The Signature Room at the 95th®
875 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 312.787.9596
E-Mail
Perfect Pork Chop Rub
Yields: 4 servings
Perfect Pork Chop Rub
4 8 oz pork chops
½ cup sichuan peppercorns
½ cup kosher salt
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp star anise
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
In a large skillet over medium heat, toast all the spices, except the salt, for 5 minutes. Stir the spices every 1-2 minutes to insure they toast evenly. Pour the spices onto a sheet tray and allow to cool to room temperature. Once the spices have cooled, pour them into a spice grinder (a coffee grinder or food processor will also work) and rub onto the pork. Sprinkle the salt on the pork and place on the grill.
Proscuitto and Figs
Yields: 24 servings
12 fresh figs, stems removed
½ lb prosciutto, thinly shaved and cut into 1 inch slices
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
4 oz blue cheese, room temperature
12 sprigs of mint
piping bag with a star tip
Method:
Slice figs in half and set on a serving dish with the inside facing up. Place one strip of prosciutto on top of each fig. Whip the cream cheese and blue cheese together, place mixture in a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe a rosette of the cheese mixture on top of each fig. Garnish with the mint.
Roasted Pear and Walnut Crisp
Yields: 8 servings
3 each Anjou pears
8 oz black walnuts, raw
4 oz feta cheese, crumbles
1 pkg phyllo dough, thawed
4 oz butter, melted
1tbsp canola oil
Method:
Preheat oven to 365°F. Peel and cut pears into eight segments and toss in a bowl with canola oil. Bake pears on a sheet pan for 30-45 minutes until tips brown and pears are tender. Remove and let cool to room temperature.
Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Lay out three sheets of phyllo dough. Brush each sheet with the melted butter. Sprinkle each buttered sheet with the walnuts and feta cheese and layer one sheet on top of the other. Once all three phyllo sheets are together take your pears and place in a row on one edge of the dough. Roll the sheets up around the pears to form a log shape. Cut into one-inch pieces and place on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove and let cool to room temperature.
Standing Prime Rib Roast
Yields: 6-8 Servings
1 8-10 lb prime rib roast
½ cup kosher salt
¼ cup cracked black pepper
2 tbsp rosemary, chopped
2 tbsp thyme, chopped
2 tbsp oregano, chopped
½ cup garlic, chopped
¼ cup olive oil pomace
Method:
Preheat your oven to 425°F.
Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Rub the entire roast with the olive oil, chopped herbs and garlic, then sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper.
Place roast in oven and cook for 45 minutes at 425°F. After 45 minutes turn your oven down to 225°F and slow roast the prime rib for approximately 8 hours. After 4 hours have passed, begin to check the temperature every half hour. Once the roast has reached its desired temperature, remove it from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before slicing.
The internal temperature for medium rare is 128°F and for medium, the internal temperature is 134°F.
Roasted Vegetable Salad with Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette
Yields: 4-6 servings
1 each red kuri squash, 1-inch dice, peeled and seeded
3 each green zucchini, 1-inch dice, seeds removed
2 each red bell pepper, 1-inch dice, seeds removed
2 each yellow bell pepper, 1-inch dice, seeds removed
1 each butternut squash, 1-inch dice, peeled and seeded
1/8 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Preheat your oven to 375°. Toss vegetables in a bowl with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer vegetables to a baking pan and roast for 15-25 minutes or until the tips begin to brown or can be pierced with a knife. Let the vegetables cool to room temperature before mixing with the vinaigrette.
Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette
½ cup cider vinegar, high quality
1 cup olive oil pomace
¼ cup pumpkin seed oil
3 each shallots, minced
½ cup basil, chiffonade
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tbsp lemon zest
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp cracked black peppercorns
Method
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Toss the vegetables in the vinaigrette and serve.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Walnut Pesto and Butternut Crisps
Yields: 4-6 servings
1½ lbs butternut squash
4 large carrots peeled and sliced
2 large leeks sliced, whites only
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 quart chicken stock
2 tsp ground cumin seeds, toasted
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
¼ cup Enova oil
½ cup plain fat free yogurt
3 tbsp honey
Soup:
Rinse the butternut squash in cold water. Peel, seed, and dice into 2" squares. Toss squash with 1 tsp of the Enova oil. Bake at 350º for 15-20 minutes, or when the tips of the squash start to brown.
In your soup pot, heat the remaining oil and sauté the carrots, leeks and garlic. When the garlic begins to brown lightly, add the squash, clove spices, cumin, honey and chicken stock. Simmer for 30-40 minutes.
Place contents of your pot into a blender and blend until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the cinnamon and yogurt. Garnish your soup with a dollop of the yogurt mixture and serve.
Pesto:
1 cup raw walnuts
¼ cup Enova oil
1 cup parsley leaves
½ cup cilantro leaves
salt & pepper
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until the mixture is a smooth purée.
Butternut Crisps:
1 cup julienne butternut squash
¼ cup Enova oil
flour to dust
Method:
Heat oil in a pan and lay small amounts of squash the size of a quarter in to the hot pan of oil. Fry for two minutes or until golden brown and flip over and fry for an additional minute. Remove from the pan and and lay on a paper towel to cool. The chips will become crispy as they cool.
Olive Oil Poached Tomatoes
Yields: 8-10 Servings
4 large beefsteak tomatoes
4 cloves garlic shaved
1 whole rosemary sprig
4 whole basil leaves
4 whole thyme sprig
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Method:
Slice tomatoes into 2 inch wheels. Lay flat in a baking dish. Cover tomatoes with herbs and garlic, then pour oil over tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours at 150º. Remove foil and let cool.
These cooked tomatoes hold their shape and make a nice accompaniment for more delicate cuts of meat, like whitefish and chicken breast. The meats served today are available at Liberty Farms, here at the Green City Market
Smoked Tomato Coulis
Yields: ½ qt sauce 8-10 servings
6 each large heirloom yellow tomatoes
½ cup champagne vinegar
1 ½ cups Enova soy oil
¼ cup chives sliced
2 tbsp tarragon chopped
salt, pepper and sugar to taste
sm bag hickory chips
Method:
Light smoking chips and place in desired smoking
unit and cure tomatoes with smoke for 15-30
minutes, avoiding temperatures by using indirect method or electric smoke box.
When finished smoking, remove tomato skins and seeds. Add tomatoes to a blender with vinegar and oil and pulse until desired texture. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, fold in chives, tarragon, salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Serve over grilled flank steak, salmon or pork tender loin. This sauce works well with buttery meats. The meats served today are available at Liberty Farms, here at the Green City Market.
Pomodoro Sauce
Yields: ½ qt 8-10 servings
10 each ripe tomatoes (poached and remove skins)
2 large white onions diced
10 cloves garlic crushed
2 oz fresh basil chopped
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 stick butter
salt & pepper to taste
Method:
Heat oil and butter add garlic cloves and lightly brown. Add onions and cook until translucent in color. Add the tomatoes and half of the basil and simmer 2-3 hours, until the color changes to a reddish orange. Season with salt and pepper and add remaining basil. This sauce is great over fresh pasta or other dishes that are baked like lasagna and manicotti. Fresh pastas served today are available on Wednesday's at Terragusto Market, here at the Green City Market.