The New American Steakhouse Cookbook: It's Not Just Meat and Potatoes Anymore - Hardcover

Walzog, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0767919432 ISBN 13: 9780767919432

Publisher: Broadway, 2005

Synopsis

New York City’s best-known steakhouse chef brings restaurant-caliber cooking to the home kitchen with his creative spin on America’s classic cuisine, featuring a wide array of seafood, chicken, steaks, and chops, plus a host of scene-stealing appetizers, side dishes, drinks, and desserts.

When David Walzog opened the doors to the first of his three New York steakhouses in 1998, he sought to update an American institution. By applying the principles of New American cuisine—with all its creativity and fresh-from-the-farm flavor—he reinvented the steakhouse. Now, in 125 favorite recipes, the celebrated chef invites you to duplicate his modern steakhouse meals at home.

The New American Steakhouse Cookbook tackles every element of a meal, starting with flavor-packed hors d’oeuvres like Whipped Garlic Goat Cheese and Sherried Tomatoes on Cheese Crisps; Moroccan Spiced Lamb Chops; and Steamed Peel-and-Eat Shrimp. Salads and small plates (Baked Crabmeat Gratin; Sliced Beefsteak Tomatoes and Sweet Onions with Fresh Herbs and Blue-Cheese Croutons) and soups (Chilled Yellow Tomato Gazpacho; Green Lentil Soup with Grilled Country Ham) also make impressive starters.

Walzog’s main dishes prove that “steakhouse” doesn’t just mean steak, with other hearty dishes such as Barbecue-Braised Beef Short Ribs; Marinated Skirt Steak; Beef Tenderloin Kebobs; Cider and Stout Roasted Pork Shoulder; Grilled Salmon Steaks with Buttered Leeks and Shitake Mushrooms; and Lemon-Pepper Marinated Chicken with Grilled Asparagus. This steakhouse specialist teaches you everything you need to know about buying, preparing, and cooking steak, as well.

You can choose side dishes from such irresistible possibilities as Black Truffle Creamed Spinach, Gruyère Potato Gratin, and Toasted Barley Risotto with Mushrooms and Thyme. Recipes for steakhouse sauces and condiments like Stilton Cheese Sauce, Red Onion Compote, and Smoked Chile Ketchup are here, too. He provides tips throughout on how to prepare a dish in advance and then finish it quickly, as well as expert grilling advice.

Wine and beer pairing suggestions accompany the recipes, and there is a generous selection of drinks, including classic and contemporary cocktails ranging from Whiskey Sours to Flirtinis and even a selection of nonalcoholic drinks. Creamy Mascarpone Cheesecake with Marinated Fresh Raspberries, Five-Layer Chocolate Cake, and Strawberry “Biscuitcake” are some of the sweet finales.

With The New American Steakhouse Cookbook, you can bring the best of America’s favorite restaurant dining experience home.

About this title

About the Author

DAVID WALZOG is the chef at Michael Jordan’s The Steak House NYC, Strip House, and The Steak House at Monkey Bar, all in Manhattan as well as Strip Houses in Livingston, New Jersey, and Houston, Texas. A three-time James Beard Award nominee for Arizona 206 and Tapika, he is also a frequent guest on TVFN and a number of television shows. ANDREW FRIEDMAN has collaborated on more than a dozen cookbooks with chefs including Michael Lomonaco, Alfred Portale, and Tom Valenti. He lives in New York City with his family.

From the Inside Flap

When David Walzog opened the doors to his first of three New York steakhouses in 1998, he sought to update an American institution. By applying the principles of New American cuisine—with a slew of influences and creativity, and fresh-from-the-farm flavor—he reinvented the steakhouse. Now, with 125 favorite recipes, the celebrated chef shows home cooks how to duplicate his modernized take on this popular fare.

While he includes the secrets to perfecting that Caesar and rib eye, The New American Steakhouse Cookbook also reveals how to set the stage with showstoppers like Warm Crabmeat Tartlets with Spice Dijon Cream, and Beefsteak Tomato, Sweet Onion, and Fresh Herb Salad with Blue Cheese Croutons. Magnificent main dishes include Marinated Swordfish with Fresh Herb Butter and Spicy Stewed Tomatoes; Cider and Stout Braised Pork Shoulder; Cajun Veal Medallions with Red Pepper-Parsley Salad; and Beef Tenderloin Kebabs with Summer Vegetables. His spectacular side dishes feature Black Truffle Creamed Spinach; Potato-Gruyère Cheese Gratin; and Vegetable-Stuffed Red Ripe Tomato. And for dessert, Walzog shares the recipe for his legendary Four-Layer Chocolate Cake, along with his Creamy Mascarpone Cheesecake.

