Ingredients:

Gumbo Base

• 1/2 cup bleached red palm oil

• 2 cups finely diced onion

• 1 cup finely diced red bell pepper

• 1 cup finely diced celery

• 5 cloves crushed garlic

• 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper

• 1 lb okra, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 4 quarts fish stock

• 1.5 quarts water

• 3 oz dried shrimp

• 3 oz dried crayfish

• 5 oz dried anchovy

• 4 oz dried squid

• 1.76 lb can whole, unpeeled datterino tomatoes

• 1 tablespoon Cameroon black pepper

• 1 bay leaf

• Salt to taste

For Serving

• 5 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 fillets Spanish mackerel, sliced thinly (sashimi-style)

• 2 quarts cooked rice

Instructions:

1. Bleach the palm oil: To bleach the red palm oil, place it in a pot and cook it over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
2. Soak the dried seafood: In a separate bowl, place all the dried shrimp, crayfish, anchovies, and squid in 1.5 quarts of water. Let them soak until you are ready to use them.
3. Sauté the vegetables: In an 8-quart pot, add the bleached red palm oil and heat it over medium heat. Add the diced onion, red bell pepper, celery, and crushed garlic. Sauté for 7 minutes.
4. Add the remaining ingredients: Add the okra and fry for 5 minutes. Then, add the whole scotch bonnet pepper and the tomatoes, and sauté with the vegetables for another 5 minutes.
5. Simmer the gumbo: Pour in all of the fish stock, the water that was used to soak the dried fish, and the soaked fish themselves. Add the bay leaf and Cameroon pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 1 hour, or until the gumbo is done.
6. Prepare the mackerel: While the gumbo is simmering, brush the Spanish mackerel slices with olive oil and lightly salt them.
7. Serve: Place about 0.5 cups of cooked rice in a bowl. Top the rice with 3/4 to 1 ounce of the prepared mackerel. Ladle about one cup of the finished gumbo over everything and enjoy.

Ingredients:

Duck

• 4 duck legs (thigh and drumstick; about 3½ lbs. total)
• 6-3 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt
• 1 lb. lard
• 4 morita chiles, halved lengthwise
• 1 bay leaf1 3″ cinnamon stick
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 Tbsp. achiote (annatto) seeds
• 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
• 1 Tbsp. dried Mexican oregano (preferably)
• 1 large navel orange, quartered
• 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise

Escabèche and Assembly

• ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 bunch radishes, trimmed, halved, and thinly sliced
• ½ small white onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup torn mint leaves
• 3 Tbsp. torn tarragon leaves
• 1-3 Fresno chiles, thinly sliced
• 12 6″ flour tortillas

Instructions:

Preparing the Duck

1. Cure the duck: Prick the skin on the duck legs in several places with a paring knife. Rub the legs with salt, working it into the flesh and skin. Place them in a bowl or airtight container, cover, and chill for at least 12 hours, and up to 1 day.
2. Preheat the oven and prepare the lard: Place a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 250°F. Heat the lard in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until it reaches 250°F on an instant-read thermometer.
3. Arrange the duck for baking: Scatter the morita chiles, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves, achiote seeds, peppercorns, and oregano on the bottom of a large baking dish. Brush the excess salt off the duck legs and arrange them skin-side down over the spices. Place the orange and garlic around the duck legs. Pour the warm lard over everything.
4. Bake the duck: Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 2 hours.
5. Continue baking: Flip the duck legs skin-side up and nestle them back into the fat. Re-cover the dish and continue baking for another 2–2½ hours, or until the meat is very tender and begins to pull away from the bones.
6. Shred the duck: Let the duck legs sit in the fat for 30–40 minutes until they are cool enough to handle. Transfer them to a plate. Pull the meat from the bones and shred it into 1-inch pieces; discard the bones and cartilage.
7. Make the chicharrones: Carefully remove the skin from the legs and set it aside. Reserve 3 Tbsp. of the duck fat for frying. Strain the remaining fat through a fine-mesh sieve into an airtight container and let it cool. You can save the reserved fat for another use.
8. Fry the skin: Heat the reserved 3 Tbsp. of fat in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the reserved duck skin, turning it halfway through, until it is deep golden brown and crispy on both sides (about 12–15 minutes total). Transfer the chicharrones to paper towels to drain. Once cool, crumble them into small pieces.

