Celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman partnered with Grey Goose to show how to transform any meal into a world-class celebration.
Promotional Consideration Provided By Grey Goose
The end-of-year holidays are a time for cooking, eating, entertaining and spending time with loved ones.
No one knows that better than celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman, who partnered with Grey Goose to remind those getting together with loved ones that any moment, big or small, can be turned into a true celebration.
To get the party started, offer guests a fun cocktail.
Waxman showed Inside Edition how to make the Grey Goose Winter Star, a fun cocktail created by bartender A-K Hada that party goers are sure to enjoy.
To make the Winter Star, you’ll need:
1.5 ounces of Grey Goose
0.5 ounce of rosemary syrup
3 dashes of Bittered Sling Clingstone Peach Bitters
2 oz Fever Tree Tonic
Star Anise as garnish.
To make the rosemary syrup, in a medium saucepan, simmer 32 ounces of simple syrup and rosemary over a low heat for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and let it steep for an additional 10 minutes Then, fine-strain, bottle and refrigerate. This will yield 28 ounces.
A great drink needs to be paired with a great meal.
Waxman showed Inside Edition how to prepare several dishes as well.
The JW Kale Salad
1 pound of fresh kale, baby if possible, or the youngest dinosaur type (leave the stems intact)
2-4 salt cured anchovies, rinsed & deboned
6 leaves basil (washed, dried and rolled up like a cigar)
2 cloves garlic, peeled, deveined and smashed
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 TB lemon juice
1 egg yolk (room temperature)
3 oz extra virgin olive oil
1 oz grated pecorino Romano cheese
1 TB toasted breadcrumbs
Sea salt
1. Wash the kale well and dry in a salad spinner. Julienne the kale as thinly as possible. Place kale in a salad bowl. Keep cold. Waxman strongly recommends using a wooden cutting board for this step, which you should then immediately clean and dry.
2. On the cutting board, finely mince the basil. Add the anchovies and garlic and continue to mince until you achieve a paste.
3. In another bowl, add basil and garlic paste. Add the egg yolk, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and lemon juice. Use a whisk and mix well. Drizzle in the olive oil and achieve a broken emulsion.
4. Pour dressing over the kale, enough to coat the leaves well.
5. Using as much force as possible, crush the kale and dressing using the palms of your gloved hands. Truly crush the kale and dressing as much as possible. This will release the enzymes from the kale to interact with the dressing’s acid and salt. This creates the magic!
6. Add a pinch of sea salt and a few turns of black pepper.
7. Sprinkle with cheese and breadcrumbs; toss well, taste for seasoning and serve within an hour.
JW Potatoes
4 medium Idaho russet potatoes
1 head garlic, split
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
Frying oil
1. In a large stockpot fill with water, 1 teaspoon sea salt, the head of garlic and the branch of rosemary.
2. Cook potatoes in simmering tempera rue until they are tender, let cool in liquid.
3. Remove when cool.
4. Heat oil in a large enough pot. Heat to 325 degrees.
5. Crush potatoes gently with your hand.
6. Fry in batches until deep mahogany color.
7. When cooked, toss potatoes in a bowl with the pecorino and some sea salt.
Roasted Japanese Turnips and Multicolored Carrots
2 cups baby turnips
2 cups peeled and chunked carrots
1 teaspoon each: turmeric, fennel seeds, black sesame seeds
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon paprika
2 TB honey
2 TB butter
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1. In 2 quarts of boiling, salted butter, cook the turnips first until tender, plunge into ice water.
2. Repeat with carrots.
3. Toss all the ingredients in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon sea salt.
4. When well coated, roast the turnips and carrots for 15 minutes at 395.
5. Season with lemon zest and lemon juice. Add black pepper - and serve hot.
JW Chicken with Salsa Verde
One 4-pound free-range organic chicken (fresh only)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon
Salsa Verde:
1/4 cup capers in salt
4 anchovy filets
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped arugula
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped tarragon
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Chicken:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
2. Wash the bird in hot water (this will remove any nasty juices that collect in the plastic wrap that all chickens seem to come in). Dry with paper towels.
3. Using kitchen shears, cut out the backbone of the chicken and remove any fat (this can be added to a chicken stock).
4. Then, using a heavy chef’s knife, cut out the breastbone. Season the 2 halves with sea salt and black pepper.
5. Place the chicken halves, skin side up, on 2 sizzle platters and dab with the olive oil. Cut the lemon in half and place a half, cut side down, next to the chicken on each platter.
6. Roast the chicken for 35 minutes, basting every 10 minutes. If it is not browning well, turn it over after 15 minutes, and then right it for the last 5 minutes.
7. When it is done, remove the chicken to a platter and pour off the excess fat.
8. Cut each breast in half and cut the thigh from the leg. Serve with salsa verde and garnish with the roasted lemon.
Salsa Verde:
1. Soak capers in cold water for an hour then drain.
2. Soak anchovies in cold water for 15 minutes then pat dry and remove the bones.
3. Using a mortar and pestle, smash the capers, anchovies, and garlic, until smooth, then transfer to a large bowl.
4. Add all herbs and olive oil.
5. Season with sea salt.
6. It should be chunky, not oily.
For those wanting to enjoy a home-cooked meal but hoping to have some help along the way, Waxman and Grey Goose have created a curated meal kit.
The Holiday Dinner by Grey Goose meal kit includes Waxman’s Roast chicken with Salsa Verde, his Japanese turnips and multicolored carrots, his Crispy Potatoes with Rosemary and Pecorino Romano, a 375-milliliter bottle of Grey Goose and the ingredients to create Hada’s Winter Star cocktail.
The meal kit is the first ever to market that includes food as well as cocktails.
The Holiday Dinner by Grey Goose is available to order nationwide via Cocktail Courier, from November 11 through December 31, and $20 from each Holiday Dinner by Grey Goose sold will be donated to Meals on Wheels America, to support its mission to end hunger nationwide.
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