Once upon a time, we ate seasonally because that was the only option. Now the colorful bounty of the modern grocery store tempts us with mangoes and fresh corn all year around.
Still, the longer, brighter days of April bring an appetite for fresh, bright flavors, and we find ourselves craving the tender vegetables, fruits and meats that are traditional for spring — young lamb, asparagus and strawberries.
For the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead executive chef Franck Steigerwald, lamb symbolizes the season and its flavors. "I'm a native of Bordeaux, where the sheep eat the grass that grows near the ocean. We'd eat lamb at least every two weeks in the spring, whenever my mother had time to cook it. It was always braised and prepared the day before serving so the meat had time to rest and become more tender and flavorful," he said.
In creating his Spring Lamb recipe, Steigerwald honored his mother’s tradition with a braised lamb dish flavored with cardamom, peppercorns, lemon zest and herbs gathered fresh from the garden adjacent to the Cafe. He prefers lamb from San Francisco Bay area purveyor Niman Ranch because it’s raised in the same manner as those lambs of his youth, on a vegetarian diet with no hormones or antibiotics. “It just has more flavor,” he says.
His Spring Lamb will be on the Cafe’s menu for a week or two around Easter this year.
The perfect springtime accompaniment to the lamb? Lightly steamed asparagus married with a lemon mousseline and segments of fresh grapefruit. “Asparagus is another symbol of spring, so nice when we’ve been cooking the root vegetables of winter. The asparagus tastes so fresh. Add the grapefruit and lemon and you have a bit of bitter, a bit of sweetness, the smoothness of the mousseline coating your palate and the refreshing flavor of the lemon,” he said.
At home, Steigerwald enjoys asparagus at least once a week, often caramelizing it in butter and seasoning with chopped basil, garlic and chile flakes. He serves it alongside a steak with bearnaise sauce. “In France, it’s not like in America. We wait for the asparagus, and we only get it for two or three months. When it finally comes out of the ground, it’s a big feast for the whole family, and we try to enjoy it as much as possible.”
For those wanting a hearty side dish delicious with almost any braised meat, Steigerwald suggests serving the lamb and asparagus with polenta seasoned with rosemary and lemon zest and dusted with grated Parmesan.
Here in Georgia, the first fruit of spring is the strawberry. Strawberry shortcake is Randy Kee’s favorite dessert. He’s the father of the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead’s executive pastry chef Dallas Marsteller. “My father’s birthday is March 22, the beginning of spring when strawberries come into season.”
Although strawberry shortcake can be anything from strawberries served over hot biscuits to filled scones to angel food cake topped with sliced, sweetened berries, in Marsteller’s family, strawberry shortcake has always used pound cake as the base.
She says it’s because a pound cake rich with butter and sugar will stay moist while still standing up to the fruit and its juices. “Biscuits just aren’t as good when they start getting cold. With a pound cake, you can put everything together in advance of your dinner and then focus on the rest of the meal,” Marsteller said.
Marsteller spends her work days planning, creating and overseeing the dessert menu in the Cafe, the pastries and desserts for Sunday brunch and afternoon tea and the made-to-order wedding cakes for Ritz-Carlton brides.
The family pound cake didn’t start off made with brown sugar, but Marsteller likes the molasses finish it gives the cake. She continues the theme by sweetening the berries with brown sugar, and adding a little lemon juice to brighten the flavor. The berries should be sliced and sweetened at least an hour before being served.
To help make this a low-stress dessert, she also offers a few tips for making the whipped cream ahead of time. “Whipping cream is always easiest if your mixing bowl is cold, so put the bowl in the refrigerator along with the cream. As you begin whipping, slowly sprinkle in the sugar. Don’t add it too fast. Once you’ve whipped the cream to your preference, I prefer medium peaks, you can move it into your serving bowl and refrigerate it. As long as you keep it cold, it won’t begin to break down for a day or two.”
What about other uses for strawberries during their short season? “Shortcake is one of the easiest desserts to make with strawberries. And there’s always jam, which is a great way to enjoy them all year long,” Marsteller said.
The best and highest calling for a strawberry? That may come from Steigerwald. “You could make a strawberry sauce or coulis, but for me, I can’t wait for strawberry season when I can add a little strawberry sauce to a glass of champagne.”
Recipes
Recipes like these from the Ritz-Carlton’s Franck Steigerwald and Dallas Marsteller are a reminder that those years of culinary school and working in fine restaurant kitchens make for delicious results and beautiful presentation. Wow the guests at your table this spring with these very special dishes.
The Ritz-Carlton’s Spring Lamb
Hands on: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Total time: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Serves: 8
The process of weighting and pressing the meat after cooking is a chef tip for creating the prettiest presentation. In our photo, chef Steigerwald completed the plate with polenta flavored with rosemary, confit tomatoes, asparagus and coriander blossoms.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 (5-pound) boneless leg of lamb, butterflied
1 bulb fennel, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 garlic head, cut in half
1 carrot, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 celery rib, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Peel of 3 lemons
5 sprigs rosemary
5 sprigs thyme
15 black peppercorns
8 cardamom pods
5 star anise pods
1 (750-milliliter) bottle white wine such as chardonnay
4 cups beef stock
4 cups chicken stock
Salt
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. When oil and butter are hot, sear lamb until golden brown on one side, about 5 minutes. Turn meat and sear second side, about 5 minutes. Remove lamb from pan and set aside.
