Crispy Chicken with Stone Fruit and Mushroom Relish
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless chicken thighs
- 6 ripe white or yellow peaches
- 1 cup chanterelle mushrooms
- 2 pearl onions
- 1 1/2 tbsp capers
- 1 Persian cucumber
- 1 bunch scallions
- 1 small La Strada eggplant
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 cup light chicken broth or water
- 1 cup purslane lettuce or preferred salad mix (or watercress)
- 1 bunch shiso or other herb
- olive oil to taste
- salt and white pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. of butter (optional)
Chanterelle Relish (can be made in advance)
Clean mushrooms. Place honey and vinegar in a medium pot, bring to a boil to dilute, set to low heat and reduce for two minutes. Add chicken broth or water, let simmer for another five minutes. Add mushrooms to this liquid and let simmer for another five minutes or until desired texture is reached.
Slice pearl onions into rounds, slice cucumbers into small triangles, slice scallions and dice eggplant into ¼-inch dice. Mix all sliced vegetables together, including the capers into a bowl, pour and mix the chanterelle liquid into this bowl. Refrigerate overnight to chill.
Peach Reduction
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (to achieve a warm stove top for warming the peach reduction later). Take the peaches and slice into two thick steaks per peach . Set aside. Take leftover peaches (including pits) and put in a medium stainless steel bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and add a pinch of salt, this will allow the natural peach juices to flow into the bowl. Place bowl over the warm stove top area for two hours (not directly over a burner).
Meanwhile, stack the peach steaks on top of each other and add a layer of plastic wrap in between each of them to prevent sticking. Lightly press with a small plate to compress.
When the peach reduction is ready, turn off oven and strain it through a sieve. Set aside liquid.
Chicken
Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a medium-to-large frying pan, slowly cook chicken on low heat, skin side down until skin is super crispy. Flip over and cook until done.
Place one peach steak on each plate. Warm up the peach liquid, adding any shiso or desired herb and the butter if desired. Warm up the chanterelle relish.
Top each peach with cooked chicken thigh. Add chanterelle relish on top of each chicken.
Lightly toss the purslane lettuce with olive oil and serve on side of plate. Drizzle peach reduction over the plate as desired. Serve.
About Chef Ron Siegel:
Ron Siegel's career in the culinary arts began as a butcher in a grocery store in Palo Alto, CA, where his family moved from New York when he was seven. A few years and many jobs later, Siegel enrolled in San Francisco's California Culinary Academy. It was during this time that he met Michael Mina, who hired him as a line cook at Aqua in 1991. In 1993, Siegel returned to his native New York to work with Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniel. Just one year later, Thomas Keller brought the young Siegel back to the Bay Area as his opening sous chef at The French Laundry in Yountville, CA.
In 1996, Siegel left The French Laundry to become the Chef at Charles Nob Hill in San Francisco, where he remained for five years. During this time, Siegel quickly became one of the Bay Area's rising culinary stars, including defeating the reigning Iron Chef champion Hiroyuki Sakai on national television in 1998. Siegel was also named one of Food & Wine magazine's "Best New Chefs of 1999." In 2001, Siegel was offered the position of Executive Chef at Masa's, where he remained until June of 2004.
In July 2004, Siegel joined The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco as Chef of The Dining Room. His cuisine, which he describes as Modern French with a Japanese influence, is complemented by an extensive wine list designed by Sommelier Stephane Lacroix. Guests may select from an a la carte menu or enjoy an eight- to nine-course Chef's tasting menu including dessert.
About The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton San Francisco:
The Dining Room is one of only 17 restaurants in North America and one of only two in California to earn Mobil's coveted Five-Star award for 2008. In September 2005, The Dining Room received a Four Star rating from The San Francisco Chronicle, the newspaper's highest rating. The Dining Room is open Tuesday through Thursday evening 6 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. The main dining room seats 96 for intimate, elegant dining while a private dining room seats parties of six to 18.
For reservations or additional information, please call (415) 773-6168 or visit www.ritzcarltondiningroom.com
