The California desert is not usually thought of as a destination for food, but Cuistot restaurant has proved an exception. A simply designed, low-key restaurant in Palm Desert, Cuistot surprises with excellent cooking, reflecting the serious training and culinary mastery of Bernard Dervieux, its French owner-chef. His impressive resume includes stints working with Paul Bocuse and Roger Verge in France, Jean Banchet and the Pump Room in Chicago.
Consider this great summer supper menu from Cuistot: the best steak salad I have ever tasted, as well as a seductively smooth, subtle and soft version of creme brulee. The Mongolian steak salad provides a refreshing departure from the typical presentation of grilled steak. This recipe is packed with flavor and makes an appealing main course option. I like to serve corn on the cob with the salad; it’s a perfect meal. And as creme brulees go, this version pairs beautifully with any seasonal berries; toss the berries in a little sugar and orange zest an hour before serving.
Cuistot’s Mongolian steak salad
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Marinating time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 6-10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1 pound skirt or flank steak
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon each, finely minced: ginger, garlic
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt, freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Mixed greens with tarragon dressing (recipe follows)
1. Prepare barbecue or grill for medium-high cooking. Put steak in glass baking pan. Mix juice, honey, soy sauce, zest, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes in small dish. Pour marinade over steak; turn to coat well. Marinate 15 minutes in refrigerator.
2. Remove steak from marinade; reserve marinade. Season steak with salt and pepper. Cook steak on greased rack until browned on both sides and medium-rare in center, about 6-10 minutes. Set aside.
3. Transfer reserved marinade to small saucepan. Heat to boil. Stir in butter until melted. Stir in any steak juices.
4. To serve, cut steak at an angle across the grain into thin slices. Divide mixed greens with tarragon vinaigrette (recipe follows) between 4 serving plates. Arrange beef slices attractively over greens. Pour heated marinade over meat, dividing evenly.
Nutritional information per serving:
304 calories; 52% of calories from fat; 18 g fat; 9 g saturated fat; 82 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrates; 24 g protein; 326 mg sodium; 0 g fiber.
Mixed greens with tarragon vinaigrette
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
8 cups mixed baby greens, including mustard greens, Boston lettuce and romaine, crisped
1/4 cup each: olive oil, sunflower oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon hot Dijon mustard (or add a few drops hot sauce to regular mustard)
1 tablespoon each, minced: fresh tarragon leaves, shallot
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt, freshly ground pepper
Place greens in large bowl. Cover with damp paper towel. Refrigerate. Mix oils, vinegar, mustard, tarragon leaves, shallot and garlic in small bowl. To serve, pour all but 1/4 cup vinaigrette over salad. Toss well. Add remaining vinaigrette as needed. Taste; season with salt and pepper.
Nutritional information per serving:
506 calories; 95% of calories from fat; 55 g fat; 6 g saturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrates; 2 g protein; 124 mg sodium; 2 g fiber.
Grand Marnier creme brulee
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 21 minutes
Chilling time: 3 hours
Yield: 4 servings
1 1/3 cups whipping cream
1/2 soft vanilla bean
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons Grand Marnier
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (granulated in food processor)
Fresh berries, tossed in sugar and orange zest
1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Heat kettle of water to boil. Put cream in small saucepan. Split and scrape vanilla bean seeds into cream. Heat to boil. Whisk yolks and sugar in medium bowl. Slowly pour 1/3 of hot cream mixture over yolks, whisking continuously. Whisk in remaining hot cream and Grand Marnier. Pour into 4 1/2-cup ramekins, dividing evenly. Place ramekins in large baking pan.
2. Place pan on rack in center of oven; carefully pour boiling water into pan until it comes halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake until edges appear set but center still is jiggly, about 20 minutes. Remove ramekins from water; cool completely on rack, then refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours.
3. Heat broiler with rack about 4 inches from heat. Sprinkle thin, even layer of sugar over chilled custards. Place on baking sheet, heat under broiler just until sugar melts, about 1 minute. Serve immediately with berries.
Nutritional information per serving:
471 calories; 64% of calories from fat; 34 g fat; 20 g saturated fat; 321 mg cholesterol; 35 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein; 43 mg sodium; 0 g fiber.
Nutritionals by Jodie Shield
