Chocolate Crème Brûlée
Submitted by chef Patrick O’ Connell of The Inn at Little Washington.
Makes six 5-ounce custards.
1 quart heavy cream
10 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
8 ounces good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
For the Caramelized Crust:
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
Preheat the oven to 300 F.
In a 2-quart sauce pan set over medium heat, warm the cream just to a boil. Remove from heat.
Place the egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk in the sugar. Beat until the yolks are pale yellow and slightly thickened. Slowly whisk the hot cream into the yolk mixture.
Place the chopped chocolate into another large mixing bowl. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute or two. Mix gently with a spatula until the chocolate is completely melted and fully incorporated. Strain through a fine sieve into a 2-quart pitcher and skim off any foam.
Place six 5-ounce ceramic or glass crème brûlée molds in a baking pan with 2 inch sides. Pour the chocolate custard mixture into the molds. Using a paper towel blot any bubbles floating on top.
Place the baking pan in the oven and pour hot water around the custards until it reaches halfway up the sides of the molds. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tip of a paring knife inserted in the center of the custards comes out just barely sticky. Do not overcook.
Carefully remove the pan from the oven, take the custards out of the water bath and cool to room temp. Refrigerate them for several hours before serving.
To Serve:
Sprinkle each custard evenly with about 1 tablespoon of sugar. Wipe any excess sugar off of the rim of the molds.
Hold a lit blowtorch with a medium flame about 6 inches from the top of each custard and move the flame evenly over the surface, allowing the sugar to melt and caramelize. Make sure all of the sugar has melted. Let cool for several minutes to let the sugar harden. Serve immediately.
Scallops & Asiago Grits
Submitted by chef Brian Robinson of Restaurant 3, Arlington, VA
Serves 4.
3 cups milk
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) butter, divided
1 cup stone-ground grits
1 teaspoon finely grated Asiago cheese
¼ cup vegetable oil
12 large scallops, muscle removed
¼ cup diced tasso ham
¼ cup diced Roma tomato
3 tablespoons minced garlic
½ cup white wine
1 ½ cups clam juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup thinly sliced scallions
In a saucepan, bring milk and 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter to a boil. Slowly stir in grits, whisking constantly until they start to thicken. Reduce heat to low and continue to whisk until done, about 15 minutes. Whisk in Asiago cheese a few minutes before grits are finished.
In a large skillet (or in two batches using a medium skillet), heat oil over medium heat and sauté scallops until brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn scallops and add ham, tomato, and garlic; cook 1 more minute. Remove scallops from the skillet and set aside. Deglaze the skillet with white wine. Add clam juice, reduce heat to medium, and cook until liquid has reduced by one-third. Return scallops to the skillet. Add 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter and season with salt and pepper. Spoon grits into a bowl and top with scallops, sauce, and scallions.
Bacon-infused Vodka (for Bloody Marys)
Submitted by chef Brian Robinson of Restaurant 3, Arlington, VA
10 slices bacon
1 liter vodka
Cook 10 slices of good-quality bacon. Put into a liter bottle of vodka and allow to marinate for 48 hours. After 48 hours have elapsed, pour vodka through a coffee filter. Repeat with another coffee filter. Return to the bottle and seal. Use in place of regular vodka in Bloody Marys.
Ant-Eye-Ox-A-Dent
Submitted by Gina Chersevani of PS7′s, Washington, DC
1 ½ ounces Blue Ridge vodka
1 ounce cranberry juice, freshly squeezed
1 ounce pomegranate tea, cooled
1 ounce lo-cal sour mix (combine ½ cup Splenda, 1 cup water, 1 cup lemon juice to create sour mix)
1 pinch of cinnamon
Lemon peel for garnish
In a shaker ¾ filled with ice, combine ingredients. Shake until frothy, and strain over a rock glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lemon peel.
