You had us at bonjour... Photo courtesy of BLT Steak

Chef Laurent Tourondel’s South Beach outpost of the BLT Steak empire is most definitely a “seen and be seen” Miami Beach hotspot.  And while it’s an insider favorite for the fabulous food and tres chic al fresco dining, it is BLT’s first impression—the warm popovers— that sets the tone for the meal to follow.  They had us at bonjour with the warm and chewy rolls, smothered with European butter and a dash of salt.

As a thoughtful touch, BLT includes the recipe of these carb-laden, little pieces of heaven with the meal, which we are passing on to you. Dare we say, these are even better in the comforts of home?

BLT’s Popovers

(makes 12-14 popovers)

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups milk, warmed; 8 eggs; 4 cups of flour; 1 ½ heaping tablespoon of salt; 2 ½ cups of grated gruyere; popover pan.

DIRECTIONS:

Place the popover pan in the oven. Heat the oven and pan to 350F.

Gently warm the milk over low heat and set aside.

Whisk egg until frothy and slowly whisk in the milk (so as not to cook the eggs). Set the mixture aside.

Sift the flour with the salt. Slowly add this mixture and gently combine until mostly smooth.

Once combined, remove the popover pan from the oven and spray with non-stick vegetable spray. While the batter is slightly warm or room temperature, fill each popover cup 3/4 full.

Top each popover with approximately 2 1/2 Tbsp. of grated gruyere and bake at 350F for 50 minutes, rotating pan half a turn after 15 minutes of baking.

Remove from the oven, then remove popovers from the pan and serve warm with butter and salt.

The highlight of the festival is the Bacchanal & Auction which begins with a reception and silent auction, followed by a four-course dinner and a live auction. Over 100 auction lots are expected, including special wine excursions, cases of wine from Napa’s ZD Wines and a six-day stay in Bordeaux, France. Event and ticket information at can be found on the Boca Bacchanal website. Boca Raton Resort & Club, 501 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton, FL. Tel: (561) 395-6766, x 101.

The courtyard at La Palma

This cozy Coral Gables cafe is housed in the historic La Palma building that was originally opened in 1924 as a beautiful Mediterranean-styled hotel. Today, La Palma’s focus is on traditional northern Italian fare at a reasonable price. La Palma’s housemade pastas range from Fettuccine Alfredo to Pumpkin Tortellini with butter and sage. Their pastas, as well as Veal Paillard alla Milanese and simple fish creations, such as Sea Bass Piccata, are recommended. However, Insiders really like La Palma for weekday lunches ($12.95) and weekend brunch ($30) where the fixed price gives patrons neverending access to an Italian buffet packed with an impressive selection hot and cold selections. If possible try to get a table in La Palma’s charming courtyard. 116 Alhambra Circle, Coral Gables, FL, 33134. Tel: (305) 445-8777.

Photo: Shimon and Tammar

Inspired by Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques, this tart was the perfect ending to our Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 dinner.  I had to stray a bit from Goin’s crust recipe because the proportions were off– too much flour wouldn’t let the crust congeal. Martha Stewart’s pâte sucrée recipe has never let me down, so I used that instead.  I also needed more chocolate to adequately cover the bottom of the tart and would suggest letting the dessert sit for 10 or 15 minutes outside of the refrigerator before serving. Enjoy!

For the pâte sucrée

From Martha Stewart Living (Makes two ten-inch tarts)

INGREDIENTS:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour; 3 tablespoons sugar; 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces; 2 large egg yolks; 1/4 cup ice water

DIRECTIONS:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and sugar. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 10 to 20 seconds.

In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks; add ice water. With machine running, add the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

After chilling, place dough on a lightly floured work surface, sprinkle a little flour over the dough, and roll it out into a 1-inch-thick circle, flouring as necessary. Starting at one side, roll and wrap the dough around the rolling pin to pick it up. Unroll the dough over a 10-inch tart pan. Gently fit the dough loosely into the pan, lifting the edges and pressing the dough into the corners with your fingers. To remove the excess dough, roll the rolling pin lightly over the top of the tart pan for a nice clean edge, or work your way around the edge pinching off any excess dough with your fingers.

Prick the bottom of the pâte sucrée with a fork and line it with a piece of parchment paper. Place dried beans or pie weights on top of parchment and place into a 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes, or until dough sets. Remove parchment and weights and continue cooking until crust is an even golden color—about 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on baking rack.

For the Meyer Lemon Tart:

INGREDIENTS:

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate;
4 extra-large eggs; 
3 extra-large egg yolks;
 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; 
1 cup Meyer lemon juice; 
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces; a 
pinch of kosher salt; 
1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over medium-low heat. Spread the chocolate evenly on the crust and chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, until the chocolate has solidified completely.

While the crust is chilling, make the curd. Whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, and lemon juice together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, alternating between a whisk and rubber spatula (this helps eliminate the foam on top of the curd), until the lemon curd has thickened to the consistency of pastry cream and coats the back of the spatula.

