Saturday, January
19, 2008
CHEFS AT HOME
Mary Sue Milliken and
Susan Feniger
Crossing
the Border
Two chefs play
with the strong, sweet flavors of
By
Shivani Vora
THE CHEFS: Mary Sue Milliken
and Susan Feniger, owners and chefs of Border Grill, modern Mexican restaurants
in Las Vegas and Santa Monica, Calif., and of Ciudad, a Latin restaurant in
downtown Los Angeles.
KNOWN FOR: Putting a twist on
authentic regional Mexican dishes. Instead of preparing skirt steak without a
marinade as can be the norm in
THE MEAL: In the chicken
dish, breast meat can be used but using dark chicken meat gives a richer flavor
that better complements the sauce.
KITCHEN TIP: Using freshly
squeezed lime and lemon juice is key in emphasizing the strong, spicy flavors
of Mexican cooking. The acidity from the juice -- or sometimes vinegar or wine
-- can bring out and balance all the complex flavors.
——————————
Chicken with Figs, Olives and Sun-Dried
Tomatoes
Yield: 6 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
1/2 cup extra-virgin
olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or
legs
salt
and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 Tablespoons minced
garlic
2 cups white
wine
1 cup chicken stock
8 ounces sun-dried
tomatoes (not the ones stored in oil),
cut into strips (about 2 cups)
8 ounces dried
1 cup pitted
green olives, halved
1/2 cup caper
berries, stemmed and halved
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup packed brown
sugar, or to taste
1/2 cup red
wine vinegar, or to taste
1 bunch fresh
oregano leaves, chopped
4 to 6 cups
cooked couscous or
rice
——————————
Pear and Ginger Crisp with Golden Raisins
Yield: 8 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 to 45 minutes
Topping:
6 tablespoons unsalted
butter, softened
½ cup
sugar
2 teaspoons freshly
grated ginger root or chopped candied ginger
½ teaspoon
ground mace
pinch nutmeg
½ teaspoon
salt
1 cup all-purpose
flour
½ cup
medium-fine chopped
pecans or walnuts
Filling:
1/3 cup golden
raisins
1/3 cup rum
6 medium
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons minute
tapioca
juice
of 1/2 lemon
whipped
cream or ice cream
——————————
PAIRINGS
Wall Street Journal wine columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher
suggest wine pairings for this meal.
With the chicken, Chefs
Milliken and Feniger recommend a Spanish red -- and are you in for a treat.
With this very special dish, we'd have one of the hottest wines of
Copyright © 2008 Dow Jones
& Company, Inc.