Por: Only in San Juan

Hace unas semanas les escribí sobre la oportunidad que nos brinda el restaurante Morton’s de llevar su exquisita experiencia a la comodidad de nuestro hogar. Primero adquiriendo las carnes y otros productos a través de su catalogo o por Internet. Ahora vamos a comentar sobre cómo podemos preparar esas carnes y otros platos exclusivos de Morton’s con las recetas que han hecho famoso a este reconocido restaurante por más de 30 años.

El ambiente de Morton’s se reconoce por sus muebles oscuros de madera, la pared llena de vinos y fotos de los famosos que visitan a diario estos restaurantes alrededor del mundo y, en Puerto Rico por su famosa barra con una preciosa vista al mar. Aunque todo esto no lo podamos recrear en nuestras casas, si podemos preparar una de sus famosas recetas con su nuevo libro de cocina “Morton’s The Cookbook: 100 Steakhouse Recipes for Every Kitchen”.

El autor es Klaus Fritsch, co fundador de los restaurantes y Tylor Field vicepresidente de Wine & Spirits de Morton’s. “Morton’s The Cookbook” ofrece más de 100 recetas de cócteles, carnes y otros platos principales así como aperitivos, sopas y ensalada y por supuesto los postres que tanto nos gustan. Por si quieres que quede exactamente como se sirve, cada receta se ilustra con una foto a color.

Este libro se enfoca en presentar no solo la receta del plato sino los vinos o bebida que mejor acompañaría al mismo.

Además, como tantos famosos han hecho de Morton’ su “spot” para ser vistos, se comenta sobre los platos favoritos de estos así como anécdotas de esos “celebrities”.

Ya sabes que con el libro de cocina “Morton's The Cookbook: 100 Steakhouse Recipes for Every Kitchen” convertirá su cocina en una sucursal de Morton’s que estoy segura será del gusto de sus amigos y familia. El libro, que puede ser un excelente regalo de Navidad, tiene un costo de $32.50 para adquirir uno llame o visite Morton’s The Steakhouse al Caribe Hilton Hotel or call (787) 977-6262.

Para que vayan practicando les copio una receta de un cóctel, aperitivo, plato principal y por supuesto no puede faltar el postre. !Que rico!

Guava Caipirissima

This rum drink is bright and fruity. Once they discover it, our guests love it. Serves 1

Put the lime wedges, guava, and agave nectar in a cocktail shaker and with the back of a long-handled spoon or a cocktail muddler, press on the fruit and muddle so that the lime wedges and guava are softened.

Add 1 cup of ice cubes and both rums. Shake vigorously and pour into a double old-fashioned glass. Do not strain.

Note: We use Cruzan Estate Diamond rum, which is a relatively light rum.

Warm Blue-Cheese Dip

Donna Rundle, our manager of restaurant services, donated this recipe for the book. It plays on two of the flavors we love at Morton’s: blue cheese and smoked bacon. Once you try it, you’ll be addicted. Everyone we know is mad for it, and it’s as amazing with raw vegetables or crackers as with good French bread. Donna says she got the idea for the dip when, on the way to a family reunion in Kansas, she passed through Newton, Iowa, where Maytag blue cheese is produced. She bought a big wheel of cheese and then set about coming up with any number of ways to serve it. This was one of her favorites. Serves 8 to 10

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes or until nearly crisp. Drain the bacon and wipe the skillet dry.

Return the bacon to the pan, add the garlic, and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes longer or until the bacon is crisp. Take care the garlic does not burn. Drain on paper towels.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the cream and beat well to mix. Fold in the bacon, garlic, blue cheese, and chives.

Transfer to a 2-cup baking dish, top evenly with the almonds, and bake for about 30 minutes or until heated through.

Serve with crackers, baguette slices, or vegetables.

Wine recommendation

Cabernets from Chile tend to have a great vegetal character and strong tannins. They can be drunk young and taste great with this dip. Concha y Toro and Casa Lapostolle Apalta Vineyard are reliable producers.

Steak Florentine

These tasty steaks are served on a bed of spinach, which earns them their name. Both round and butt steaks are full of flavor, and they are so well appreciated all across America that we think of them as “American cuts.” They are chewier than sirloin or tenderloin but full of great beef flavor. If you can find prime beef, buy it, but choice will do just fine here. Serves 2

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let them rest at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a large sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat and when hot, add the shallots and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until soft. Add the spinach to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, or until the spinach just wilts. Do not let it get too limp. Remove the pan from the heat, cover to keep warm, and set aside.

In a small sauté pan, heat the remaining ½ tablespoon butter over medium-low heat and cook the garlic for 2 to 3 minutes or until it begins to brown. Set aside.

Lightly sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper.

In another large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and when very hot, sear the steaks for about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the steaks to a roasting pan and roast for 3 to 4 minutes or until barely medium-rare.

Remove the steaks from the oven and turn on the broiler.

Drain the liquid from the spinach and spread the spinach in a broiler pan. Set the steaks on top of the spinach and then top each steak with the garlic and butter. Sprinkle a tablespoon of cheese over each steak and broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until the cheese melts and is lightly browned. Let the steak rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Divide between 2 plates.

Wine recommendation:

Pinotage wine from New Zealand has medium body with low tannin and high acidity, making it a good match for both the mildly bitter spinach and the Parmesan cheese. Try Te Awa Winery’s Pinotage from Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

Rosso di Montalcino is the little brother to Brunello di Montalcino and will complement this dish nicely. It is a fruity, low-tannin wine that balances the bitter spinach but does not overpower the lean meat. We recommend Banfi Rosso di Montalcino from Tuscany.

Double Chocolate Mousse

You might wonder what took us so long, but we only recently added chocolate mousse to our menu. Since then, restaurant guests have gone wild for it. We use Belgian bittersweet chocolate, which is of very high quality, but any good dark chocolate will do. If you are concerned about the uncooked egg whites called for here, use pasteurized egg whites, which are sold in cartons in supermarkets. This is rich and smooth and chocolaty. Serves 8

In a saucepan, bring ¾ cup of the cream to a boil over medium-high heat.

Put the chocolate and cocoa in a heat-proof glass bowl and pour the hot cream over them. Let the mixture stand for about 1 minute and then whisk until blended. Be sure to break up any clumps of the cocoa. Set aside at room temperature for about 45 minutes, whisking occasionally to keep the mixture smooth. The chocolate needs to cool to 80°F.

In a chilled, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed for 10 to 20 seconds or until they begin to foam. Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat for about 1 minute longer or until soft peaks form.

Sprinkle the sugar over the whites and continue to beat for 1 to 2 minutes longer or until the peaks are stiff but not dry. At this point, the mixer will make a “wop, wop, wop” sound.

Fold the whites into the cooled chocolate (make sure it’s no warmer than 80°F before adding the whites).

Pour the remaining heavy cream into the bowl of the mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on high speed for about 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate. Do not worry if a few flecks of whites remain in the chocolate.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve the mousse spooned on dessert plates or in bowls. Top each serving with a little whipped cream. At Morton’s we pipe the mousse into serving dishes using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.