Caesar Salad with Smoked Bacon & Quail's Eggs

Inspired by Chef Jason Bangerter's Caesar Salad that I had at Luma last year, I decided to try and reproduce his modern interpretation of the culinary classic. With all of the familiar salty and savoury flavours of a classic Caesar, Chef Bangerter's version was delicious and the presentation, stunning. Tiny boiled quail's eggs, crispy double smoked bacon lardons, homemade croutons, salt cured anchovy fillets and thick curls of shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano were all nestled atop centre-cut medallions of romaine lettuce hearts topped with a tangy Caesar vinaigrette.

Chef Jason Bangerter of Luma

Two thick slices of double smoked bacon from Scheffler's 

in Toronto's St. Lawrence Market

Although you could use pancetta, I found this fabulous double smoked bacon at Scheffler's in Toronto's St. Lawrence Market, and had them cut two thick slices for a smokier more flavourful lardon in my Caesar Salad. Julienned into 1/8-inch slices, the bacon is first placed in a cool pan, then brought up to heat with a little olive oil, and sautéed until lightly browned and crispy.

Scheffler’s Deli & Cheese has been in business at the Market since 1955 

and has the largest selection of prosciutto in the city

The bacon is julienned into 1/8-inch pieces and placed in a cold skillet

Sautéed gently with a teaspoon of olive oil, 

the bacon is cooked through until it becomes slightly crispy

One of the more charming adornments of Chef Bangerter's Caesar were the soft boiled quail's eggs. Cooking them in gently boiling water for only a few minutes then peeling them while they're still warm, makes the task of peeling the little guys slightly easier. Waiting too long, the membrane sticks tightly to the shell making peeling the eggs much more time consuming. 

The quail's eggs are cooked briefly in gently boiling water for about 5 minutes, 

then peeled, halved and used as a lovely garnish on the salad

Homemade croutons are one of my therapeutic kitchen pastimes. I hate waste and make use of any leftover baguettes, buns or nice bread. Cut into bite size cubes and sautéed over medium-high in a skillet with olive oil and liberally seasoned with herb de provence, salt and fresh ground pepper, the croutons are sautéed until they're golden brown. Any leftovers just get bagged and bunged in the freezer for future use. Easy-peasey.

Pan fried homemade croutons 

My all-time favourite Caesar Salad dressing is from Alfred Portale's Gotham Grill & Bar Cookbook. Boldly flavoured with lots of garlic and anchovies, Chef Portale's recipe suggests adding grated Parmigiano-Reggiano into the dressing, but in keeping with my vision of Chef Bangerter's Caesar, I waited and added thick curls of Parmigiano on top of the salad as part of the final presentation. 

Alfred Portale's excellent 'Gotham Bar and Grill' cookbook

Chef Alfred Portale

The real key to Luma's Caesar Salad is the way Chef Bangerter cuts the romaine lettuce. Rather than tearing it into bite size pieces, he slices romaine hearts cross-wise into 2-inch thick 'medallions' and places them flat on the plate, creating a leafy plateau onto which the symphony of savoury Caesar goodies are mounded.

Caesar Salad with Double Smoked Bacon & Quail's Eggs
Serves 4

4 jumbo romaine lettuce hearts

12 quail's eggs, at room temperature
12 anchovy fillets
2 thick slices double smoked bacon

Parmigiano-Reggiano

Croutons:

1 small baguette

1 tsp herbe de provence

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Caesar Dressing:
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 anchovy fillets
2 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste with kosher salt
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste


For the dressing: In a small blender, combine the egg, lemon juice, mustard, anchovies and garlic. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until the dressing is smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and refrigerate until needed.

For the homemade croutons: slice the baguette into 1/2-inches pieces, then cut each slice into bite size pieces, about 6 croutons per slice. Place a small skillet over medium-high with some olive oil, and when the oil is shimmering, add the bread. Liberally season with salt, pepper and herbe de provence, tossing to coat and stirring frequently until the bread is golden brown. Drain on paper towel and set aside.

