Conversation Bites: Chef Sean Begin, The Daily Dish
This week’s review of The Daily Dish features chef Sean Begin’s deliciously bipolar menu of meat-and-three staples and specialty salads. For the traditionalist, there’s a predictable and comfortable list of Southern standards—meatloaf, fried okra and candied sweet potatoes, to name a few. But while most meat-and-three buffets consider coleslaw to be the only fresh vegetable you could ever need, The Daily Dish offers a bountiful selection of big, fluffy green salads piled with fresh fruits, vegetables and creative toppings such as fried mozzarella and sweet potato cakes.
Many thanks to Chef Begin for sharing his recipe for almond-encrusted goat cheese salad (after the jump). If you have questions for the chef, he’ll be popping in to answer them. Welcome to Conversation Bites, Chef Sean.
Spiced Almonds
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch crushed red pepper
1 egg white
Mix all ingredients, spread on greased pan and bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Stir frequently until golden brown.
Dried Cherry Vinaigrette
8 oz. raspberry purée
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups red wine
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
16 oz. salad oil or preferred oil
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
Purée first six ingredients in a Cuisinart, slowly adding oil with Cuisinart on to emulsify. Turn off and add cherries. (Raspberry purée can be purchased at specialty stores, or you can make your own by straining puréed fresh raspberries.)
Almond-Encrusted Goat Cheese Cakes
Breading:
1/2 cup toasted almonds, crushed
1 cup Japanese bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 teaspoons ground pepper
Cheesecakes:
4 oz goat cheese
4 oz cream cheese
Seasoned Flour:
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Egg Wash:
1egg
1/8 cup milk
Mix first four ingredients to make breading. Mix goat cheese and cream cheese to form eight equal rounded cakes. Dredge cakes in flour and then coat in egg wash. Roll in breading and fry in 325-degree oil until golden brown.
Comments
This place sounds delightful and the recipe for the cherry vinaigrette is much appreciated. What I'd love to know is what vegetables and sides to avoid (as in, what contains lard, animal broth, meat seasoning, etc) because this could be a good compromise between the Boyfriend and me to replace Cracker Barrel.
Mmm...sweet potato cakes...
Posted 01/22/2008 at 08:14:28 AMHow much room for creativity is there within the boundaries of meat-and-three? And is there anything you, as either cook or diner, instinctively shy away from on the meat-and-three palette?
Posted 01/22/2008 at 10:29:05 AMMr.Pink,
Posted 01/22/2008 at 01:04:22 PMThere are so many different directions you can go in. It all doesn't have to be southern comfort food. You can try rustic Italian with pasta and a nice red sauce or Spanish. Paella comes to mind or something Cajun. Meat and three is pretty vague, so it certainly need not be boring. When I go to a meat and three, I always stay away from the Salsbury STeak. Most places dont put much love into those things.
Leslie..........
Posted 01/22/2008 at 01:06:25 PMTurnip greens and black eyed peas, macaroni and cheese. You probably want to enjoy these in moderation. Stick to sauteed veggies and some of the lighter salads and fruit. I always try to have grilled chicken in a light type sauce on the menu. Also, stay away from allthe fried stuff.
You can do greens and black-eyed peas without devil meat. I love black-eyed peas seasoned with onion and a dash of Tony Chachere, and greens seared in olive oil are delish. A friend tried greens with crab-boil seasoning, but I never heard how the experiment turned out.
Posted 01/22/2008 at 01:36:46 PMWow. Do you serve paella?
Posted 01/22/2008 at 01:38:14 PMhello Greenie,that crab boil in turnip greens sounds pretty yummy,at The Daily Dish im more of a trditionalist with ham hocks or bacon thats what I was refering to.
Posted 01/22/2008 at 03:11:12 PMI havnt yet Mr Pink but ive been thinking about it,maybe Friday
Posted 01/22/2008 at 03:17:31 PMthe spiced almond recipe gets 1 tsp salt instead of 1/4 tsp...the dried cherry vin gets 4 ounces red wine vin not 2 cups red wine...and the almond breading gets 2tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper instead of what it says....sorry those were all my blunders...
Posted 01/22/2008 at 07:23:57 PM