IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR HOLLYWOOD...
Sometimes you’ve gotta look back to look ahead… and this week, we’re looking ahead to the Oscars on Sunday! But looking back, this will be the 25th year that Wolfgang Puck Catering (and its hundreds of chefs, servers, bartenders, cooks, and porters) has catered the famous Governors Ball on Oscar night. Anthony is putting his twist on an easy Wolfgang Puck classic that’s worthy of a golden statue! Plus, Elizabeth is sharing a recipe for a good cocktail and good karma.
AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…
AU: Chicken Salad may not seem glamorous to you, but it’s always been a dish that seemed fancy to me. Growing up in the 1980s in Fort Worth, I loved to see the coiffed members of the Junior League who lunched at The Zodiac, the restaurant inside the OG Texas luxury department store, Neiman Marcus. Famous for its popovers with strawberry butter, chicken consommé, and “Mandarin Soufflés,” it was just as de rigueur to order a scoop of chicken or tuna salad on a bed of lettuce while peacocking one’s newly-purchased designer duds.
AU: So it's no surprise that, all the way on the West Coast, the same phenomenon was happening at a Melrose Avenue restaurant called Ma Maison. Owned by Patrick Terrail, the restaurant began as a total flop. With bright green astroturf and plastic tables and chairs dotting what was once a parking lot, it was not a destination for the see-and-be-seen set of West Hollywood, CA… That is, until a young Austrian helmed the kitchen. In 1975, Terrail hired an unknown chef named Wolfgang Puck who turned the restaurant around. Soon, it was THE place to eat and be SCENE.
AU: When Ma Maison first opened, food in America was not what it is today. Heirloom fruits and vegetables were not prized like they are now. Most restaurants relied on frozen and canned goods—fresh was not the norm.
Wolfgang noticed this, and wanted to cook with the delicious produce he grew up preparing in Europe. So he sought out the very best in fruits and vegetables directly from farms like Chino Farms. Soon after, all of Tinsel Town was talking about the incredible new food coming out of the kitchen at Ma Maison. And a star was born.
EK: I love “old” cookbooks and I bought Wolfgang Puck’s Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen: Recipes From The Cuisine of Ma Maison almost 20 years ago. I know this because Amazon keeps track of my purchases! The book was published January 1, 1981, so at that point, the book was already 22 years old! Reading the cookbook is a really good way to get a taste of what the French-influenced beginning of California cuisine really was in the late 70s, early 80s. If you like to read—and cook out of—older cookbooks, you can buy a vintage copy on Amazon.
AU: Wolfgang was certainly one of the founders of California Cuisine. He was definitely the first to put California on a plate and combine it with French cooking technique. That’s why—after 25 Years of catering the Oscar’s Governors Ball—Wolfgang Puck is putting the chicken salad from Ma Maison on the menu for the biggest party in Hollywood! Of course, it will be perfectly petit diced chicken served on an heirloom endive spear as a tray-passed hors d’oeuvres… But you don’t have to be as precise, and can make it in literally no time at all at home!
AU: The original recipe is quite basic. That’s not a slam. Wolfgang’s motto has always been to “start with the very best ingredients you can find,” and then let them shine. So while his recipe only included mayonnaise (housemade, natch), mustard, capers, chicken, celery, apple, and lemon juice… it was revolutionary for diners because it was so fresh and so flavorful.
AU: Taking a page out of the Southern chicken salads I grew up with, I took some liberties:
I cut the mayo in half, and added Greek yogurt in its place. I think the yogurt adds a nice tang, and is somewhat lighter than using all mayo (plus it adds protein, and less saturated fat). It’s also fun to play with flavored mayos and mustards in the recipe. For instance, I found this Gin Mayo from Amsterdam at local shop, and it’s tasty in the chicken salad!
For crunch and some sweetness, I added chopped, toasted pecans and dried cranberries. Dried cherries, raisins, currants, or apricots would all be nice additions, too.
Tarragon is a classic herb to use in chicken salad. You can use dried or fresh, or you could add parsley, dill, basil, or chives.
Obviously, you can roast or poach your own chicken and use the meat from that, but you can also pick up a rotisserie or smoked chicken from the grocery store. Even lightly grilled chicken would be welcome.
