Great Chefs Cook Vegan - Linda Long [15]
Charlie Trotter’s restaurant is a member of the esteemed Relais & Chateaux and Traditions & Qualite. It has received five stars from the Mobil Travel Guide, five diamonds from AAA, and ten James Beard Foundation awards including Outstanding Restaurant. Wine Spectator has named it The Best Restaurant in the World for Wine & Food (1998) and America’s Best Restaurant (2000). Trotter has won the IACP Humanitarian of the Year and been honored at the White House by Colin Powell’s foundation America’s Promise for his work. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the James Beard Foundation, the author of fourteen cookbooks and two management books, and the host of an award-winning PBS cooking series, The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter.
Matthias Merges, corporate executive chef and service director for Charlie Trotter’s Corporation, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has spent the past twelve years at Charlie Trotter’s. He manages all restaurant and culinary operations under the Trotter “excellentist” plan including Charlie Trotter’s Chicago, Restaurant C in Los Cabos, Mexico, Trotter’s To-Go, and Charlie Trotter’s Foods. He is also responsible for all cookbook development, television show content, and Trotter participation in special events.
Warm Heirloom Tomatoes with Fava Beansand Crisp Squash Blossoms
Serves 6
Tomatoes
3 black tomatoes
3 yellow tomatoes
3 burgundy tomatoes
Sea salt
Grains of paradise, freshly ground, to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon chives
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
8 red currant tomatoes
8 yellow currant tomatoes
1 shallot, minced
To make the Tomatoes: Score the black, yellow, and burgundy tomatoes with an X on the bottom. Blanch quickly in boiling salted water until the skins begin to peel, and then immediately shock in ice water; remove skins and reserve tomatoes. Place tomato skins on a nonstick baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper and bake at 200 degrees F (convection oven at 175 degrees F) until skins are dehydrated and crispy, usually about 2 hours. When they are completely dried out, pulverize them in a coffee grinder, herb grinder, or small food processor; set aside.
Cut the tomatoes into quarters. Using a sharp knife, remove the seeds, creating a thick tomato “petal.” Place all the tomato petals on a sheet tray and season liberally with sea salt, grains of paradise, thyme, rosemary, and chives. Finish with a generous drizzle of oil. Bake at 200 degrees F (convection at 170 degrees F) for approximately 1-1/2 hours, or until half the moisture has evaporated.
Cut the currant tomatoes in half. Combine with shallot, 1/4 cup oil, and sea salt; set aside.
Crisp Squash Blossoms
4 zucchini blossoms
2 cups grapeseed oil
Sea salt
Grains of paradise, freshly ground
To make the Crisp Squash Blossoms: Peel back zucchini blossom petals from core and stem. Deep fry the petals in 375-degree F grapeseed oil until crisp. Remove from oil and season with sea salt and grains of paradise. Reserve on paper towels to remove any residual oil.
Basil Oil
2 cups bush basil, whole leaf, loosely packed
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, divided
To make the Basil Oil: Sauté basil in a hot sauté pan with 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil. Cool immediately by placing on paper towels in the refrigerator. When cold, combine basil and the remaining grapeseed oil in a blender until smooth. Pass through a coffee filter into a small container, letting the flavored oil slowly pass though the filter; set aside.
Fava Beans
8 ounces fava beans, out of pod but not peeled
2 cups vegetable stock,