Julienne the double smoked bacon into 1/8-inch slices and then sauté in a small skillet with a teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until the bacon is crisp and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Drain on paper towel and set aside.

Place the quail's eggs in a small saucepan of cold water and bring to a gentle boil, allowing the eggs to cook 3-4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and cool briefly in cold water so the eggs are easier to handle. While they're still warm, peel carefully by first tapping the eggs all over to crack the shells, then holding each egg under a slow trickle of running water, peel the shell off starting at the wide end. The water will flush off any bits of shell that cling on to the eggs. Cover and set aside until needed. (This can all be done ahead up to this point).

To compose the salad: start by setting out 4 dinner bowls. On a cutting board, slice each heart of romaine crosswise into 2-inch thick 'medallions,' using just the centre cut and discarding the head and root — you should get about 3 or 4 pieces per head. As you cut each lettuce, place 3 'wheels' tightly together on each plate. Drizzle half of the dressing over the lettuce, then top with the bacon, followed by the croutons then the anchovies. Slice each quail's eggs in half and divide among each salad. Using a vegetable peeler, slice the parmigiano-reggiano into thick curls and garnish over each salad, then finish with a final drizzle of dressing. Season with fresh ground black pepper and a sprinkle of maldon salt.

Momofuku Noodle Bar: David Chang's Toronto Empire

New York’s Momofuku Noodle Bar was the restaurant that started it all for Michelin-starred Chef David Chang’s mini-empire. Influenced by his time spent working in ramen shops in Japan, Momofuku has been one of the most talked about restaurants to open in the city during the past year. The least expensive of his four Toronto concepts, which also includes Nikai, Daishō and Shōtō, the Noodle Bar takes up the ground level of James Cheng's eye-catching glass cube adjacent to the Shangri-La on University Avenue. The space is a stunning double-height blonde wood room, with glass and steel accents bordered by dark steel bridges and a sweeping open staircase. Echoing the vibe of its NYC sibling, the 70-seat restaurant has an open kitchen bar along its west wall, rows of communal white oak tables with backless benches and an enormous Steve Keene painting called Rust Never Sleeps that depicts Neil Young and Crazy Horse playing Madison Square Garden in 1978. 

David Chang, the man behind the buzz, is a global culinary superstar

Since opening the doors of his first restaurant in 2004, leading to what The New York Times dubbed "the slurp heard round the world," Chang's formula of pan-Asian cooking and French techniques, has earned him two Michelin stars, multiple awards and hoards of devotees who’ll do anything to get a reservation at one of his 11 restaurants — those that even take reservations, that is. And with a Momofuku cookbook, a line of sauces at Williams-Sonoma and an offbeat, wildly popular 100,000-circulation food quarterly magazine called Lucky Peach, David Chang is one of the world's biggest names in food right now.

David Chang's original New York Momofuku Noodle Bar

The son of Korean immigrants, Chang grew up in Virginia and majored in religion at Trinity College, after which he went to Japan to teach English. He'd always loved noodles, which he says is true of any Korean, but once an obsession with ramen hit him full-force, he entered the French Culinary Institute in New York and then did brief stints at the restaurants of some big-name chefs like Daniel Boulud and Tom Colicchio. By the time Chang was 26 he wanted his own place. He says 9/11 had a lot to do with it: "I had some friends who had passed away, so it was like, 'Does anything really matter?'" In 2004, Chang opened Noodle Bar, a tiny, cramped, cheap and raucous little ramen shop in New York’s East Village neighbourhood, where he poured himself into two simple staples: ramen bowls and pork buns. His initial hope was just to make it to one year, but what he was doing caught on, and the rest is history.

"Koreans are notorious noodle eaters and I'm no exception. 

I grew up eating noodles: Chinese noodles, Korean noodles...all kinds of noodles..."

