I love French Onion soup—but it takes a long time to make—especially if you do it right. I caramelized the onions slowly for two hours before adding all the other ingredients and then simmered the soup for at least another hour to blend all of the flavors—not to mention how long it took to slice the onions! But it was worth crying over, because the soup came out very sweet, flavorful, full-bodied, with a deep chestnut color.

I used three different types of onions for the soup; Sweet Maui Onions, Spanish Onions and Red Onions. But you can also add shallots and leeks and make a five onion soup if you prefer. I added lots of fresh chopped thyme, minced garlic and deglazed with ruby port and pale dry sherry. For the stock, I used a combination of dark chicken stock and veal stock. To finish the soup, I grilled Italian filione bread with olive oil, salt and pepper and cut it into cubes (much easier to eat than using a whole slice of crostini) and topped the soup with a combination of shredded Swiss and Parmesan cheese. Place the soup bowl under the salamander or broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese and top with fresh chopped chives and parsley. It’s awesome!

I must have been born Greek in a previous lifetime. I love everything about their cuisine, especially their Feta cheese; not to mention their history, people, culture, climate, and landscape—I could go on and on… Anyway, I was off from work yesterday, but went in because this is the only time that I have to play around with dessert ideas.  So I decided to make Feta Cheesecake with Kourabiedes Crust and Figs Poached in Port Wine.

Kourabiedes cookies are traditional Greek almond cookies dusted with powdered sugar which are served during festive occasions, and this is what I used to make the crust for my cheesecake. To start, roll out the Kourabiedes dough thinly and bake for about 10–15 minutes. Cool completely and then add to a food processor and pulse to a fine grain.  In a bowl add your cookie crumbs and moisten with melted butter and then press into the cheesecake mold and bake for about 10 minutes until set.

Next, follow any standard cheesecake recipe, but reduce the amount of cream cheese and substitute with a good quality Greek Feta (goat or sheep milk) cheese. I recommend the ratio of feta to cream cheese to be 1 part feta to 2 parts cream cheese. I sometimes find cheesecake to be too sweet, but the feta cheese adds a really nice tang to balance out the sweetness. However, since feta is not as creamy as cream cheese, it’s really important to strain the mixture before adding it to your mold or pan prior to baking to remove any lumps.

Finally, use a good port wine and reduce slowly with vanilla bean, lemon juice and a small amount of sugar. Add sliced dried figs (or fresh when in season) and poach until soft. Plate cheesecake, drizzle with port sauce and dust with powdered sugar and enjoy.  Now, if only I were eating this at an Estiatorio in Greece!

For today’s special I made Pan-Seared Halibut with Cilantro-Spring Onion Infused Risotto, Grilled Asparagus Tips and Tarragon Remoulade. The colors and flavors of this dish are a welcome to Spring with tender-sweet Asparagus and Spring Onions.

Remoulade is a classical French sauce that is made with mayonnaise (preferably housemade), mustard, capers, gherkins (baby pickles), herbs, anchovies (optional) and sometimes chopped hard-boiled eggs. Another great classical French sauce to accompany this dish would be Bearnaise which is a reduction of white wine vinegar, shallots and tarragon that is strained and emulsified with warm egg yolks and clarified butter. Both sauces are very rich in both texture and flavor and so a little goes a long way in finishing the dish! Enjoy!!

We were really busy at the restaurant today and so I didn’t have time to create a new special so I used the Lemon Grass-Coconut Risotto Cakes and Curry Sauce that I made for yesterday’s special. I made a couple of changes to the dish and it came out really flavorful and beautiful.

Instead of using Sea Bass, I used Sea Scallops, and for the green leafy component, I substituted sauteed Tatsoi, which is a small dark-green spoon-shaped leaf that has a mild mustard flavor. In addition, I added Kumquat Preserves, which are Kumquats that have been seeded and diced and cooked with white wine, orange juice, honey, and salt and pepper, until they are caramelized, sweet and have a thick syrup consistency. They add a nice balance to the spicy curry sauce and they are so good that you can eat them like candy!

For todays special I made Macadamia Nut Crusted Sea Bass with Lemon Grass-Coconut Risotto Cake, Thai Red Curry Sauce, Pea Shoots with Ginger Lime Vinaigrette, and Cilantro Oil.

The flavors and textures of this dish burst in your mouth The sauce is spicy and sweet and the sea bass is buttery and moist. Partnered with the crispy-creamy risotto cake—it makes for a very nice combination. And the colors are beautiful! Enjoy!