How chef Jeremiah Langhorne got "hooked" on food

Chef Jeremiah Langhorne was born and raised in Virginia and as a teen delivered pizzas for a local restaurant. Then, he went behind the counter and started making them, jump-starting a culinary career that's taken him to top venues from Copenhagen to California.   

Now, he's returned to his mid-Atlantic roots with The Dabney in Washington D.C. The food is largely locally sourced from the region's finest farms and prepared in a wood-burning hearth. In 2016, Food & Wine named it one of their Restaurants of the Year. 

Here are some of Langhorne's signature recipes: 

Sorghum and hot sauce glazed bone-in short ribs with wild horseradish 

Glaze ingredients

1 cups sorghum molasses (if not available honey can be substituted)
1/4 cup hot sauce (feel free to adjust based on preference for spice level)
4 tablespoons toasted benne seeds (sesame seeds if benne not available)
Juice of ½ fresh lemon
2-4 ounce piece of fresh horseradish

Short ribs ingredients

6 pounds bone in short rib cut lengthwise along the bone
3 tablespoons canola oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
2 large onions (medium dice)
4 large carrots
5 celery ribs
½ head of garlic (approx.. 6 cloves)
2 bottles dry red wine (ex. Cabernet sauvignon)
6 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
2 bay leaves (fresh if possible)
 6 cups beef stock (chicken if beef not available)

Directions

1.      Heat canola oil in a large cast iron skillet. Season ribs with salt and pepper and place into skillet. Cook ribs over medium heat for approx. 20 minutes until browned, turning half way through. Remove ribs from skillet and place in a single layer in shallow dish.

2.      Place carrots, onion, celery and garlic into skillet and cook over low heat for approx. 25 minutes until lightly browned. Add wine, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves to skillet and bring liquid to a boil over high heat. Pour mixture from skillet over ribs and let cool.

3.      Cover ribs with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight, flipping once before going to bed

4.      The next day, preheat oven to 325°f.

5.       Place ribs and marinade into baking casserole dish, add beef stock and cover with lid. Cook casserole in the oven at 325°f or 2 ½ hours, turning once. Check ribs for tenderness, ribs are done when tender but not completely falling off the bone. When ribs complete cooking remove from sauce and place on a baking tray.

6.       Transfer sauce into a pot on the stovetop and reduce on medium heat for about 20 minutes until sauce is concentrated, skimming fat off the top.  Strain sauce, making sure majority of fat has been removed.

7.       Combine ingredients for glaze in bowl, excluding horseradish. Using a pastry brush or spoon, liberally glaze short ribs and place back in oven on top shelf uncovered. Cook ribs for 5-10 minutes, remove and reglaze once more.

To Serve- Pour sauce into bottom of serving dish, place ribs on top and grate horseradish overtop of ribs.

Roasted squash with kale, smoked feta and pecans

Ingredients

5 butternut, acorn or delicata squash
2 bunches kale, red russian or lacinato
1 cup high quality pecans
1 ½ cup olive oil
1 head garlic
2-4 ounces feta
¼ cup ricotta
3 tablespoons grade A high quality maple syrup
3 sprigs rosemary
½ teaspoon hot sauce (ex. Tabasco or Franks)
½ lemon
1 tablespoon toasted benne seeds (can be purchased at ansonmills.com)
Kosher Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoon sherry vinegar
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 quart whole milk
2 bay leaves 

1 cup apple wood chips or wood chips for smoking 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°f

2. Place olive oil in small pot, smash garlic cloves with hand and add to olive oil. Place pot of olive oil over medium heat cooking until garlic begins to bubble then remove from heat and set aside to cool.

3. In a sauté pan on medium heat add butter and melt until begins to foam. Add pecans to butter and toss coating them evenly. Turn burner to low and toast pecans in butter for 3-5 minutes intermittently stirring to prevent from burning. Spoon pecans onto paper towel allowing extra fat to drain off and cool. Rough chop pecans.

4. Using your choice of home smoking methods that can found online, lightly smoke feta over apple wood chips for a few minutes. Allow feta to cool and crumble.

