CBS News | Mother's Day Brunch | May 9, = 2003=A020:54:29

(CBS) For the Mother Day's weekend, = we invited=20 David Waltuck, executive chef and co-owner of Chanterelle = restaurant in=20 New York City, to prepare a brunch for our Chef on a Shoestring = challenge,=20 that not only honors his business partner and wife, but all moms.=20

For 24-years, he and his wife, Karen, have wowed diners = and=20 critics with French-inspired meals featuring flavors of the Far = East.=20

They opened Chanterelle in SoHo and have since moved to = Tribeca in=20 Manhattan. David oversees the kitchen while Karen manages the = front of the=20 house. The restaurant has earned some of the industry's most = prestigious=20 awards, such as a James Beard Award of Excellence for Outstanding = Service=20 in 2000 and a coveted New York Times four-star review in 1993.=20

Neither of them thought they would end up in the = restaurant=20 business. David Waltuck became interested in cooking while he was = studying=20 Marine Biology at City College in New York. Upon graduation, he = briefly=20 attended the Culinary Institute of America. Karen Waltuck was an=20 anthropology student at Boston University. She traveled to many=20 archaeology sites in Central and South America before returning to = New=20 York to take a position as a fashion coordinator and buyer for an = East=20 Side boutique.

In November 2000, the couple opened Le = Zinc, a much=20 funkier second restaurant serving Manhattan comfort food. =

We=20 thought it was only fitting to ask Waltuck to create a Mother's = Day meal=20 worthy of his hardworking wife. We gave him $30 to create a three = course=20 brunch for four - perfect for his family that includes two = daughters.=20

His menu: an appetizer of Chilled Cucumber Soup; an = entr=E9e of=20 Shirred Eggs with Ham; and for dessert, Strawberries with Orange = Sabayon.=20

Terminology:

Shirred Eggs: Eggs baked in a = small=20 cup or bowl with a covering of cream or milk and often topped with = buttered breadcrumbs. The whites of the cooked eggs are typically = firm=20 while the yolks are soft.

Sabayon: This is the French word = for=20 "zabaglione" a soft custard considered one of Italy's great gifts = to the=20 world. Zabaglione is a dessert made by whisking together egg = yolks, wine=20 (traditionally marsala) and sugar. This beating is done over = simmering=20 water so that the egg yolks cook as they thicken into a light, = foamy=20 custard. Waltuck uses orange liqueur instead of the traditional = marsala.=20

Recipes:

Chilled Cucumber Soup =
Serves=20 4

Ingredients:
2 large hothouse (seedless = English)=20 cucumbers
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1/2 clove peeled = garlic
3=20 tablespoons chopped dill (save a few sprigs for garnish)
1 = pint=20 buttermilk
salt and pepper to taste
juice of one large to = taste=20
2 ounces salmon caviar (optional)

Waltuck uses = hothouse=20 cucumbers for his cucumber soup. He says he doesn't like the = "waxy" skin=20 of regular cucumbers, especially since he is not peeling the skin = for the=20 soup because he wants to make the soup look "bright" green. = Hothouse=20 cucumbers are also known as "English" cucumbers. They are = virtually=20 seedless and you can find them shrink-wrapped in plastic. Waltuck=20 recommends choosing a firm cucumber with smooth, brightly colored = skins;=20 avoid those with shriveled skin or soft spots.

Cut = cucumbers in=20 half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Do not peel. Cut into = rough=20 chunks. Pur=E9e in a blender with the onion, garlic, and dill. = Result should=20 be fairly smooth.

Add buttermilk and salt and pepper. = Taste and=20 add lemon juice as necessary. Chill well. This can all be done a = day=20 ahead.

Before serving, check consistency-if too thick, = thin with a=20 bit more buttermilk.

Serve in bowls and garnish with dill = sprigs=20 and salmon caviar.

Shirred Eggs with Smithfield Ham
Serves = 4=20

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons unsalted butter
4 = thin=20 slices Smithfield Ham (2 to 3 ounces)
2 to 3 tablespoons = marinara=20 style tomato sauce (homemade or good quality commercial)
1 = tablespoon=20 coarsely chopped fresh tarragon
8 large eggs
salt and = pepper to=20 taste
4 tablespoons heavy cream

Waltuck suggests using = Smithfield ham for the shirred eggs. It is considered by many to = be the=20 premier country-cured ham. To be accorded the appellation of = "Smithfield,"=20 the hams must be cured and processed in the area of Smithfield, = Virginia.=20 You can find Smithfield hams at gourmet butcher shops or food = stores and=20 also through mail order, he says. You may serve it as is, but it's = usually=20 baked or boiled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Melt the = butter=20 and pour about one teaspoon into an ovenproof gratin dish, ceramic = or cast=20 iron, five to six inches in diameter.

Place a slice of ham = on the=20 bottom, folding it to fit the dish. Spread one to two teaspoons of = tomato=20 sauce over the ham. Sprinkle with a little chopped tarragon. Break = two=20 eggs on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Drizzle one = tablespoon of cream over the eggs. Repeat with the remaining = dishes. Bake=20 for 10 to 12 minutes, until yolks are warm but runny. Check = occasionally,=20 because timing depends a lot on the type of container and the = oven. Run=20 the eggs under the broiler for a moment for firmer whites. =

Strawberries with Orange Sabayon
Serves = 4=20

Ingredients:
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup + 2 = tablespoons=20 sugar
1/4 cup orange liqueur
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 = cup=20 heavy cream
1 quart strawberries (cleaned, sliced or halved)=20

Sabayon can be made a day ahead.

Combine yolks, = sugar,=20 orange liqueur and orange juice in a stainless steel bowl and = whisk=20 together. Whisk mixture over boiling water until it triples in = volume and=20 is quite hot.

Set bowl on ice and chill, stirring = occasionally=20 until cold. At this point, the base of the sabayon can be = refrigerated=20 until needed.

Before serving, whip cream to soft peaks, = making=20 certain they are not too stiff. Fold the whipped cream into the = sabayon=20 base.

Pour over strawberries and serve. =


	Contributors Martha=20 Stewart Bobby=20 Flay Emily=20 Senay Minna=20 Lessig Steve=20 Hartman Danny=20 Lipford Debbye=20 Turner Bob=20 Vila Laurie=20 Hibberd Dayle=20 Haddon Christy=20 Ferer Tracy=20 Smith Ray=20 Martin Regina=20 Lewis
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