14 of Atlanta's New Springtime Dishes Thursday, April 24, 2014, by Sonia Chopra

Flavor of spring is tasty and healthy

April 16, 2014 

Salmon and California jumbo green asparagus by Chef Daniel Porubiansky.
Special to the Tribune

By Daniel Porubiansky

Chef Partner of Century House Tavern

Asparagus is one of my favorite spring vegetables and is also known to be a natural anti-inflammatory food that is high in anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals. 

Here is a springtime dish featuring California jumbo green asparagus. This same dish was part of my three course special and is now a part of our regular menu. I developed my appreciation for the jumbo green asparagus during my years at Bacchanalia. 

Every spring, as a company, we would bring in three or four shipments totaling more than 300 11-pound cases of asparagus over a six to eight week period. Asparagus appeared on the menu from the appetizer courses through the dessert course. 

If you love asparagus, spring is the time to indulge, as the price is very favorable. Look for more asparagus dishes to come at the restaurant in the coming weeks. The following recipe for this dish is easily made at home with ingredients you can source at your favorite grocer. This recipe serves six people.

Ingredients:

6 fillets of salmon (6 ounces each)

2 bunches jumbo green asparagus (peeled)

2 large salad cucumber (peeled and seeded)

1 tbsp. Champagne vinegar (white wine vinegar will substitute)

1/3 cup grapeseed oil

1 medium watermelon radish (red salad radishes can be used)

1 bunch chives (finely sliced)

3 tbsp. olive oil

4 tbsp. butter

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Cut your cleaned cucumber into 1 inch thick slices and place in a blender with the vinegar and a pinch of salt. Cover and blend. Slowly add the grape seed oil. You will see the vinaigrette start to thicken. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. The vinaigrette may be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator for up to two days. Peel the watermelon radish of its outer skin and carefully slice the radish very thing using a mandolin. If you are using a red salad radish, peeling is not necessary. Julienne the slices of radish and place them in a small dish and cover with water, store in the refrigerator for up to two days in advance. 

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, blanch the asparagus for about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove immediately and place in ice water to stop the cooking process. After 5 minutes, remove asparagus from the ice bath and place on a cutting board to trim the ends (I suggest cutting approximately 2 inches off the bottom, as the bottom can be woody). This step can be done ahead of time. Preheat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Season salmon with salt and pepper, take ½ of the olive oil and rub it on the salmon prior to sautéing. Carefully place the salmon in the sauté pan and sear for 2 minutes. Gently turn the salmon over and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. If you have a thick filet, after you have flipped the salmon, it may require going into a 400 degree oven for about 2-3 minutes to finish (this also depends on how you prefer your salmon, i.e., rare to well done; I recommend medium rare to medium). While the salmon is cooking, in another large sauté pan over high heat, start to melt the butter and add the blanched asparagus. Season with salt and cook until the asparagus is warm and glazed. Immediately remove from heat and serve. 

Place the asparagus in the center of your plate, place salmon on top, and drizzle the rest of the olive oil on top of the salmon. Spoon the vinaigrette around the plate, sprinkle the radish julienne all over the plate, and garnish with chives.

Read more: Cherokee Tribune - Flavor of spring is tasty and healthy 

NEW BEERS ARE IN! COME HELP US DRINK THEM ALL!

Post by Century House Tavern.

We are in bloom!

Spring sprouting on Atlanta area menus

Posted: 5:03 p.m. Monday, March 24, 2014

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BY CAROLYN O'NEIL - FOR THE AJC 

The arrival of spring in Atlanta with happy daffodils popping up and pink blossoms budding on trees is even more wonderfully welcome this year after shivering through an unusually icy cold winter. Restaurant menus are showing signs of springtime, too.

“Artichokes are starting to arrive, and we’re so excited to see asparagus, which is a really good price right now,” says E.J. Hodgkinson, executive chef of JCT Kitchen and Bar. The bar menu gets a spring makeover, too, with floral notes such as a touch of St. Germain elderflower liqueur in a tequila and grapefruit cocktail.

STEAL: A steamed artichoke with lemon will keep you svelte and only cost 55 calories. Zero fat grams, hello!

Just as you want to keep a cozy sweater or light jacket handy — braised lamb shanks, slow-cooked stews and hearty soups are still appreciated with the chilly temps of March. But there’s a seasonal menu change in motion as we move closer to April.