AU: The recipe—like most chicken salad recipes—is quite simple: MIX EVERYTHING TOGETHER. Serve on fancy endive leaves (mine are from Trader Joe’s), on crisp leaves of romaine, with toast points, or as Elizabeth suggested, on a lightly toasted split croissant… *drool*
EK: I can tell you that this is a very special chicken salad! I made it soon after Anthony gave me the recipe—like literally 10 minutes after. I had a smoked chicken in the fridge that I needed to use and this recipe took no more time than my normal chicken salad recipe. Best part is that I had everything in my fridge and pantry to make it, and wow, the end result was a big payoff! This Chicken Salad was definitely next level!
DONATE TO A WORTHY CAUSE: THE NO KID HUNGRY CHEFSCYCLE 2023
EK: Chefs are generous by nature and our friend Bob Blumer is very generous. When No Kid Hungry—a subsidiary of Share Our Strength—was organizing their first ChefsCycle fundraising ride in 2012, Bob jumped on his bike to raise money.
Ten years later, he is the only rider to have completed all 10 rides. Bob is joining us today to tell us a little bit about No Kid Hungry, ChefsCycle and foraging for Prickly Pears.
EK: Tell us about No Kid Hungry.
BB: No Kid Hungry works in local communities to help make sure that kids from food-insecure households have the breakfasts and lunches they need to allow them to focus on their school work. Their School Meals program is the backbone of what they do providing healthy and delicious meals to kids in need.
EK: Is ChefSCycle their main fundraising event?
BB: The annual ChefsCycle for No Kid Hungry endurance ride is the chef community’s fundraiser for this noble cause. Each rider is tasked with raising a minimum of $7500 for No Kid Hungry, which is their ticket to participate in the grueling 3-day, 300-mile bike ride—all in the name of feeding kids.
EK: How do you raise funds for the ride?
BB: To raise funds, I typically sell multi-course wine dinners at my home, which is located beneath the iconic Hollywood sign. This year, once again, I am hosting dinners that begin at $3000. But the dinners are not the only way that I fundraise. I also accept all donations, no matter how small.
I would love it if your readers would consider going without their morning latte for a week, and donating that money to help feed kids. Every little bit helps.
EK: Bob told me that he will send a signed copy of his award-winning cookbook Flavorbomb to anyone who donates $500 or more, but he emphasized that “every donation, no matter how small, is appreciated.”
Click below to donate to Bob’s No Kid Hungry ChefsCycle Ride and provide school breakfasts and lunches to kids in need.
BB: Let me thank everyone in advance for their help and support!
EK: Let’s talk a little bit about how special those dinners are. You have a beautiful outdoor terrace with a view of the Hollywood sign, and I imagine that the dinners take place under the stars. Tell us how you start off your dinners.
BB: I often start with my signature Prickly Pear Margarita. It’s my special signature cocktail because it is made with prickly pears that I forage for myself. When I am doing my daily training rides, I scout the cactuses to see which of them are sprouting prickly pears on their paddles, then I return to the patch in November when the prickly pears are bright red and ready to be harvested. Every year I harvest a couple of 5 gallon buckets. After processing them, I freeze the juice to use year-round for special occasions like my fund-raising dinners.
EK: What do they taste like?
BB: Prickly pear juice tastes like an intense, earthy watermelon juice. Add tequila, Cointreau and freshly squeezed lime juice and you get a margarita with extra layers of flavor that will make anyone forget they have just cycled 100 miles.
EK: Bob was generous enough to give us his recipe for Prickly Pear Margaritas so you can experience it even if you don’t have dinner on his deck. And if you aren’t foraging your Prickly Pear juice, you can get it here.
Bob’s Foraged Prickly Pear Margaritas
Makes 4 cocktails
½ cup prickly pear juice, foraged or purchased
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup of your favorite Tequila Blanco
3 tablespoons Cointreau or triple sec
Optional finishing touches: Rim the glass with salt or Tajin, and/or garnish with a lime wheel
Stir juices and spirits together, taste and adjust as desired.
Shake over ice and serve straight up, or over ice.
Repeat as necessary.
Yum! There are also 2 Neiman Marcus cookbooks. The 1st includes the orange souffle recipe.
That was my favorite!! Do you have the recipe?