Japanese Soy (Shoyu) Soup Base

2 clove finely chopped garlic
1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp sesame oil
4 cup chicken soup stock, shitake stock (see below), or vegetable stock
2 cup kombudashi soup stock (see below)
2 Tbsp sake
2 tsp sugar
6 tbsp soy sauce
juice of lemon, kumquats, or yuzu juice

Heat sesame oil in a deep pan. Sauté chopped ginger and garlic in the pan. Lower the heat. Add chicken soup stock and kombudashi soup stock in the pan and bring to a boil. Add sugar, salt, sake, and soy sauce in the soup. Run the soup through a strainer. Serve hot soup into individual bowls. In the meantime, boil water in a large pan. Add ramen, soba, or udon noodles in the boiling water and cook for a few minutes. Drain the noodles and serve in the hot soup. Place toppings, such as chicken, beef, scallions, boiled egg, leeks, spinach, carrots, mushroom, nori seaweed.

*Makes 4 servings

KombuDashi Stock

4 cups of water
8 inch by 2 inch kombu (dried kelp)

Wipe the kombu with clean cloth. (*Kombu shouldn’t be washed.) Put water in a deep pot and soak the kombu for about 30 minutes. Put on low heat. Just before the water comes to a boil, remove the kombu. Stop the heat.
*Makes 4 cups

Shitaake Soup Base 

Dried shitaake mushrooms
2 cups of water

Combine dried shitaakes with water in a pot and bring to a boil.  Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. 

Miso Soup Base

When you add noodles to it, it becomes miso ramen/miso soba/miso udon/whichever kind of noodle you’ve added.

1/4 Tbsp dashi granules
1 to 2 Tbsp(s)  white (shiro) miso*
1 1/2 cups water

*The amount of miso will need to be adjusted upwards or downwards depending on the brand of miso you buy and whether it’s aka (red – saltier) or shiro (white – less salty) miso. Start with 1 Tbsp and taste test; then add more if you like.

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Serves 4

Soup Base:
2 whole star anise
2 quarts chicken stock (store bought or homemade)
1 whole roasted chicken (store bought is okay)
1/2 onion
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, smashed and tied into a knot
1-2 tablespoons sugar
1-2 tablespoons fish sauce 

Noodles:
1 lb Pho rice noodles

Accompaniments:
Fresh bean sprouts
Onion, thinly sliced, or thinly sliced scallions
Thai basil or cilantro
Lime wedges
Fresh bird chilies
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha

• Soak noodles in hot water until soft.
• Remove and shred chicken meat from the roasted chicken, reserving the bones.
• In a large pot brown onion, carrots, and celery. Add chicken bones, star anise, chicken stock, lemongrass and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, add fish sauce and sugar and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently. Taste broth and add more fish sauce or sugar if necessary. Strain the broth and discard solids.
• Arrange bowls with drained noodles.  Ladle the broth into bowls. Divide the shredded chicken evenly into each bowl. Top with bean sprouts, fresh herbs, onion or scallions, and other accompaniments, OR artfully arrange a table salad with sprouts, fresh herbs, lime wedges, fresh chilies, and small dipping dishes of hoisin and sriracha sauce, for your guests to add to their Pho.  Enjoy!

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Yield 2 cups

Ingredients:

16 ounces dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (preferably Valrhona)
1 ½ cups heavy cream
½ tsp vanilla paste

Procedure: 

1. Chop or break chocolate into small pieces (makes them easier to melt).
2. Add cream to saucepan and bring to a simmer being careful to not allow to boil. Add chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
3. Add vanilla paste and stir until combined.
4. Place fondue pot on low flame and start dipping.

Best items to dip; strawberries, raspberries, bananas, graham crackers, marshmallows, and pound cake.

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Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

6 to 8 large 2 1/2-inch-thick veal shanks, each patted dry and tied securely with kitchen string to keep the meat attached to the bone
Valrhona cocoa powder
All-purpose flour for dredging the veal shanks
6 tbsp Unsalted butter plus additional if necessary
6 tbsp  Olive oil plus additional if necessary
1 cup   White or red wine
1 cup   Finely diced onion
½  cup finely diced carrots
½  cup finely diced celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 to 4 cups beef broth 
Fresh parsley sprigs, fresh thyme sprigs, and 1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper as needed

Preparation:

