finish in oven at 350*F.