THE SHORT LIST

Easy recipes. Few ingredients.

By Sidney Carlisle

Photography by Scott Anderson for Quad Photo

Recipes and cookbooks are enjoyed by two kinds of readers: people who actually cook and armchair cooks. For the latter group, browsing culinary material renders them capable of discussing Madagascar vanilla or Montrachet cheese in a knowledgeable manner, although they’ve never owned either. The length of the ingredient list is immaterial, as is the preparation time, since the armchair folks seldom prepare anything. Serious cooks read through a recipe and, if it seems appealing, may take a second look.

The decision to proceed is influenced by what’s required to produce the dish. We’re all busy, with little time to spend in the kitchen. And although special occasions are worth some extra effort, complex recipes are just too much work most days. Long, tedious ingredient lists can be overwhelming, especially if some items are unfamiliar or difficult to find. On the other hand, it is nice to offer something other than fast food or take-out during the week. The problem is finding simpler recipes for foods that taste and look good.

Presenting the dilemma to a group of Associate Club chefs yielded not only marvelous recipes but also a few comments. The chefs agreed that freshness and quality are important, particularly when using a limited number of ingredients.

“When a recipe uses just three or four items,” cautions David McKinney, executive chef of the Ravinia Club in Atlanta, “each one adds a specific taste. If even one ingredient is of poor quality, it will be obvious and the food will be off-flavor.”

Proper seasoning is equally important. “You should always, always, taste before you serve and adjust the seasoning,” admonishes executive chef Tim Durand of Aspen Glen Club in Carbondale, Colorado. “Food that is very bland is unappealing, even if it’s presented well. And the first taste is critical.” He adds that “it’s easy to lose the taste of half a teaspoon of something in a recipe with 19 ingredients, but that same amount may make or break another recipe.”

Chef Tim also says that substitutions aren’t always successful. “It’s one thing to use yogurt instead of sour cream,” he says, “or to use a bit of ginger instead of cinnamon. But when you work with four or five essential ingredients, it’s best to go by the recipe. Substituting an item or omitting it may be a disaster.”

While it’s doubtful that many Associate Club chefs are planning to write three-ingredient cookbooks, they all have less complicated recipes in their kitchens. The selections that follow are proof that it is possible to keep it simple and still dine on exceptional cuisine.

Writer Sidney Carlisle admits she never met a tiramisù she didn’t like.


SPICY SHRIMP
This quick recipe from the author’s collection serves two people and is great accompanied by ice-cold beer.

  • 1 pound raw jumbo shrimp with the shells on

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 3 lemons, juice only

  • freshly ground black pepper

  • salt

  • Tabasco sauce

  • Worcestershire sauce

  • 4 tablespoons butter

Preheat the broiler. Use a metal baking pan large enough to hold the shrimp in a single layer. Spray the pan with nonstick spray.

Place the shrimp in the pan and drizzle with the olive oil. Pour the lemon juice evenly over the shrimp. Add a generous amount of black pepper, and salt lightly. Sprinkle with the Tabasco and Worcestershire sauces. (You are seasoning through the shells, so be generous with everything except the salt.) Cut the butter into chunks and scatter over the shrimp.

Broil 10 to 12 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink. Cool slightly and divide the shrimp and sauce between two shallow pasta bowls or serving dishes. Serve immediately and let each person peel his or her own.

Yield: 2 servings.


AMARETTO ZABAGLIONE
An elegant dessert from executive chef David McKinney of the Ravinia Club in Atlanta.

  • 6 egg yolks

  • 6 tablespoons sugar

  • 3 tablespoons sweet Marsala

  • 3 tablespoons amaretto

Using a stainless steel bowl or the upper pan of a double boiler, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and creamy, about 5 minutes at medium speed. Add the Marsala and amaretto, blending thoroughly. Place the bowl (or pan) over simmering water and whisk while cooking until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve warm, or place over an ice bath to chill.