Remove the lemon curd from the heat. Add the butter a little at a time, stirring to incorporate completely. Season with the salt. Let the curd cool about 8 minutes, and then strain it into the prepared tart shell. Chill the tart in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

Just before serving, whip the cream in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or by hand) until it holds soft peaks. Cut the tart into six wedges, plate them, and serve with dollops of whipped cream.

In my opinion, the key to this dish is the slow-cooked sauce. For the Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 polenta party dinner, I used de-boned, country-style pork ribs in the sauce, which made breaking up the pork easier. If you opt to use the boneless ribs, cut the amount of pork you use to 3 pounds or so.

INGREDIENTS

For polenta: 4 cups water; 
1 teaspoon salt; 
1 cup cornmeal OR one box of instant polenta. 

For filling: 4 pounds country-style pork ribs, cut into 2-rib portions;
 2 tablespoons olive oil
; 1 large onion (about 1 pound), chopped; 
2 celery ribs, chopped; 
2 large garlic cloves, sliced; 
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled;
 a 28- to 32-ounce can whole tomatoes including juice;
 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons water;
 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon tomato paste. For béchamel sauce: 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter;
 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 
1 1/4 cups milk; 

1/4 pound aged Provolone or mozzarella, grated coarse (about 1 cup).

DIRECTIONS

Make polenta: If you are using instant polenta, follow cooking instructions on box. Otherwise, in a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.

On a lightly oiled large baking sheet spread warm polenta into a 15- by 12-inch rectangle (about 1/2 inch thick) and cool to room temperature. Polenta may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.

Make filling: Pat pork dry and season with salt. In a heavy 7- to 8-quart kettle heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown pork in 2 batches, transferring with tongs to a bowl. In fat remaining in kettle sauté onion and celery, stirring occasionally, until just tender. Add garlic and rosemary and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Return pork to kettle and add tomatoes with juice and 2 cups water. Simmer mixture, covered, 1 1/2 hours, or until meat is very tender.

Transfer pork to a cutting board to cool. In a small bowl stir together flour and remaining 3 tablespoons water and whisk into liquid remaining in kettle. Discard bones and fat from pork and chop meat. Add pork and tomato paste to kettle, stirring, and simmer until filling is reduced to about 6 cups. Filling may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.

 Preheat oven to 400°F.

Make béchamel sauce: In a small saucepan heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 1 minute and add milk in a stream, whisking. Simmer béchamel sauce, whisking, until smooth and thickened slightly, about 2 minutes, and season with salt.

Cut polenta into 3-inch squares. In a 3-quart shallow baking dish spoon half of filling and top with half of polenta squares. Repeat layering with remaining filling and polenta squares and spread béchamel sauce over top to cover completely. Sprinkle cheese over béchamel sauce and bake, uncovered, 45 minutes, or until heated through and top is golden.

Originally printed in Gourmet, 1995

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup butter + 2 tablespoons butter;  ½ cup flour + 6 tablespoons flour; Premade polenta, one tube;  3 stalks celery, medium diced; 1 cup chopped onion;  1 green bell pepper, chopped; 1 tablespoon minced garlic plus 1 teaspoon; ¼ cup chopped green onions; 2 cups shrimp stock; 2 teaspoons Crystal Hot Sauce; 4 tablespoons chopped parsley; 1 ½  pounds rock shrimp; Essence; 1 cup roasted sweet corn; ¼  cup small diced red peppers; ¼  cup small diced yellow peppers; 1 tablespoon minced shallots; Salt and pepper; 1 cup seasoned flour; 2 eggs, slightly beaten plus 2 tablespoons milk; 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs; Oil for frying.  For garnish: 4 long chives; 2 tablespoons chopped chives; 2 tablespoons brunoise red peppers; 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; Essence.

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the fryer or heat vegetable oil in a large pot.

For the etouffee: In a saute pan, heat the ½ cup of butter. Stir in the ½ cup of flour. Cook the mixture for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly, for a brown roux. Stir in the celery, onions, green peppers and tablespoon of garlic. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the vegetables start to wilt. Stir in the shrimp stock and Crystal hot sauce. Bring up to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Stir in the green onions. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with shrimp with Essence.

In a saute pan, heat the remaining butter. Saute the shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sauteed shrimp to the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

For the relish: In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil, when the pan is smoking hot, saute the corn, red peppers, yellow peppers, shallots and remaining garlic. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tablespoon chopped parsley.

For the polenta: Slice the polenta into 8 slices. Dredge each piece in the seasoned flour. Dip in the egg mixture, removing any excess. Dredge in the bread crumbs. Fry each piece of polenta until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the fryer and place on a paper-lined plate. Season with Essence.

Slice the cake diagonally, forming two triangles. Spoon the etouffee in the center of the plate. Lay the polenta against each other on top of the etouffee. Place three small mounds of the relish around the cake. Garnish with long chives, chopped chives, peppers, cheese, and Essence.