Rebeccas Corn Blinis with Sour Cream and Sevruga Caviar

• 2 cups fresh corn, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup whole milk
• 4 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted then cooled to room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks, from large eggs

• 1/3 cup all purpose unbleached flour
• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, finely ground
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for seasoning the sauté pan
• ¼ cup whole milk sour cream
• 2 ounces Sevruga caviar

Mix together corn, milk, butter and eggs.

Combine flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper in separate bowl. Add in the corn mixture, stirring slowly and gently, just long enough for the ingredients to blend fully.

Heat up a medium size sauté pan with ½ teaspoon butter. Spoon teaspoon of batter for each blini, cook until golden on both sides. Remove from the sauté pan and keep warm.

Spoon a small amount of sour cream on each blini and cover with a spoonful of Sevruga caviar.

Makes approximately 50.

Rebeccas House-cured Gravlax with Swedish Mustard Sauce

• 1 whole wild Alaskan King salmon, 10 – 12 pounds
• 2 pounds granulated sugar
• 2 pounds light brown sugar
• ¼ cup whole black peppercorns
• 2 pounds kosher salt
• Fresh dill, approximately 5-6 bunches
• ¼ cup of Dijon mustard
• 3 ounces vodka
• 2 tablespoons honey

Clean and scale salmon, cut in half and bone, leaving skin on. You can also ask your fish market to do this for you.

In medium stainless steel bowl, mix granulated sugar, light brown sugar, whole black peppercorns, salt and chopped dill.

In small stainless steel mixing bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, vodka, and honey.

Using a cutting board large enough for the entire fish, place four pieces of plastic wrap that are long enough to wrap the fillets thoroughly. Place first fillet on top of the plastic wrap, gently brush the top and bottom of fillet with the Dijon mustard mixture.

Take half sugar mixture and cover the fillet, putting the less on the tail and more on the head and thicker parts. The sugar and salt mixture is actually curing the fish. Be sure to compact this mixture completely around the fish, completely encasing.

Tightly wrap fish with plastic wrap, making absolutely certain it is not exposed to air and is tightly sealed. Repeat with second fillet. Place the two wrapped fillets on sheet pan with additional sheet pan placed on top, adding 8 to 10 pounds of weight. Refrigerate.

Keep refrigerated for two full days. Remove from refrigerator, unwrap the fillets and remove the curing mixture and gently rinse fillets. Dry with paper towels.

Slice very thinly to serve. Serve with Swedish mustard sauce (you can purchase it from a specialty food store) and dill.

CRISPY BLACK SEA BASS with SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS, BOK CHOY and GINGER

Shiitake mushrooms

• 20 shiitake mushrooms, caps measuring about 1½ inches in diameter
• ½ cup garlic oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon of sea salt
• Pinch cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Break off the stems off the mushroom and discard.

Drizzle garlic oil onto sheet pan and spread the mushroom caps upside down. Season the mushrooms with salt, cayenne, thyme leaves and remaining garlic oil.

Roast mushrooms in oven for 20 minutes or until tender.

Ginger Sauce

• 5 stalks celery
• 1 onion, peeled and finely diced.
• 4 pieces ginger, measuring 2 inches in length
• 1 tablespoon roasted garlic purée
• 3 branches thyme
• Sea salt, cayenne pepper
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups water

Wash celery and cut in 1 inch long pieces. Wash ginger and trim.

Season celery, onions, ginger, garlic purée and thyme with sea salt and cayenne. Slowly cook on medium heat in gallon pot for 20 minutes, covered with tight-fitting lid.

Add milk, heavy cream and water. Bring sauce to boil and continue to simmer for 20 minutes more.

Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve. Make sure to press all the juices through the sieve.

Adjust seasoning to taste.

Bok Choy

• 2 heads baby bok choy

Bring quart pot of salted water to boil. Trim bottom of bok choy and boil for one minute.

Transfer bok choy with slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Crispy Black Sea Bass

• 4 black sea bass filets, 7 – 8 ounces each, cleaned of bones and scales
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• butter

Coat filets with vegetable oil, season with salt.

Sear fish in vegetable oil on high heat, pressing down with spatula.

Lower to medium heat for five minutes or until fish is almost cooked. Add walnut-sized piece of butter. Turn the fish for 20 seconds to finish cooking.

Plating Instructions:

Combine roasted mushrooms with the ginger sauce and heat.

Drizzle the bok choy leafs with garlic oil, season with salt and heat for two minutes on both sides.

Put the grilled bok choy and mushrooms next to each other on the plate and lay the fish on top of it. Garnish the black sea bass filet with some sliced ginger.

Serves 4

BAKED ALASKA

• Chocolate Genoise cake
• Italian meringue
• 1 quart of vanilla bean ice cream
• 1 quart chocolate ice cream

Chocolate Genoise cake

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with wax paper, cut to fit. Melt the chocolate in small pan or bowl over simmering water; set aside to cool.

Beat the eggs until light, gradually add the sugar, vanilla and salt. Slowly stir in the melted chocolate.

Sift the flour over the batter, gently fold in just until blended.

Spoon into the pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely on a cooling rack.

Italian meringue

• 3 egg whites
• ½ cup water
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup sugar

Combine egg whites and salt in a bowl, beat until the whites are stiff but not dry.

Combine sugar and water in small, heavy-bottomed pan. Heat without stirring (very important), until the mixture begins to boil. Cover for 3 minutes to dissolve any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan.

Remove lid and let syrup boil without stirring for about 10-15 minutes until it reaches 230-232 degrees F on a candy thermometer.

Carefully pour the hot syrup very slowly over the beaten egg whites, beating constantly until the meringue has cooled to room temperature. This will take several minutes. Beat in the vanilla.

To assemble:

Slice chocolate Genoise cake into thirds horizontally with a serrated bread knife. Put the first layer into the bottom of the springform pan and cover the cake with thick layer of the homemade vanilla ice cream.

Cover the ice cream with the second layer of the cake and cover with thick layer of the homemade chocolate ice cream. Top off with final layer of cake.

Cover the ice cream and cake tower with Italian meringue, using a spatula or pastry bag and tip. Here's where creativity comes in—make it beautiful!

Put cake into freezer for minimum of 3 hours to set until ready to serve.

Bake the Alaska for 2 minutes at 400 degrees F. You can then use a pastry torch to lightly brown the meringue.

Serves 6