White asparagus stalks are sprouting up at the Greenmarkets around the city. What do do with them? Why not turn them into this elegant soup that’s served at NYC’s most iconic restaurant: ’21′ Club. You can easily make a meal out of the soup, with bread, salad and wine. But at ’21′ Club you can order it as a first-course. Chef John Greeley so kindly shared the recipe with us. Find out more about ’21′ Club in my Q&A with Chef John Greeley in Hauteliving.com.

White Asparagus Soup
Courtesy of Chef John Greeley of 21 Club
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 c. onion (diced large)
1 c. leek (white part only, diced)
6 c. white asparagus (cut into 1 inch pieces)
4 c. vegetable stock or white chicken stock (have an extra cup for adjusting consistency*)
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 Bay Leaf Salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Make the soup
1. In an 8 qt. stainless steel pot on medium heat (no aluminum because it will turn the soup a slight tint of grey), add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then add the onion, leek and garlic.
2. Begin to sauté stirring so the onion and garlic become translucent NOT browned. This takes 3-5 minutes.
3. Add asparagus and stir together and season with salt and cayenne pepper, then add stock to just cover ingredients.
4. Add bay leaf and bring to a boil, as soon as this happens cover and turn down to a simmer.
5. Cook 15-20 minutes until asparagus is tender, cool off soup then purée in a blender.
6. Strain soup through cheese cloth of fine mesh strainer, pressing out all the soup with the back of a
spoon.
7. Check to adjust seasoning and keep cool until ready to heat and serve.

For the Garnish

Ingredients
1 c. watercress leaves (chopped)
1 pinch chili threads (or Cayenne)
4 oz. salmon (poached or steamed, then seasoned and tossed in olive oil.)
4 Tbs. leek (diced, and cooked tender in boiling water)
2 Tbs. croutons (hand dice bread small and toast in oven with a touch of olive oil)

To garnish
Pour hot soup into warmed bowls, then garnish with ingredients and serve.

This is one of those dishes to make after the kids go to bed, as it serves two, plus raw hamachi isn’t exactly something your children will like. (Double or triple the recipe for your next dinner party.) Chef Jasper Schneider serves this at Hudson Hall, that modern, collegiate-like dining hall in Hell’s Kitchen. Find out more about Hudson Hall in my Q & A with Chef Schneider in Hauteliving.com.

Hamachi green papaya salad
Serves 2

Ingredients
2oz Hamachi, sliced
1 tablespoon peanuts
Sea salt to taste
1oz green papaya, grated
6 pieces cilantro leaves
5 pieces micro cilantro, for garnish
2 tablespoon Thai bird chili vinaigrette (recipe below)

Make the dish
Slice hamachi and place on a plate. Salt peanuts, to taste. Shred the green papaya in a food processor. After shredding toss with the Thai bird chile vinaigrette (recipe below), salted peanuts and cilantro leaves. Season with salt if desired, according to taste. Place the salad over the fish and add one tablespoon of of dressing over the top and garnish with micro cilantro.

Thai bird chili vinaigrette
Ingredients
1/2 cup palm sugar (which I got at Kalystyan’s)
4 pieces of Thai Bird Chilies, sliced thinly (or use jalapenos if you can’t find the chilies)
2 cups fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fish sauce

Make the vinaigrette
Smash the chilies with the palm sugar until it starts to become soft, about 5 minutes. Whisk together with the remaining ingredients.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Jasper Schneider of Hudson Hall restaurant in the Hudson Hotel

Hudson Hotel/356 W 58th St at 9th Avenue/212-554-6502

If you love Asian BBQ (and I certainly do) you can now enjoy it with an American twist at Ember Room, which opened in February. Co-owner (along with Todd English) Ian Chalermkittichai shares this recipe for soy braised beef short ribs with us. Read more about Ember Room in my Q & A with Ian Chalermkittichai in Haute Living.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Shortrib:
8 beef short ribs
2 ounces ginger, thinly sliced
1 ounce garlic, crushed
½ bunch scallions
½ Spanish onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 oz Shaoxing wine
2 oz Yamasa low sodium soy sauce
1 oz fermented soy beans, soaked in water
Water, as needed
¼ cup canola oil

