New York Culinary Experience is a boot c...

New York Culinary Experience is a boot c...

Larry Busacca/Getty Images

Chef Michael Lomonaco teaches a class during a previous New York Culinary Experience.

Consider it spring training for New Yorks foodies.

More than 30 of the citys greatest culinary masters, from ABC Kitchens Dan Kluger to Pearl Oyster Bars lobster whisperer Rebecca Charles, will run a cooking boot camp next weekend at the International Culinary Center.

During The New York Culinary Exp erience Aldeas Georges Mendes will teach Portuguese Inspired Seasonal Vegetables, Francois Payard will tell the secrets behind his favorite chocolate desserts, and Floyd Cardoz will give lessons on Indian Flavors and Techniques.

The 14 classes each day are broken up by lunch with a speaker series, featuring celebrity chefs like Bill Telepan and the James Beard Foundations Susan Ungaro.

A portion of the proceeds from the event, run by New York magazine, will support the Future Chefs Scholarship Fund, an International Culinary Center program that awards scholarships to students hoping to attend culinary school.

The News sat down with three of the most popular participating chefs to discuss their favorite New York culinary experiences and get their best at-home recipe for spring cooking.

Rebecca Charles

Pearl Oyster Bar

18 Cornelia St.

1 . The weekend is about a true New York culinary experience. Is there one youve had recently that you know will stand out in your memory forever?

The magic trick that Rita Sodi performs at her eponymous restaurant, I Sodi, with flour, water, salt, egg and onions is akin to pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Her tagliatelli with caramelized onions, with its utter simplicity of ingredients and perfect technique, was the most memorable dish I've eaten in a restaurant in years.

2. What ingredient are you most excited to incorporate in your repertoire, in your home or restaurant kitchen, this spring?

Im sure it's old hat these days because we're so sophisticated here in New York, but the arrival of soft shells and the tender bright green spring favas herald the arrival of spring for me.

3. When youre not at your own resto, which is another favorite you like to visit?

When my brother David was visiting from France recently, I took him, as I always do, to Otto. A true ex-pat, having live d in France for 35 years, he is more accustomed to the European dining experience and is always so comfortable sitting at the bar there. Little antipasti, pastas, wine, grappa and espresso perfectly translate the European experience into an American idiom. Also, I appreciate it when personalities figure prominently in your dining experience: Unfortunately, its a dying concept. It would be a sad day if I didnt see Dennis or Frank the behind the bar.

Recipe: Butterhead Lettuce with Pistachio Vinaigrette

Serves: 4

Ingredients

(From Dan Kluger of ABC Kitchen)

FOR THE DRESSING:
cup extra virgin olive oil
cup plus 2 tablespoons raw pistachios
Thai chili, seeded and minced
4 teaspoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
teaspoon freshly ground pepper
To make the dressing: In a small pot, heat olive oil and pistachios together over a low flame until warm. Place warm pistachios in food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Immediately pour pistachio mixture into bowl with Thai chili, and let sit for 10 minutes. Add lemon juice, Champagne vinegar, kosher salt, and ground pepper.
FOR THE SALAD:
2 heads butterhead lettuce (can substitute sucrine lettuce)
1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
2 tablespoons oregano, finely chopped
2 tablespoon mint, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tarragon, finely chopped
8 radishes, thinly sliced into rounds
cup Sevillano or Manzanilla olives, pitted and chopped

Instructions

For the salad: Trim stem and remove outside leaves of lettuce. Cut each lettuce in half lengthwise and wash. Combine herbs with the pistachio vinaigrette. Place each half lettuce in separate bowls and spoon equal amounts of vin aigrette on top of each serving. Sprinkle each with radishes, and olives, and finish with cracked ground pepper. Enjoy.

Recipe: Roasted Asparagus, Nettles and Pickled Shallots

Ingredients

(From Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern)

FOR THE PICKLED SHALLOTS:
1 cup shallots, peeled, halved and pulled into petals
1 piece star anise
1 cup rice wine vinegar
cup sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons water
1. Combine all ingredients except for the shallots.
2. Bring to a simmer, and then pour liquid over shallots in a bowl.
3. Let shallots in liquid sit in refrigerator for 12 hours.
FOR THE SALAD:
1 bunch asparagus
1 cup small tapioca pearls
1 cup nettles
Handful of mixed salad greens and edible flowers
Salt and pepper, to taste
Lemon juice, to taste

In structions

1. Remove woody ends of asparagus. Halve the asparagus at the equator, and wash.
2. Combine tapioca pearls with cold water and bring to a simmer for approximately
15 minutes. Strain and chill.
3. Wash nettles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook nettles for 2 minutes, then drain and submerge in cold water to prevent them from cooking further. Put nettles in blender and puree until smooth. (Be careful not to over-puree, or they will lose their vibrant green color.) Pour nettle puree into a mixing bowl.
4. Fold tapioca into the puree, season with salt, pepper and lemon juice and drizzle
on the plate.
5. In a saut pan, over medium heat, roast asparagus with olive oil until lightly brown and tender.
6. Place roasted asparagus on top of tapioca. Top with salad greens, edible flowers and a few petals of pickled shallot.

Recipe: Pan-fried Soft Shells Crabs, Favas, Sugar Snaps, Toasted Almonds & Lemon

Serves: 4

Ingredients

(Adapted from Lobster Rolls & Blueberry Pie, Rebecca Charles, HarperCollins)
4 jumbo soft shell crabs
2 cups milk
1 cup flour
1/3 cup cracker meal
2 cups peanut or canola oil
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
cup fava beans
cup sugar snap peas
Zest from lemon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon chopped chives
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Soft shell crabs come in three sizes: jumbo, prime and hotels. We serve jumbos at the restaurant and one is plenty for an appetizer, two for an entre portion.
To prepare crabs: using kitchen shears cut a strip off the front of the crabs, removing the eyes. Lift the left and right sides of th e top of the shell, and with your fingers, pull out the lungs. Soak crabs in the milk for 5-10 minutes. Make a dredge of the flour and cracker meal.
Heat the oil in a large saut pan over medium-high heat. Season the crabs on both sides with salt and pepper.
Dredge crabs in mixture, patting off excess. Place the crabs carefully, belly-side down, in the hot oil. Crabs are filled with water and will spit during the cooking process. Saut the crabs until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook for another 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove crabs from oil and drain briefly on paper towels.
To make vegetables: toast almonds in oven until lightly browned. Set aside. In a saut pan over medium heat bring cup of water to a boil. Add pinch of salt, fava beans and simmer for 3 minutes. Add sugar snap peas and cook for another minute. Pour off all but one teaspoon of water. Add almonds, lemon zest and butter to pan, swirling to make the sauce. Remove from heat as soon as butter is completely melted as the sauce can break.
To serve: mound the vegetables in the center of the plate and place the crab on top. At Pearl we garnish this dish with tartar sauce and chives.