braised leeks à la goin

if you know me, you know i'm a huge Suzanne Goin fan. actually, if you follow this blog, you know this as well. i've raved about her and her food before here and here. oh! and here too! not only do i enjoy dining at her LA restaurants, i enjoy making recipes from her cookbook as well.

i recently dined at her newest restaurant, Tavern in Brentwood. and in typical Goin fashion (french-mediterranean fare made with fresh and local california ingredients), the food was scrumptious. one dish i loved in particular was her Devil's Chicken. dijon mustard seasoned chicken thighs covered in breadcrumbs served on top of the most tasty and savory braised leeks ever. it was a party of flavors in my mouth! and with the recipe in her book, i was every excited to make it at home.

the recipe for the Devil's Chicken is actually 2 parts. the leeks and then the chicken. this post is for just the braised leeks (the chicken part will be coming soon!). the leeks prepared this way make a great accompaniment to the chicken but would also make for an outstanding side dish to any meal. i think it would go along well with fish or red meat or even just alone w/ a nice crusty baguette. i can't rave about this dish enough. you must try it for yourself!

mise en place

braised leeks
from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin
serves 6

6 large leeks
extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced shallots
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

leeks are part of the onion family. they have a mild onion taste with a hint of garlicky flavor. onion AND garlic?! what's not to love?

i find the best place to buy leeks is at my local farmer's market. you can of course, find them at any supermarket as well. leeks need a really good cleaning. with all the layers they have, a lot of dirt gets tucked inside.

to prepare your leeks, trim off the roots, leaving the root end intact. trim the tops, leaving 2 inches of the light green part. the dark green part is not edible. cut the leeks in half lengthwise.


submerge the leeks in a large bowl of cold water to clean them. shake them to dislodge any dirt tucked inside. continue doing this until they are all clean. then place the leeks, cut side down, on a towel and pat dry completely.

turn the leeks over so the cut side is facing up and season w/ 2 teaspoons of salt and a few grindings of black pepper.

heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat for 2 mins. pour in about 1/4 cup olive oil (enough to well coat the bottom of the pan), wait 1 minute. place the leeks in the pan cut side down. sear them 4-5 mins, until they are golden brown. turn them over and cook another 3-4 mins. then transfer them to a large gratin dish. you will have to do this in batches. be careful not to overcrowd the leeks in your pan and continue to add more oil as needed.


once you're done searing all the leeks, add some more oil to the pan (if there isn't any left). add the shallots, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. cook about 5 minutes, until the shallots are just beginning to color.


add the white wine and reduce by half. add 1 1/2 cups stock and bring to a boil over high heat.

note: i find taking the little thyme leaves off the stems quite tedious and honestly, just annoying. so i just throw in the whole springs. once the stock comes to a boil, most of the leaves have come off and i just fish out the stems and discard. voila!

pour the liquid w/ the shallots over the leeks in the gratin/baking dish. the stock should not quite cover them. add more stock in necessary.


braise in the oven for 30 minutes, until the leeks are tender when pierced.

vanilla semifreddo

for mother's day this year, we took the mom to Lucques for lunch. the meal was a delight as always and we finished it off with the semifreddo w/ acacia honey & berries. it was so good we were really close to licking the plate clean!

semifreddo a la Lucques...

if you're familiar with Suzanne Goin's cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, you know that she has her recipes categorized by season and then organized in menus. each menu offers a starter, 2 choices for a main w/ sides and a dessert. while i was looking up the Green Rice recipe the other day, i was pleasantly suprised to find her semifreddo recipe as part of the same menu.

semifreddo, an italian word, literally means "partially frozen." the whipped eggs make it light and the whipped cream prevents it from freezing completely. this semi-frozen dessert is like a frozen creamy custard. basically, it's like crazy bananas good!! it's a great alternative to making homemade ice cream if you don't have an ice cream maker.

mise en place

vanilla semifreddo
adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques
serves 6-8
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of vanilla powder or 1/2 vanilla bean
3 eggs separated

lightly oil a 9" loaf pan (or any mold of your choice) and line it with plastic wrap. try to smooth it out as much as you can and let the excess plastic drape over the sides.

whip the cream until stiff peaks form. cover and chill while you prepare the other parts.

whip together the egg yolks, vanilla powder (or seeds if using a bean), vanilla extract and half of the sugar, until the mixture is thick, pale and doubled in volume and set aside.

