TANTALIZING TREATS FROM Top Black Chefs - Recipe

Charlotte Lyons

Date With a Dish

During Black History Month, it is customary to look back and recognize the many accomplishments of African-Americans in a variety of areas. This month we salute the magnificence of some talented African-American chefs who have beaten the odds and are considered to be among the most respected individuals in culinary circles.

Tracey A. Hopkins Executive Chef Restaurant Associates at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

TRACEY A. Hopkins, one of the rising stars of the Philadelphia restaurant scene, is executive chef of the restaurant and banquet services at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, managed by New York-based Restaurant Associates.

Chef Hopkins showcases his creative talent by developing theme menus to complement major exhibitions. During the record-breaking Cezanne exhibition, he introduced the "Cezannewich" (Roasted Chicken On Fougasse Bread with Arugula, Pepper-Onion Relish and Aioli). During the India exhibition, Hopkins premiered the "Taste of India menu, which consisted of such dishes as Tandoori Chicken and Spicy Prawn Vindaloo with Lemon Rice and Vegetable Curry.

Hopkins, who attended Baltimore's International Culinary Arts Institute, began his culinary career in 1979, working as a pantry cook at Longfellows restaurant in St. Michaels, Maryland. In 1985, he became sous chef at Gianni's Restaurant in Baltimore's popular Inner Harbor. Two years later, he held the position of executive chef at another Baltimore spot, Vivande. A native of Maryland's Eastern Shore, Hopkins frequently creates such regional seafood specialties as Maryland Crab Cakes.

The award-winning chef received his initial experience with large-volume, high-profile events while a chef at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. (1990-1994). With a team of 10 chefs and 40 cooks, he prepared food for 20,000 people daily for banquets and hospitality suites.

Next month, Hopkins will showcase his creative talents again, when the Italian Renaissance exhibition opens at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Some of the dishes he will introduce include Shellfish Salad with Tomato, Basil and Red Onion, Porcini Mushroom Risotto, and Chocolate Salami.

Joseph J. Brown Chef/Owner Melange Cafe

Chef Joseph J. Brown, a graduate of The Restaurant School of Philadelphia, is the award-winning chef and owner of Melange Cafe in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

Brown was born to feed a crowd. The youngest of 10 children, he learned to cook at his mother's side at an early age. Creative and good with his hands, Brown initially wanted to open an interior remodeling business. However, a summer job after high school graduation changed all that. He began working as a dishwasher at a popular seafood restaurant, and he was hooked. Although he hadn't initially considered cooking as a career, Brown's skills paid off and he eventually became the first African-American chef at the restaurant. Still, he felt the need for formal training. "Without education, a cook isn't a chef, but a piece of equipment in the kitchen," he says.

Brown wanted more than that. So he enrolled in The Restaurant School in Philadelphia. While in school, he continued his employment at the seafood restaurant and took on two part-time jobs, one of which was at Landmark Inn. There, he met his mentors--Elijah Dawes, an African-American executive chef who taught him a great deal about professionalism, and George Sideris, the owner of the Inn, who shared his knowledge of the restaurant business.

After graduation, Brown began to seriously plan for his own business and later opened Melange Cafe in 1995. He began his restaurant with dual vision, to provide exceptional meals at moderate prices.

The cuisine at Melange is a fusion of Italian and Louisiana flavors and influences. The result is simple, gutsy food that's served in an open atmosphere of true Southern hospitality. Some of Brown's specialties include Smoked Turkey Jambalaya, Crabmeat Cheesecake with Pecan Crust and Wild Mushroom Reduction and Sweet Potato Chocolate Ravioli with Pecan Bourbon Sauce.

Chef Hopkins' Chocolate Salami

1 cup sun-dried cherries
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons sugar
2 ounces finely chopped almonds
2 ounces finely chopped pistachios
6 ounces crushed plain biscotti
2 tablespoons candied orange peel
1 ounce Grand Marnier
3 egg yolks

Soak cherries in warm water, about 30 minutes; drain. Place chocolate in bowl with butter, over a pot with simmering water until melted. Add sugar, almonds, pistachios, biscotti, drained cherries, candied orange peel and Grand Marnier. Mix well. Remove from heat, add egg yolk, and mix well. Cool completely. Form salami shape by rolling mixture in a sheet of wax or parchment paper. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Slice and serve.

