Dinner is Served

Photographs by Adam Hendershott
Produced by Adam Renfree
Makeup by Violeta Meyners / Mac Cosmetics

Joe Magnanelli

Executive chef, Cucina Urbana

619-239-2222, sdurbankitchen.com

Culinary training: Self-taught.
Kitchen experience: Lespinasse, Bistro Lepic and Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.; El Bizcocho, Rancho Bernardo; Chive and Laurel, San Diego.
I knew I wanted to be a chef... I got a job working in a restaurant while studying criminal justice in college. But I was more focused on my job than going to school.
Favorite San Diego restaurant: I go to 3rd Corner about twice a week in Ocean Beach, where I live. One of my favorite chefs is Jason Knibb at Nine-Ten.
Favorite kitchen tool: Spoon. I have 100 different spoons. I always look for interesting spoons at thrift stores.
San Diego as a “foodie” town... is progressing. The emergence of a lot of the farmers’ markets—and access to a lot of fresh, local ingredients—is helping San Diego progress as a food town.

Cranberry Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Chestnuts
and Brussels Sprouts with Creamy Mascarpone-Parmesan Polenta

Polenta

½             cup Parmesan cheese with rind
2              cups heavy cream
¼             pound unsalted butter
1              cup polenta
2              cups Parmesan brodo (broth)
4              tablespoons mascarpone cheese
2              tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

First, create the brodo: Remove the rind from the Parmesan cheese. In a saucepot, bring 2¼ cups water and Parmesan rind slowly to a very low simmer. Stir frequently so the rind does not stick to the bottom. After about 20 minutes of simmering, remove from heat and strain into a larger pot. Add cream and butter and bring to a boil. Stir in polenta, and lower temperature. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour until smooth. Grate Parmesan, then add mascarpone and Parmesan cheeses, olive oil and seasoning. Leave covered until ready to plate.

Cranberry Honey

½             pound fresh cranberries
Juice of half a lemon
1              cup wildflower honey
In a small saucepot, cook cranberries and lemon juice on low till they are soft and sweet, approximately 10 minutes. Add honey and cook on low for two minutes. Using a fork, crush the cranberries, leaving some chunky. Set aside.

Chestnuts

2              pounds fresh chestnuts
2              tablespoons olive oil
Preheat oven to 425 F. Score chestnuts on the tops with an X, toss with oil, and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes until soft and easily peeled. Let cool, and chop roughly.

Glazed Pork Tenderloin

4              tablespoons olive oil
6              6-ounce portions pork loin
Salt and pepper, to taste
6              tablespoons butter for basting
12           ounces Brussels sprouts
Fresh herbs for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F. In an iron skillet, bring 2 tablespoons of olive oil to smoking point. Season the pork loin with salt and pepper and sear on all sides to a nice brown. Finish with butter and baste. Cook to medium-rare, and glaze with the cranberry honey. Finish the last couple of minutes in the oven.

In a sauté pan, roast the Brussels sprouts with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the chopped chestnuts.
Spoon the polenta across the bottom of a medium-size platter. Arrange the chestnuts and sprouts atop the polenta. After the pork has rested for five minutes, slice and drizzle with more of the cranberry honey. Garnish with some fresh herbs. Serves six.

 

C. Barclay Dodge

Executive chef, Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa

858-759-6216, ranchovalencia.com

Formal culinary training: California Culinary Academy; apprenticeships at Jean Georges and Daniel in New York, El Bulli and Can Gaig in Spain
Kitchen experience: Restaurant Mogador and Renaissance Restaurant in Aspen, CO; Stokes Adobe in Monterey, CA; Bix Supper Club and Bistro Roti in San Francisco; Terra at Encantado Resort, Santa Fe
My food philosophy: I definitely believe in being creative. Travel has been a big influence on my food philosophy. I’ve traveled to a lot of third-world countries and try to incorporate flavors from around the world in my cooking. I really try to pursue mentorship—I want my cooks to learn.
Best part of my job: It’s a beautiful place to work, and I like to be around aesthetic beauty.
Favorite kitchen tool: Little offset mini spatula. It’s always in my back pocket.
When I’m not in the kitchen... I practice yoga daily. One of my favorite things to do is forage—for mushrooms, watercress. I’ll walk around and pick things that grow wild here ... fennel pollen, garlic blossoms and pink peppercorns are my three favorites right now.

