Well-Prepared: Celerie Kemble Entertains

"We mixed the high and low, the refined and rustic, the luxurious with the deeply meaningful," said van Wyck. The ingredients in Jo Malone's scents doubled as a grocery list, and Schumacher fabrics from Kemble's collection reinforced the black-and-white theme.

Serves six

Heirloom tomato salad

Ingredients:

Approx 6 heirloom tomatoes—all different colors (buy additional small tomatoes for garnish)

Approx 2 ripe white peaches or nectarines

12 black olives, pitted and sliced

Extra virgin olive oil

Japanese soy sauce

Aged sherry vinegar

Fresh cracked black pepper



Fresh herbs:

Fresh verbena leaves, chiffonade

Fresh chives, chiffonade

Fresh tarragon, chiffonade

Small fresh verbena leaves

Fresh chervil blooms



Technique:

Using an extremely sharp knife, cut tomatoes and white peaches into cubes. Discard scraps.

Dress tomato & peaches with olive oil, olives, soy, sherry vinegar and pepper.

Scatter herb chiffonade throughout; reserve verbena leaves and chervil for garnish.

Pissaladieres

Melted leek mix ingredients:

6 holland leeks, cut in discs (white section only)

¼ # whole butter

1 cup picked fresh thyme

1 T shiro miso paste

2 cups heavy cream + 1 cup dry vermouth

½ cup fresh chive chiffonade

½ cup chopped black olives



Leek technique:

Soften leeks in whole butter in large pot. Add thyme leaves and mix in miso paste.

Cover leeks with heavy cream and vermouth. Poach over very low heat until tender (approx 3 hours), stirring intermittently. Remove from heat and let cool. Mix in chives and olives.



Rustic pastry ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour, chilled in stainless steel mixing bowl

6 oz frozen whole butter, grated into flour

¼ cup picked thyme leaves, mixed with flour

1 TSP kosher salt, mixed with flour / butter mix

¼ cup ice water, sprinkled into flour / butter mix

2 eggs, beaten (for egg wash)



Pastry technique:

Combine butter and flour; roll and knead them by hand. Dough should just barely clump together; if mixture is too dry, add a few drops of water.

Form dough into balls, wrap in plastic and let sit refrigerated for at least one hour.

Roll out dough between sheets of plastic wrap til approx 1/16" thick. Punch dough into six 6"-round discs.

Fold in and crimp edges of each disc, creating six "pizza"-shaped galettes.

Fill center cavities with melted leek mixture; freeze until ready to bake.

Before baking, paint edges of galettes with egg wash.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, approximately 10 minutes (remove if leek mix begins to burn).

Chanterelle sauce

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh chanterelles, shredded by hand

1 shallot, diced

1 T clarified butter (or olive oil)

3 cups dry vermouth

8 oz cold cubed butter

Capers & sherry vinegar



Technique:

Saute shredded chanterelles and shallot in clarified butter until golden.

Pour in dry vermouth to cover.

Infuse over medium heat; reduce by 2/3 total volume (approximately 1 cup liquid left).

Remove from heat; whisk in cold cubed butter. Keep sauce warm, but do not return to direct heat (emulsification will break). Season to taste with capers & sherry vinegar.

Finished Dish:

Remove pissaladieres from oven to each of six plates.

Spoon warm chanterelle sauce directly onto pissaladieres—allow it to overflow leek filling.

Spoon tomato salad directly on top of and cascading off of pissaladieres.

Garnish with verbena and chervil.

Serves six

Roasted boneless quails

Ingredients:

6 boneless quails, legs removed

2 tbsp shiro miso + 2 cups pear cider (or pear nectar) for marinade

1 pound caul fat (for wrapping stuffed breasts)



Marinade quails (breasts and legs) for approx 12 hours.

Poached Seckel Pears

Poached pears ingredients:

six seckel pears, peeled and immersed in poaching liquid (below)

1 liter pimms #1

sliced ginger

Poached pear filling ingredients:

1 cup goat cheese

1 cup shaved black kale

½ cup toasted pinenuts



Poached pears technique:

Over low heat, poach pears along with sliced ginger until just barely soft; let cool in poaching liquid.

Remove pears and hollow out; fill with shaved kale, goat cheese & pinenuts.

Roasted quails & Chanterelle stuffing

chanterelle stuffing ingredients:

2 cups cubed brioche

2 cups chopped fresh chanterelles

½ cup picked thyme

1 cup diced asian pear

1 cup shelled english peas

1 cup crème fraiche



Saute chanterelles in butter until golden; fold in thyme.

Toast brioche with whole butter at 350 degrees until golden (turning every few minutes).

Fold toasted brioche & chanterelles together. Add in diced pears, sweet peas, and crème fraiche.



Stuffed quail technique:

Fill boneless breast pockets with brioche-chanterelle mixture. Press gently into six plump packages.

Carefully wrap each breast package in caul fat. Use the thinnest lace, avoiding any thick, fatty deposits.

Refrigerate for approximately 6 hours, allowing caul fat to tighten.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, carefully brown quail breast packages. Caul fat will render and tighten as it cooks, melting to almost nothing. After all six breast packages are browned and rendered, transfer to low oven and brown the marinated legs.