His core idea was to apply the French techniques he learned at revered Manhattan restaurants such as Café Boulud and Craft to the Asian dishes he grew up eating, and to serve his food at communal tables to an indie rock soundtrack. His style is inventive, blending Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Italian and French cuisine with dazzling effect, and equally spectacular results — global awards, culinary accolades, six restaurants in New York, one in Sydney and now four in Toronto, Chang definitely has the recipe for success. "We’re just trying to make good food here," says Chang, whose long-time mantra has been to undersell and over-deliver. "We have to let the food speak for itself." And it does — loud and clear!  

Xhang Huan’s massive 'Rising' outside Momofuku's University Avenue location

But it's the Toronto venture that has been his biggest undertaking of the past year and probably his most ambitious project to date. Two years ago the developers of the Shangri-La Hotel approached Chang and asked if he'd want to set up a restaurant adjoining their building. Despite having offers in D.C., Los Angeles, and Hong Kong, he went for it. Chang says the deal was too good to pass up: an entire building, next door to a posh hotel, that boasts a different style of restaurant on each floor, allowed him to put the tiered, multi-faceted approach of his empire under one roof - "You don't get those kinds of offers in New York or the U.S.," he says. 

Momofuku's interior echoes elements of NYC’s Momofuku Noodle Bar, 

with textured oak walls that carry throughout the building’s first two floors

Arriving for an early dinner before heading to the Canadian Opera Company's opening night performance of Lucia di Lammermoor, we had our choice of seating: either at one of the restaurants's long communal tables or at the bar overlooking the Noodle Bar's bustling kitchen. We select two seats at the bar, but within minutes, there's a line-up of Ramen-lovers hoping to get a table, but with the Noodle Bar's 'no-reservations' policy, guests are sent upstairs to the second floor cocktail bar, Nikai. The maître d' takes your cell number and promises to text when a table comes up, which depending on the time can be a 10-45 minute wait. It pays to arrive early or wait until about 9:30pm, to avoid the ramen rush hour.

Echoing the vibe of its NYC sibling, the 70-seat space has an open kitchen bar 

along its west wall, and rows of communal white oak tables

The enormous Steve Keene painting entitled 'Rust Never Sleeps' that depicts 

Neil Young and Crazy Horse playing Madison Square Garden in 1978

Momofuku's Noodle Bar menu changes daily, and features 

a roster of dishes like bowls of ramen, steamed buns and rice cakes

The Noodle Bar’s dining room-facing open kitchen is where executive sous chef Hans Vogels and his crew cook orders. The commissary kitchen, led by Teruya Kobayashi is hidden below the premises, and shares the prep work with the kitchen. Unlike the New York Noodle Bar, the Toronto menu features only a dozen selections which arrive as they're ready and in no particular order. The 12-item menu runs $6 to $16. There are steamed buns - pork, chicken and shiitake; bowls - ramen, smoked chicken and egg, kimchi stew, chilled spicy noodles and ginger scallion; and extras - smoked chicken wings, roasted rice cakes, kimchi and pickles. 

Izumi 'Nama Nama' Sake is a freshly pressed, unpasteurized and unfiltered sake 

made by Ontario Spring Water Sake Company which is located in the Distillery District

Kimchi, a sweet and sour fermented side dish made of vegetables

and a variety of seasonings, is served in an open jar

Momofuku's cabbage and cucumber kimchi

One of Momofuku's cooks marinating chicken with 

Korean BBQ sauce, sesame and scallions for the noodle bar's $40 dish

Shrimp Buns with pickled onion, iceberg lettuce and spicy mayo

The Shrimp Bun was absolutely delicious, and rightfully so since 'buns' are David Chang's signature dish - specifically Pork Buns. Overall, the food is exceptional. Chang's cuisine brings together incredible textures, uncommon ingredients and surprising combinations into gutsy, massively delicious dishes that wow you with their subtlety even as they smack you in the face with flavour.

