Taste of Miami: Three South Florida-inspired recipes from Daniel Boulud

Looking for a taste of Miami during the second half of the Sunshine Double? Renowned chef Daniel Boulud has served up three exclusive recipes to Baseline inspired by the Magic City to help your cause.

The mega-chef opened the Mediterranean-inspired Boulud Sud Miami inside the JW Marriott Marquis back in 2010, and it quickly became a staple of the South Florida food scene and a favorite for celebrities and foodies alike.

“I get told that fine dining is over, but I don’t think so,” chef Boulud once said. “A great meal will always spark memories: it might just be in a different form in the future—less pomp and circumstance, perhaps, but still with precision, refinement and attention to detail.

“A good meal with good wine and friends—that is what we all crave right now.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Below are a trio of dishes sure to evoke those precious memories, infused with Boulud’s signature flavors in every bite. Ready, plate!

Chicken Tagine

Couscous:

• 500 grams of couscous
• 40 grams of canola oil
• 1 gram of saffron
• 2 cups of water
• 12 grams of salt

In a medium pot, heat up water with saffron and salt. Once that water is boiling, add the couscous to the liquid and cover for 20 minutes. Once 20 minutes have passed, uncover the couscous and fluff with a fork and slowly incorporate the oil while fluffing couscous. Reserve for later.

Chicken Tagine Sauce:

• 100 grams of Spanish onions julienne
• 25 grams of garlic
• 50 grams of ginger
• 2 ea. whole roasted chicken bones
• 175 grams of tagine spice
• 2.5 liters of chicken stock
• 1.5 liters of veal stock
• 70 grams tomato paste
• 150 grams roma tomatoes
• 2 lemons peeled
• 10 grams of thyme
• 100 grams of olive oil
• Salt to taste

In a large oven tray, place two whole chicken carcasses and roast at 450 °F until bones are golden brown. In a large pot, add olive oil and heat it up.

Start by adding onions garlic and ginger to the pot, then season with tagine spice. Add in tomatoes and tomato paste, then cook for about 10 minutes. Then add the fully roasted chicken bones we roasted earlier to the pot. Add in the stocks and a sachet of lemon peel and thyme, and cook for 1 hour on medium heat. Strain the liquid and save for later use.

Turnips for tagine:

• 8 ea. turnips, peeled and quartered
• 200 grams of canola oil
• 30 grams turmeric
• Salt to taste

Mix in a mixing bowl, then lay on a oven-safe tray and roast at 425 °F for 8-10 minutes.

Cauliflower for tagine:

• 2 ea. heads of cauliflower, in florets
• 200 grams of canola oil
• 30 grams turmeric
• Salt to taste

Mix in a mixing bowl, then lay on a oven safe tray and roast at 425 °F for 8-10 minutes.

Tagine Spice Marinade:

• 400 grams of canola oil
• 40 grams tagine spice

Mix in a mixing bowl.

Cooking Procedure for Chicken Tagine:

Marinate Chicken in Tagine Spice Marinade overnight in the refrigerator. In a sautee pan, heat up oil on high heat. Sear chicken breasts skin side down—do not move it. Also sear boneless chicken thighs and drumsticks. Place in a 400 °F oven for 15-18 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 158 °F.

Let the chicken rest in the pan off the heat for seven minutes. The internal temp should be at 165 °F before consuming.

Octopus a la Plancha

Oregano Dressing:

• 50 grams of shallots
• 20 grams of fresh oregano
• 50 grams of sherry vinegar
• 180 grams olive oil
• Salt to taste

In a small pan on medium low heat, heat up 50 grams of olive oil and 50 grams of shallot until shallots are tender. Let shallots cool down and come to room temperature. In a medium sized mixing bowl, add all ingredients and mix with a whisk. Store in the fridge until needed.

