If I had to pick a single place for Saturday lunch in Manhattan, it would be Balthazar in SoHo. This jam-packed bistro has it all: a vintage decor, a star-studded clientele (on a recent visit our co-diners included Bono, Yoko Ono, Donna Karan, and ex-mayor Ed Koch), and a menu of solid bistro classics prepared exactly the way they should be and served without the least bit of pretension. You don't normally come to a bistro for barbecue, of course, but Balthazar grills its chicken paillards, and it's easy to see why this is one of their bestsellers. A paillard is a piece of meat that's been pounded paper-thin, so it buries the plate. Besides providing an opportunity for the obvious chest-thumping theatrics of wielding a scallopini pounder or cleaver, pounding tenderizes the meat. The accompanying salad makes this a complete and healthy meal. Here's my rendition of a Balthazar classic.
30 minutes for marinating the chicken
1. If using whole chicken breasts, cut each breast in half. Trim any sinews or excess fat off the breasts and discard. Rinse the breasts under cold running water, then drain (don't blot dry with paper towels; the breasts should be damp). Place a breast half between two sheets of plastic wrap. Pound it out into a broad flat sheet ¼ to 1/8 inch thick, using a scallopini pounder or the side of a heavy cleaver. Repeat with the remaining breast halves. Place the pounded breasts on a rimmed nonstick baking sheet.
2. Place the garlic, salt, black pepper, and hot red pepper flakes in the bottom of a large nonreactive mixing bowl and mash to a paste with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the mustard, 1 tablespoon of the chopped tarragon, and the lemon juice and vinegar and whisk to mix. Gradually whisk in the olive oil; the mixture will thicken. Pour a quarter of this vinaigrette over the chicken breasts, patting it onto the chicken with a fork. Turn the breasts over, pour another quarter of the vinaigrette on top, and pat it onto the chicken with a fork. Let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 30 minutes. Set the remaining vinaigrette aside. You'll use it to dress the salad.
3. Just before you set up the grill, place the tomatoes, mesclun, and the remaining chopped tarragon, in that order, in the bowl with the remaining dressing, but don't toss them together.
4. Set up the grill and preheat to high. If using a gas grill, place all of the wood chips or chunks, if desired, in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and run the grill on high until you see smoke. If using a charcoal grill, preheat it to high, then toss all of the wood chips or chunks, if desired, on the coals.
5. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Arrange the paillards on the hot grate, placing them on a diagonal to the bars. Grill the paillards until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side, rotating each a quarter turn after 1 minute to create an attractive crosshatch of grill marks, if desired (use a long, wide spatula to rotate and turn over the paillards). To test for doneness, poke a paillard with your finger; it should feel firm to the touch.
6. Transfer the grilled paillards to a platter or plates. Quickly toss the salad and mound it on top of the paillards. Garnish with the tarragon sprigs and serve at once with the lemon wedges.
In a small pan, combine the chopped morels with oil and llheat over low heat until oil is warm to the touch. Set aside to steep for two hours, then remove and discard morel pieces. In a bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper, and mix thoroughly. Gradually whisk in ¾ cup of the morel oil, or more, depending on acidity of the vinegar. Set aside.
For the salad: tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces, wrap in paper toweling, and refrigerate. In a small pot of lightly salted boiling water, add the peas and a little of the lemon juice and cook the peas for 6 to 10 minutes, until tender. Drain under cold running water and drain again. Set aside.
Repeat the same process for the fava beans, adding the remaining lemon juice and setting aside; the scallions, simmering them for 1 to 2 minutes, draining them thoroughly and setting them aside on paper toweling; and the potatoes, cooking them for about 12 minutes, or until tender, draining thoroughly, and setting them aside in a covered pot. (If the potatoes are larger than the size of a quarter, halve or quarter them.
In a small saucepan, heat the stock over medium heat. Add the small morels and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, or until tender. Drain and reserve, saving the stock for some other use.
Prepare the relish: chop the tomatoes very fine or pulse once or twice in a food processor. Add the cumin, oil, salt, and pepper. If too thick, add a little of the reserved juice of the tomato and chill. Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large skillet, heat about one tablespoon of the remaining oil. Season the steak with kosher salt and pepper and raise the heat. Sear the steak for about 5 minutes on each side, until lightly crusted and browned. Transfer steak to the oven and bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or to liking. Let meat rest while you cut the greens.
In a large bowl, toss the lettuce with enough vinaigrette to coat, then divide among four plates. Repeat the process with the vegetables and morels. Trim the fat from the steak and slice the meat into thin strips. Arrange the slices over the greens and vegetables in a lattice fashion and sprinkle with chervil. Add a little relish to the side of each plate and serve.
If you find fresh fava beans at the market, they are great instead of or in addition to asparagus in this dish. We are not used to steaming vegetables; we boil them. If you are used to or prefer steaming, of course you could steam vegetables, like these asparagus, when we call for boiled.
1. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter with a spoonful of water in a large frying pan over low heat. Add the sage and cook about 1 minute to flavor the butter. Add the asparagus and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and remove and discard the sage leaves.
2. Use a fork to mash the mascarpone with 2 tablespoons of the milk in a medium bowl. Add more milk if necessary to make a loose sauce. Stir in the walnuts and pour into the pan with the asparagus. Put the pan back on low heat, add the remaining butter, and cook until the condimento is creamy.
3. In a small frying pan, fry the speck for a few minutes until golden and slightly crispy. Add the fried speck to the pan with the mascarpone and asparagus. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a pasta bowl.
4. Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Stir in a small fistful of salt and a splash of oil. Add the pappardelle and cook, stirring often, until tender. Reserve a cupful of the pasta water and drain the pappardelle in a colander.
5. Quickly transfer the pappardelle to the pasta bowl. Mix the pasta with the condimento until it is coated, adding enough pasta water so the condimento is a nice, smooth consistency, coating the pappardelle. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately with more Parmesan on the table.
During asparagus season, in April and May, we serve asparagus every day in one form or another. This delightful raw spring salad is best only if the asparagus is very sweet and crisp, like the beautiful purple-tinged asparagus we get at the San Francisco farmers' market. Look for very fresh, large purple or green asparagus with tight buds. (White asparagus is better cooked.) Look at the butt ends of the asparagus where they have been cut: If they're fresh, the flesh will look moist and white.
To make the vinaigrette, macerate the shallots for 15 minutes in the vinegar, lemon juice, and a little salt. Whisk in the olive oil.
Snap off the tough bottom ends of the asparagus spears. With a Japanese mandolin, very carefully shave each asparagus spear into long, paper-thin ribbons. Put the shaved asparagus in a salad bowl; season with salt and pepper, and dress lightly with the vinaigrette.
Divide the salad among 4 plates. With a sharp vegetable peeler or paring knife, shave large curls of Parmesan over each serving.
Variation: Alongside this one, serve another asparagus salad of cooked white asparagus dressed in mustard vinaigrette (with or without black truffle).
Neely's Barbecue Seasoning
Pat: My brother Tony has a terrific palate, and his true genius is in having developed the right "tempo" for our barbecue sauce–and, boy oh boy, he never lets us forget it! This recipe, which includes Neely's Barbecue Seasoning and eleven other ingredients, became one of the keys to our success as restaurateurs. Now it can be the base of your own kitchen success.
Memphis barbecue sauce is known for its sweet and tangy tomato base. Ours keeps true to that tradition, striking a perfect balance between the sweet (we use brown and white sugar), the tangy (cider vinegar), and the tomato base (good ole ketchup!). Any self-respecting Memphis pit master will tell you that the sauce must complement the meat without overpowering it, and ours does just that.
At the restaurant we simmer the sauce for five hours, and we always taste the blend before cooking it, making sure we've got all the ingredients working. Over the years, we've learned that if it tastes good before it cooks, it's gonna be outstanding after a long, slow simmer. The end result: an insanely thick, rich, and sweet sauce, and the perfect adornment for any rack anywhere.
Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot or a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Reduce the temperature to very low and simmer, uncovered, for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, cool, and use as needed. Stored in a tightly sealed container, this sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 2 months.
What's the secret to our barbecued chicken? We marinate it in Italian dressing! Then we cook it low and slow–that's chicken with the Neely brothers' touch. I love to cook chicken in two halves, because the bones and carcass help keep it moist. You can always cut it into individual pieces once it's done. I can guarantee you a great bird if you use our dressing, but feel free to use bottled Italian dressing in a pinch.
This lively dressing begins with a wonderful spice mix. Make two batches: one to have on hand for several batches of salad dressing, the other to use as a seasoning for grilled or roasted chicken.
FOR THE SPICE MIX AND ZESTY ITALIAN DRESSING:
In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic salt, onion powder, sugar, oregano, pepper, thyme, basil, parsley, celery salt, and Cajun seasoning. Store the spice mix in a tightly sealed container, and use as needed. To prepare the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, water, and 2 tablespoons of the spice mix.
FOR THE CHICKEN:
Rinse the chicken halves in cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken in a large bowl or baking dish, coat with the Zesty Italian Dressing, and dust with Neely's Barbecue Seasoning. For best results, allow the chicken to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Thirty minutes before you're ready to cook the chicken, take it out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature, then preheat the grill to 250°F, preferably over hickory and charcoal. Place the chicken halves on the grill, cavity-side up. Cover the grill, and cook for about 50 minutes. Flip the chicken over, and cook until it turns golden brown, and the wing and drumstick become very tender and pull easily away at the joints, another 15 to 20 minutes. Brush the chicken with Neely's Barbecue Sauce during the last 5 minutes of cooking, and serve with additional sauce.