“I’m really tired of root vegetables,” says Daniel Porubiansky, chef partner of Century House Tavern in Woodstock. Porubiansky, who’s participating in Downtown Woodstock’s Restaurant Week (which runs through March 30), serves seared halibut on a bed of sauteed baby sweet peas, artichokes and fava beans. “I season them with what I call my magic herb mixture of fresh rosemary, thyme and parsley.”

For vegetarians and pasta lovers, also on the spring menu at Century House Tavern: gnocchi with artichokes, sweet peas and mushrooms.

The Italian word for spring is primavera and you’ll find Arroz Primavera on the menu at Eclipse di Luna — a pretty dish of spiced basmati rice with wild mushrooms, red pepper, green beans and spring peas sauteed in basil butter.

Sweet taste of spring

Another sign of the warming times is just-picked strawberries. The Century House Tavern’s dessert menu features the sweet spring crop in a strawberry shortcake and creme caramel with strawberry compote. Porubiansky says, “I like Florida strawberries better than California because they’re a deeper red color and taste more like a strawberry. In two weeks, we’ll start seeing them from South Georgia.”

Spring into good nutrition

Artichokes are rich in bone-building magnesium, immunity-boosting vitamin C and as much heart-healthy potassium as a small banana.

Asparagus spears are a good source of the heart-healthy B-vitamin folate, as well as vitamins A, C, E and K.

Fava beans are an excellent source of vegetable protein with 13 grams of protein per cup and a good source of iron and dietary fiber.

Green peas are a good source of folate, vitamin K, vitamin C, dietary fiber and vegetable protein with 8 grams of protein per cup.

Strawberries are very low in calories with only 50 calories per cup. And did you know that a serving of eight strawberries provides more vitamin C than an orange? Sweet.

Carolyn O’Neil is a registered dietitian and author of “Southern Living: The Slim Down South Cookbook.” Email her at carolyn@carolynoneil.com.

Facebook Post - Cooking Class at Leaning Ladder 3/24/2014

Post by Leaning Ladder Premium Olive Oils and Vinegars.

Time is right for strawberry season

Time is ripe for strawberry season

by Daniel Porubiansky

March 20, 2014 12:44 AM | 816 views | 0  | 15  |  | 

Strawberry Shortcake is always a hit. Sweet Florida strawberries are in
abundance  at area grocery stores right now.
Special to the Cherokee Tribune

One of the early signs that spring is around the corner is the peak of the Florida strawberry crop. That time is now. I really like the flavor and the deep color of the Florida strawberry.

They are in abundance now at stores such as Publix, BJ’s, Aldi, etc. I use these same stores when purchasing my strawberries, as I get to pick the ones I like the best.

This recipe reminds me of my childhood, as it was my father’s favorite dessert. It’s a fairly easy recipe that you can do at home. We make ours with pound cake, the best baker’s pairing for this crop.


This is always a hit when we serve it as a special at our restaurant.

(This recipe serves 6-8 people.)

Cake Ingredients:

* 9x5 pan

* ½ lb. butter (softened)

* 1 ½ cups sugar

* 3 whole eggs

* 2 cups cake flour (sifted)

* ½ tbsp. baking powder

* ¼ tsp. salt

* ½ cup milk

* 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

* Grated zest of 1 lemon

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour your cake pan. In a mixer, on high speed, beat butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and lemon zest until fluffy (approximately 3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add milk. Steadily add sifted flour and baking powder until fully incorporated (do not over mix). Transfer mixture into baking pan and place on center rack of oven for approximately one hour (all ovens are different, it could require more/less time but a tooth pick should come out of the center clean when finished. Remove from oven, let rest 10 minutes, and remove from pan and let rest on wire rack until cool. The cake can be made a day ahead of time.

Strawberry Compote Ingredients:

* 2 quarts Florida strawberries (washed, topped, and quartered)

* 1/3 cup of sugar

* 1/3 cup of water

* Juice of the zested lemon from above

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium pan over medium heat, combine ½ of the strawberries and all remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, blend immediately, and pour the juice over the remaining raw strawberries. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on counter until cool. Refrigerate at least one hour prior to serving. This can also be made a day ahead.

Whipped Cream Ingredients:

* ½ a quart of heavy whipping cream

* ½ cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the heavy cream and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Whip to a medium peak, remove from mixture and refrigerate until ready to use. I recommend whipping the cream the day you’ll be serving your dessert. 

Read more: Cherokee Tribune - Time is ripe for strawberry season