Chefs show off their Christmas stuff

Greer Wylder

Christmas is the time for giving, and three of Newport Beach’s best

chefs have a present for you: their favorite holiday recipes.

At Roy’s Newport Beach, executive chef-partner Chris Garnier

suggests making a simple and elegant seafood avocado appetizer;

Michel Pieton, executive chef at the Four Seasons in Newport Beach,

shares his mother’s roast turkey with chestnut bread stuffing, and

Chef Steve Palmer, at the new Mariposa Restaurant at Neiman Marcus

Fashion Island, says his family’s delicious Christmas dinner “was far

from the norm,” yet he cherishes their broiled black mussels with

tomato sauce.

Chris Garnier of Roy’s said in Honululu, his family prepared

traditional Hawaiian-style Christmas dishes. Those included a

shiitake lup cheong stuffing for the bird.

“Lup cheong is a sweet pork Chinese sausage, made of coarsely

chopped pork, salt, honey, soy sauce and Chinese five-spice powder --

most Asian markets would carry it,” Garnier said. “Another dish,

Hawaiian-style potato salad -- potatoes, macaroni, a dash of soy,

green onions, kamboko hard-boiled eggs and mayo -- is always on our

family’s table.”

Garnier recommends trying his own holiday creation.

“The Ohana baked seafood avocado is perfect for the holidays,”

Garnier said. “Besides tasting wonderful, it’s simple and elegant for

a special occasion. It can be completely prepped beforehand and even

transported to someone’s home to bake.”

And, Garnier said, there’s an added bonus -- “No clean up!”

Chris Garnier of Roy’s of Newport Beach

Ohana Family-Style Baked Seafood Avocado

(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

3 ripe Hass avocados

8 ea. 21/25 Tiger Prawn shrimp, peeled and deveined

5 oz. Dungeness crabmeat (lump crabmeat can be

substituted)

4 green onions, cleaned and trimmed

4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1/3 cup sweet Maui onions, minced

2 ea. Shiitake mushrooms, finely julienned

3 oz. Edamame beans (out of the shell, found at Trader

Joe’s)

2-3 Tbl. Best Foods mayonnaise

1 1/2 tsp. Shirachi (Vietnamese Garlic Chili Sauce)

1 1/2 tsp. Furikake (Seasoned Japanese Seaweed, found

at Mitsuwa’s)

1/2 tsp. Shichimi (Japanese 7-Pepper Spice, found at

Mitsuwa’s)

4 Tbl. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Asiago or Romano

cheese may be substituted)

Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Optional garnish: assorted herbs and greens

Preparation:

In a small sauce pot, bring to a boil water with a touch of sea

salt. The water should taste like the ocean, but not overly salty.

Place shrimp in the water and cook for about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.

Take out of the water and put in a perforated dish and ice to stop

shrimp from cooking. After the shrimp has cooled, chop into 1-inch

cubes.

Cut avocado lengthwise and take out seed, but keep skin intact.

Trim the bottom of the avocado slightly with a sharp knife so it will

rest firmly, facing up. Next, score the avocado meat lengthwise and

then across; be careful not to puncture skin. This will make the

avocado meat easier to eat. Place the avocados aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except cheese,

season to taste and mound inside, and on top of each avocado, place

on a baking sheet. Sprinkle grated cheese on top and place on a

baking sheet. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees on broil mode, place

stuffed avocados on top shelf and broil while keeping the oven door

ajar very slightly (this prevents overcooking). Broil for about five

minutes or until the top of each avocado is golden brown -- check

frequently to avoid over-browning. Remove and transfer carefully with

a spatula to a serving platter. Garnish with a bouquet of greens like

frisee, watercress and fresh herbs, drizzled with your favorite

dressing.

Mitsuwa Market is on Paularino in Costa Mesa.

Turkey, a condign holiday dish, is also the traditional Christmas

meat in France, where Michel Pieton of the Four Seasons grew up. “I

always had a lot of pleasure helping my mother in the kitchen

preparing ‘La Dinde de Noel Rotie, Farcie aux Marrons’ at Christmas,”

Pieton said. “As a young farm boy in Normandy, France, my family grew

an abundance of seasonal vegetables and herbs that were always

incorporated into our meals. Still today, when I prepare a similar

version of this dish at the Four Seasons Hotel during the holidays,

this recipe rekindles fond memories of my childhood and my mother’s

wonderful cooking.”

Michel Pieton’s Christmas Roast Turkey with a Chestnut

Bread Stuffing

(Serves 10)

Ingredients:

18-pound turkey

20 sage leaves

20 thyme sprigs

3 cups rich turkey broth

3 tbs. unsalted butter

3 tbs. all-purpose flour

For the Chestnut Stuffing:

1 1/2 lbs. fresh chestnuts

2 cups turkey broth

8 oz. unsalted butter

1 cup finely chopped sweet onion

1 cup finely diced celery

8 cups of fresh breadcrumbs

1 tbs. freshly chopped tarragon

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare the chestnuts:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. With a paring knife, make a slice

in the bulged-out side of each chestnut to keep them from exploding

while roasting. Sprinkle them with a little water and roast them for

10 to 20 minutes or until the skins have pulled back from the slices

made in the nut. Remove both skins. Place them in a pan with the

broth, using only enough to cover them. Simmer gently until tender.

