Zac Posen Hits The Kitchen

Zac Posen is known for his work as a fashion designer and "Project Runway" judge, but in his new book Cooking with Zac: Recipes From Rustic to Refined, he also shares his passion for crafting delicious dishes. He discusses his favorite recipes that strike a balance between healthy and fresh flavors. His dishes include summer corn salads, beer can chicken and savory dashi-glazed lotus root.

Zac Posen will appear in conversation at the 92nd St. Y (1395 Lexington Ave., at E 92nd St.) on Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. 

He will also appear at BookMarc (400 Bleecker, at W 11th St.) on Dec. 7 at 6 p.m.

Check out three of Zac Posen's recipes below!

Cinnamon-Sugar Pecans

 Makes 4 cups

This recipe came to me from my Uncle Dan’s mom. The pecans are sweet and salty, great as a snack or sprinkled over salad or yogurt and granola in the morning. This recipe is just as tasty made with peanuts or walnuts—or mix a few different nuts and pack in Mason jars as a gift.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½  teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg white
4 cups pecan halves (about 1 pound)

1. Preheat the oven to 275°F. Use the butter to lightly grease a rimmed sheet pan and set aside.
2. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Whisk together the egg white and 1 tablespoon of water in a medium bowl until the mixture is slightly frothy. Add the pecans and stir to coat. Add the sugar mixture, stirring to coat.
4.  Transfer the pecans to the prepared pan and bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until the nuts are deeply toasty and glossy, about 1 hour total. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool, then transfer to a serving dish or airtight container (the nuts can be kept at room temperature for 1 week).

Gluten-Free Bûche De Noël 

Makes 1 log serving 8 to 10

Indulgent, airy, and gluten-free, this ganache-frosted chocolate mousse–filled yule log is decadent but not too rich, and, since there isn’t any flour or butter in it, it stays light and airy. The true magic in making a bûche de Noël (often called a Yule log) is in the accessorizing—I love to make white mushrooms out of meringue. It’s also fun to play with chocolate shavings or gold dust to make them resemble tree bark. Along with the gingerbread castle on page 254, this is a great recipe to really expand the depths of your creative self. Now break out those dragées and get sprinkling! The cake is also excellent filled with the chestnut cream on page 247.

Meringue Mushrooms

2 large egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Chocolate Roulade

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for greasing the pan

9 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder

9 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Heaping 3/4 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate (about 4 ounces), melted

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Caffeinated Chocolate Mousse (page 186)

Chocolate Ganache Frosting 

2 1⁄3 cups finely chopped semisweet chocolate (about 12 ounces)

3/4 cup heavy cream

Matcha powder, for decorating the cake

1)      To make the meringue mushrooms: Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper. Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip the whites on medium-high speed until they become foamy, about 20 seconds. Add the cream of tartar and gradually sprinkle in the granulated sugar, continuing to whip the whites until they hold soft peaks, 30 seconds to 1 minute longer. Use a sieve to add the powdered sugar to the whites and continue to beat until the whites hold stiff peaks, about 30 seconds longer.

2)      Fit a pastry bag with a round tip and add some meringue to the bag. Pipe the meringue onto the parchment-lined pan, creating five 1/2"- to 1"-long mushroom stems (ranging in length, just as some mushrooms are short and some are tall) and five caps, some the size of a quarter, some a little larger. Continue to make meringue caps and stems until you run out of meringue. Bake the meringue until it is dry to the touch, about 1 1⁄2 hours. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

3)      To make the chocolate roulade: Grease a rimmed half sheet pan (18" x 13") with the butter. Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper, pressing it down to stick to the butter, then turn the parchment over so the greased side faces up. Sift 1 tablespoon of cocoa over the parchment and tap the pan to evenly disperse it.

4)      Crack the eggs, separating the whites into a bowl and the yolks into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Set the whites aside. Beat the yolks on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and salt and continue to beat until thick, about 2 minutes longer. Reduce the speed to low and add the melted chocolate; once the chocolate is combined, turn off the mixer, remove the bowl, and sift in 6 tablespoons of the cocoa. Use a whisk to fold the cocoa into the egg yolk mixture and then transfer it to a large bowl.

5)      Clean the bowl and whisk attachment well, then add the egg whites to the bowl. Whisk the whites on medium-high speed until they are foamy, about 30 seconds. While whisking, sprinkle in the granulated sugar slowly and steadily, continuing to whip until the whites hold stiff peaks, about 3 minutes. Whisk half of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites.

6)      Transfer the cake batter to the prepared sheet pan, using a rubber spatula to even out the batter and smooth the top as best as possible. Bake the cake until it pulls away from the sides and the center resists light pressure, about 20 minutes, rotating the pan midway through baking. Remove the cake from the oven and use a paring knife to separate the sides from the pan.

7)      Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of cocoa to a sieve and sift the cocoa over the hot cake. Immediately lay a clean kitchen towel over the cake (one that won’t leave lint behind), then invert it onto a cutting board. Peel off and discard the parchment. Roll the cake up, starting with the short side (yes, you are rolling the cake and towel together!). Set aside to cool for 30 minutes.