Smoked Chicken Ramen with miso, menma and a 66°C slow-poached egg

The Smoked Chicken Ramen, with its dark and compelling broth, was 'out-of-this-world' good. I wondered how they achieved such as rich and robust stock until I read David Chang's Momofuku recipe for his Ramen Broth and discovered that it contains no less than nine ingredients, including chicken, pork, smokey bacon, dried shiitakes and kelp, scallions, onion, carrot, a seasoning called taré, and it takes over a day to make. Much easier to order it at Momofuku!

Garnishing bowls of Ramen at Momofuku with a selection of prepared pickled vegetables

Containers of special sauces being prepared in the back kitchen 

arrive regularly to the cooks making ramen and other noodle dishes

Humboldt Squid with treviso, almond and citrus

Rib Steak with a crispy breaded French Kiss oyster topped with oyster hollandaise, 

crispy tarragon and panko, all served on top of white asparagus - the daily special for $22

Stir-fried Brussels Sprouts with fish sauce, kochu karu and puffed rice

Sticky Date Pudding

The Momofuku Cookbook

David Chang has revolutionized cooking in America with his use of bold Asian flavours and impeccable ingredients, his mastery of the humble ramen noodle, and his thorough devotion to pork. David Chang and ex-New York Times food writer Peter Meehan, joined forces in 2009 to create this incredible collection of recipes from Chang's NYC restaurants: Momofuku, Ssäm Bar and Ko. Chang relays with candour the tale of his unwitting rise to superstardom, which, although wracked with mishaps, happened at light speed. The Momofuku Cookbook is both the story and the recipes behind the cuisine that has changed the modern-day culinary landscape. Filled with gorgeous, full-color photos, and oodles of noodle recipes, this is a great read for anyone who truly enjoys food. 

momofuku.com

Momofuku Chicken Wings
Serves 4
Recipe from Momofuku Cookbook by David Chang

3 pounds chicken wings, tips saved for another use
2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/4 tsp finely chopped fresh chili pepper
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup light soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp Asian sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
freshly ground black pepper

2 green onions, finely sliced on a diagonal, for garnish


Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and place the chicken wings on the paper in single layer. Bake for 40-45 minutes, turning the chicken wings over halfway during the cooking process. While chicken is baking, make the vinaigrette. Combine together the remaining ingredients together in a large bowl, big enough to fit all of the chicken, and toss the wings in the vinaigrette to coat. Garnish with the chopped green onion and serve.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Serves 4-6 as a side

Recipe from Momofuku Cookbook by David Chang

2 tbsp very thinly sliced cilantro stems, plus 1/2 cup leaves
3 tbsp chopped mint
2-pounds brussels sprouts - smaller ones are better
Grapeseed or other neutral oil, as needed

Fish Sauce Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 to 3 red bird’s-eye chiles, thinly sliced, seeds intact

Combine the fish sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and chiles in a bowl. Taste, and if it's too salty, add more water and/or lime juice. Combine the vinaigrette, cilantro stems, and mint in a bowl, and set aside. 

Peel away any loose or discolored outer leaves, trim the dry end of the stems with a knife, and cut the sprouts in half. Cut any especially large ones in quarters. To roast the brussels sprouts, heat the oven to 400° F. Toss the sprouts with 1 tablespoon of oil per pound and spread them on a baking sheet, cut sides down. Roast in the oven, checking for browning every 10-15 minutes, tossing them around with a spatula only once they start to brown nicely. 

When ready to serve, divide the brussels sprouts among four bowls, or serve it all out of one big bowl, top with the dressing to taste and cilantro leaves, and toss once or twice to coat.