Leave whole.

Bread Stuffing preparation:

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet.

Saute the onions and celery, and let them soften until translucent

over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, herbs and broth, mixing well.

Correct seasonings with salt and pepper. Fold in the whole chestnuts.

Turkey preparation:

Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry. Place the thyme and

sage leaves underneath the turkey skin to cover the breast area.

Season the inside cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with

the chestnut bread mixture.

Transfer the turkey to a large, lightly oiled pan and roast in the

oven at 350 degrees for about three hours, or until an instant read

thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 175 degrees.

Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 30 minutes

before carving.

Meanwhile, set the roasting pan over a medium heat and scrape the

bottom of the pan to loosen all the juices. Add 2 cups of the turkey

broth and bring to a boil.

In a separate bowl, combine the butter and flour to form a paste.

Slowly whisk this into the pan juices with the other cup of broth

and allow boiling for five minutes so that no flour taste remains and

the gravy is thickened. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper.

Strain the gravy into a sauceboat. Carve the turkey.

While growing up in Newport Beach, Chef Steve Palmer of Mariposa

at Neiman Marcus said his family always served an Italian seafood

dish at Christmas.

“It was usually a meal of small black mussels on the half shell,

in a pie tin, smothered with my dad’s tomato sauce, a sprinkle of

Romano cheese then placed under the broiler until golden and bubbly,”

Palmer said.

“It came with an escarole salad tossed with crumbled blue cheese

and the Palmer house dressing, which was olive oil, salt, red wine

vinegar and freshly ground pepper, always done by eye.

And to mop up all that mussel jus and tomato sauce, there was

either my mom or dad’s freshly baked homemade crusty baguettes.

After this very satisfying meal, there would be a variety of my

grandmother’s holiday cookies, biscotti and other Italian goodies.”

Palmer’s Broiled Black

Mussels with Tomato Sauce

Preparing the mussels

(Serves 4)

Allow 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of mussels per serving (15 to 25) each per

person)

Wash, scrub and de-beard mussels; throw out any that are open or

dead.

Place mussels in a large pot along with one lemon sliced and one

cup of water, cover tightly and steam mussels just until they open,

remove them to a tray with a slotted spoon, again throw out any that

haven’t been opened or dead.

Strain and save 1/2 cup mussel juice. When cool enough to

handle, remove top shell and put in the bottom of pie tins in a

single layer. (You can do this step the day before; just wrap the

tins in plastic and put in fridge till needed.)

Preparing the tomato sauce

2 each 28 oz. cans whole tomatoes in juice (crushed by hand)

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic (slivered)

*Here is a trick my dad used to make his sauce. In a heavy sauce

pot, put it at an angle; you may have to lean it against another pot,

put in the olive oil, so the oil is in the corner of the pot.

Add the garlic, then over medium heat brown the garlic till it’s

golden. If you don’t get enough color on the garlic, it won’t be the

same, but don’t burn it either. Put the pot level and add the

tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup reserved mussel juice

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Add to tomatoes, bring to a boil, and then simmer 30 minutes. Run

through medium-holed food mill, or put in a blender for three

seconds.

When ready to eat, preheat broiler, line up pie tins and cover the

mussels with hot sauce, but not too much sauce. You could almost put

sauce just to cover each mussel.

Sprinkle lightly with Romano cheese. Put as many tins that will

fit in the broiler and cook until they are bubbly and golden. Serve

with salad and bread for dunking.

Whether you’re in charge of appetizers, the turkey or in charge of

creating something special, try one of these time-tested chefs’

dishes at Christmas, or stop by and taste some of their creations at

the following local restaurants:

* Roy’s of Newport Beach, 453 Newport Center Drive in Newport

Beach. (949) 640-7697; https://www.roysrestaurant.com; open for

dinner, 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and

Saturday.

* Pavilion Restaurant, Four Seasons Hotel Newport Beach, 690

Newport Center Drive in Newport Beach. Open for breakfast, 6:30 to 11

a.m. Monday to Friday; 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Open for

lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily; open for dinner 6 to 10 p.m.

daily.

* Mariposa Restaurant at Neiman Marcus Fashion Island in Newport

Beach. Mariposa is located on the third level, next to Home Decor and

The Man’s Store. (949) 467-3350. Open for lunch 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday to Saturday; noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

* Bar on 3 is a full-service bar that also serves dishes from the

Mariposa menu. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday; 11

a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

* BEST BITES runs every Friday. Greer Wylder can be reached at

[email protected]; at 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626;

or by fax at (714) 966-4679.