To serve, fill a Martini glass with fresh berries and spoon the zabaglione over the fruit.

Yield: 6 servings.


GRILLED SEA BASS WITH ORANGE SAUCE
Executive chef Mike Gabrielson of the Piedmont Club in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, serves this light entrée with couscous.

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

  • 2 cups orange juice

  • salt and pepper

  • 1 sea bass fillet (about 1 pound)

  • 1 can (8 ounces) mandarin orange segments

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the orange juice and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon, 20 to 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set the sauce aside to keep warm while grilling the sea bass.

Cut the sea bass into 4 pieces and season with salt and pepper. Preheat the grill. Add the sea bass and grill until white, light, and flaky, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

To serve, distribute the fish on four serving plates. Drizzle with the orange sauce, including the onions, and garnish with the mandarin orange segments.

Yield: 4 servings.


PIEDMONT CLUB’S TIRAMISU
A spectacular version of a classic dessert from executive chef Mike Gabrielson of the Piedmont Club in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

  • 4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

  • 2 packages (16 ounces each) powdered sugar

  • 2 cups heavy cream

  • 2 loaves Dolley Madison (or any preferred brand) yellow pound cake

  • 1⁄2 cup cold coffee

  • 1⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 2 cups brown sugar, approximately

  • 12 sprigs of mint

Use a stand mixer with a capacity of at least 4 quarts. Beat the cream cheese until well blended and free of large lumps. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth in texture. Change to the whip attachment. Add the heavy cream and whip until the filling forms stiff peaks.

Cut the cake into 1⁄2-inch slices. Trim off the browned edges and discard. Form a single layer of cake in the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan, cutting the slices to fit. Drizzle 1⁄4 cup of the cold coffee over the cake. Spoon in enough cheese filling to fill the pan halfway. Add another layer of cake and drizzle with the remaining coffee. Add filling to the top of the pan. Sift the cocoa powder over the filling. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill. Cover the remaining filling and refrigerate.

To serve, run hot water over the blade of a knife and cut around the inside of the pan. Release the clamp on the pan and remove the springform. Cut the cake into 12 slices. Place each piece on its side on a serving plate. Spread 2 tablespoons of brown sugar evenly on the cut side of each piece of cake and sprinkle a little extra around the plate. Use a butane torch (see note) to caramelize the sugar on the cake. Garnish each serving with a dollop of the extra filling and a sprig of mint and serve immediately.

Yield: 12 servings.

Note: If a butane torch is unavailable, this step may be omitted.


ASIAGO POTATOES
Serve six with this easy recipe from executive chef David McKinney of the Ravinia Club in Atlanta.

  • 18 red potatoes, 1-1⁄2 to 2 inches in diameter (about 2-1⁄2 pounds)

  • 1⁄4 cup mayonnaise

  • 1 cup shredded Asiago cheese

Wash the potatoes but do not peel them. Steam over medium heat until tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes, or microwave until fork tender. Cool at room temperature and then chill.

To serve, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet lightly with nonstick spray and set it aside. Cut the potatoes in half and remove a thin slice from the bottom of each half so the potatoes will be level. Scoop out a small amount of the potato and discard. Mix the mayonnaise and cheese together to make a fairly thick stuffing. Spoon or pipe the stuffing onto the potatoes and place on the baking sheet. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 15 minutes.


SPICY PORK TENDERLOIN WITH BACON MANGO SAUCE
An outstanding entrée from Spencer McMillin, executive chef of the Crescent Club in Memphis, Tennessee.