5. Peel squash and cut in half lengthwise. Using spoon remove seeds and scrape out guts. Cut squash into ½-1 inch thick pieces. Place squash into a bowl adding 3 tablespoons of garlic oil, salt and pepper to season and rosemary leaves removed from sprig. Toss squash with ingredients to coat thoroughly. Lay squash out on sheet tray in a single layer. Cook in the oven at 325°f for 20-30 minutes, checking at 20 minutes testing for creaminess while still firm. Once squash is tender, remove and allow to cool.

6. In a medium size pot over medium to high heat add two sticks of butter. Heat butter until it starts to foam and is a golden brown color. Add 1 squash worth of cooked squash pieces to the butter along with milk and bay leaves. Turn pot down to low to medium heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes until squash is completely tender and broken down. Strain off excess milk and remove bay leaves. Puree squash in a food processor. After pureed, add 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar and 1 tablespoon maple syrup to squash.

7. While squash is cooking, wash and clean kale, removing the leaves from the stems. Slice stems into 1cm thick pieces. Chop or tear kale leaves into small pieces. Mix torn leaves and chopped stems together in a bowl.

8. Place a cast iron pan over medium to high heat, adding 2 tablespoon of garlic oil. Transfer kale leave and stems to cast iron leaving alone 30 seconds to allow to char. After the 30 seconds, stir kale allowing to cook down evenly for 2-3 minutes. Add lemon juice, benne seeds and a couple dashes of hot sauce to kale and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat.

9. Char remaining squash pieces on a grill or in a cast iron pan quickly over high heat.

To serve: On a large platter spread an even layer of squash puree to cover the bottom of the platter. Cover squash puree with cooked kale leaves and stems. Nestle spoonfuls of ricotta through out kale. Place grilled squash over top of greens. To finish sprinkle pecans, feta, sherry vinegar and maple syrup over squash and greens.

Charred brassicas, nduja hollandaise, mint chimichurri and fried shallots

Ingredients

1-3 bunches of 3-5 different types of brassicas (ex. broccoli, broccolini, broccoli robe, mustards, kales, cauliflower, brussel sprouts)
3-4 ounces nduja sausage (or chorizo)
1 bunch mint
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch tarragon
2 cups olive oil
1/2 cup garlic oil
4 shallots
3 cloves garlic
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
8 egg yolks
1 cup butter
1 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 teaspoons lemons juice
Hot sauce to season
2 quart neutral oil for frying
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoon sorghum

Directions

1. Wash and clean all brassicas, trim into pieces roughly the size of one crown of broccoli. Bring a pot of water to a boil, lightly season with salt. Separate the brassicas into leafy versus denser pieces. Blanch denser brassica pieces for 30 seconds and leafy pieces for 15 seconds. Remove and place on tray allowing to cool.

2. Peel 2 shallots. On a mandolin shave shallots into rings 1/8th-1/16th of an inch thick. Punch out and reserve center for hollandaise wine reduction, leaving only the outer 2-3 layers. Soak rings in buttermilk for 1 hour. While rings are soaking, place neutral oil in a large pot and bring up to 350°f. Season flour with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Remove shallots and drain off excess buttermilk. Toss shallots with seasoned flour. Shake off excess flour. Fry shallots in neutral oil until golden brown. Remove and place on towel to drain off excess oil.

3. In a small saucepan add white wine, 8 leaves of tarragon, shallot middles, 1 clove of garlic and 6 whole black peppercorns. Reduce over medium to high heat to 1/6th original amount. Strain and reserve liquid.

4. Rough chop nduja into small pieces. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place mixture into sauté pan over low to medium heat. Render for 8-12 minutes until meat starts to crisp and look cooked and cooking oil turns red. Strain oil from sausage and reserve for hollandaise. Lay sausage out on towel to drain excess grease.

5. In small saucepot, melt the butter and combine with 4 tablespoons rendered nduja oil. Allow mixture to cool.

6. To make hollandaise use the blanching pot and fill with several inches of water. Place over medium heat bringing up to a simmer. Create a double boiler using a mixing bowl that fits nicely into pot without touching water. Place egg yolks and wine reduction mixture into the mixing bowl keeping pot of water at a simmer. Vigorously whisk yolks, incorporating as much air as possible. While continuing to whisk slowly pour in butter and nduja oil mixture creating an emulsion. Once all butter mixture is added hollandaise should be a thick texture that will hold its shape when whisk is moved through it. Turn burner off and leave bowl over water to keep hollandaise warm, whisking once of twice.

