Holiday Feast

 

 Recipes By Lonnie Crist | Photos by Sarah A. Miller

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Festive Tuna Tower 

Cook time: about 20 minutes

Ingredients

3 oz. Ahi tuna, diced 1/4″

¼ of a cucumber, peeled and diced 1/4 ”

1/2 of a small tomato, diced 1/4″

1/3 avocado, diced 1/4″

1/2 tsp. white toasted sesame seeds

Small handful rice stick noodles

(optional)

Directions

• Take a small Styrofoam cup, 8 to 12oz. size, and cut the bottom out. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Place the wide opening side down on the middle of your plate.
•  Start with the tuna first, you can sear it or prepare raw. Evenly distribute it at the bottom of the cup. Use a round container that has about the same diameter as the cup to press the tuna to the form of the cup. For a tighter hold you can mix a little mayonnaise or sesame oil with the tuna.
• Next, take the avocado and do the same, building on top of the tuna. Be careful not to press too hard.
•  Add the cucumber next, and then repeat with the tomato.
•  Very carefully, pull the cup straight up with one hand while pressing the middle of the tower towards the plate.
•  Add rice stick noodles to the top and sprinkle with sesame seeds. The tower can be served with soy sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lobster Bisque 

Cook time: about 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup chicken broth

2 medium slices onion

2 tbsp. butter

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 tsp. salt

4, 3 oz. lobster tails

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 pinch ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp. Cajun seasoning

Directions

• Saute butter and onions in frying pan for five minutes on medium heat. Add chicken stock and simmer for an additional three minutes. Then add the heavy cream, salt, Worcestershire and cayenne and bring to almost a boil.
• Reduce heat to a low simmer for five minutes and turn off the heat. Cut the lobster tails down the middle, from the top down to the end of the tail, with a sharp knife. Carefully use your fingers to open the tail and expose the meat.
• Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning and steam in a colander on high heat for seven minutes. Move lobster tails to the oven, cooking at 375 degrees, for about eight to 10 minutes.
• Serve the lobster tail in middle of soup bowl upside down, and garnish with fresh chives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beef Wellington 

Cook time: about 30 minutes

Ingredients

20 oz. center cut tenderloin

4 large portabella mushrooms

12″ square of puff pastry dough

3 tbsp. dijon mustard

3 tbsp. horseradish

1 tbsp. arugula, chopped

2 garlic gloves, minced

3 oz. prosciutto ham

2 tbsp. olive oil

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

2 egg yolks

Directions

• Remove gills from mushrooms with a spoon. Coarsely chop and add to food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste, 1 clove of garlic and arugula.
• Pulse until finely minced—this mixture is known as a duxelle.
• Add Duxelle to a hot, dry skillet and cook on low until most of the moisture evaporates. This is a very important part to the process.
• Meanwhile, season your tenderloin with salt, pepper and remaining garlic.
• Heat a hot skillet and add olive oil. Sear the entire tenderloin evenly on all sides for about two minutes or less. While tenderloin is cooling, mix mustard and horseradish together and cover the entire tenderloin.
• Next overlap two pieces of cling film over your work space. Lay 12 pieces of prosciutto on the cling film, slightly overlapping, in a double row.
• Once the duxelle is cooled, spread evenly over the prosciutto and then lay the tenderloin in the center. Carefully take the bottom corners of the cling wrap and draw the prosciutto around the tenderloin. Roll it into a sausage shape and twist both ends tightly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Spread a little flour on the work surface and lay out your puff pastry. Remove the tenderloin from the cling wrap and set in the center of the pastry.
• Beat the egg yolks and spread a little on the edges, tops and sides of your pastry dough to ensure a tight seal. Fold the pastry dough over covering the entire tenderloin. Cut any additional pastry. Trim the edges and wrap tightly with cling wrap as you did the first time. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Remove cling wrap and brush the entire tenderloin with egg yolk. Score the top of the pastry with a sharp knife, making sure you don’t cut through the pastry dough. Sprinkle with salt and place on a baking sheet to cook for 35 minutes at 400 degrees.
• The beef wellington should look nice and golden brown, cooked medium rare. Adjust cooking time for desired results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Oreo Cream Cheese Torte

Cook time: about 30 minutes

Ingredients

16 oz.  Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)

1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups Oreo crumbs

1/3 cup melted butter

Directions

•     Begin by mixing Oreo crumbs and butter until evenly distributed. Take a tart pan or spring form pan and mold the mixture into a pie shell.
•     Place in freezer for 30 minutes. Next, mix cream cheese until smooth and then add the pumpkin puree while mixing.
•     Continue by add sugars and spices in the order given above.
•     Remove pie shell from the freezer and pour mixture into pie shell and spread evenly.
•     Refrigerate for three hours, or overnight, and serve.

 

Chef Lonnie Crist

Born in Redwood City, California, Chef Lonnie Crist began his education at an early age learning to cook from his mother who was trained in French cuisine. Lonnie moved to East Texas at the age of 12. After high school graduation, he attended AIMS academy in Dallas, where he graduated from bartending school. Lonnie began his first job at Clicks Billiards. After bartending for several years, he became the restaurant and bar manager at the Sheraton hotel. In 2001, Lonnie trained under Chef Robert Hile, former corporate chef for P.F. Chang’s at Julian’s restaurant in Tyler. Chef Lonnie has made several TV appearances with CBS 19 and KLTV demonstrating his Asian cooking skills. He also has a love for natural, whole foods. In 2008 he trained as a live food chef at Jubbs Longevity in New York under Dr. David Jubbs. Currently, Lonnie is the executive chef at Hideaway Lake. Lonnie enjoys serving the membership and offering new culinary creations as well as meeting the unique dietary needs of the members.