Chef Jesse Schenker, wife Lindsay's Val Day dish
Love was in the air on this week's edition of The Dish!
In honor of Valentine's Day, Chef Jesse Schenker, chef/owner of Recette, in Manhattan, and his wife, Lindsay, director of operations at the restaurant, joined "CBS This Morning: Saturday" for the first favorite dish from a husband-wife team. The busy couple shared their collective love of food, each other, Recette and their new baby, born last fall.
Their ultimate dish: Papardelle with Lamb Ragu, Parmesan and Basil.
According to Jesse's official bio:
Recette is an urban, contemporary American restaurant that opened in New York's Greenwich Village in January 2010. It has been well-received, with "glowing" two-star reviews from both the New York Times and New York Magazine.
Jesse's love affair with food, started at a young age while growing up in Florida. He collected menus from his parents' dinners and also invested in an extensive cookbook collection that has grown to 350 volumes today.
He went for his Culinary Degree at the Atlantic Technical Center in Coconut Creek, Fla. During that time, he gained his first professional kitchen experience at Cafe Maxx, guided by Chef Oliver Saucy. From there, he became the Chef de Partie at Chef Mark Militello's James Beard award-winning restaurant, Mark's on Las Olas and then onto Sous Chef at Fort Lauderdale's celebrated Italian restaurant Rino's Restaurante.
With experience under his belt, Jesse moved to Miami to become Sous Chef at the upscale wine bar, City Cellar Wine Bar and Grille.
After wowing the best culinary cities of Florida, it was time to take on the challenge of wowing foodies in the Big Apple. Jesse was offered a position as Chef de Partie at the two-Michelin-star rated Gordon Ramsay at the London.
He launched his own venture, Recette Private Dining and teamed up with Savoy Bakery owner Brian Ghaw and Per Se pastry alum Christina Lee, and created up to ten-course tasting menus for exclusive private parties.
While Recette Private Dining was thriving, his culinary efforts didn't go unnoticed in the fine-dining restaurant arena. He was given the opportunity to stage at two of New York City's most prestigious dining destinations, Per Se and Jean Georges.
He also launched "Mondays with Jesse" - a monthly dinner series where he transforms the dining room the second Monday of every month and creates a seasonal 10-course tasting menu for his guests.
Jesse and Lindsay met in middle school, but didn't start dating until 2008, after she read about his cooking and tracked down his email address. The rest, as they say, is history.
RECIPES:
PAPARDELLE WITH LAMB RAGU, PARMESAN AND BASIL
Serves 2
- 1 lb. fresh papardelle (or buy good quality fettuccine or linguine)
- 1 lb. ground domestic lamb
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 8 oz. tomato puree
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons basil, chopped
In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, put half amount of olive oil and then add ground lamb and brown. As you're browning the meat, skim off excess fat with a ladle or spoon. Add garlic and shallots once lamb is browned. Cook for one minute and deglaze with red wine. Reduce for another minute. Add spices and vinegar and then add tomato puree. Simmer on low heat for 40 minutes. Do not let it completely evaporate; be sure to constantly stir it. In a separate pot of salted boiling water, cook fresh pasta for one minute. Strain in colander. Place pasta into pot of ragu. Add fresh basil, cheese, remainder of olive oil. Toss off the heat for 30 seconds. Serve in a large bowl. Eat immediately.
For more of the Schenkers' recipes, go to Page 2.
MARINATED HAMACHI
Serves 2
- 4 oz. fresh hamachi
- Juice and zest of half a lemon
- Juice and zest of half a lime
- 1/2 teaspoon minced shallot
- 1/4 teaspoon of aji Amarillo paste
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
- Small pinch of harissa paste
- Kosher salt to taste
Cut hamachi into small dice (tartare style). Mix remaining ingredients (except for harissa) in a small bowl until emulsified. Whisk harissa into marinade. Fold diced hamachi lightly into marinade until fish is coated throughout. Serve in small bowl. Eat immediately.
DUCK FAT FINGERLINGS
Serves 5-6
- 1 1/2 lb fingerling potatoes
- 1 lg Spanish onions
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley
- 1/2 c rendered duck fat
- Salt to taste
Boil potatoes in salted water until boiled down then let cool. Thinly slice Spanish onion and chop parsley. In large cast iron skillet, heat up duck fat and place potatoes in the skillet and cook until golden brown. Remove potatoes and put into a bowl. Place onions and parsley into the same skillet and stir until crispy then add potatoes in bowl, mix together and season to taste.
ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES
Serves 5-6
- 1 large head, broccoli
- 1 large head, cauliflower
- 2 large golden beets
- 3 large carrots
- 1 Spanish onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 bunch fresh Thyme
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons chopped chives
- 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Peel, clean and cut all vegetables into 1"x1" pieces. In large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Individually blanch each vegetable until fork tender (carrots will take longer than broccoli; beets will take longest). Once blanched, shock all vegetables in ice water (to retain vibrant color and stop cooking). Drain on paper towels and dry well. Heat large cast iron pan to medium high heat, add olive oil. Spread vegetables out on pan (be sure not to overcrowd pan). Add thyme and seasons with salt to taste. Add garlic. After 3-4 minutes and vegetables are brown, toss in butter to deglaze. Finish with fresh herbs.