Preparing the Escabèche and Assembly

1. Make the escabèche: In a medium bowl, whisk the lime juice, honey, and salt until the salt and honey dissolve. Add the radishes, onion, mint, tarragon, and one of the sliced Fresno chiles. Toss to coat. Add more chiles if you want a spicier result.
2. Assemble the tacos: Warm the tortillas. Top each warm tortilla with some of the shredded duck meat. Add a scoop of the radish escabèche and a sprinkle of the crumbled duck skin chicharrones. Serve immediately.

Ingredients:

Shrimp Poaching Liquid

• 2 lbs. Gulf shrimp
• 1 celery rib
• 1 carrot
• 1 large onion
• 5 smashed cloves of garlic
• 6 parsley stems
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 gallon of water
• 1 tablespoon salt

Louis Sauce

• 2 cups of mayonnaise
• ¼ cup of ketchup
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• Juice from one lemon
• Salt and fine white pepper to taste

Instructions:

Poaching and Preparing the Shrimp

1. Make the poaching liquid: In a large pot, combine all the poaching liquid ingredients except for the shrimp. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook for 15 minutes to develop the flavors.
2. Cook the shrimp: Add the shrimp to the simmering liquid. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the shrimp are curled and pink.
3. Cool and peel the shrimp: Remove the cooked shrimp and spread them out on a tray. Place the tray in a cooler to allow the shrimp to cool down quickly. Once cool, peel and devein them.

Making the Louis Sauce

1. Combine the sauce ingredients: In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, brandy, Worcestershire sauce, chopped parsley, and lemon juice.
2. Mix and chill: Stir all the ingredients together until they are fully incorporated and smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and fine white pepper as needed. Place the sauce in the cooler to chill until you are ready to serve.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups pitted olives
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 anchovy fillets
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 4 tablespoons Italian parsley
• Juice of one lemon
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Place all the ingredients into a food processor.
2. Pulse the mixture until you achieve your desired consistency.
3. Serve the finished tapenade on crostini.

Ingredients:

Steak

• 1 lb filet mignon (or beef tenderloin), cut into 1-inch cubes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Harissa Fig Glaze

• 2 tablespoons harissa paste (adjust to your heat preference)
• 2 tablespoons fig jam or fig preserves
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey (optional, for extra sweetness)
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• ½ cup water
• 8 oz demi-glace

Optional for Serving

• Half a fig for garnish per steak bite
• Crumbled goat cheese
• Chopped parsley
• Crostini or pita chips

Instructions:

Prepare the Glaze

1. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the harissa paste, fig jam, balsamic vinegar, honey (if using), minced garlic, water, and demi-glace.
2. Simmer for 3–5 minutes, stirring often, until the glaze has slightly thickened.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and set the glaze aside.

Sear the Steak Bites

1. Pat the filet cubes dry with a paper towel.
2. Season the cubes generously with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet or a heavy pan over high heat until it shimmers.
4. Add the steak cubes to the pan in a single layer. You may need to work in batches to avoid overcrowding.
5. Sear each side for about 1–1½ minutes, until browned but still medium-rare inside.
6. Remove the steak from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Glaze the Steak

1. In a bowl, toss the warm steak bites with the harissa-fig glaze until they are evenly coated.

Assemble and Serve

1. To serve, spear half a fig on top of each steak bite using a toothpick or a small skewer.
2. Add optional toppings such as crumbled goat cheese and chopped parsley.
3. Serve the steak bites warm on a platter or over small crostini or pita chips for a canapé-style presentation.

