Guest Chef – Roxanne Spruance

Chef Roxanne Spruance

I’ve loved Roxanne’s exuberant, seasonal cuisine since I was first introduced to her at her former restaurant on the lower east side by my Winebow representative and our mutual friend, Ryan Hampton. Somehow, he just knew that we would enjoy each other’s company! Whether at her bar or enjoying a full course meal at a sunny table I’ve never ceased to be delighted by the simply delicious food that comes out of her kitchen. Her recipe reads like her delightful spirit. Enjoy!

Chef Roxanne Spruance is a critically acclaimed chef in New York city where she is known for creating innovative, seasonal food, while respecting and incorporating regional traditions. Roxanne entered the culinary world as a pastry chef apprentice in the highly regarded restaurant, Blackbird in Downtown Chicago. Working her way up in the Chicago restaurant industry, Spruance gained valuable knowledge and experience in all aspects of the kitchen.

Chef Roxanne Spruance in the kitchen

Chef Spruance has been a featured chef at the James Beard House, and events such as Taste of T, New York Taste, and the New York City Wine and Food Festival. She also won “Chopped” on The Food Network, which featured bacon as a main ingredient and showcased her skills and depth of techniques under pressure. She was also named in Crain’s 40 Under 40 class of 2017. A frequent contributor on the Today Show, Chef Roxanne is always thrilled to share her tips and recipes on live TV.

You can see Chef Spruance on the new, highly acclaimed show “The Butcher”, as a judge on the History Channel.

Read more about Roxanne

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Tri tip tacos with mole and grilled ramps

Ingredients

Tacos:

  • Ingredients serves ~ four
  • 1 sweet onion diced
  • 1 bunch cilantro picked and chopped
  • 2 limes cut into wedges
  • 16 + corn tortillas
  • 1 Certified Angus Beef Tri Tip 2-3#
  • Mole
  • Ramps *if you are not blessed with a ramp flush you can substitute scallions!*

For the Mole:

  • Chipotle in adobo sauce ¼ cup
  • Beef demi glace 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp
  • Roasted garlic 2-3 cloves to taste
  • Dark chocolate 1/8 cup
  • Lime juice 1/8 cup
  • Water ¾ cup
  • Tomato paste 1/3 cup
  • Light brown sugar 3 T + 1 tsp
  • Dates 2-3 finely chopped
  • Apple cider vinegar 1 Tbsp
  • pinch ground Cinnamon
  • pinch ground Cumin
  • pinch ground Cloves

Cauliflower:

  • Ingredients: serves ~ four
  • 2 heads cauliflower
  • 8 oz mayonnaise
  • 8 oz crema substitute sour cream or crème fraîche
  • 8 oz Cotija cheese
  • 1 T adobo sauce from the chipotles, add more or less to taste
  • 1 T fresh lime juice add more or less to taste
  • 1 T chopped grilled ramps
  • 1 T chopped Cilantro

Instructions

For the Tri Tip:

  • Put your tri tip on a baking rack on a sheet tray. Season well with salt on all sides. Let sit at room temp for 30 minutes. This pulls water out of the meat and puts salt inside. (A quick cure.)
  • Pat dry. Rub with the mole sauce. Reserve the balance of the Mole for the Tacos.
  • Let sit for another 30 minutes. Light your coals in a chimney. When the top of the coals are white, dump your coals into the center of the grill, you can smooth them out to a tight circle. Put the rack on. Put the lid on. Let the rack heat for 5-10 mins. When the rack is hot, throw your meat on over the coals. Cook for 3 minutes with the lid on. Then rotate the meat 45° and cook for another 3 minutes with the lid on. Flip and do the same thing on the other side.
  • Remove the meat from the grill. Loosely tent with foil and let rest for 20 minutes.
  • Reserve for carving.
  • Place everything in a blender. Let blend till warm and smooth. Pass through a chinois after blending.

For the Ramps:

  • Clean the ramps: rinse in water and allow leaves to dry. Use a damp towel to remove all residual dirt from the stalks. Cut off roots right at base of stem.
  • Drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
  • Place on a grill with the root base over high heat. You can protect the leaves by placing a tray underneath them. It is important to cook the base through whilst not burning the leaves to ash. Rotate frequently. Reserve.

Assemble Tacos:

  • Thinly slice the beef and put in the center of a tortilla. Top with warm mole, chopped grilled ramps, diced onions, Cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.
  • Cut the cauliflower into 8ths. Put a skewer though the cores. Rub with oil & lightly salt.
  • Put on the grill and cook though both sides.
  • Meanwhile, mix all other ingredients. Have fun and make it more cheesy/spicy/mild/hot!
  • When the cauliflower is removed from the grill, SLATHER it in sauce! You can put it on a plate to serve, or directly inject it into your mouth.