The Dish: Chef Erling Wu-Bower shares his signature recipes

Chef Erling Wu-Bower grew up in Chicago where his mother, Olivia, was a talented cook who went on to become executive chef at Google. In California she was inspired by the state's incredible produce. And Wu-Bower was, too. 

After jobs at top Chicago restaurants, he opened Pacific Standard Time, featuring fresh California produce and local meats, all cooked on wood-fired grills. The restaurant won this year's James Beard Award for Best Design, as well as one of Eater's Best Restaurants in 2019. And now a rooftop venue, The Laurel Room, is set to open later this month.

Here are a few of Wu-Bower's signature recipes: 

Grilled strip steak with cucumbers, zough, market plums, ricotta salata and dill (Serves 4-6)

Ingredients

Steak:

2 12 oz. portions of strip steak
1 roma tomato
1 clove of garlic
1/2 cup red wine (whatever you're going to drink with dinner)
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce

Zough:

1 jalapeno pepper, stem and seeds removed
1 bunch cilantro, steams cut off
½ cup parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp coriander, ground
½ tsp cumin, ground 
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
¼ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp sugar
salt to taste

Salad:

2 english cucumbers, cut into quarters, seeds removed and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 pint plums, ideally from your local market, 'cheeks' cut from around the pit
juice of 2 lemons
1 cup zough
salt and pepper to taste

Serving:

both steaks
cucumber salad
1/4 cup ricotta salata cheese, crumbled by hand
1/2 cup dill sprigs
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted
your best extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. For the steak: Place all of the ingredients, besides the steak, in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the marinade over the steak and let marinate overnight in the cooler, or for 2 hours at room temperature.
2. For the zough: Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor until the mixture resembles a chunky pesto.  Taste and adjust with lemon, sugar and salt as needed.
3. For the salad: Just before you put the steaks on the grill, mix all of the ingredients, except the plums, in a large mixing bowl and toss together.  Adjust seasoning as you see fit.  Just before serving with the steak, mix in the plums.
4. To serve: Temper your steaks at room temperature for at least an hour. Light your grill to medium high, (charcoal is always better than gas, wood is always better than charcoal). Grill your steaks to your desired temperature.  As you grill, constantly dip the steaks, whenever you flip them, in the marinade that remains in the bowl.
5. When the steaks are done, let them rest for 5-8 minutes. Slice the steaks and place them on a platter. Spread the salad over the top of the meat. Sprinkle the dill, olive oil, pumpkin seeds and ricotta salata over the top and serve immediately.

Burrata with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and basil-vadouvan vinaigrette (Serves 4-6)

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup tomato vinegar (white balsamic is a good substitute)
1 tbsp chopped shallot
1/4 cup grape seed oil
1 tsp aji amarillo paste
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp white soy sauce
salt to taste
1/2 lb. of basil leaves
2 tsp vadouvan spice

Serving:

2 balls of burrata, cut in half
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, preferably from your local farmers market, cut in half
2 cups 'pickling' cucumbers cut into 1/2" slices
2/3 cup of vinaigrette
sea salt
pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves cut into 1/4" strips

Method

1. For the vinaigrette: Blend all of the ingredients together. Adjust with more vinegar, honey, or salt as you please.
2. To serve: Place the tomatoes, cucumber and vinaigrette in a bowl, mix, season with salt and pepper, and let stand for 5-10 minutes.
3. Place the cut burrata on a plate and season aggressively with salt and pepper. Using a slotted spoon, spread the salad over the cheese.  Spoon some, but not all, of the residual vinaigrette over the plate. Garnish with the basil and serve.

Farm lettuce salad with miso tahini vinaigrette and lentil sprouts (Serves 4-6)

Ingredients 

Vinaigrette:

2 tbsp white Soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup tahini paste
2 tbsp sesame oil
1, 1/4" slice ginger
1 garlic clove
4 scallion tops
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp red miso
juice of 2 limes

Salad:

2-4 beautiful heads of lettuce, whatever your favorite kinds are (romaine, oak and bibb are great), cleaned washed and dried
1/2 cup lentil sprouts
1/4 cup vinaigrette
2 limes for fresh juice
sesame seeds to garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. For the vinaigrette: Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. The vinaigrette should be the consistency of thick cream. Let out with water if it is too thick.  Adjust seasoning with lime or salt if necessary.
2. For the salad: Place the lettuce in a large bowl and add the lentil sprouts and the vinaigrette. Season with salt, pepper, and the juice of 1 lime. Toss the salad, taking care to get vinaigrette on each leaf yet not crush the lettuce. Taste and re-season as necessary. Move the salad to a serving bowl, sprinkle over sesame seeds, and serve immediately

Grilled broccoli with corn, peanuts and crème fraiche (Serves 4-6)

Ingredients

2 bunches broccoli, stems removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 ears corn, cooked in boiling water, cooled, kernels removed. (2 cups frozen corn that has been defrosted is a good substitute)
1/2 fresno chile, seeds removed, cut into the thinnest possible slices
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, microplaned
1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts
2 scallions, cut in to the thinnest possible rounds, both the white and green part
1 tbsp crème fraiche, let out with buttermilk (or milk) until pourable