Ingredients:

 Burgers

• 12 slider buns

• 12 ground beef portions (2 oz each), made from a blend of:

  • 20% Tenderloin

  • 40% Ribeye

  • 40% Striploin

Pickled Red Onions

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

• ½ cup red wine vinegar

• ½ cup water

• ¼ cup white sugar

• 2 star anise pods

• 3 whole cloves

• 1 tsp pink peppercorns

Spicy Truffle Aioli

• ½ cup Duke’s Mayonnaise

• 1 Tbsp Coleman’s Mustard Powder

• 1 Tbsp Tabasco sauce

• 1 Tbsp Sabatino Truffle Zest

• Salt to taste

• White pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preparing the Pickled Red Onions

1. Place the sliced red onion in a heat-proof bowl or jar.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the red wine vinegar, water, white sugar, star anise, cloves, and pink peppercorns.
3. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
4. Carefully pour the hot liquid over the sliced onions.
5. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, then cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or until ready to serve. The longer they sit, the more flavorful they will become.

Preparing the Spicy Truffle Aioli

1. In a bowl, combine the Duke’s Mayonnaise, Coleman’s Mustard Powder, Tabasco, and Sabatino Truffle Zest.
2. Whisk all the ingredients together until they are fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
3. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
4. Cover and chill the aioli in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the burgers.

Cooking the Burgers and Assembling

1. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat.
2. Lightly toast the slider buns on the pan until golden brown.
3. Add the beef patties to the hot pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until they reach your desired level of doneness.
4. To assemble the burgers, spread a generous amount of the Spicy Truffle Aioli on the top and bottom buns.
5. Place a cooked patty on the bottom bun.
6. Top the patty with a few of the pickled red onions.
7. Add the top bun and serve immediately.

Ingredients:

Al Pastor Marinade

• 1 lb 21/25 Gulf shrimp (peeled and deveined, with tail off preferred)

• 2 oz vegetable oil

• 2 oz orange juice

• Dash of cumin

• ½ tbsp salt and pepper (mixed)

• 1 tbsp achiote paste

• ½ tbsp paprika

• Dash of oregano

• Juice of 1 lime

Citrus Slaw

• ¼ cup cilantro

• ¼ head green cabbage, finely shredded

• ¼ head purple cabbage, finely shredded

• 1 medium carrot, finely shredded

• 2 tbsp lime juice

• 1 tsp salt, or to taste

• 1 small jalapeño (optional), thinly sliced with no seeds

Baja Sauce

• ½ cup plain yogurt

• ½ cup mayonnaise

• 1 tsp minced capers

• ½ tsp dill weed

• 1 tsp finely minced celery

• 2 tsp Cholula hot sauce

• 1 small jalapeño (optional), minced with no seeds

• ¼ medium white onion, minced

Assembly and Toppers

• 4-6 corn tortillas

• 4 oz Cotija cheese

• Lime wedges

• ¼ sliced and grilled pineapple

• Fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Citrus Slaw: In a bowl, combine the shredded green and purple cabbage, carrots, cilantro, optional jalapeño, lime juice, and salt. Toss well to combine and set aside in the cooler to chill.
2. Marinate the Shrimp: In a separate bowl, whisk together all the Al Pastor marinade ingredients: vegetable oil, orange juice, cumin, salt and pepper, achiote paste, paprika, oregano, and lime juice. Add the shrimp to the marinade, toss to coat, and set in the cooler for 2-4 hours.
3. Prepare the Baja Sauce: In a bowl, combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, minced capers, dill weed, minced celery, Cholula hot sauce, optional minced jalapeño, and minced white onion. Whisk until all ingredients are fully combined, then set aside in the cooler.
4. Prepare the Tortillas: Heat vegetable oil in a medium-sized pot to 350°F. Lightly fry the corn tortillas in the hot oil, using tongs to hold them in a taco shell shape, until they are crispy. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined tray to drain.
5. Grill the Pineapple and Shrimp: Set a medium-sized, non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add about 1 ounce of oil. Grill the sliced pineapple until it is golden brown on both sides. Remove the pineapple from the pan and set it aside. On the same pan, grill the marinated shrimp in batches until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
6. Assemble the Tacos: In each crispy taco shell, add a layer of the citrus slaw, followed by the grilled shrimp. Drizzle with the Baja sauce and top with Cotija cheese. Garnish with a slice of grilled pineapple and a sprig of fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.