Chez Bruce: Wandsworth Michelin Star French Cuisine

Chez Bruce is part of a trio of wonderful London restaurants, which includes La Trompette in Chiswick and The Glasshouse in Kew. All three pride themselves on providing exceptional food, immaculately prepared with a strong French influence. Just over a decade ago, Bruce Poole, who is widely acknowledged to be one of Britain's best chefs, was asked by London restaurateur Nigel Platts-Martin to step into the kitchen of Harvey's, the Wandsworth restaurant made famous by British celebrity chef Marco Pierre White. With the restaurant rechristened Chez Bruce, he took up the challenge, wisely not trying to compete in the same culinary milieu as the charismatic White, cooking instead, gutsy and unpretentious French food that soon won him and the restaurant a raft of accolades, including a Michelin star awarded in 1999. 

Chef Bruce Poole

More recently, Chez Bruce achieved the unthinkable by knocking the perennial celeb's haunt, the Ivy, off its perch as London's favourite restaurant. No mean achievement as the Ivy had ruled that particular roost for nine years! Part of that success is attributable to a no-nonsense style of food that includes popular menu items such as Chateaubriand with hand-cut chips and Béarnaise sauce, Grilled Calf's Liver with anchovy and rosemary butter and Roast Cod with olive oil mash. It’s not just deluxe contemporary French comfort food that’s close to perfection at this place, its also the service, the lighting and the fact that you pay one set price whatever you order. It’s posh dining without the pretence —classic cooking at its purest, from a chef who's spent his time in the kitchen, not the limelight.

This is classic cooking at its purest from a chef who has spent his time 

in the kitchen, not the limelight

Ask any chef or foodie what they love about Poole's food and the answer is always the same. The food is straightforward and cooked from the heart. Nothing pretentious, no gimmicks, just good food. The benchmark for any Bruce Poole dish is his own palate. If he likes a taste, he'll chisel at it until he's satisfied, then he'll leave it alone. He won't tinker with it. He cooks the kind of food chefs like eating on their day off: technically precise without ever being too showy. Gordon Ramsay even eats here.

Our corner table at Chez Bruce

Before the meal begins we're treated to Chef Poole's buttery flavour-packed parmesan biscuits

Wine is served in elegant Schott Zwiesel crystal decanters

Deep-fried Brains with warm salad paysanne and sauce gribiche

English asparagus with poached duck egg, creamed polenta and parmesan

Risotto Nero, a black, inky rice suspended in a glossy sauce 

flavoured with fennel, lemon, star anise and white wine with gremolata

Roast cod with olive oil mash, provençale tomato, grilled courgette and gremolata

Hot chocolate and almond pudding with praline parfait and Vanilla bean iced cream

The phenomenal Chez Bruce cheese board with a fabulous selection 

of cheeses and homemade quince jelly

Espresso with a sweet and sticky homemade palmier

Two years ago, Chef Poole came out with his first cookbook, aptly named Bruce's Cookbook. The book begins with charming anecdotes and stories of how he started out, and of course, wonderful recipes he wants you to cook at home, such as Slow Roasted Shoulder of Lamb with harissa, spiced pilaf rice and yoghurt, Boeuf Bourgignon with parsnip purée, Ceviche of Salmon with crème fraîche and coriander, Potato Gnocchi with butter, wilted sage and parmesan and Chocolate Soufflé, to name a few. The cookbook has beautiful photography, is well written with thoroughly delicious recipes. I picked up this book as a culinary momento of the evening we spent at Chez Bruce, and for just £25.00, it was an affordable way to enjoy Chef Poole's cuisine for years to come.

The Chez Bruce cookbook

www.chezbruce.co.uk

Bruce's Roast Chicken
Serves 2–4 as a main course

1 free-range chicken
vegetable oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup duck fat 
1 bunch of fresh thyme or rosemary
2 whole heads of garlic, split in half so the cut cloves are exposed
1/2 cup water 
1 bunch Italian parsley, tarragon, sage or oregano, chopped
1 lemon

Set the oven to 425ºF. Remove the legs from the chicken: simply pull the leg forcefully from the crown and run a sharp knife between the two to release the skin. Once you've done this, you can easily pull the leg right down towards the board at right angles to the crown. Pick the whole chicken up and dislocate the thigh bone from its socket at the base of the bird. Once this is done, simply run the knife along the leg to release the whole from the crown. Repeat with the other leg. 