Ragout of Chanterelle Mushrooms with Bacon & Soft-Poached Egg

Soft butter for brushing
4              eggs
Salt, to taste
3              ounces bacon, sliced ¼ inch thick
4              garlic cloves, sliced thin
2              shallots, sliced into thin rings
8              ounces chanterelle mushrooms (or any mush­room of your choice), cleaned with a brush and damp cloth and cut into bite-size pieces
2              tablespoons oil or butter
1              tablespoon thyme, freshly chopped
4              ounces white wine
8              ounces chicken stock
4              tablespoons butter
2              tablespoons chopped parsley, for garnish
2              tablespoons minced chives, for garnish

For each egg, tear off a sheet of plastic wrap, about 8 by 8 inches, and lay it neatly on your work space. Brush a thin sheen of the soft butter across the wrap, then set the plastic over a small bowl or ramekin and break the egg onto the buttered side of the plastic. Season with salt. Pull the plastic up to form a bag the egg hangs in, and tie the top snugly with a piece of butcher’s twine. (Or you can simply poach an egg in simmering water lightly seasoned with salt and white vinegar.) Do this with each of the eggs. Set aside for later use.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut the bacon into quarter-inch pieces, or lardons. In a small pan, cook the bacon a few minutes over a medium flame, then put in oven for about 10 minutes or until the bacon has rendered a good amount of fat and is slightly caramelized but still chewy. Leave the lardons in the rendered fat and reserve for later use. Leave oven on.

In a sauté pan, sweat the garlic and shallots in the oil or butter until lightly caramelized and sweet. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for a few minutes. Add the thyme and white wine, season with salt, and put in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the wine has evaporated and the mushrooms are lightly roasted. Reserve for later use. Note: All of the previous steps may be executed the day before and stored in the refrigerator.

In boiling water, cook the eggs in the plastic for about five minutes (longer if you want a firmer egg). Meantime, add the bacon, cooked mushrooms and chicken stock to a pan and cook over a high flame until the stock has reduced by half and tightened up. Add the 4 tablespoons of butter and whisk to emulsify. Check salt. Garnish with chopped parsley. Pour the mushroom-bacon mix equally into four bowls, cut the string tie off the egg, remove the plastic, and place the egg in the center of the mushrooms. Garnish with chopped chives and salt the eggs, if desired. Serves four.

 

Marcela Valladolid

Cookbook author (Fresh Mexico: 100 Simple Recipes for True Mexican Flavor), TV cooking show host (Realtos con Sabor, which airs on Discovery en Espanol in the United States and Latin America), cooking instructor

chefmarcela.com

Culinary training: Los Angeles Culinary Institute; Ritz Escoffier Cooking School, Paris
Kitchen experience: Patina, Los Angeles; Grant Grill at the U.S. Grant Hotel
I knew I wanted to be a chef... I come from a long line of cooks. My grandfather was an incredible, visionary chef. My aunt Marcela opened up one of the first culinary schools in Tijuana. I was her teaching assistant. From her, I learned that I wanted to teach cooking. Food is such a huge part of my culture and family history.
Best part of my job: When someone reads my book or takes a class and their response is “Wow, that was so simple,” and it gets them inspired to get into the kitchen. It makes food accessible.
Favorite San Diego restaurant: Los Arcos in Chula Vista. It’s where I go when I have a craving for real Mexican food.
San Diego as a “foodie” town: When I was living in New York—I worked at Bon Appétit magazine—whenever someone would ask me for a restaurant recommendation in San Diego, I used to tell them to cross the border into Tijuana. But San Diego is taking a wonderful direction; the restaurant scene is really getting there with places like El Vitral and Bleu Bohème.