Keep Dutch oven over heat and add fennel and onion and cook until vegetables are caramelized, about 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in garlic, carrot, celery, lemon peel, rosemary, thyme, peppercorns, cardamom and star anise. Add wine and stir pan to scrape up all browned bits from the bottom. Bring mixture to a boil and cook until volume is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add beef and chicken stock and continue boiling until volume is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Return lamb to the pan, cover tightly and move to oven. Cook 5 hours.
Remove pan from oven and allow lamb to cool in cooking liquid. When meat is cool enough to handle, remove from liquid and remove any gristle, skin or remaining fat. Put meat in a container just large enough to hold it. Top the lamb with another container and weigh it down with a sack of flour or other heavy item. Refrigerate. May be made up to 1 day ahead.
Strain cooking liquid and taste for seasoning. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 day before serving.
When ready to serve, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cut lamb into 1-inch slices. Put into an ovenproof container, add cooking liquid, and cover with foil. Heat 45 minutes or until heated through. Serve immediately.
Adapted from a recipe provided by Franck Steigerwald, executive chef, the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead.
Per serving: 630 calories (percent of calories from fat, 67), 42 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 43 grams fat (18 grams saturated), 159 milligrams cholesterol, 1,274 milligrams sodium.
The Ritz-Carlton’s Spring Asparagus With Lemon Mousseline and Grapefruit
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
For our photo, this dish is garnished with micro sprigs of basil.
12 spears asparagus, peeled, ends trimmed
2 lemons, divided
1 pink grapefruit
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1/4 cup white wine such as chardonnay
2 egg yolks
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Salt and pepper
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Have a bowl of ice water ready. Cook asparagus in boiling water for 4 minutes, then move asparagus to ice water. Chill 1 minute, then drain spears and dry. Cut spears into thirds. Set aside.
Peel zest from 1 lemon and slice into matchstick-size pieces. Set aside to garnish finished dish. Juice this lemon and set juice aside. Grate the zest from the second lemon and set aside. Reserve flesh from second lemon for another use.
Peel grapefruit and put segments into a small bowl. Discard peel. Dress grapefruit segments with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whip together goat cheese, chives and 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.
Make the mousseline: In a small saucepan, heat wine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until wine is almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low. Add egg yolks and reserved lemon juice and whisk constantly until mixture thickens. Add butter, whisking constantly. Add reserved grated lemon zest and season to taste. May be made up to 15 minutes in advance and kept warm.
When ready to serve, divide reserved grapefruit segments between serving plates. Add portions of goat cheese mixture between grapefruit segments. Toss asparagus spears with remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and arrange on serving plates. Pour mousseline on top of asparagus, garnish with matchstick lemon zest and serve immediately.
Adapted from a recipe provided by Franck Steigerwald, executive chef, the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead.
Per serving: 578 calories (percent of calories from fat, 90), 8 grams protein, 6 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 59 grams fat (28 grams saturated), 214 milligrams cholesterol, 60 milligrams sodium.
The Ritz-Carlton’s Strawberry Shortcake
Hands on: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Serves: 8
This pound cake is not just good for strawberry shortcake; it’s the base for other Ritz-Carlton desserts including trifles layered with cream and fruit and offered as an option for a Ritz-Carlton wedding cake.
If you prefer, substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean for the vanilla extract in the whipped cream.
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons lightly packed light brown sugar, more if desired
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
3 pints strawberries, rinsed, dried, hulled and quartered
Juice of 2 lemons
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whole strawberries and powdered sugar, for garnish
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Thoroughly grease a Bundt cake pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter, 1 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar until light and fluffy, about minutes. With mixer still running, add one egg. Stop mixer, scrape bowl down with plastic spatula. Repeat with remaining two eggs. Then alternately add flour mixture and sour cream, starting and finishing with flour. Scrape bowl well between each addition.
Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan and bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place cake in pan on wire rack. Cool 45 minutes, then turn cake out onto rack. Remove pan and allow cake to finish cooling.
While cake is baking, macerate strawberries. In a medium bowl, toss quartered strawberries with remaining 6 tablespoons brown sugar. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if needed. Add lemon juice and stir together. Refrigerate strawberries for one hour before serving. May be made up to 4 hours in advance.
While cake is baking, make whipped cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, begin whipping heavy cream on low speed. Sprinkle in remaining 6 tablespoons granulated sugar and drizzle with vanilla extract. Turn the speed on to a higher speed and allow to whip until soft to medium peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use. May be made up to 4 hours in advance.
When ready to serve, put cake on footed pedestal or other serving dish. Garnish center with strawberries and dust with powdered sugar if desired. Place strawberries and whipped cream in serving bowls. Garnish quartered strawberries with additional brown sugar if desired. Allow guests to build their own strawberry shortcakes.
Adapted from a recipe provided by Dallas Marsteller, pastry chef, the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead.
Per serving: 727 calories (percent of calories from fat, 55), 6 grams protein, 77 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 46 grams fat (28 grams saturated), 215 milligrams cholesterol, 291 milligrams sodium.
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