Cooking by the Book in OC

Think that nothing could beat The Taste of Newport or OC Restaurant Week?  Think again. What could be better than having all of your favorite restaurants and their signature dishes in one spot? Having those restaurants share those hallowed recipes with you so you can recreate the dishes at home, but that’ll never happen, right?

Guess what—it just did. There’s a new cookbook called “Orange County Fare: A Culinary Journey through the California Riviera” featuring signature recipes from dozens of top OC restaurants that has its official release party from 10 a.m. – noon on Saturday, October 2, at Border’s Bookstore in South Coast Plaza.

Legendary OC restaurateur Zov Karamardian will hold cooking demonstrations at the book-signing. Gourmet Magazine named Zov’s Bistro and Bakery Café among the Best Bakeries in Southern California, and Zagat Restaurant Survey listed Zov’s for “Top Food.” She has won numerous other awards for her unique and exotic spice combinations, and will prepare several of her signature Mediterranean dishes, including Olive Tapenade, Braised Green Beans with Beef and Tomatoes, and Jasmine Rice Pilaf with Toasted Almonds and Currants.

The first cookbook created by the Junior League of Orange County in more than twenty years, “Orange County Fare” has already won a 2010 Benjamin Franklin Silver Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association.  

 Some of the featured recipes include A Restaurant’s Spicy Tuna Eggplant Tempura,  Five Crowns Black Pepper-Crusted Salmon with Pea Shoots and Cream Sauce, Palm Terrace’s Macaroni and Cheese Sauce with Crushed Truffle and Taleggio Sauce, Ruby’s Aegean Burger, and Zov Bistro’s Beef Tenderloin with Shallot Cream Sauce, to name just a few.

Here’s one of our favorite recipes from the book:  

 Palm Terrace’s Macaroni and Cheese Sauce with Crushed Truffle and Taleggio Sauce

Serves 4

 3 button mushrooms, sliced

2 shallots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ rib celery, chopped

¼ cup chopped leek (white portion only)

2 tablespoons butter

1 ½ cups Chablis of other white wine

3 cups heavy cream

3 or 4 sprigs of thyme

1 bay leaf

18 white peppercorns

16 ounces Taleggio cheese, cut into pieces

¼ cup (1 ounce) grated Reggiano cheese

2 tblespoons crushed truffles

2 teaspoons white truffle oil

1 teaspoon black truffle oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

4 cups elbow macaroni, cooked and chilled

1 tablespoon chopped chives

Seat the mushrooms, shallots, garlic, celery and leek in the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until tender, but not brown. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Cook until most of the wine has evaporated. Stir in the cream and bring to a simmer. Add the thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns. Simmer for 20 minutes to reduce slightly.

Stir in the Taleggio and Reggiano cheeses and remove from the heat. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Process the sauce in a blender until smooth. Strain into a large saucepan.

Heat the sauce over low heat. Add the truffles, white and black truffle oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the pasta and mix well. Simmer until heated through. Sprinkle with the chives and serve hot.