Chef Jeff Michaud's grilled lamb rack with favetta on THE Dish

Chef Jeff Michaud's grilled lamb rack with favetta on THE Dish

Chef Jeff Michaud's passion for Italian cooking led him on a journey to Italy where he lived for three years working his way through top restaurants.


Today, he is executive chef and co-owner of three popular Philadelphia restaurants, Osteria, Amis and Alla Spina.


The James Beard Foundation nominated Osteria for Best New Restaurant and Michaud won the James Beard Award for Best Mid-Atlantic Chef.

Michaud joined "CBS This Morning: Saturday" with some Italian recipes that are sure to dazzle your taste buds.

Grilled Lamb Rack with Favetta and Roasted Pearl Onions
Makes 8 servings

Favetta
4 pounds young fava beans in the pods
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Roasted Pearl Onions
12 ounces red pearl onions, peeled
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup red vinegar
30 mint leaves, cut into chiffonade

Lamb Racks:
2 frenched lamb racks, about 4 pounds total, trimmed and tied
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, as needed

Instructions
Favetta
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water.
2. Add the whole fava pods to the boiling water and blanch for 1 minute. Transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking. When cool, pluck the favas from the pod, then pinch open the pale green skin and pop out the bright green fava beans. You should have about 4 cups.
3. Place the fava beans in a food processor, turn it on and slowly add just enough olive oil until the beans catch and the mixture forms a rustic, slightly chunky puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roasted Pearl Onions
1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Toss the onions with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Spread the onions in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender and golden in color, 10 to 12 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice. Let cool slightly, then slice any large onions in half lengthwise. The onions can be roasted up to 2 days ahead.
3. Put vinegar in a blender and slowly add the remaining 3 cups of oil until blended and emulsified, 1 to 2 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette into a medium saucepan and add the onions.

Lamb Racks
1. Heat a grill (preferably with oak wood) to medium heat with both high- and low-heat areas. Season the lamb racks with salt and pepper. Scrape the grill grate clean, coat it with oil and grill the racks over a high-heat area of the grill until nicely grill-marked, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
2. Move the meat to a low-heat area of the grill, cover and cook to medium rare (135 degrees internal temperature), about 10 minutes more. Warm the onions and vinaigrette over medium heat.
3. Use two large dinnerware tablespoons to scoop up and shape the favetta into football shapes (quenelles). Place a quenelle on each plate just a little left of the center. Remove the butcher's twine from the lamb racks and cut into portions between each bone.
4. Place two portions on each plate. Mix the mint into the onions and spoon the onions on top of the lamb, reserving some of the liquid to drizzle around the plates.

Zucchini Flowers Stuffed with Ricotta and Tuna
Makes 4 to 6 servings
1 8 ounce can of Italian tuna in olive oil, 4 pounds
12 zucchini blossoms
12 ounces fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese (1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons plain, dry breadcrumbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
4 baby zucchini, sliced
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain the oil from the tuna into a small bowl. Brush any dirt from the zucchini blossoms with a paper towel but don't wash the blossoms or they'll get soggy. Gently twist and pull out the stamens from the centers of the blossoms, using tweezers if necessary.
2. Add the tuna, ricotta cheese and mint to the breadcrumbs, stirring until combined; taste and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the filling into a resealable plastic bag (the filling can be refrigerated at this point for up to 2 days). Cut off a corner of the bag and pipe the filling into the zucchini blossoms, leaving some room for the blossoms to close at the end.
3. Arrange the stuffed blossoms in a 2-quart shallow baking dish or on a baking sheet and top each blossom with a tomato half, cut-side down. Arrange the sliced baby zucchini around the edge of the baking dish.
4. Bake until the filling is set, 12 to 15 minutes. If the tomatoes are still firm, run the dish under the broiler until they wilt a little. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve.

Pizzocherri with Swiss Chard, Potato and Bitto Cheese
Makes 6 servings
1 pound Swiss chard
6 ounces (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter
12 leaves fresh sage
8 ounces buckwheat pasta, rolled into 2 sheets, each about 1/16-inch thick
1 pound gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 ounces bitto cheese, shredded (1.5 cups)
4 ounces fontina cheese, shredded (1.5 cups)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Strip the leaves from the stems of the chard and coarsely chop the leaves. Set aside. Put the butter and sage in a large deep saute pan over medium heat and cook until the sage lightly browns, the butter turns golden and the milk solids lightly brown on the bottom of the pan, 6-8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, lay a pasta sheet of lightly floured surface and trim the edges square. Cut crosswise into strips a little less than 1-inch wide, preferably with a fluted cutter. Repeat with the remaining pasta dough.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add potatoes and blanch until barely tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to the browned butter (reserving the pot of boiling water for the pasta) and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, 3-4 minutes. Add the chard and 1 1/2 cups of pasta water and cook until the chard wilts and the sauce is creamy, 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender yet firm, about a minute. Drain the pasta and add to the pan, along with the bitto and fontina, tossing until the cheese melts and looks stringy. Season generously with salt and pepper and serve on a large platter or divide among warm pasta plates.