Not just for steak lovers, this collection of stellar recipes is a must-have for anyone who simply loves great food.

Reviews

The chef at three popular Manhattan steakhouses, Walzog aims to dispel the "utter predictability" of most such venues by endowing his sides, fish, poultry and meats other than beef with big flavors. This ambition, of course, can require plenty of time for the home cook to make such hors d'oeuvres as Seafood Cocktail with Three Relishes or Warm Crabmeat Tartlets with Spicy Dijon Cream. But Walzog's professional familiarity with the grill does allow him to perfect some time-efficient techniques for such dishes as Grilled Long Island Duck Breast with Charred Tomato-Smoked Chile Sauce and Taleggio Cheese, and Seaweed-Steamed Maine Lobster and Grilled Corn on the Cob. Steaks, naturally, receive ample attention, and Walzog includes tips on buying them and on seasoning the beef before tossing it on the grill. He uses oil, salt and pepper only, eschewing flavorful rubs or marinades that obscure the meat's taste (though an inspiring chapter covers condiments and sauces like Mango-Cumin Cream for shrimp or lobster and a more traditional Steakhouse Sauce). Helping the cook are pointers in many of the recipes indicating which elements can be prepared in advance. This is an appealing mix of expected and unusual fare. Photos. Agent, Angela Miller. (Apr. 12)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

You won't find the phrase "cocktail food" in the dictionary, but everybody knows what it means. Cocktail food is food that's meant to be passed around a room or shared at the table during the early stages of a get-together.

It's food that goes great with beer, wine, and/or mixed drinks. It satisfies the mouth but doesn't kill the appetite. It's what my parents' generation called hors d'oeuvres, but which my generation of chefs have Americanized, inspiring me to call the category by an American name.

I've developed a huge repertoire of cocktail food in the restaurants where I've worked, from the southwestern Tapika, where I first introduced what I call "table-share appetizers" on the menu, to the many steakhouses where I'm the chef today.

I think that cocktail food is very important, not just something to have out when people arrive. To me, cocktail food sets the tone for an evening with microbites that are a little preview of things to come.

This chapter features a cross section of my favorite cocktail food, including vegetarian, fish, poultry, and meat. They all pass my checklist of musts:

* They can be made, at least partially, in advance. When entertaining, anything that can
be done ahead of time gets a gold star next to it because it makes your life easier. All of these recipes receive that extra credit.

* They pack a ton of flavor into a small space. I love cocktail food that demands to be noticed. So I try to fit more flavors in each bite, or on each plate, than you may expect.

* They're drink-friendly. If you're going to call a chapter "Cocktail Food," you better be offering up recipes that belong next to a beer, a glass of wine, or a cocktail.

* They're fun to eat. My favorite cocktail foods are the ones that you pick up with your fingers and the ultimate ones are those that get dunked in a sauce on their way to your mouth. There's a lot of dunking here.

VEGETABLE ROLL WITH GINGER-GREEN CHILE SAUCE

serves 4 to 6 (makes 4 rolls, 24 to 32 bite-size pieces)

Make-ahead cocktail food doesn't get much better than this. These rolls don't even ask you to do much cooking: you just turn on the stove for a few seconds to soften up the tortillas. Marinating the raw vegetables in lemon vinaigrette breaks them down and integrates their flavors just as a quick saute would, but with a minimum of oil, so they taste clean and fresh.

I take vegetable rolls in a southwestern direction with flour tortillas. These also call on one of my favorite go-to flavor tricks--flicking an assortment of herbs over the vegetables to create surprising bursts of flavor that vary from bite to bite.

1 carrot, julienned
2 celery stalks, scraped of fibrous exterior and julienned
2 cups very thinly sliced white cabbage (from about 1/3 head cabbage)
1 zucchini, julienned from the skin to the seeds, seeds discarded
1 red bell pepper, very thinly sliced lengthwise
3/4 cup lemon vinaigrette (page 11)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 flour tortillas, 10 inches in diameter
1 bunch fresh chives
8 fresh mint leaves
8 fresh cilantro sprigs
8 fresh basil leaves, each torn in half
ginger-green chile sauce (recipe follows)

Put the carrot, celery, cabbage, zucchini, and bell pepper in a bowl. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and toss. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature; during this time, the vegetables will begin to soften and break down.

Transfer the vegetables to a clean bowl, gently squeezing out most of the vinaigrette and juice by hand; you want to remove most of the liquid without crushing the shape out of the vegetables. Discard the liquid.