Game Hens in Apricot, Tequila and California Chile Sauce

3              cups chicken broth, or more as needed
2              tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4              tablespoons golden tequila
2              2-pound Cornish game hens, thawed if frozen
3              California chiles, stemmed and seeded
½             cup apricot preserves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh apricot halves, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix ½ cup of the chicken broth, melted butter and 2 tablespoons of the tequila in a small glass bowl. Using a kitchen syringe, inject the mixture all over the hens, about ½ inch deep into the flesh. (If the butter in the mixture solidifies, warm it in the microwave.)

Put the chiles and 2 cups of broth in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat. Let stand for five minutes to soften the chiles, then transfer the mixture to a blender and purée until smooth. Strain the chile mixture into a small bowl, pressing on the sieve to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard whatever is left in the sieve.

Mix ¼ cup of the preserves and ¼ cup of the chile mixture in a medium bowl. Season heavily with salt and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the hens, working some of it between the skin and the breast. Put the hens on a rack in a large roasting pan. Add the remaining ½ cup broth to the roasting pan.

Roast, basting with the pan drippings every 20 minutes, for one hour or until a thermometer inserted into a thigh registers 160. Add more broth if the juices begin to dry out.

Transfer the hens to a platter. Strain the pan juices into a medium saucepan. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of tequila, ¼ cup apricot preserves and the chile mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the hens and garnish the platter with fresh apricot halves. Serves four.

 

Deborah Scott

Executive chef at Indigo Grill, Kemo Sabe and Island Prime
deborahscott.cohnrestaurants.com

Culinary training: Baltimore International Culinary College and Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park
Kitchen experience: Clark Cookhouse and Whitehouse Tavern in Newport, RI; Monterey Plaza Hotel’s Delfino’s on the Bay, Monterey; Mediterraneo, Alpine
I knew I wanted to be a chef... As a kid, my folks and I would go camping at the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the summers. We’d throw out fishing lines for flounder, net blue-claw crabs, rake for oysters and clams and have a big seafood feast on the beach. That had a big impact on my style of cooking. I always cook outside for guests at home.
My food philosophy: I like lots of flavor—chiles, spices, bouncing things off each other, putting sweet and hot together. I like a lot of color, symmetry and height. I write the menu items first, then go into the kitchen and draw from that. It’s an opposite approach. But then, I don’t do many things conventional.
Best part of my job: Every day I get to talk to hundreds of people. The biggest part of the job is hospitality. Coming from the South, it’s a big thing for me.
Favorite kitchen tool: Cleaver. I use it for most of my knife uses. I like the weight of it.

Corn Pudding

1½          pounds corn bread mix
13           ounces whole milk
6              ounces butter, softened
1⁄3           cup puréed chipotle peppers
3              ounces creamed corn
13           ounces heavy cream
1½          cups frozen corn
Combine in mixer. Fill buttered 4-ounce baking dishes halfway and top each with 2 tablespoons of following mixture:
3⁄4           cup Cheddar, grated
3⁄4           cup sour cream
3⁄4           cup mayonnaise
3⁄4           cup white onions, thinly sliced
Bake in 350 F. oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

 

Olivier Bioteau

619-269-9662; farmhousecafesd.com

Culinary training: Lycee d’Enseignement Professionnel, Loire Valley, France
Kitchen experience: The private kitchen of President Françcois Mitterand of France  (“When I was 20, I was sent to Paris, where I cooked for the French president, his wife and the members of the government for a year”); L’Aventure, London; Sally’s at the Hyatt Regency, San Diego; University Club; private chef, Rancho Santa Fe.
Food philosophy: Simplicity. Prepare ingredients simply, and respect the ingredients and the seasons. Also, I like to buy sustainable products.
Worst part of my job: Long days—I work 14 hours a day.
When I’m not in the kitchen... I go sailing, and my wife and I like to go trail riding on our horses in Del Mar.
San Diego as a “foodie” town: There are a lot of great neighborhood places popping up. Also, the new boutique hotels and their restaurants are raising the level. There are a lot of great organic gardens coming up, and people are actually paying attention to where their food is coming from.