Chanterelle & sweet pea salad

1 pound fresh chanterelles

24 fresh pearl onions, peeled

1 pound sugar snap peas

1 shallot, diced

½ cup fresh thyme, picked

½ cup fresh chive chiffonade



In a large saute pan over high heat, saute chanterelles, pearl onions, and shallot until golden and aromatic.

Add sugar snap peas and toss to cook through. Add in fresh herbs and tranfer to each of six plates.

Finished Dish:

Finish cooking quail breast packages, browned legs, and stuffed pears in 400-degree oven.

Seat warmed quail breast and legs atop chanterelle-sweet pea salads.

Position filled seckel pear on opposite sides of plates.

Garnish poached pears with fresia petals (optional).

Serves six

Slow-braised short ribs

Ingredients:

12 pounds beef short ribs, trimmed (bone in) as thick as possible

mirepoix:

2 pounds carrots, rough cut & roasted

2 pounds white onion, rough cut & roasted

1 pounds parsnips, rough cut & roasted

6 heads garlic, halved & roasted

1 pound plum tomato, halved & roasted

1 pound ginger root, sliced

1pound celery, rough cut

1pound leeks, rough cut

1 cup dry porcini

1 dry chipotle pepper

2 sprigs rosemary

Braising liquid:

2 cups japanese soy sauce

1 cup sherry vinegar

3 cups pomegranate juice

Equipment:

dutch oven or large ovenproof casserole

kosher salt

olive oil



Technique:

Heat dutch oven or casserole on stove top and brown short ribs on all sides.

Roast mirepoix in oven at 350 degrees until golden brown.

Arrange roasted mirepoix in bottom of dutch oven or casserole; position browned short ribs on top.

Fill with braising liquid to cover vegetables and partially cover short ribs.

Cover dutch oven or casserole and set in low oven (275 degrees).

Braise for at least 5 hours, or until meltingly tender.

Carefully remove short ribs from pot; strain braising liquid.

Return short ribs to strained braising liquid and refrigerate.

When cool, remove bone and ligaments from short ribs; cut into six equal portions.

Pomegranate sauce

Ingredients:

short rib braising liquid

pomegranate molasses

4 oz butter



Remove and discard any accumulated fat from the top of chilled braising liquid.

Remove chilled short ribs from liquid and set aside.

Tranfer strained braising liquid to sauce pan; reduce over medium heat by at least ½.

Season to taste with pomegranate molasses; sauce should be rich and slightly tart.



Roasted beet, black truffle & black trumpet salad

Ingredients:

24 baby red beets (or approx 4 large red beets) roasted, skinned; cut into bite-sized portions

1 pomegranate, seeded (skin & pith discarded)

2 pounds fresh black trumpets, sauteed (olive oil, salt, pepper)

1 oz fresh perigord black truffles, shaved paper thin

chives, chiffonade

olive oil



Warm beets and black trumpets in oven just before serving.

Finish with shaved black truffle, pomegranate seeds, chives and olive oil.

Finished Dish:

Submerge short ribs in pomegranate sauce; warm slowly over low heat for about 30 minutes. Do not let it boil.

Arrange a small portion of roasted beet and black trumpet salad on each of six plates.

Position warmed short rib on top of beets; spoon sauce over short ribs.

Garnish with pomegranate seeds and black truffle.

Serves six

Caramelized Diver Sea Scallops

Ingredients:

1 pound U-8 dry diver sea scallops (approx 6-8 scallops, 2-3 oz each)

3-4 limes, halved

3 tsp fresh white thyme leaves

Equipment:

Cast iron skillet or saute pan

Kosher salt

Olive oil

Technique:

Heat iron skillet over medium heat until very, very hot. Do not add oil at this point.

Sprinkle salt on tops of scallops. Using tongs, immediately press scallops salt-side down onto searing hot dry saute pan. Repeat with as many scallops as comfortably fit in pan without crowding. Do not move scallops at this point.

When scallops begin to brown, drizzle in minimal amounts of olive oil. Tilt pan to allow oil to permeate beneath them.

When a deep brown mahogany crust has formed, gently dislodge scallop from pan and flip onto other side. Once scallops are warmed through, squeeze lime juice into pan and drop 1 tsp thyme leaves. Gently agitate to combine pan juices. Baste and remove scallops to warm tray.

Repeat as necessary until all scallops are caramelized.

Mandarin orange salad

Ingredients:

12 fresh mandarin oranges (or satsuma, clementines, etc), peeled and segmented

1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and sliced paper thin

1 tsp raw ginger juice

1 tsp honey

Herb garnishes

Ingredients

Thai basil fleurettes and small leaves (can substitute opal basil)

Micro shiso (ideally purple)

Lime basil fleurettes and small leaves (can substitute lemon basil)

Greek bush basil fleurettes and leaves

Citrus honey vinaigrette

Ingredients:

½ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup fresh mandarin juice

¼ cup yuzu juice

¼ cup honey

2 tsp raw ginger juice

Mix all ingredients; stir until honey dissolves.

Finished dish:

Arrange citrus salad at base of plate. Scatter mixed basils across mandarin supremes.

Seat one warm scallop atop salad, then spoon 1 tsp vinaigrette directly over scallop.

Garnish with shiso & basil fleurettes.

All recipes are from Scott Skey and Nick Hosea (shown) of Bite in New York City. For more information on their services, visit their website or e-mail bite@bitefood.com.