Dishes You Wish For
When I first started dining out I thought there was nothing better than going to Chart House for their famous mud pie — that oversized slab of coffee ice cream with fudge topping, chopped peanuts, and whipped cream. As time went by and my tastes matured (although I still do love a slab of good mud pie), I began to dine at places like Dobson’s and indulge in the mussel bisque, their signature dish. Most restaurants have a signature dish, a dish they’re especially proud of, one that is extremely popular, and most of the time not even the most expensive dish on the menu. Home cooks frequently have signature dishes too, like my grandmother’s pot roast, my great-grandmother’s fried chicken, and my best friend Kim’s chicken and dumplings. It’s that dish that you hope for when invited to dinner. We’ve asked some of our best local chefs to offer up a dish that they are known for or one that they hope to be famous for soon. Bon appétit.
— Terryl Gavre, photography by Vincent Knakal

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese by executive chef Tommy Dimella of Dussini Mediterranean Bistro downtown

OCTOBER RECIPES

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese
By executive chef Tommy Dimella of Dussini Mediterranean Bistro downtown

Ingredients:
1/4 cup (2 oz) butter
2 rounded tbsp (2 oz) red onion, fine chop
kosher salt to taste
9 oz thawed raw lobster slipper tails
1/2 oz brandy
2 oz bechamel sauce
4 oz whipping cream
1 tsp lobster base
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup packed (3 oz) sharp white cheddar cheese (shredded)
8 oz hot cooked elbow macaroni
6 drops (1/8 tsp) white truffle oil
1 tsp chives
2 puff pastry lobsters

Preparation:
Add 1/4 cup butter to a 10-inch sauté pan, place over medium high heat and melt. Add 2 rounded tbsp red onion. Saute until transparent. Kosher salt to taste the lobster slipper tails. Saute the lobster until opaque or just cooked. Remove from heat and add 1/2 oz brandy and place back on heat to flame. Add 2 oz bechamel sauce, 4 oz whipping cream, 1 tsp lobster base, 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/8 tspblack pepper, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper. Toss to mix all ingredients. Cook until slightly reduced (about 1 minute). Add 1 cup white cheddar and 8 oz hot elbow macaroni. Toss until cheese is melted. Add 6 drops white truffle oil and toss. Place in a large dinner plate. Sprinkle 1tsp herb mix over the lobster macaroni and cheese.

Horseradish Crusted Halibut with Saffron Broth
By executive chef Brian Malarkey of The Oceanaire Seafood Room downtown

Ingredients:
4 pieces of halibut (8-10 oz each)
1 bunch green onion
1 ea zucchini
1 ea squash

Ingredients for the horseradish crust:
1/4 lb softened butter
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup horseradish
1 tbsp Italian parsley (fine chop)

Mix all together.

Ingredients for the saffron broth:
1 qt water
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 yellow onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves
10 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1/2 fennel bulb
2 celery stalks (chopped)
1 pinch saffron

Bring all to a boil, simmer for 45 minutes. Strain and serve.

Preparation:
Use middle blade of vegetable slicer (mandoline) to slice all vegetables. Cook all together in saffron broth for approximately 3 minutes or until desired doneness. Sear halibut in pan on high heat. Transfer to sheet pan and rub on horseradish crust. Bake at 350 degrees to desired doneness

Plating:
Ladle saffron broth into shallow bowl. Add 1/4 vegetable mixture to middle of bowl. Place halibut on top of vegetables

Achoite Rubbed Local Sea Bass with Chino Farm Peppers and Fregola
By executive chef Antonio Friscia of Stingaree downtown

Ingredients:
24 oz sea bass
achiote
12 oz fregola
1 cup julienne mixed peppers (pasilla, anaheim, sweet bells)
1 tbsp sliced garlic
1 head hydro watercress
6 each mixed cherry tomatoes (cut in quarters)
1 heirloom tomato cut in eighths
1 roasted cob of bi-color corn
3 oz Spanish chorizo
8 oz San Marzano peeled and crushed tomatoes
1/2 oz julienne basil
1/2 oz chopped Italian parsley
1 pinch crushed red chili flakes

Ingredients for the vinaigrette:
3 tbsp of lemon juice
4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
salt and fresh cracked pepper

Preparation for the pepper and fregola ragout:
Saute julienne peppers with sliced garlic, chorizo, basil, crushed chili flakes, San Marzano tomatoes, and Italian parsley. Deglaze the pan with white wine (Pinot Gris) and a half cup of lobster stock (chicken stock is a good substitute). Set aside. Boil fregola for 8-10 minutes in salted water. Strain and add immediately to pepper ragout. Finish with high quality extra-virgin olive oil or sweet butter (2 oz). Add salt /pepper to taste.
Leave the ragout on the side and keep it warm.

Preparation for the fish:
Cut the fish in 6 oz portions and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Rub the fish with the achiote paste. (Thin achiote paste first with a few oz of orange juice.) Pan sear the sea bass using extra virgin olive oil, 3 minutes on each side, then finish the cooking in the oven (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 7 to 8 minutes. Take the fish out of the pan and let it rest on the side.

Preparation for the cherry tomato roasted corn salad:
Wash and cut watercress, cut the cherry tomatoes in quarters, and cut roasted corn off the cob. Put all ingredients together in a small salad bowl. Add the lemon juice and the olive oil, mix it again with salt and pepper.

Using four individual plates, display the fregola ragout in the middle, top it with the sea bass, and drop slowly the tomato corn salad on top of the fish. Drizzle with high quality extra-virgin olive oil.

We recommend your drink a bottle of Greco di Tufo from Italy 2002.

(Serves 4)

Broiled Australian Barramundi with Crab & Mango Salsa
By chef Jon Niese of Palm Restaurant downtown

Chef's note: With a national and international reputation as a splendid sporting fish with premium eating qualities, the barramundi is becoming more and more popular in the United States. The white fish is native to Australia but its eggs are shipped to and then farmed here in the United States. It is more commonly found at fish markets rather than at the local grocery store, so if you are unable to find the tasty fish, consider substituting flounder or snapper.

Ingredients for the Australian barramundi fillet:
(1 serving)
13.5 - 14 oz Fresh Barramundi with the skin on
1 oz olive oil (to coat the fish)
pinch of kosher salt

Preparation:
Rub the fish with the olive oil and kosher salt. Broil at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for one minute on each side until golden brown on a sizzle plate with lemon water. Finish in the oven if necessary. Sprinkle the top of the fish with oreganata crumbs. Place fish in the center of the plate. Garnish simply with a lemon wheel and a sprinkle or parsley.

Ingredients for the mango salsa:
1 mango (ripe)
1 top bunch of cilantro (chopped fine)
1/2 jalapeno (minced, seeds removed)
1/4 pineapple
1 lime (juiced)
1/2 red pepper (small dice)
1/2 yellow pepper (small dice)
2 oz jumbo lump crab, pasteurized
pinch of salt
pinch of white pepper

Preparation:
Mince all the vegetables and cilantro and combine in a bowl. Chop the mango and pineapple into 1/2-inch size pieces and add to the vegetables. Squeeze the juice from the lime over the top of all the ingredients and toss well until all are combined. Season with the salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.

Chef's simple tips for cooking a terrific piece of fish:
Check the fish appearance. Fillet should be:
* Moist but completely cooked
* Just beginning to flake, but still tender
* Opaque
* One single piece of even thickness

Remember internal cooking temperatures to assure it is cooked to your liking:
* 130-135 degrees Fahrenheit = rare
* 135-140 degrees Fahrenheit = medium
* 140-145 degrees Fahrenheit = well done