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For the
Samuelssons,
February 14
boils down to
love: Take
care of him.
Take care of
her, he says.
Its all sexy.

Edited By
amy elisa keith

M a r c u s & M aya S a m u e l s s o n

Romance:

Party
of Two
anthony barboz a

The award-winning chef

and his model missus
fire up a sensual
Valentines Day dinner
By Amy Elisa Keith

february 2014

/ v i s i t e b o n y. c o m

61

liVE

Food

Marcus is passionate about serving fresh vegetables and meats, such as his special occasion
lamb (shown above).

62

v i s i t e b o n y. c o m / f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 4

| MISO-RUBBED
RACK OF
1LAMB
SErVES 4

1/4 cup panko bread

crumbs
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

2 tablespoons dark miso

1 tablespoon spiced butter or unsalted butter at
room temperature
1 tablespoon mild chili
powder
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon chopped
sage
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 racks of lamb,
frenched (1 1/2 pounds
each)

Preheat the oven to

400 degrees.
Combine the miso,
butter, chili powder, egg
yolk and sage in a small
bowl, and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a
large saut pan. Season
the lamb with salt and
pepper. Add the lamb
to the pan and sear until
browned, 2 to 3 minutes,
on each side. Let cool

slightly, then smear

the miso-butter mixture
over both sides of the
lamb. Firmly press the
panko into the misobutter mixture on the
rounded side of each
rack.
Place the racks,
rounded fat sides up, in a
roasting pan. Roast until
an instant-read thermometer inserted into
the center of the rack
reads 125 degrees, about
15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a cutting
board and let rest for
5 minutes. Serve.

Fo o d Ph oto g ra ph s b y PaU l B R i s s m a N

r E C I P E S C o U r t E S y o F M a r C U S S a M U E L S S o n S n E W a M E r I C a n ta b L E ( W I L E y , 2 0 0 9 )

very week night,

diners at Harlems
famed Red Rooster
restaurant can
catch chef Marcus
Samuelsson zipping around greeting guests or
dashing to the kitchen to oversee a
bevy of blackened catfish, all while
rattling off orders to his staff with
his charming smile. At home, however, someone else is in charge.
I boss people around all day,
so I like to be bossed around by my
wife, admits Marcus, who plays
sous chef while wife Maya oversees
the cooking and drinks the wine.
Laughing, he adds, I love it.
For this culinary couple, who will
celebrate five years of marriage this
year, whipping up
traditional Ethiopian dishes isnt just
about sustenance;
its an exercise in
romance. Cooking
and eating together
is the most loving
thing [a couple]
can do together,
he says. When
either she or her
husband is traveling, Maya makes
it a point to always prepare a homecooked meal to welcome him back.
He loves coming home to a house
that is warm and inviting because it
smells like delicious food, says the
model, known for her Ethiopianstyle lasagna.
Feeding one another along the
waysipping champagne, testing
out new spicesbrings out the romantic side of it, says Marcus. Surprise your lover with a hearty meal
of easy-to-make lamb chops, roasted
vegetables and a little something
sweet to finish off the night. [Madeleines] are sexy and light, says Marcus of the bite-sized dessert. Dip
them in chocolate and feed each
other. The next morning, wake up
and pop a few in the oven and have
warm madeleines for breakfast.

liVE

MADELEINES
3| LEMON-CHOCOLATE

Food

MaKES 25 to 30 CooKIES

INGREDIENTS:

1 lemon, juiced and zested

2 1/2 teaspoons honey
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into
cubes
1 vanilla bean
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
For chocolate ganache:
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
DIRECTIONS:

| ROASTED
CARAMEL2
IZED ROOT
VEGETABLES
SErVES 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon fresh thyme,
finely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and cut
into 2-inch pieces
2 parsnips, peeled and
cut into 2-inch pieces
1 small celery root (about
1 pound), peeled and cut
into 2-inch pieces
2 small rutabagas (2 1/2
to 3 pounds), peeled and
cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted
butter

64

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound mustard greens,
washed and shredded,
tough stems removed
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons mustard oil
Freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly
ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to

400 degrees.
Combine the cream,
maple syrup and thyme
in a roasting pan large
enough to place all the
root vegetables in a single
layer. Add the vegetables,
tossing to coat, and add
the butter on top. Roast
for 45 minutes to 1 hour,
stirring occasionally, until

v i s i t e b o n y. c o m / f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 4

the vegetables are tender

and slightly caramelized.
Meanwhile, heat the
olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high
heat. Add the mustard
greens and cook, stirring,
until they have wilted.
Add the stock, cover the
pan, reduce the heat to
low and cook for 30 minutes, or until the greens
are very tender. Remove
from the heat, stir in the
mustard oil, and cover to
keep warm.
Transfer the roasted
root vegetables to a large
bowl, and toss with the
mustard greens. Season
with a few gratings of nutmeg and salt and pepper
to taste, and serve.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter

and flour two madeleine pans. Set aside.
Bring the juice of 1 lemon to a boil in a
small saucepan over medium heat. Add the
zest of 1 lemon and simmer for 2 minutes.
Add honey and simmer for another 3 minutes. Add butter, cut into pieces, and stir
until melted. With a sharp knife, slice 1 vanilla bean lengthwise, then use the back of
the knife to scrape the seeds into the pan.
Discard the vanilla bean. Set aside mixture,
and let cool slightly.
Whisk together the eggs, granulated
sugar and the brown sugar in a large bowl.
Add half the honey-butter mixture and stir
to combine. Stir in the flour, baking powder
and salt. Mix in the remaining honey-butter
mixture.
Place the madeleine pans on a baking
sheet and fill the molds two-thirds full,
about 2 tablespoons of batter for each
mold. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until
golden around the edges.
Remove from the oven and flip the pan
to turn out the madeleines onto a wire rack
to cool. Meanwhile, for chocolate ganache,
bring the heavy cream and brown sugar to a
boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Reduce the heat to low. Whisk in butter and
the roughly chopped bittersweet chocolate.
When madeleines are cool enough to
handle, dip one end halfway into the chocolate ganache. Place on a tray lined with
parchment paper. Allow the chocolate to
harden at room temperature before serving.