1. Combine equal parts flour and cocoa powder together and whisk until incorporated.
2. Season the veal shanks with salt and pepper and dredge them in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess.
3. In a heavy skillet heat 3 tablespoons of the butter and 3 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat. When butter is melted brown the veal shanks in batches, adding some of the additional butter and oil as necessary. As shanks brown transfer to your braising pan.
4.  Deglaze the pan with the wine. Be sure to scrape up all the brown bits clinging to the bottom and sides of the skillet, bring to a boil and reduce to about 1/2 cup, and reserve.
5. Using the same skillet and moderate heat add the remaining olive oil, when hot add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally until the vegetables are softened. 
6. Add vegetables to the braising pan with the shanks. Add the reserved wine mixture, herbs and enough of the broth to almost cover the shanks.
7. Braise the mixture, covered, in the middle of a preheated 325°F oven for 2 hours, or until the veal is tender.
8. Strain the pan juices into a saucepan, pressing hard on the solids, and skim the fat.
9. Boil the juices for 15 minutes, or until they are reduced to about half, baste the shanks with some of the reduced juices, and bake them, basting them 3 or 4 times with some of the remaining juices, for 10 minutes more, or until they are glazed.

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Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1 basket fresh strawberries, sliced
½ cup Almonds, toasted (see below)
1 cup   Fresh diced leeks, roasted (see below)
½ cup Shredded or shaved  ricotta salata cheese
½ lb     Baby Arugula or Rocket
Chocolate balsamic dressing (see recipe HERE)

Preparation:

1. Wash and slice strawberries.
2. Toss diced leeks in olive oil salt and pepper and spread on a sheet pan. Roast in a 350 degree oven until golden brown and tender.  Let cool.
3. Shave or shred the ricotta salata cheese.
4. Toast almonds in a sauté pan or on a sheet pan in the oven until toasty.  When they begin to release their aroma they are done.
5. In a large bowl add all ingredients except the cheese.
6. Toss until completely mixed.
7. Portion onto plates and finish with the cheese.

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Yield 1 cup

Ingredients:

½ tbsp Dijon Mustard
¼ cup  Chocolate Balsamic
1tbsp   Valrhona Cocoa
½ cup  Salad oil (Grapeseed or Canola)
1tbsp   Honey
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Mix mustard, balsamic and cocoa until combined and there are no lumps
2. Slowly add oil until thick consistency. Be sure to add slowly or it will break.
3. Add honey, salt and pepper to taste. 

NOTE:     This dressing should taste chocolaty and tangy not be too sweet.  More vinegar-like than sweet.  Lasts about 30 day under refrigeration.

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-          Chocolate sweet dough:

-          In a mixer with the paddle attachment, mix well 7 oz butter with 3 oz of powdered sugar until creamy.

-          Add one by one 5 eggs mix well.

-          Add 11 oz All Purpose flour, 3 oz almond powder, 1.25 oz cocoa powder and 0.25 oz baking powder.

-          Mix well refrigerate 4 hours.

-          Roll the dough to ¼ “, cut in heart shapes then cut half of the hearts the center with a smaller cutter.

-          Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

-          Once cooled, sandwich the cookies with raspberry marmalade.

-          Decorate the top with chocolate or powdered sugar.

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Raspberry jelly:

-          Bring to a boil 1 cup of raspberry puree with 4 oz of sugar.

-          Add 5 bloomed gelatin sheets then add 1 cup of cold raspberry puree.

-          Place in flexi molds and freeze.

Chocolate raspberry mousse:

-          Whisk 8 yolks with 6 oz of sugar.

-          Bring to a boil 2.5 cups cream with 1.5 cups of raspberry puree.

-          Temper the yolks mixture, blend in the cream then cook to the “nappe”.

-          Add 8 gelatin sheets then 10 oz of 75% “Los Rios” chocolate.

-          Fold in 1 Qt of whipped cream.

-          Fill the molds half way, place a frozen jelly in the center then fill top the top with mousse.

-          Place in the freezer until hard.

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-          Whisk 10 egg yolks with 6 oz of sugar, set aside.

-          Bring to boil 4 cups of heavy cream, 1 split vanilla bean, a cinnamon stickand 2 ea chipotle peppers.

-          Temper the egg mixture with part of the cream, pour into the boiling cream and cook to a “nappe”.

-          Strain the mixture into a bowl, return the peppers to the strained mixture.

-          Add 10 oz of 75% “Los Rios” chocolate, let melt then mix well with a hand mixer, strain again.

-          Pour into cups, place in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.

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You can find puff pastry in store, or online at the Culinary District today!