Tourte de Canard (Duck Tart)

16           ounces duck meat (preferably legs)
16           ounces pork meat
8              ounces chicken livers
1              large yellow onion
2              carrots
2              branches of celery
4              cloves garlic
4              eggs
1              tablespoon black pepper
2              tablespoons kosher salt
5              sprigs of thyme
5              bay leaves
¼             cup cognac or brandy
¼             cup of white wine
Flour for dusting
2              sheets of frozen puff pastry (thawed)
Cooking spray, butter or oil
1              egg for egg wash

In a meat grinder, grind the duck, pork and livers. Then grind the vegetables. In a mixing bowl, mix ground meats and ground vegetables, and add seasonings, eggs, cognac or brandy and white wine. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably overnight.

On a floured surface using a rolling pin, roll each puff pastry sheet the size of a 9-inch cake or tart pan. Spray the pan with cooking spray or melted butter or oil. Place the first sheet on the bottom, making sure the dough covers the entire pan.

Brush the edges with egg wash and place the meat mixture inside the pan, making a dome shape. Place the second sheet of dough on top and pinch dough edges together all around to create a seal. Brush the top of the tourte with the remaining egg wash. Make a design, using a fork, for presentation. With a small knife, poke a small hole in the center to allow steam to escape during the cooking process. Bake in a 375 F. oven for 90 minutes or until the inside temperature reaches 165 F. Let the tourte rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

This tourte can be eaten warm or cold with a green salad tossed in vinaigrette and is the perfect starter for a holiday dinner.

 

Rhiana Glor
Proprietor and chef, Healthy Creations
(meal preparation service and takeout)
760-479-0500; healthycreations.com

Culinary training: Bauman College of Natural Foods
Kitchen experience: Selt-taught. “I always just cooked for family and friends. I took a lot of cooking classes and decided to open Healthy Creations.”
Best part of my job: Eating the food! I love coming up with new recipes because I get to eat it all.
Worst part of my job: I spend a lot of time trying to source ingredients. I use organic ingredients, and sometimes it’s hard to find certain things.
Favorite kitchen tool: Cookie scoop. We use it for most of our baked goods and also for making risotto cakes.
Favorite San Diego restaurant: I love El Q’ero in Encinitas—they’re part of the Slow Food Movement. And Costa Brava in Pacific Beach.

Fall Apple Crisp with Raw Caramel Sauce
Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a large bowl, mix:
4              cups sliced organic apples (about 5 apples; the best for this recipe are Granny Smith, Jona­gold, Gala, Braeburn or a mixture of these)
¼             cup Sucanat*
1              teaspoon lemon juice
3              tablespoons frozen organic apple juice concentrate
¼             cup maple syrup
Once mixed, pour into a greased 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish. In the same bowl, add:
1½          cups organic rolled oats (or for gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats)
2⁄3           cup Sucanat
½             cup gluten-free sorghum flour** or whole-wheat flour
½             teaspoon cinnamon
1              teaspoon vanilla extract
2              tablespoons maple syrup
½             cup butter, cut into small pieces
Use a pastry cutter or fork to mix together, combining butter into oats until it is moist and there are no clumps. Pour this dry mixture over the apple mixture. Bake for 35-45 minutes. A knife inserted into the apples should go in easily when it is done. If the top starts to brown too much, cover with foil. Serve topped with raw caramel sauce (recipe follows).

Raw Caramel Sauce
½             cup pitted dates
¾             cup almond butter
½             cup maple syrup
2              tablespoons coconut butter
1              tablespoon vanilla extract
½             teaspoon cinnamon
In a small bowl, soak the pitted dates in enough warm water to barely cover the dates, five to 10 minutes. Place remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Add the soaked dates, along with a little of the soaking water. Process until smooth. Taste; add more maple syrup for a sweeter taste. Serve over apple crisp or with raw apples or fruit, or store in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for three months.
*Sucanat is dried sugarcane juice. It is considered an unprocessed sugar, thus retaining its molasses content and nutrients.
**Sorghum is a gluten-free grain that is milled into a flour and sold at many healthy food stores.

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