Sweet Potato
1 Sweet Potato, peeled and diced
1 Tbsp ginger, peeled and chopped
1 oz crystallized ginger
Milk, as needed
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon butter

Mustard Glaze
2 oz Chinese mustard
2 oz water
4 oz honey

Make the dish

Short Ribs
Clean the short ribs then season slightly with salt and pepper, sear in a roasting pan in hot canola oil until golden brown. Add the mirepoix (ginger, garlic, scallions, onion) to the roasting pan and cook until caramelized. Deglaze with shao xing wine and reduce until thick. Add the rest of the ingredients and braise in the oven until FORK tender (375 F for 3 – 3.5 hours). Remove the meat from the bone, transfer to a sheet pan, then portion into 3 oz. servings

Potatoes
In a medium pot, over high heat, sweat the ginger with butter then add the sweet potato. Then add the milk to cover, and cook until tender. Strain and puree the mixture in the food processor until smooth. Season with salt and add the crystallized ginger and mix with a spoon

Mustard Glaze
In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients together

Assembly
Spread sweet potato on a plate Arrange 6 oz portions of short rib meat on each plate Pour the sauce over the meat.

Ember Room/647 9th Avenue between 45th & 46th Streets/212-245-8880

Julieta Ballesteros, the chef of hotspot taqueria Los Feliz

On a recent visit to Los Feliz, I enjoyed, among other things (like some very tasty margaritas!) a sampling of Julieta Ballesteros’ ceviche.

Here she shares her recipe for the Robalo ceviche. It’s an easy dish to make at home. And if you want to find out more about Los Feliz, check out my interview with Rob Shamlian on Hauteliving.com

Ceviche, perfect with one of Los Feliz's many tequilas

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh sea bass fillet, no bones; cut into 1/2” cubes
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 chopped plum tomatoes
1/2 of red onion, chopped
1/4 of a bunch of cilantro, chopped
Salt and white pepper to taste

Make the ceviche
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Toss and let it chill for 5 minutes. (If you don’t have access to the freshest fish, it’s best to let marinate for 2 hours.) Serve with a chili rim in a martini glass and garnish with fresh avocado.

If I hadn’t just moved to Brooklyn, I’d probably be eating at Spasso quite often. I love small intimate restaurants, especially ones where you can sit at a kitchen bar and watch the chef at work. Read more about Spasso in my Q&A with Craig Wallen in Hauteliving.com

Photo courtesy of Hara Partners.

If you’re ever looking for something new to bake, why not try a batch of delicate macarons?

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Cecile Cannone of Macaron Cafe for Haute Living. French-born Cannone is an expert at making authentic macarons, which she perfected from old family recipes. In her new book, Macarons: Authentic French Recipes from the Macaron Cafe (available on Amazon), she offers recipes for this quintessential French cookie. Here, she shares one with us. But if you’re interested in other flavors, definitely check out her book.

And check out my interview with her in Haute Living.

French meringue macarons
Makes 50 to 60 shells, for 25 to 30 filled macarons

Ingredients
2¾ cups (8.8 ounces/250 grams) almond flour
2¾ cups (12.4 ounces/350 grams) powdered sugar
1 cup egg whites (from 7 to 8 eggs), at room temperature
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons powdered egg whites, if weather is humid
¾ cup (5.3 ounces/150 grams) superfine granulated sugar
5 to 7 drops gel paste food coloring (optional)

Make the macarons
Step 1: Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 2: Blend the almond flour with the powdered sugar in the food processor to make a fine powder (or sift together, discarding any large crumbs and adding a bit more almond flour and powdered sugar as needed to compensate). Then sift the mixture through a strainer until it’s as fine as you can get it. This keeps crumbs from forming on the macaron tops as they bake.

Step 3: With the wire whip attachment on the electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the salt and powdered egg whites (if you’re using them), starting slowly and then increasing speed as the whites start to rise. Add the granulated sugar and the food coloring. Beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks and your meringue is firm and shiny.