Strawberry Zuppa Inglese with Mascarpone Cake
Makes about 8 servings

Zuppa
4 1/2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
10 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup TIPO 00 flour or all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups heavy cream

Mascarpone Cake
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus some for greasing pans
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
12 ounces mascarpone
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups pastry flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Strawberry Marmalade
2 pounds strawberries
1/2 cup of glucose syrup or light corn syrup
1 1/3 cups plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 tablespoon powdered pectin

Instructions
Zuppa
1. Bring the milk and vanilla to a boil in a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, whip the egg yolks, sugar and flour in a stand mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy and pale, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Temper the eggs by gradually stirring in 1/2 cup of the milk mixture, then another 1/2 cup. Scrape the egg mixture into the saucepan. And cook over medium heat until thickened, 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool.
3. Whip the cream on medium-high speed until the beaters leave soft peaks when they are lifted, 2 to 3 minutes. When the zuppa is completely cool, fold in the whipped cream. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Mascarpone
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a half-sheet pan (an 18x13-inch rimmed baking sheet) or two smaller rimmed baking sheets with parchment.
2. Butter the parchment. Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Mix in together the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the mascarpone mixture on low speed until incorporated. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool and use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Strawberry Marmalade
1. Hull and quarter the strawberries. Bring the glucose syrup, 1 1/3 cups of the sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil in a large saucepan.
2. Add the strawberries and cook over medium-high heat until they soften and begin to fall apart, 10 to 12 minutes, mashing the strawberries a little with a spoon. Whisk together the pectin and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and then whisk into the marmalade.
3. Cook until the mixture thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 week.
4. To finish: Use a cookie cutter to cut out rounds of cake that will fit into your containers. I like to use a total of 8-ounce mason jars or glass mugs. For those, you'll need 16 2-inch rounds of cake. Lay a cake round on the bottom of a mason jar or mug.
5. Spoon on a layer of about 2 tablespoons marmalade and then a layer of about 1/4 cup zuppa and repeat with additional layers of cake, marmalade and zuppa until the jar or mug is filled (about two layers each for 8-ounce jars or mugs).

Polenta Stuffed with Gorgonzola Dolce
2 cups cooked polenta
4 ounces gorgonzola cheese, divided into 12 pieces
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided, plus some for greasing the pan
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/4 cup for garnish)
8 sage leaves

Instructions
1. Using 2-ounces ice cream scoop, scoop out twelve balls of polenta, each 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wet your hands make a dimple in each polenta ball and press a piece of gorgonzola into the dimple.
2. Form the polenta around the gorganzola, rolling it between your wet palms into a neat ball. Use immediately or place on a parchment-lined tray, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Turn on convection oven if possible. You want to blast these at pretty high temperature. Grease a baking sheet with some of the butter. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter, arrange the polenta balls on the sheet and brush each one with butter.
4. Bake until the polenta lightly browns and the cheese starts to melt inside, 5-7 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, melt 5 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat in a small skillet and add sage leaves. Cook until the sage lightly browns, the butter turns golden and the milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan and turn brown, 6-7 minutes.
6. Divide the polenta balls among plates, sprinkle on the Parmesan drizzle with brown butter and garnish with sage leaves.

Polenta
Makes about 5.5 cups
Salt
3/4 cups coarse yellow cornmeal (polenta)

Instructions
1. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in large pot and add salt to taste. (It should take like a mild broth; I use about 1.5 teaspoons salt per quart of water.) Gradually whisk in polenta in a slow, steady stream.
2. Lower the heat just enough to keep the polenta bubbling and then cook, without stirring, until the polenta becomes a very thick porridge, like cooked oatmeal, and burns a little on the bottom and sides of the pan, which adds a nice smoky aroma.
3. The total cooking time will be 45 minutes to 1 hour for medium coarse polenta. Avoid stirring to make sure the bottom burns a little.

Pinzimonio with Tarragon Vinagrette with Goat Cheese (Italian crudites)
1 packed cup fresh tarragon leaves
1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil
Salt freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds assorted vegetables (baby carrots, radishes, green peas, blanched fava beans, baby zucchini, white asparagus, purple asparagus)
4 ounces fresh, soft goat cheese

Instructions
1. Put the tarragon and vinegar in a blender and blend until the tarragon is finely chopped, 1-2 minutes. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil until thickened, 2 minutes.
2. The mixture should be green and medium-thick. Season with salt and pepper, then taste and adjust the vinegar and other seasonings as needed.
3. Toss the vegetables in the vinaigrette in a big bowl and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the vegetables on a wooden board or platter. I like to put them in a narrow line down a long board.
4. Use two dinner spoons to scoop and shape the goat cheese into two football shapes. Place them on opposite sides of the vegetables. Garnish with the remaining tarragon.
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