7. To make chimichurri pick parsley, mint and tarragon off of stems. Finely chop and mix together in bowl. Mince and add 2 shallots. Add 1 cup olive oil, sherry vinegar and sorghum. Stir mixture together until fully incorporated. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste.

8. In a mixing bowl coat brassicas with garlic oil and transfer to a hot cast iron pan over medium to high heat. Char for 3-5 minutes stirring to cook evenly. Remove and place back into mixing bowl. Add chimichurri along with salt, pepper and lemon and toss to coat brassicas.

To serve- place brassicas in large bowl, spoon warm hollandaise over top, garnish with crispy shallot rings and rendered nduja.

Radishes with buttermilk dressing

Ingredients

1 cup Dukes mayo
1 cup sour cream
½ cup buttermilk
2 cloves minced Garlic
1 minced Shallot
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 tablespoon Bourbon Barrel Worcestershire
¼ cup finely grated local pecorino style cheese
2 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ lemon squeezed
1 bunch chives
1 bunch tarragon
1 bunch parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Finely chop herbs and combine together

2. Mix remaining ingredients with herbs in mixing bowl until all ingredients are incorporated

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Grilled oysters with country ham vinaigrette

Ingredients 

12 Whitestone Oyster
3 oz shaved Broadbent Country Ham (or best quality you can get)
½ cup champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 large shallot (minced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
½ lemon
Hot sauce to taste
1 teaspoon fennel pollen
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Cut the ham into small pieces and render in a skillet until crispy. Remove ham from pan and set aside. Add minced shallot and garlic to skillet with remaining ham fat and sauté until soft. Add vinegar, honey and fennel pollen. Season with remaining ingredients.

2. Shuck the oysters only removing the lid (do not detach the muscle).

3. On a grill place the oysters open side down on the grate and cook for 1-2 minutes.

4. Remove the oyster from the shell detaching the muscle and place on a tray.

To serve: Cover a plate with rock salt or wet kosher salt and settle the oyster onto the salt so they do not tip or spill. Add a small spoonful of ham vinaigrette and crispy ham to each oyster. 

Butterscotch pie 

Crust ingredients 

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
¼ stick + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
½ tbsp sugar
¾ tsp kosher salt
3-4 tbsp ice water

Crust directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°f

2. Combine the flours, salt, and sugar together, then cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients either with a dough knife or a food processor. Continue breaking the butter up into small pieces until it takes on the appearance of sand, with some small "pebbles" being allowed. Chill the butter and flour combination for ten minutes.

3. After the flour and butter has chilled, quickly work in the ice-cold water, one tablespoon at a time, just until the dough is hydrated. Work into a loose ball and refrigerate for thirty minutes before rolling into a circle and fitting into a 10-in pie pan.

4. To par bake the pie crust, line with parchment paper and fill with either pie weights or dry beans. This will keep the sides of the pie crust from falling during the baking process. Bake just until the sides begin to take color (approximately 10-15 minutes). 

Filling ingredients 

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
1/2 cup whole wheat flour 
¼ stick + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, cold 
½ tbsp sugar 
¾ tsp kosher salt 
3-4 tbsp ice water

Filling directions

1. Drop oven temperature to 300°f

2. Melt butter in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat. While the butter is melting, whisk together 2 cups of the brown sugar, the flour, and the kosher salt.

3. Once the butter is fully melted, add the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar. Combine with the butter with a wooden spoon, and continue stirring, being careful not to allow scorching. Continue cooking sugar and butter until the butter has been fully absorbed, and the sugar begins to bubble aggressively.

4. Once the butter is fully absorbed, carefully add the whole milk and the heavy cream. Bring to a boil, stirring from time to time. Once a boil has been reached, add the brown sugar and flour mixture. Whisk in, and continue stirring with your wooden spoon or a wide rubber spatula. Continue stirring until a boil is reached and the mixture thickens.

5. Once thick and boiling, pour one cup into your yolks, and whisk to temper. Continue this process until all of your warm mixture is combined with your egg yolks. Add the vanilla.

6. Pour the filling into your par-baked pie crust, leaving ¼ inch between the top of the filling and the top of the crust. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until the custard has firmed up and jiggles as a whole when shaken lightly. Refrigerate. Serve cold or a room temperature, topped with fresh nutmeg, toasted italian meringue, and dark chocolate shavings.