whip the egg whites until frothy. slowly add the remaining sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.

fold the whipped cream into the yolk mixture. once they are well combined, gently fold in the whipped egg whites, a third at a time. you want to do this as gently as possible yet as quick as possible until the mixture is all well combined.

pour the mixture into the mold and tap the pan on the counter 3 times to ensure the mixture is settled and even. place a pieces of plastic wrap over the pan, touching the mixture and smooth it out.

freeze for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. here's where your patience comes into play.

when its ready, it will be frozen yet soft enough to easily yield to a knife.
of course, you can just take a spoon and dig in...

...or invert the semifreddo onto a platter, slice it up and serve drizzled with honey and fresh berries!

bon appétit~!

braised beef short ribs

when i think of braised short ribs, i think of Lucques. it's perhaps my most favorite restaurant in LA. the staff is attentive and friendly. the ambiance is cozy and unpretentious. and the food...the food is spectacular, especially the short ribs. suzanne goin is a culinary genius and it's evident in her seasonal menus. when i learned that her braised short ribs recipe was in her book, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, i knew i had to have and make it myself to enjoy at home.

this dish is so rich and comforting, it's the perfect meal for a cold winter night. however, it's so delicious, you'll be making it all year round.

beef short ribs are wonderfully fat and flavorful which makes them perfect for braising. a long, slow cooking breaks down the connective tissue, leaving the meat so fork-tender, it literally, melts off the bone.

mise en place

**i'm posting the recipe exactly the way i made it which is slightly different from suzanne goin's. if you want her full recipe, buy her book! :) also, i highly suggest making this dish the day before you serve it because as with most braises and stews, it tastes even better the next day.

braised beef short ribs
adapted from sunday suppers at lucques
serves 4 (generously) - 6
6 beef short ribs (3-bone center cut)
fleur de sel & freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
6 cloves garlic
4 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 cups hearty red wine
6 cups beef broth
4 sprigs flat leaf parsley

sauteed swiss chard (recipe below)
your favorite mashed potato/potato puree recipe

preheat oven to 400 degrees.

generously season short ribs with fleur de sel and pepper. place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15-20 mins, until the ribs have taken on a dark brown crust. (**i prefer to roast them in the oven instead of searing them in a skillet because well, it's easier and leaves me with much less of a mess.) remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325.

in a large dutch oven or pot, heat the olive oil. add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme sprigs and bay leaves. cook 6-8 minutes, unitl the vegetables just begin to caramelize. add the balsamic vinegar and wine. turn the heat up to high, and reduce the liquid by half.

add the beef stock and bring to a boil. add the short ribs. the stock mixture should almost cover the ribs. tuck the parsley sprigs in and around the meat. cover tightly with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid if you have one. braise in the oven for about 3 hours.

to check the meat for doneness, pierce a short rib with a paring knife. when the meat is done, it will yield easily to a knife. taste a piece if you are not sure.

**if you do this a day before, this is where you can stop. let the pot cool and refrigerate overnight. the fat will solidify on top, making it easy to remove. remove the fat and bring it to a gentle simmer and continue w/ the recipe.

let the ribs rest 10 minutes in their juices, and then remove them from the pot.

strain the broth, pressing down on the vegetables with a ladle to extract all the juices. discard the solids. (if you didn't make it the day before and haven't removed the fat, skim the fat after straining.)

reduce the sauce over medium-high heat until slightly thickened. taste for seasoning. note: i did not need to add any extra salt. add the short ribs back to the sauce and keep warm until ready to serve. serve with swiss chard (recipe below) and mashed potatoes.

swiss chard is a leafy green vegetable, similar to spinach except that it has thick stems. the stems range from white, yellow to red, as mine were. make sure to clean the chard well and remove the leaves from the stems. discard the stems.

sautéed swiss chard
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 bunches swiss chard
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of freshly cracked pepper
splash of water

tear the swiss chard into large pieces. in a large skillet or sautée pan, heat the olive oil. add half the swiss chard, and cook a minute or two, stirring the greens in the oil to help them wilt. add a splash of water and the second half of greens. season w/ salt and pepper. cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequetly, until the greens are tender.

plate the short ribs with the swiss chard and potatoes and a lot of the sauce!

bon appétit~!