Last Supper #14: Michelle Bernstein

Miami chef Michelle Bernstein's Last Supper was a lengthy list of delicious foods, so creating a dinner out of them took some restraint. She listed (among other things) oysters, caviar, foie gras, poached lobster, lasagne, steak, asparagus, and about 6 desserts. For those of you who follow my blog, it'll be no surprise I chose lobster. But instead of serving it as a main course, I did it as a first course. For the main course, I did grilled steak with chimichurri and grilled asparagus. Simple but delicious.

The lobster course came from my new favorite cookbook: Bistro Laurent Tourondel. It's Poached Lobster, Tomato Vinaigrette, Pesto, Tomato and Avocado salad. It was delicious. It began by creating a tomato vinaigrette. Cooked tomatoes were pureed and then passed through a sieve to leave nothing but the delicious flavor. A little sherry vinegar added a tart taste that was just enough. The pesto came together in the blender and then Mr. Lobster went into the pot. Jeff cleaned it for me and then all that remained was to assemble the salad. A mixture of tomatoes, avocado and a little redonion were tossed with some sherry vinegar and piled on the plates. I topped it with some arugula and then the chunks of lobster and then the pesto and tomato vinaigrette were drizzled around the whole thing. Delish!

The chimichurri was also from Chef Tourondel. After perusing a number of recipes, I chose his because it included roasted red peppers as well as parsely, cilantro and a healthy dose of fresh garlic. A little crushed red pepper gave it some heat and it went nicley with the gilled flank steak.

The salad was definitely one I'll make again. It'd be a beauftiful first course for a dinner party.

Last Supper #13: Rick Bayless

Rick Bayless is known for fresh and flavorful Mexican. A few years ago, my sister gave me one of his books: Mexican Everyday and I've made a number of delicious dishes from it. His Last Supper is the only Mexican in the lot, so it was a welcome change. For his Last Supper, Chef Bayless wanted classic carnitas, barbacoa, chicharron, guacamole and huaraches. I went with carnitas, guacamole and huaraches.

For the carnitas, I chose a recipe from Williams-Sonoma Mexican for a guide, but I added a bit more flavor. I cut a piece of pork loin into a few big chunks, spinkeled them with salt, pepper, a little cumin and some smoked hot paprika. I then browned them in a pan for a few minutes. When all sides were browned, I put them into my slow cooker and added the juice of 2 oranges and a little water. I let it cook on low for several hours til the pork could be pulled apart easily. I removed it from the liquid, shredded it in a bowl and added just a couple spoonfuls of the cooking liquid. (I added a little more hot paprika too. Love that stuff!)

The huaraches were from Rick's website. A tortilla press would have been easier, but I did them by hand so mine were a little thicker than they should have been, but tasty all the same.

To serve the carnitas, I warmed some corn tortillas and accompanied it with some queso fresco, the guacamole, some black bean and corn salsa, and some hot sauce. We had enough for two meals and it was delicious! Jeff said it was some of the best Mexican he ever had.

Only 27 more last suppers to go... Next up, Michelle Bernstein.

Last Supper #12: Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Jean-Georges. The name says everything to a foodie. I knew this dinner was oging to be a challenge, but I was confident it would be worth it - and it was! For this last supper, Jean-Georges listed a number of Asian dishes: Shaved tuna with Chili tapioca, Asian pear and lime lobster roll, Char-grilled chicken with kumquat lemongrass, Red Curry Duck, and Fried rice. I found online recipes for his very own Red Curry Duck as well as a recipe for Asian pear lobster rolls, so I served those with a side of steamed Jasmine rice.

The lobster rolls were unlike any lobster roll you're imagining. First, I steamed a fresh Maine lobster. Jeff cleaned it and then I tossed the meat with a dressing of a little mayo, some sriracha, Miso, lime juice, paprika and cilantro. This was then rolled in thinly sliced pieces of Asian pear which had been soaked in a bit of rice vinegar. Alongside I served a light salad of fresh mint, Thai basil, cilantro and a bit of escarole. Some of my pear slices cracked a bit, but these were delicious. A little spicy, a little sweet.

The main course was interesting to prepare since I have never worked with duck before. I found a whole duckling at my local Asian market which I cut into pieces myself. I browned it and them made the sauce according to the chef's recipe. I cut the amount of chicken stock in half because I like a thicker sauce. It was still a bit thin so I stuck my good old immersion blender into the pot to blend in some of the bits of carrot and lemongrass, making it a bit thicker. The duck legs were delicious. The breat meat got a bit overcooked. If I make this again, I think I'll use all legs.

I considered skipping the pineapple puree on top. Jeff isn't a big fan of pineapple so I thought it'd be a waste. But I did it anyway in an effort to stay true to the recipe and I'm glad I did. This currey would have been outstanding on its own, but the drizzle of pureed ripe pineapple took it to a whole new level. Amazing!
Like the rest of the world, I expect great things from Chef Vongerichten and his Last Supper didn't disappoint. As I approach the halfway mark of my project, I'm starting to think about whose restaurant in NYC I want to go to if I finish. Perhaps one of Jean-Georges's? There are simply too many choices! We'll see if I make it and them decide!

12 down, 28 to go. Next up: Heading south of the border with Rick Bayless!

Last Supper #11: Giorgio Locatelli

I have to admit I cheated a little on this one, but for good reason. For his last supper, Giorgio Locatelli wanted mackerel in an herb crust and broccoli with chilli and garlic. I had all my herbs ready to go and I arrived at Whole Foods for the mackerel and they only had 2 left. Two mackerel wouldn't have fed me and Jeff so I opted for this beauty:

I followed the same recipe, which appears in My Last Supper, but lengthened the cooking time to allow for the bigger fish. It was moist and delicious.