8)      Unroll the cake and remove the towel. Use an offset spatula to spread the mousse over the cake, evening it out as best as possible, then roll the cake up again. Turn it seam side down on a cake platter or foil-lined sheet pan. Wrap the pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate while you make the ganache frosting.

9)      To make the chocolate ganache frosting: Add the chocolate to a medium heat-safe bowl. Bring the cream to a near boil in a small saucepan over high heat, then pour the cream over the chocolate. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 5 minutes, then remove the plastic wrap and whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Take about 1/2 cup of the ganache and spread it thinly and evenly over a baking mat or piece of parchment paper. Set it aside or refrigerate (this will become your chocolate for making curls to decorate the log). Depending on the warmth of your room, the ganache will take 10 to 30 minutes to cool and thicken to an easily spreadable consistency.

10)   Remove the roulade from the refrigerator and discard the plastic wrap. Place it on the platter you will use for serving. Use an offset spatula to frost the top and sides of the roulade, using long strokes to create deep indentions that will make it look like the bark of a tree. Refrigerate the roulade to firm the frosting. Meanwhile, peel up the chocolate you set aside on the baking mat, using a butter knife to peel it up into curls for decorating the log (if the chocolate was refrigerated, let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before making curls so the chocolate doesn’t snap or crack).

11)   Dust the mushrooms with some cocoa. Use the tip of a paring knife to make a small hole in the middle of each meringue mushroom cap and fit a stem in (trim the stem into a point if needed to get it to fit). Add the matcha powder to a sieve and tap it over the log to make it look mossy. Stick the mushrooms on and around the log. Add the chocolate curls to the log and serve.

Bûche Ahead

True, there are many moving parts to making a bûche de Noël. Make the components over a few days and then really enjoy yourself when it comes time to assemble and decorate the cake.

Meringue Mushrooms: You can make the mushrooms up to 3 days ahead of time (if it’s humid, the meringues may not stay crisp, though they will hold up); keep them in an airtight container and assemble when you decorate the cake.

Chocolate Mousse: Make the mousse first. It holds in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Roulade and Chocolate Ganache Frosting: Make the cake and the ganache on the same day that you plan to fill and roll the cake. The filled, rolled cake keeps unfrosted in the fridge for 1 day (wrap the platter well in plastic wrap)—after that, it will dry out. Once frosted, it will keep a few days as well (the ganache seals in the moisture). Let it sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Risotto Con Funghi 

Serves 4

My mom has been making risotto forever. She always makes it in a blue enamel-coated cast-iron pot that she received as a wedding gift 50 years ago. She tells me the recipe came from Craig Claiborne’s New York Times Cookbook, which was the classic go-to cookbook when she was learning her way around the kitchen. Essential to good risotto is using the right rice, Arborio, and paying constant attention to it for the 20 minutes it takes to cook. And the trick to great risotto con funghi is using dried porcini mushrooms. Soak them in hot water for at least 20 minutes (you can do this in advance: the longer, the better), then use the liquid from the mushrooms as part of the first liquid you add to the rice. This way, the rice absorbs the intense flavor of the mushrooms. You can always add bits of cooked asparagus or peas at the end, though I am a purist with respect to risotto and like it best the way my mom makes it: with love. And just mushrooms.

1 cup dried mushrooms (preferably porcinis)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1⁄3 cups Arborio rice

3 tablespoons dry vermouth

3 cups warmed store-bought or homemade chicken broth (page 208)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

3 peeled garlic cloves, smashed

1 pound morels, soaked to remove dirt, and halved if large

1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and add enough hot water to submerge them. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and soak for 20 minutes. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and strain the mushrooms (save the soaking liquid), then finely chop them and set aside. Pour the mushroom soaking liquid into a measuring cup—you want 1 cup; discard the rest (or freeze it for veggie stock).
2. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium pot (preferably enameled cast iron) over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is golden and just starting to brown around the edges, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the rice and stir it in, continuing to stir the rice every 30 seconds or so until it turns completely opaque white, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vermouth and let it warm and bubble just long enough to burn off the alcohol, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushroom soaking liquid, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until three-quarters of the liquid is absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. You don’t need to stir the risotto constantly—just enough so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and the liquid doesn’t settle on top of the rice.
4. Once the liquid is three-quarters absorbed, add 1 cup of broth. Repeat, stirring occasionally, until the broth is mostly absorbed (it should still pool a little at the bottom of the pot). Add another cup of broth and continue to cook the rice, stirring occasionally (now you have added 3 cups of liquid) until the broth is three-quarters absorbed. (The rice shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes total to cook.)
5. While the risotto cooks, make the morels: Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and garlic. Once the garlic becomes fragrant, after about 2 minutes, increase the heat to medium-high and add the morels along with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the morels are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set the morels aside.
6. Add the last cup of broth to the risotto (all 4 cups of liquid—broth and mushroom soaking water—have now been added). Let it absorb by half instead of three-quarters (this should be at just about the 20-minute mark). Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, followed by the grated cheese and the chopped mushrooms. Turn off the heat. The risotto should be very creamy and almost soupy looking. The rice will continue to expand between the time you finish cooking and when you start eating. Divide the risotto among four bowls and serve topped with the morels.