Step 4: Pour the beaten egg whites onto your almond flour mixture and gently fold them in, using a rubber spatula. Move your spatula from the bottom of the bowl to the edges with one hand, using your other hand to rotate the bowl. Now hit the spatula against the rim of the bowl until the batter falls in a wide ribbon when you raise the spatula. When you can’t see any crumbs of almond flour and the mixture is shiny and flowing, you’re ready to start piping.

Step 5: Fit your pastry bag with a number-8 tip to fill with batter. Start by squeezing out a small amount of mix onto a parchment-lined baking sheet to form a 2½ -inch circle. Be sure to leave 1 inch of space between macarons so they will not touch each other while they bake. If the peak that forms on the top of the macaron does not disappear after piping, it means the batter could have been beaten a little more. To eliminate the peaks, tap the baking sheet on the tabletop, making sure to hold the parchment paper in place with your thumbs.

Let the piped macarons rest for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 300°F (325°F for a non-convection oven).

Step 6: Bake for 14 minutes. After the first 5 minutes, open the oven door briefly to let the steam out. Let the macarons cool completely on a rack before taking them off the parchment paper. Press the bottom of a cooled baked macaron shell with your finger; it should be soft. If the bottom of the shell is hard, reduce the baking time for the rest of your macarons from 14 minutes to 13 minutes.

Lavender buttercream
Makes enough filling for 25 to 30 filled macarons

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup (7 ounces/200 grams) superfine granulated sugar
1 cup lavender water (rinse several fresh lavender stems and pour boiling water over them in a bowl; steep for 5 minutes. Strain.)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2¼ sticks; 9 ounces/230 grams) chilled unsalted butter, preferably European-style
5 to 8 drops edible essential lavender oil (optional)

Make the buttercream
Beat together the eggs and the sugar with the electric mixer at high speed; you want your batter to double in volume and become fluffy. Pour into a saucepan, add the lavender water, and heat at medium temperature, stirring, until the liquid evaporates and the mixture forms a compact batter. Pour into a shallow dish, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator.

Cut the cold butter into small pieces and beat at a high speed with the mixer’s wire whip attachment. When the butter starts to increase in volume and become fluffy, add the cold lavender batter and whip again. For a stronger lavender flavor, add a few drops of edible essential lavender oil; how much you need depends on the brand.

Recipe courtesy of Cecile Cannone’s book: Macarons: Authentic French Recipes from the Macaron Cafe, Ulysses Press.

Willy Shine of The Cocktail Collective

This is a festive time of year, when meeting friends for cocktails after work is a fun way to socialize. And if you need an idea on where to go (though there’s never a shortage of places here in NYC), you may want to follow The Cocktail Collective. This group of talented bartenders creates cocktail menus for a various restaurants and hotels. Their most recent project: 44 at The Royalton, where The Cocktail Collective will be serving their elixirs.

Find out what drinks they’ll be serving in my interview with Willy Shine of The Cocktail Collective in Hauteliving.com

I had lunch here a few weeks, and was more than pleasantly surprised with Chef Josh DeChellis’s modern Spanish cuisine at La Fonda del Sol. Since the restaurant is next to Grand Central Station, commuters can easily slip in for a cocktail + tapas, or those with expense accounts can go all out for a decadent Spanish lunch.

Read more about La Fonda del Sol and Chef Josh DeChellis in HauteLiving.com.

La Fonda del Sol/MetLife Building/E. 44th + Vanderbilt Ave/212-867-6767

Have you ever had Scandinavian cuisine? If not, why not start with upscale Scandinavian at Aquavit. I can’t believe I never ate there when Marcus Samuelsson was the chef. But now there’s a newcomer at the helm: Chef Marcus Jernmark who took over in the spring.

Over the summer I got to taste his cuisine when I attended the Crayfish Festival at Restaurant Aquavit: a crayfish smorgasbord plus a pound of peel & eat crayfish all paired, naturally, with aquavit made for an haute Scandinavian lunch. Now that fall is here, I will be returning to enjoy Chef Jernmark’s Scandinavian cuisine that’s both traditional and contemporary.

Find out more about Aquavit and Chef Jernmark in my interview with him in Hauteliving.com