Place the roasting pan over a brisk heat and get it really hot, about 3 minutes or so. Very lightly oil only the crown with a little vegetable oil – a pastry brush is ideal for this. This simply gives the skin some stickiness for the seasoning to adhere to. Season the crown liberally with salt and pepper both on the skin and inside the cavity. Also season the legs on both sides. 

Put a heaped dessertspoon of duck fat into the pan followed immediately by the crown, breast down, and the legs, skin-side down. Using tongs, turn the crown on to the other breast when the first is beautifully golden. Turn the legs over at the same stage. This browning process will take 10 minutes or so. 

Turn the heat down a little if it is too fierce and beginning to scorch the side of the pan. When the chicken crown and legs are evenly coloured on both sides, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stovetop. Carefully place the thyme or rosemary evenly under the chicken and add some to the cavity. Place the garlic around and make sure both legs are in direct contact with the pan and are skin-side down. Place the whole lot in the oven for 30 minutes, basting twice. 

When basting, make sure that the garlic gets a generous helping of fat or the cloves may burn. After half an hour, take the pan from the oven and flip the legs over so that the skin side faces upwards. Cover loosely with foil and rest in a warm place for at least half an hour. 

Just before serving, transfer the chicken and legs to the chopping board. Remove the garlic from the pan and keep warm. Discard the roasting herbs, which will be scorched. Tip up the pan at one end so that the juices collect at the other end and skim off some of the fat, but not necessarily all of it. 

Put the pan back on a gentle heat, add the water and whisk well as the liquid boils. Ensure that all the residue is scraped up from the pan into the sauce. Pass the whole lot through a sieve into a small pan. Check the seasoning, add the chopped herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice. Keep warm. 

Carve the breasts from the crown, cutting down towards the board between the neck end and the wing bone. This will ensure a complete breast with the wing bone attractively attached. Repeat with the other breast. Cut each breast in two, one half slightly bigger than the other. 

Locate the joint between drumstick and thigh and cut between the two, thereby leaving four leg pieces. Serve the smaller drumstick with the slightly bigger breast piece and the smaller breast piece with the larger thigh joint. Spoon the herb gravy over and serve immediately with the roasted garlic.

Risotto Nero
Serves 6 as a generous starter

6 1/2 cups fish stock, chicken stock or water
4 oz unsalted butter
Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 head of fennel, cored, sliced and finely chopped
2 sticks of celery, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 cups risotto rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 oz passata, a good tomato purée
1 small dried chilli, crumbled
2 star anise
3 sachets of squid ink
18 baby squid, cleaned with tentacles intact
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon

Gremolata:
1 lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped


For the gremolata, remove the peel in long strips from the lemon, using a vegetable peeler. Mince the lemon peel then transfer to a small bowl. Mix in the parsley and garlic. This can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Bring the stock or water to a simmer. In your risotto pan, melt half of the butter with the same quantity of olive oil and, over a medium heat, sweat together the onion, fennel, celery and garlic. When these have softened, after 10 minutes or so, add the rice and continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan as you go.

Next up, add the wine and cook until all but evaporated, then the passata, dried chilli, star anise and the contents of the squid-ink sachets. Continue to cook until the rice has begun to absorb the passata.

Now start adding the hot stock or water, one ladleful at a time in the usual way. Towards the end of the cooking process, heat a large, non-stick frying pan until it's very hot. Season the baby squid well with plenty of sea salt and pepper, then sauté in batches in the frying pan in a thin film of smoking-hot olive oil. Transfer the cooked squid to a plate, together with any residual juices, squeeze a generous fistful of lemon juice over them and keep warm.

Finish the risotto with the remaining butter and check the seasoning. Divide between six warmed plates and top with the squid, the tentacles, any juices, an extra drizzle of olive oil and the gremolata.