Method

1. Light your grill to medium high, (charcoal is always better than gas, wood is always better than charcoal). If you are worried about the broccoli falling through the grill grates, place a vegetable grilling grate over the grill. 
2. In a bowl, season the broccoli with salt, pepper and olive oil. In another bowl large enough to hold the broccoli, place the corn, fresno chile, white balsamic, garlic, peanuts and scallions.
3. Grill the broccoli until it is tender.  When the broccoli is cooked, place it in the bowl with the other ingredients. Toss the broccoli together with everything; the heat of the broccoli will 'cook' everything else. 
4. Pour the broccoli onto a serving plate, drizzle the crème fraiche over the broccoli, and serve immediately.

Chef Natalie Saben's tres leches cake (Yields one 13'' x 9'' cake)

Ingredients

Cake:

5 egg whites
¾ cup sugar
6 egg yolks
zest of 1 lime
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Cake soak:

1 ¼ cups goat's milk
¾ cup condensed milk
1 cup evaporated milk
4 tsp dark rum
¼ tsp salt

Cajeta:

1 quart goat's milk
1 cup sugar
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt

Oven roasted pineapple:

2 oz. butter
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup honey
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 lime
3 tsp orange juice
juice of ½ lime
1 pineapple

Candied hazelnuts

2 cups hazelnuts
½ cup sugar

Method

1. For the cake:  Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 13" x 9" cake pan and set aside.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, slowly start whipping egg whites until they are frothy.
4. With the mixer still running, slowly start adding the sugar to the eggs, 1 tbsp at a time. Once all the sugar has been added, continue whipping until the egg whites have reached stiff peaks.
5. Add egg yolks, vanilla extract, and lime zest to the egg white mixture and mix.
6. Detach the bowl from the mixer and, working in thirds, slowly sprinkle in the sifted flour mixture. Fold into the egg whites gently, using a rubber spatula, making sure the dry ingredients have been mixed in thoroughly. 
7. Pour batter into your greased pan.
8. Bake for 10 minutes. Then rotate the cake and bake for another 10 minutes. Test with a toothpick to make sure the cake is done. If the toothpick comes out with batter on it, continue baking in 5 minute increments until the toothpick comes out clean.
9. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature. Remove from pan and trim off sides as well as the top and bottom brown layers. Then poke the cake all over with a toothpick. Once fully punctured, pour cake soak over the cake and chill for 4 hours.          
10. For the cake soak: Whisk all together and refrigerate until ready to use.
11. For the cajeta: In a pot with tall sides, combine goats milk, sugar, baking soda, and vanilla. Simmer on low heat, stirring often, until it has reduced into a thick caramel. Add salt and let cool to room temperature.
12. For the oven roasted pineapple: Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut the top and bottom off the pineapple as well as the outer skin. Cut pineapple in half leaving you with 2 rounds. Using a small paring knife, cut a small circle around the core. Then flip over and make the same small circle on the other side of the fruit. Using your fingers, pop the core out. Then, place the pineapple in an ovenproof pan and set aside.
13. In a pot, combine all ingredients except the pineapple, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, pour the liquid mixture over the pineapple halves and place in oven.
14. Cook the pineapple for 5 minutes, and then remove the pineapple from the oven to baste. Continue this process until pineapple is caramelized and tender, approximately 25-35 minutes.
15. Let cool, and then cut the pineapple into small pieces to garnish the cake.
16. For the candied hazelnuts: Toast nuts in a 350°F oven until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Allow to cool.
17. Put the sugar in a saucepan and add enough water to make it look like wet sand. Cook until the sugar begins to turn an amber color around the edges. Add in the cooled hazelnuts and stir constantly until the nuts are fully coated and crystallized (the nuts will turn white).
18. Pour the crystallized nuts onto a piece of parchment and let cool before roughly chopping.
19. To assemble: Place a small amount of cajeta at the base of a bowl. On top of the cajeta, place a spoonful of the diced caramelized pineapple. Using a spoon, separate or tear off generous pieces of cake for a more organic look. Place two pieces of the cake in the bowl atop the pineapple and cajeta. Sprinkle a small spoonful of hazelnuts across the dessert, letting them fall wherever they do. Serve and enjoy.

Hibiscus margarita

Ingredients

For hibiscus Pueblo Viejo:

12 x 1 liter bottle Pueblo Viejo Blanco
1 quart dried hibiscus
1 cup mallorca melon tea

For the margarita:

2 oz. hibiscus and mallorca melon infused Pueblo Viejo tequila
.75 oz. lime juice
.75 oz. simple syrup

For the urfa salt:

1 cup urfa pepper
3 cups Morton's kosher salt

Methods

1. For the hibiscus Pueblo Viejo: Infuse all ingredients for three hours, then strain, bottle and date.
2. For the margarita: Shake, strain, and bottle with ice.
3. To finish: Garnish glass with lime wedge, and place the urfa salt along half the rim.

In:
• Chicago