  • 1 can (6 ounces) chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

  • 10 cloves of garlic

  • 1 lemon

  • 2 pork tenderloins, trimmed of silver skin and fat

  • kosher salt

  • 1⁄4 cup peanut oil

  • Bacon Mango Sauce (recipe follows)

Purée the chilies and garlic in a food processor. Add the juice of the lemon. Place the tenderloins in a shallow baking dish and rub the marinade into the meat, completely covering all sides. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the tenderloins with salt. Use a sauté pan large enough to hold both pieces of pork. Heat the pan until smoking hot and add the oil. Carefully lower the tenderloins into the hot oil. Sear one side until dark and then turn the meat over. Place in the oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the meat to rest for 3 minutes before slicing to distribute the juices. The meat should be slightly pink.

To serve, slice the tenderloins into 1⁄2-inch pieces and divide among four serving plates. Garnish with the Bacon Mango Sauce and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.


BACON MANGO SAUCE

  • 7 strips of apple wood smoked bacon (or any preferred smoky bacon)

  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

  • 2 cups heavy cream

  • 1 cup mango purée (see note)

Dice the bacon into the smallest possible pieces (slightly freezing the bacon will help control the size of the dice) and sauté in a medium saucepan until it is crispy. Add the vinegar and deglaze for 10 seconds. Add the cream and simmer 6 minutes.

Taste the sauce to be sure it tastes heavily of bacon, and cook a minute or two more, if necessary. Remove from the heat and whisk in the mango purée. Taste the sauce, adding a small amount of salt or sugar to suit your taste.

Note: To prepare the mango purée, cut the fruit away from the seed of two mangoes. Roughly chop the fruit and place in a food processor. Add 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon sugar. Process until fairly smooth.


INFLUENTIAL INGREDIENTS
Fish, meat, poultry, and vegetables should be the freshest, best quality available, but other ingredients also affect the outcome of a recipe. The taste of ingredients past their prime, or that may have acquired an off-flavor from another food, can be disappointing. And it’s important to choose exactly the right ingredient for some recipes to be successful. The chefs believe that the following items can make a difference.

Butter. Made from churned cream, butter must contain at least 80 percent milk fat to meet U.S. Department of Agriculture standards. The remaining 20 percent consists of milk solids and water. Packages are marked Grade AA or Grade A, and the quality varies widely from brand to brand. Both salted and unsalted butter absorb odors from other foods in the refrigerator, and are susceptible to spoilage from poor shipping or storage conditions. For best results, buy Grade AA, wrap the butter in plastic wrap or store it in a heavy plastic bag, and taste before using.

Cream. In order for cream to whip, it must contain at least 30 percent milk fat. Whipping cream, also called light whipping cream, contains 30 percent to 36 percent fat. Most chefs prefer heavy cream, with a fat content of 36 percent to 40 percent. If available, choose heavy cream that is not marked ultra-pasteurized. It has a fresher flavor and whips better than the ultra-pasteurized cream.

Eggs. Unless specified otherwise, most recipes are based on large eggs. Although a carton of a dozen large eggs must weigh at least 24 ounces, not every egg will weigh 2 ounces and there always seems to be one smaller egg in the bunch. The slight size difference may seem trivial, but can affect the texture of fillings or cakes dependent on whipped whites or yolks. The consistency of bread or cookie dough also may be affected, especially if the recipe has two or more eggs. Save the smaller eggs for omelettes.

Fats and oils. Freshness is critical. From olive oil to lard, the shelf life of fats and oils varies considerably. If a product has been opened and stored more than a month, taste before using. Most recipes developed within the last 10 years specify the appropriate fat or oil, and as some impart flavor, the safe bet is to use what’s indicated.

Sugar. Different varieties of white and brown sugar have been available to chefs for some time, but are now appearing in upscale markets. Refined white granulated sugar can be purchased in sizes ranging from very coarse granules to quickly dissolving superfine sugar, and the proper size can be critical. The market for brown sugar, actually white sugar that has been flavored with molasses, has expanded to include less-processed versions such as Demerara and Muscovado. Sugar connoisseurs insist the raw cane and molasses taste of these sugars is more flavorful than plain brown sugar. As specialty sugars are becoming easier to locate, expect new recipes to list exactly which sugar is required.