Anticiplate

Each day, I move farther and farther away from my life as a ballet dancer and more into the life of a cook. And, by “life of a cook” I mean getting up as early as 10am, never being hydrated, eating dinner around 12:30 at night, being left out of the socializing on Friday and Saturday nights with my friends, only cooking at home once a week, and being terribly, terribly out of shape.

But, I love my job. 

On Sunday night, after working for 9 1/2 hours at the end of my 50 hour work week, I sat with my amazing boss, Brandon, on the metal stools at the concrete bar at Delancey. He chowed on his Margarita pizza, and I drank a glass of Verdelho, as we brainstormed for a couple of menu changes for my station at Delancey this week. We went back and forth, testing the waters of each others desires and palates and agreed on a couple of amazing changes. I won’t spoil the surprise, but you will be seeing a new salad and a warm appetizer. If you care about those things.

And, yes, you read correctly: I said warm!

I think that is why I am such a dinner-party-whore as well. I try to entertain at least one of my nights off each week, experimenting on my friends as if they were lab rats. Sometimes dishes work, sometimes they don’t. Desserts are almost always a flop, but I never said I was gonna be a pastry chef.

That. is. for. sure.

But, I crave watching my friend’s faces when a dish has worked. And last night, the dish worked. I owe it to this guy, who inspired me. I braised four lamb shanks in a mixture of toasted cumin seed, black cardamom, cloves, ginger, onions, garlic, and fresh cranberries. Oh my!

And I served a salad that I created this week at Delancey. Well, at least a version of it. I take for granted that when you work in a restaurant, you basically have any ingredient at your fingertips. So, yesterday, when I went to Whole Foods, I expected to leave the store with a couple of heads of Frisee. They didn’t have it. But they had blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries…. What is wrong with this picture?

I settled for crispy endive and tender watercress that I dressed with a navel orange and champagne viniagrette, rendered prosciutto bits and some of their oil, french goat cheese feta, and toasted pistachios.

And, honestly. I won’t even tell you about my dessert disaster. Well, okay. I will give you the cliffs notes version. I wanted to make a meyer lemon pot de creme. Which I did. Kind of. After straining the liquid and baking the “pots” in a water bath in the oven, they came out bubbly and odd looking. So, I figured I would make a meringue to cover up their ugliness (because it is their fault, and not mine). But, because I am stupid, I didn’t cook the meringue and after about 10 minutes, it separated in my pastry bag. So, then I ended up using baking sugar and a blow torch and making a pseudo meyer-lemon-pot-de-creme-brulee. Needless to say, that recipe is not going on this blog. Or ever being made again for that matter.

But enjoy the good recipes.

Feeds: 4

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 2 1/2 hours

Braised Lamb Shanks with Cranberries and Parsnip Puree

4 lamb shanks

1 tsp whole cumin seed

10 cloves

2 pods black cardamom, found in Asian markets

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2″ nub of ginger, grated

2 yellow onions, minced

3 tbs sugar

1 tbs kosher salt

12 oz bag of fresh cranberries

1 c. chicken stock

2 lbs. parsnips, peeled and diced

6 tbsp. salted butter

1/2 c. whole milk

Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

A handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Generously salt and pepper the four lamb shanks. Heat a large heavy-bottomed oven proof pot with a lid on medium high heat until very hot, then add a splash of olive oil. Sear the shanks until golden brown on all sides.  When the shanks are browned, transfer them to a plate and set aside.

Add the cumin, cloves and black cardamom and swirl in the oil until you start to hear them pop, about 30 seconds. Add the garlic, ginger, onions, sugar, and salt and saute them until soft and very fragrant. Add the cranberries and chicken stock and stir together to combine for about a minute. Nestle the lamb shanks back into the cranberries and onion mixture. Cover the mixture with a sheet of parchment paper, top with a lid, and put in the oven to braise for 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone.

Meanwhile, cover the parsnips with cold water in a pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Salt the water once boiling. Boil the parsnips until soft enough to pierce with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain the liquid, and transfer the hot parsnips into a food processor. Add the butter, and pulse a couple of times to let the butter melt into the parsnips. Slowly drizzle 1/2 of the milk into the pureed parsnips. If the mixture is still too thick, add more milk. Season to taste with salt and a generous amount of black pepper.

To plate: spoon the parsnip puree on the bottom of a warmed plate. Place one lamb shank on top, and spoon the cranberry sauce all over the lamb. Sprinkle with chopped flat leaf Italian parsley.

The Delancey Salad

3 endlive, cut and leaves separated

1 bunch watercress, cleaned

1 shallot, minced

3 tbsp. champagne vinegar

1/2 c. olive oil

Kosher salt

1/4 c. prosciutto bits (mince and saute in olive oil)

3 navel oranges, supremed and juice reserved

1/4 c. toasted pistachios

A large nub of goat cheese feta, crumbled

In a medium bowl, combine the reserved navel orange juice, champagne vinegar, and shallots with a pinch of kosher salt. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil (or to be really fancy, the strained prosciutto oil). Taste for seasonings and adjust.

Add in the prosciutto bits and the navel orange segments. Stir and adjust again for seasonings.

Fold the lettuces into the dressing mixture and toss gently. Plate and top with toasted pistachios and crumbled feta.