Recipes From French Room, Local, Bread Winners, and Sweet Temptation Cafe: May/Jun 2004

You Asked For It

Popular Recipes From Hot Dallas Restaurants

I’d love to have the crab cake recipe from the French Room.

     Lucinda Maeler, Plano

Crab Cakes

(serves 7)

            1          pound jumbo lump crabmeat

            1/2       pound U-12 or U-10 shrimp, peeled and deveined

            1          whole egg

            1          teaspoon garlic purée

            1/4       teaspoon red pepper

            1          tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

            1 1/2    tablespoons Dijon mustard

            1          cup heavy cream

            1          bunch green onions (tops only), chopped

                        Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sauté green onions, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Add shrimp and all other ingredients except crab and green onions to food processor. Purée until smooth (about 45 seconds). Remove mixture from bowl and fold in crab and sautéed green onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add mousse to 3-ounce ring molds sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Sauté molded mousse, 10 seconds on each side. Remove from molds and bake for 4 1/2 minutes.

——————–

I had the most amazing champagne cocktail at Local. Can you get the recipe?

     Mary Blinn, Dallas

Champagne Cocktail

(serves 1)

Champagne (your own personal favorite)

Rosemary-grapefruit sorbet

Sorbet

(yields 11/2 cups)

            1          cup simple syrup

                        (recipe follows)

            2          cups strained pink grapefruit

                        juice (4 to 5 grapefruit)

            2          fresh rosemary sprigs

Simmer simple syrup and rosemary for about a minute in a small saucepan. Strain into a medium bowl.

Stir grapefruit juice into rosemary syrup.

Chill three hours or overnight. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Enjoy as many scoops as you like in champagne of your choice.

Simple Syrup

            2          cups sugar

            1 1/2    cups water

Combine then simmer sugar and water in a medium saucepan until sugar dissolves. Let cool.

Store simple syrup in the refrigerator, tightly sealed, for as long as you like.

——————–

I’ve tried—and failed—to replicate Bread Winners’ Turkey Chili at home. What secret ingredient am I missing? 

     Jeanette Lewis, Plano

Turkey Chili

(serves 20)

            1 1/4    pound ground turkey

            1          medium onion, chopped

            1          large green pepper, chopped

            1          jalapeño, chopped

            5          14-ounce cans crushed tomatoes

            1          cup tomato paste

            1          bottle Shiner Bock or other dark beer

            2          15-ounce cans black beans

            1/2       cup chili powder

            1/8       cup cumin

            1          tablespoon oregano

            1/8       cup paprika

            1/4       cup brown sugar

            2          ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

                        Salt and pepper, to taste