The Dish: New York chef Dan Kluger
Award-winning chef Dan Kluger believes everything should have a purpose. His love of cooking began in New York, helping his father in the kitchen and watching cooking shows on TV.
Years later, he became the guiding force behind some of New York’s top kitchens, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s ABC Kitchen where he won a James Beard Award for best new restaurant and a best new chef honor from Food and Wine.
Last year, he opened Loring Place, named after the Bronx street where his father was raised.The decor is simple and elegant and the dishes are fresh and seasonal.
Here are some of Kluger’s signature recipes:
Grilled pork chop with cabbage and pomegranate
Serves 4
Brine ingredients
3 quarts water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 ounce kombu
1 sprig rosemary (just the needles)
2 cloves garlic - smashed
Pomegranate glaze ingredients
4 cups pomegranate juice
3 tablespoons organic sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon black pepper - coarsely ground
Pork chop ingredients
4 pork chops
4 cups savoy cabbage - blanched, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch squares
¼ cup fresh ginger - chopped fine
1 tablespoon jalapeño - chopped fine
4 tablespoons butter
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon rosemary - finely chopped
2 tablespoons parsley - chiffonade
1 cup pomegranate glaze
1 cup pomegranate seeds
Sea salt
Directions
1. To make the brine, bring all ingredients to 180°, stir until dissolved and then cool. Brine the pork for 12 hours.
2. Juice the pomegranate by putting all the seeds in a large bowl and buzzing with an immersion blender to just burst the seeds, not to puree the seeds. Then pass through a strainer, pressing for maximum extraction.
3. Reduce the pomegranate juice, sugar and salt to 1 3/4 cups over high heat. Cool. Stir in the lemon juice and black pepper.
4. Grill pork chop over the hottest part of the grill turning occasionally until cooked to desired temperature.
5. In a sauté pan, combine blanched cabbage, ginger, jalapeños, butter and water. Cook until water has evaporated and is glaze-like. Slice the pork and arrange the cabbage in a serving dish. Drizzle the pomegranate glaze on top. Finish with sea salt and pomegranate seeds.
Grilled sugar snap peas, radish and pecorino vinaigrette
Serves 4
Ingredients for the vinaigrette
(Yields ¾ qt)
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup Sparrow Lane champagne vinegar
3 tbsp. lemon juice – freshly squeezed and strained
4 tbsp. California Olive Ranch Arbequina Olive Oil
¼ cup pecorino – roughly chopped
2 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. black pepper – finely ground
Directions
Combine everything in the blender and puree until well incorporated.
Ingredients for the blanched sugar snaps
4 cups sugar snaps
1 gallon water
2 cups salt
Directions
Bring the water and salt to a boil. When the water is boiling drop the sugar snaps and blanched for 10 seconds and shock in ice water.
Ingredients for the charred sugar snaps
4 cups sugar snaps
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup olive oil
Directions
Make sure the grill is very hot (but not flaming), place a wire rack on top of the grill. Toss the sugar snaps in the oil and the salt and char on the wire rack. Cool down immediately on a sheet tray lined with parchment.
To plate
1 cup mixed charred and blanched sugar snaps
1 ounce dressing
1 tbsp. radish – washed, quartered and cut on a bias
½ cup. baby romaine – washed well, cut into half through the rib and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp. fines herbs
1 tbsp. pecorino
sea salt
black pepper
Directions
On a serving plate, place the romaine on the bottom of the plate and top with the sugar snaps, drizzle with the dressing and top with radishes, grated pecorino and fines herbs. Finish with sea salt and black pepper.