Yields 4 servings

Chef Hopkins' Shellfish Salad with Tomato, Basil and Red Onion

1 cup white wine
18 mussels, cleaned
18 cherrystone clams, about 2 to 3
  inches in diameter
12 large shrimp
12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh basil, torn into bite-sized
  pieces
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon capers
  Seasoning salt to taste
  Pepper to taste

Scrub mussels and clams, clean off all dirt and sand. Place mussels and clams in a saucepan with wine. Steam until they open, remove from saucepan and cool. Add shrimp to pot and steam until they turn orange. Remove from saucepan and cool. Remove clams and mussels from shells; discard shells and cooking liquid. Peel shrimp, remove vein, place all shellfish in a bowl. Add tomatoes, onion, basil, olive oil, lemon juice and capers. Season with seasoning salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and chives before serving.

Yields 6 servings

Chef Hopkins' Porcini Mushroom Risotto

1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
12 ounces porcini mushrooms, sliced
2 cups Arborio rice
4 cups chicken broth
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
  Seasoning salt to taste
  Pepper to taste

Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil until translucent; add the mushrooms and cook until they become limp. Season with seasoning salt and pepper. Add the rice. Stir to coat all grains with oil. Add broth, 1 cup at a time; be sure broth is absorbed before the next addition. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook about 15 minutes, stirring as you add the broth. After all broth is added, stir in butter, cheese, thyme and parsley. Season to taste.

Yields 4 to 6 servings

Chef Brown's Smoked Turkey Jambalaya

2 cups diced smoked turkey breast
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green pepper
1 cup diced tomato
1 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups white rice
3 cups chicken broth

Using your hands, combine turkey, Cajun seasoning and thyme in a bowl. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey, onion, peppers, tomato, celery and garlic. Cook and stir i minute. Stir in broth. Add rice and cook until rice is tender but firm and broth is fully absorbed.

Yields 4 servings

Chef Brown's Sweet Potato Chocolate Ravioli with Pecan Bourbon Sauce

4 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 2-ounce packet unflavored gelatin
1 cup hot water
1 large sweet potato
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
  Pecan Bourbon Sauce

Combine chocolate with heavy cream in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat until chocolate melts. Remove from heat. Dissolve unflavored gelatin in hot water and add to chocolate and cream mixture; stir to combine. Cover cookie sheet pan with plastic wrap. Pour mixture into pan and spread to approximately 1/8-inch thickness. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Boil sweet potato until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, let cool, and peel. Combine butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl. Add sweet potato and mash to combine. Fold in ricotta cheese. Remove chocolate from refrigerator and cut into 2-inch-wide squares. Place 1 teaspoon sweet potato filling in the center of 1 square. Cover with another square and crimp edges together. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with pecan bourbon sauce.

Yields 2 servings

Pecan Bourbon Sauce

1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup pecan halves
  Bourbon to taste (about 2 ounces)

Combine sugar, heavy cream, pecans and bourbon in saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture reduces by one-quarter. Serve hot or cold over ravioli.

Leah Chase Chef/Owner Dooky Chase Restaurant

Leah Chase is known as "the queen of creole cuisine and is Lone of the most respected chefs in New Orleans. She is executive chef and owner of the famed Dooky Chase Restaurant, which specializes in Creole dishes such as Gumbo, Stuffed Shrimp, Chicken Creole and Jambalaya. The restaurant has been in husband Dooky Chase's family since 1941. She joined the operation in 1957.

On most days, she works from dawn to dusk. And she likes to think of the restaurant as her dining room and her customers as guests. "I entertain them here the way I would at home," she says, "and I don't serve anything I don't like.

Chase is also the author of the Dooky Chase Cookbook, which offers a collection of delectable recipes from both the restaurant menu and her personal files.