Warm a tortilla over a gas flame, or in a hot dry skillet set over high heat, until pliable, 20 to 30 seconds. Set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Lay 1 tortilla on a work surface and spoon one-quarter of the vegetables in a neat, cigar-shaped column down the center. Scatter one-quarter of the chives, mint, cilantro, and basil randomly over the vegetables. Roll the tortilla tautly around the vegetables, brush some ginger-chile sauce along the edge to "glue" it closed, then finish rolling it. Set the roll, seam side down, on a clean plate.

Repeat with the remaining tortillas, vegetables, and herbs.

BREAK POINT

The rolls can be made to this point, individually wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated for 3 to 4 hours. Serve them cold or at room temperature.

To serve, cut each roll into 1-inch pieces and arrange the pieces on a large plate or platter. Pour the remaining sauce into a ramekin or small bowl and set in the middle of the platter. Let everyone dip their pieces into the sauce.

GINGER-GREEN CHILE SAUCE

makes 1 1/2 cups
4 ounces peeled fresh ginger
(one 5- to 6-inch-long knob), roughly chopped
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapñeos
1/2 cup mayonnaise
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Put the ginger, lime juice, jalapeños, and 2 tablespoons water in a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in a standing blender. Puree to a paste. Pour the mixture onto a sheet of cheesecloth, roll up the cloth, and squeeze over a small bowl to extract the liquid. Discard the solids. Whisk in the mayonnaise and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

The sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

to drink
crisp/fresh white
light-bodied beer


WHIPPED GARLIC GOAT CHEESE AND SHERRIED TOMATOES ON CHEESE CRISPS
serves 4 to 6 (makes 40 pieces)

These crisps answer the question "How many flavors can fit in the same small space?" Herbs, garlic, goat cheese, sherry vinegar, tomatoes, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese are piled one on top of another. When you pop the crisp in your mouth, the flavors just keep coming--pow, pow, pow--each one complementing all the others. You might want to make double the amount here; people tend to wolf these down.

Cheese crisps usually turn up as perfectly shaped tuilles, but I like to bake all of the Parmigiano-Reggiano together in a sheet and break it up into little abstract pieces. If you don't have a pastry bag, break the crisps into slightly larger pieces and use two teaspoons to apply the cheese and tomatoes, scooping the ingredients up with one teaspoon and pushing them onto the crisps with the other.

2 cups finely grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (from about 8 ounces cheese)
8 ounces goat cheese, softened at room temperature
1 garlic clove, minced, plus 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
4 plum tomatoes, peeled (see note), seeded, and cut into very small dice
2 fresh basil leaves, very thinly sliced
8 fresh chervil sprigs

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Spread the Parmigiano-Reggiano on a nonstick baking sheet and shape into a rectangle about 9 inches wide, 13 inches long, and 1/8 inch thick. Bake until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven and let the cheese cool to room temperature. The cheese will be brittle; break it into small pieces about 1/2 inch across.

BREAK POINT

The cheese crisps can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
Put the goat cheese, minced garlic, chives, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a standing mixer and whip until the ingredients are well integrated into a whipped herb cheese. (Or do this in a regular mixing bowl and use a handheld mixer.) Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with the star tip, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Set aside at room temperature.

BREAK POINT

The whipped cheese can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Let soften at room temperature for about 30 minutes before proceeding.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until lightly browned, approximately 1 minute. Add the vinegar and tomatoes, stir, then add the basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir again. Cook for another 10 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

BREAK POINT

The tomato mixture can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours, but no longer. Drain the tomatoes before proceeding.
To serve, pipe some whipped cheese onto each crisp. Top each one with a dollop of sherried tomatoes. Garnish with the chervil and serve.

Note: To Peel Tomatoes
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water. Core the tomatoes and slice a shallow X in the skin at the bottom. Add the tomatoes to the boiling water and cook just until the skin begins to pull away at the edges of the X, 15 to 20 seconds, then immediately (you don't want the tomatoes to soften at all), use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the tomatoes to the ice water. When cool enough to handle, peel and discard the tomatoes' skin. If it doesn't come right off, use a paring knife to loosen it.

to drink
oaky/full-bodied white rosa


ICED JUMBO SHRIMP COCKTAIL WITH HOMEMADE COCKTAIL SAUCE
serves 6

This shrimp cocktail is a prime example of how much difference a few well-chosen ingredients can make. The fresh garlic and tomatoes in the sauce and the fact that you can doctor it to taste just might make it the best one you've ever had. If you can, make the cocktail sauce a day in advance and chill it in the refrigerator to really maximize the ...

Edition details

• Publisher: Broadway
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0767919432
• ISBN 13: 9780767919432
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224