I also served the broccoli with chilli and garlic that Locatelli wanted and for a starch, I made a sage and saffron baked risotto. This might have been the easiest risottos I've ever made because the oven did most of the work.

Last Supper scorecard: 11 down, 29 more to go. Next up: (Egad!) none other than the great Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

Last supper #10: Paul Kahan

This officially marks the 25% mark of Project Last Supper! Just 30 more to go between now and September. Hmmm, I'd better get cookin'! For his last supper, Paul Kahan, a Chicago-based chef, wanted roast suckling pig, homemade noodles with truffles, escarole salad, cheese and Swiss chocolate.

In lieu of the suckling pig, I made a roast pork loin alla Porchetta - it was stuffed with a yummy mixture of ground pork, fennel, onion, garlic, fennel seed, bread crumbs, etc. The loin was tied and then roasted over a bed of red onions for extra flavor. To finish it, the sliced pieces were drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. It should come as a shock to any regular visitors to my blog that I found the recipe in Molto Italiano by Mario Batali. I think this is quickly becoming my go-to cookbook for fabulous food!


I chose an escarole salad with warm bacon vinaigrette from the Williams-Somona Sause cookbook. I was a great blend of crunchy, salty and a touch of sweet from some sherry and sherry vinager.


The noodle recipe was Kahan's own and appears in the book. The handmade dough is rolled out on a pasta machine and then sliced into wide noodles similar to pappardelle. The warm noodles are tossed with truffles and a little butter. The recipe called for tarragon, but I omitted it. These were delicious - tender noodles with a smooth texture.

We finished the night with a bits of Swiss dark chocolate with almonds. Perfect ending!

Also of note, I had a guest photographer on this one. My sister came over to have dinner with us and she photographed for me. She is the first guest for one of the Last Suppers!

Next, we'll enjoy the last supper of Giorgio Locatelli.

Lovely leeks

Jeff and I both love leeks so Laurent Tourondel's recipe for Leeks Vinaigrette caught my eye the first time I flipped through the BLT cookbook, a gift from my mother-in-law for Christmas. The recipe is simple, but the presentation elegant. It is listed as a first course in the book, but I served it along with our Saturday dinner of grilled steaks and twice baked potatoes stuffed with spinach and cheddar.

Find the recipe in BLT: Bistro Laurent Tourondel, by Laurent Tourondel. This is a new favorite cookbook. If you haven't seen it, check it out.

Here's how I made it (for 2 servings). The original cllas for a blue cheese such as Forme d'Ambert, but Jeff isn't a big fan of blue so I substituted an aged Crotin goat cheese. Delish!

Leeks Vinaigrette

3 large leeks

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

About 3 tsp. walnut oil

about 3 tsp. sherry vinegar

2 tsp. chopped fresh chives

2 ounces aged goat cheese or blue cheese such as Forme d'Ambert or Gorgonzola

Carmelized walnuts (see below)

To prepare the leeks, remove the outer layer and trim off the root ends and darker green portions at the top. Wash thoroughly and thn tie together, 3 in a bunch, with kitchen twine so they hold their shape when cooked.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the leeks. Simmer the leeks until tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Drain and shock by plunging them into a bowl of ice water. Drain well and squeeze the leeks gently in a paper towel to eliminate excess water. Remove the strings. Cut the leeks crosswise into 3/4 inch lengths.

Arrange the leeks slices with one cut-side down on serving plates. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the oil and vinegar. Sprinkle the chives over them.

Place a little of the cheese on each leek. Scatter the walnuts over them. Serve immediately.

Carmelized walnuts

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 cup water

1/2 cup walnuts

Butter or lightly spray a cookie sheet. Set aside.

Combine the water and sugar in a small pan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Then let is boil, untouched, until it turns a rich amber color. Remove from the heat and stir in the walnuts. Spread the nuts in a single layer on the baking sheet. Allow to cool, then coarsely chop them to break them apart.

Last Supper #9: Angela Hartnett

Born in England, Angela Hartnett has restaurants in London and Florida. Her last supper was loaded with pasta - YUM! Her original list included antipasti, anolini stuffed with veal or lamb, pumpkin tortelli, pasta with truffles and for dessert, homemade zagaglione. I left out the pasta with truffles and the dessert.

The antipasti included meats from the newly opened Italian specialty shop in Garwood, NJ called Bienvenuti. We also had some cheeses, marinated mushrooms and artichokes.

Then on to pasta number 1. I rolled out fresh pasta sheets using half flour, half semolina. I used the same pasta dough for both recipes. For the tortelloni, I made the filling in the Silver Spoon, but used butternut squash instead of pumpkin. Jeff helped me cut out the rounds and then I filled and shaped these little treats:


I served them with simple brown butter and sage - and a little parm never hurt. Delicious!

The next course was the real hit though. I once again turned to Mario Batali and he came through like a champ. In Molto Italiano, there's a recipe for agnolotti which calls for chicken and sausage. I instead used ground pork and ground veal. MMM! So the filling was made from the mixture of meats, onion, olive oil, fontina cheese, goat cheese, marjoram and salt and pepper. It was all minced together in a food processor to give it a very nice texture.

I made up the sauce as I went along and I sure hope I can figure it out next time. I started by reducing some beef stock. I had a rind of Parmigiano Reggiano so I threw that in to the simmering stock (a trick I learned from Giada!). Once it reduced a bit I added a little tomato paste. It was a little salty so I stirred in some water and a little bit of unsalted butter. I spooned this into the bowls, topped it with the cooked agnolotti and some sauteed Cremini mushrooms. This was good! I delivered some to my parents too and they both gave it rave reviews.


Of the first 9 Last Suppers, this was our favorite. I wonder what the next 31 will bring...