Chef Chase's Shrimp Jambalaya

1 cup chopped onions
1 cup uncooked rice
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped celery
2 cups water
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon paprika
6 raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)

Spray saucepan with nonstick cooking oil. Place over medium heat. Saute onion until clear. Add all ingredients except shrimp. Stir well. Ada shrimp. Cover very tightly with foil to keep in all steam. Cook on very low heat for 35 minutes. Uncover and toss rice. Cover and cook very slowly until rice is done.

Yields 2 servings

Chef Chase's Low-Sodium Creole Oven-Fried Chicken

1 frying chicken
  White pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
  Vegetable cooking spray
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon granulated garlic

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove skin from chicken; cut chicken into pieces and season with white pepper. Place flour in bag or bowl. Mix in last three ingredients. Shake chicken in bag in flour mixture. Remove chicken and shake off excess flour. Spray baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken in pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until done.

Yields 2 servings

John Meyer Chef/Owner B.J.'s Market & Bakery

Chef John Meyer is a Chicago native and graduate of the culinary program at Washburne Technical School in Chicago. He also holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from Chicago State University. While earning his degree in marketing, Meyer hadn't decided what kind of business he wanted to launch, but he knew he wanted to be a part of the service industry.

Chef Meyer gained an introduction to food service by working in the kitchen of the nursing home owned by his mother. After graduating from Chicago State, he worked six months at a popular fast-food establishment to learn management skills from the inside. He decided to study at Washburne for further training and later began as a professional chef at the University Club of Chicago. That prompted his interest in owning his first restaurant.

Meyer soon opened the doors to his first establishment, The Retreat restaurant, a restaurant that specialized in French-American cuisine. Chef Meyer moved on and established B.J.'s Market & Bakery, which has become a "must visit" restaurant on the South Side of Chicago.

"B.J.'s features home-cooking that you can take home," Meyer says. "More than half the items are takeout. Fresh is the key word for us and our customers. Our food is sold the same day it is cooked."

Even though some dishes are "rich" and some items are fried, diners who are paying closer attention to their diet and are trying to avoid so much cholesterol and fat can find a variety of "lighter" dishes that are pleasing to the palate.

In its brief existence, B.J.'s has become so successful that Meyer is offering franchising opportunities.

Chef Meyers Smothered Turkey Wings

6 turkey wings
1 tablespoon vegetable off
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon (each) ground pepper,
  garlic powder, and poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon onion powder

Sauce:

1 cup butter
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon (each) dried thyme and
  pepper
7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups turkey or chicken broth
2 cups milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush wings with vegetable oil; place in large roasting pan. Stir together salt, pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning and onion powder in medium bowl; sprinkle over turkey wings. Bake until browned, 45 to 60 minutes. For sauce, melt butter in large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add celery and onion; cook over medium-low heat until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme and pepper; cook 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until light brown, about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in broth. Heat to boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. Strain sauce through sieve and return to pan. Slowly whisk in milk. Stir constantly until sauce returns to simmer. Pour sauce over turkey wings, cover pan and cook until tender, about 1 hour.

Yields 6 servings

Chef Meyers Mustard-Fried Catfish

6 6- to 8-ounce catfish fillets
1 cup prepared yellow mustard
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon (each) salt, garlic powder,
  sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon (each) cayenne, dried
  basil, dried oregano and dried
  thyme
2 cups vegetable oil
  Lemon wedges and sliced green
  onion

Wash and dry fillets. Combine mustard, eggs and hot pepper sauce in a bowl and pour in a small baking dish. Mix thoroughly. Spread flour on a large plate. Combine cornmeal, bread crumbs, salt, garlic powder, paprika, black and red pepper, basil, oregano and thyme in bowl and pour into a small baking dish. Dust a fillet lightly with flour then dredge it in the mustard mixture, coating the fish evenly. Next, dip the fillet into cornmeal mixture, again coating it evenly. Set aside on a plate and repeat this procedure with remaining fillets. In large skillet, preferably made of cast iron, heat oil to 350 degrees. Add fillets (cook in two batches if necessary) and cook until golden brown on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook an additional 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels before serving. If desired, garnish with lemon and green onion.

Yields 6 servings

COPYRIGHT 2000 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group