Court Bouillon:

• 150 grams of olive oil
• 225 grams of Spanish onions
• 115 grams of celery stalks
• 100 grams of leeks
• 400 grams of white wine
• 5 liters of water
• 15 grams black peppercorns
• 2 ea. lemon sliced
• 80 grams of fennel
• 2 ea. oranges sliced
• Salt to taste

In a large pot, heat up oil on medium high heat. Add in onions and leeks and cook for 8-10 minutes, constantly stirring so that no color is created. Then add in celery and fennel to the pot, and cook for another 8-10 minutes. Add white wine and cook until two thirds of the wine has evaporated.

Add in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer, and let it go for two hours so that the flavors fuse. Strain the stock and reserve the liquid for later.

Cooking Procedure for Octopus a la Plancha:

Bring the court bouillon up to a boil in a large pot. Once the court bouillon has started boiling, grab the octopus and dip it in and out of the liquid as to not shock the muscles of the tentacles. Repeat about 6-8 times, then let the octopus go and wait for the liquid to catch a boil again.

Once the poaching liquid has begun to boil again, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid or saran wrap and aluminum foil to trap the steam inside the pot. Leave covered for two hours off the heat.

Remove octopus from the pot. Remove head and beak and individually cut the tentacles. In a nonstick pan, add 20 grams of oil and heat up on high heat. Sear the octopus legs for two minutes on each side. Slice and enjoy.

Arugula Salad:

• 20 grams toasted Marcona almonds, chopped
• 10 grams of baby arugula
• 15 grams of oregano dressing
• 6 ea. segmented oranges
• Pinch of salt
• Fresh cracked pepper

In a medium mixing bowl, add all ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Gianduja Chocolate Mousse Layer Cake

For the Hazelnut Sponge:

• 50 grams of icing sugar
• 63 grams hazelnut flour
• 3 grams cornstarch
• 25 grams of heavy cream
• 90 grams white eggs
• 17 grams of dark chocolate

For the Hazelnut Praline Cream:

• 56 grams of heavy cream
• 1 gram gelatine sheet
• 87 grams hazelnut praline paste

For Gianduja Chocolate Mousse:

• 70 grams gianduja chocolate
• 2 grams gelatine sheet
• 46 grams of milk
• 92 grams of heavy cream

For Gianduja Chocolate Glaze:

• 50 grams gianduja chocolate
• 12 grams hazelnut praline
• 19 grams of heavy cream
• 56 grams glaze mirror
• 14 grams of water
• 2 grams gelatine

Baking Instructions

Make the Hazelnut Sponge:

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F and set a baking paper on a 20 cm x 15 cm tray (8 in x 6 in).
2. Place the hazelnut flour, cornstarch, icing sugar in a bowl. Mix well to combine.
3. Warm up the cream and pour on the chopped dark chocolate.
4. Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
5. Transfer the meringue into a large bowl. Pour in the chocolate mixture and dry ingredients, and mix gently with a silicone spatula.
6. Pour batter into pan and bake the sponge for around 10 mins.
7. Cool at room temperature for next layer.

Make the Praline Cream:

1. Soak the gelatin sheet in ice water for 10 mins, then squeeze dry.
2. Put the heavy cream in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
3. Remove from the heat, stir in the soaked gelatin, and pour on the hazelnut praline paste.
4. Spread on the Hazelnut Sponge at room temperature.
5. Cover and store chilled.

Make the Gianduja Chocolate Mousse:

1. Soak the gelatin sheet in ice water for 10 mins and squeeze well.
2. Chop the Gianduja chocolate and place into a medium bowl.
3. Pour the milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
4. Remove from the heat, stir in the soaked gelatin and pour on the chopped chocolate.
5. Mix until smooth and cool down at 36 °F.
6. Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks foam.
7. Add the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and spread on the Praline Cream after it has chilled.
8. Cover and store chilled.

Make the Gianduja Chocolate Glaze:

1. Soak the gelatine sheets in ice water for 10 mins and squeeze well.
2. Chop the chocolate and combine the hazelnut praline into a large bowl.
3. Place the cream, glaze mirror and water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
4. Remove from the heat, stir in the soaked gelatin, and pour on the chocolate and hazelnut praline.
5. Cool at 34 °F and pour on the gianduja chocolate mouse after it has chilled.