About Our Guest

Eric Tucker
Executive Chef, Millenium Restaurant

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Sep 23, 2009

Haute (and Healthy) Vegetarian Cuisine

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Guest Information

Download: Exclusive Recipes by Eric Tucker

Eric Tucker has been creating in the kitchen since he was five years old. At eight, he was reading his parent’s Gourmet magazines and by the time he was a teenager, he was organizing and creating entire dinner parties for his parents. His parents happened to be food lovers and exposed him to an impressive diversity of cuisine.

While in his teens, distance running and hypoglycemia compelled Eric to explore healthy cooking and the importance of nutrition. "I was forced to become aware of the profound effect that changing your diet has on your health," he says.

After working in various restaurants in New Jersey, Eric Tucker entered the National Gourmet Institute for Food and Health in New York City. He graduated in 1990 and became a professional chef focusing on healthy, natural foods that included organic produce from the local Farmer's Market.

Eric eventually migrated West and in 1994 he brought his passion for inspired vegetarian cuisine to Millennium Restaurant as their Executive Chef. Since then, his innovative cooking style has distinguished Millennium as a gourmet vegetarian restaurant. He avoids all high-fat animal products, yet his dishes are praised for their rich flavors. The names of the dishes in his cookbook attest to this fact; here is one mouth-watering example: Asian Udon Cake which includes seared udon cake with sauté of Asian vegetables, oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu, kaffir lime, Thai basil coconut curry, spicy grilled pineapple sambal, and mixed sprouts. Yum!

Eric lives in Oakland, California and when not creating in the kitchen, he’s out mountain biking or foraging for wild foods.

Guest Recipes

Edamame Gnocchi with a Sea Palm and Oyster Mushroom Cream Sauce

From the kitchen of Eric Tucker:

Gnocchi

3 Large Yellow Finn Potatoes, Baked
1 Package of Shelled Edamame, Blanched until cooked through, cooled
2/3 cup of all purpose flour, plus more as needed
salt to taste

Sea Palm– Oyster Mushroom Cream Sauce

4 cloves garlic minced
3T extra virgin olive oil
½lb Oyster mushrooms, cut in bite size Pieces
1 c Reconstituted Sea Palm
1t Fresh Oregano
pinch chile flake
½c white wine
2 c cashew cream
vegetable stock as needed
2 c spinach, arugula, blanched chard or greens of choice
Zest of½a lemon
Pinch Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste
Toasted Sea Lettuce or Dulse for Garnish

For Gnocchi

Remove skin from potatoes. Either pass the potatoes and edamame through a potato ricer or mash the potatoes, and puree the edamame in a food processor then combine together in a mixing bowl. Mix potatoes with the edamame. Slowly knead in the flour until you form a soft dough.
Cut off one quarter of the dough and roll into a 1 inch thick rope. Use the remaining dough to make 3 more ropes. Cut each rope into½inch long segments, and pinch the sides of each piece of dough so it looks like a bow tie. Place the finished Gnocchi on a floured pan. Freeze the gnocchi for 1 hour.
Near serving time bring at least 1 gallon of salted water to a boil. Add half of the gnocchi. Cook for 5-6 minutes until gnocchi float to and remain on the surface for 2 minutes. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon, coat with a little extra virgin olive oil. Repeat.

For the Sauce

Heat a large skillet over medium. Sauté the garlic in the oil for 30 seconds. Add the oyster mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes add the Sea Palm followed by the oregano and chile flake, sauté for 30 seconds. Deglaze with the white wine, turn heat to low. Add the cashew cream.
Heat until the cashew cream just simmers and thickens. Add the greens through the salt and pepper. Toss with gnocchi and divide among 4 serving plates. Sprinkle with the toasted Sea Lettuce or Dulse if using.

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Grilled Radicchio Salad with Pink Grapefruit, Pink Peppercorns, Garlic-Tarragon “Ranch” Dressing

From the kitchen of Eric Tucker:

Serves 4

1 clove garlic minced
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
¼teaspoon salt
¼teaspoon black pepper
4 heads Radicchio, sliced in half down the length
8 ounces Garlic – tarragon ranch dressing
2 Pink or Ruby Grapefruits, peeled, segments supremed
2 teaspoons Pink Peppercorns

In a bowl combine the garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the Radicchio halves and coat with the marinade.
Grill or broil one minute on each side just to get a slight char and wilt the Radicchio.
For each salad, mirror the bottom of a plate with about one ounce of the dressing. Place the Radicchio cut side up in the center of the plate. Drizzle with more dressing. Arrange the grapefruit segments around and on the Endive. Sprinkle with the Pink Peppercorns.

Garlic – Tarragon Ranch Dressing

¼cup cashews
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoons Nutritional Yeast
2 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons champagne Vinegar
1 stalk scallion, minced, green and white part
3 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
2 teaspoons light miso
½cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and black pepper to taste

Combine the all of the ingredients up to and including the miso in a blender and blend until smooth.With the blender running slowly add the oil. If the dressing is too thick add another table spoon of water to thin. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Store refrigerated up to one week.

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French Lentil and Orange Salad with Fennel and Tarragon

From the kitchen of Eric Tucker:

French Lentils Lentils du Puy) are smaller than common brown or green lentils. They retain there firm texture and have an almost peppery and slightly nutty flavor, which makes them great in Salads. Serve this salad over leaves of a crisp lettuce like Little Gem or Romaine.
Serves 4

1½c dried French Lentils, rinsed
1 shallot
½sprig rosemary
3½cups water
Segments from 2 Oranges
1/3 c orange juice
1T balsamic vinegar
½c thinly sliced scallion
1 c thinly sliced fennel bulb
2T Tarragon leaves
2T chopped flat leaf parsley
¼c toastedWalnuts
1T toastedWalnut Oil (optional)
Salt and fresh ground Black Pepper to taste

Place the Lentils, shallot, rosemary and water in a sauce pan. Bring up to a boil, then simmer 25 minutes or until cooked through but still toothsome. Remove from the heat, then add½teaspoon of salt. Let sit 10 minutes before draining.
In a mixing bowl combine the orange segments with all the ingredients up to the parsley. Add the drained lentils, mix together and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over lettuce leaves sprinkled with the toasted walnuts and drizzled with the walnut oil.

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Chinese Chive, Pea Green and Tofu Dumplings with a Miso, Ginger and Shiitake Mushroom Broth

From the kitchen of Eric Tucker:

Look for PotstickerWrappers in Asian markets as well as many supermarkets. It will make this elegant soup/appetizer quite easy to prepare. If you can find it, try this
broth with the Lapsong Souchong tea, its smoky-tannic nuance will permeate the soup adding depth and richness to the dish.
Serves 4

Dumplings:

yields 12-16 dumplings

½ pound Chinese chives cut into ½” lengths (about 2 cups) (substitute Scallion)
½ pound Pea greens, cleaned, stems removed
¼ pound, firm tofu, crumbled
1t tamari
½t toasted sesame oil
1t minced ginger
¼t white pepper
1t corn starch
Salt to taste
Egg Free Potsticker Wrappers

Blanch chives in salted water for 1 minute, immerse into ice water then squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Place in a mixing bowl.
Blanch pea greens for 20 seconds, immerse into ice water then squeeze out as much water as possible. Finely chop add to chives.Mix in remaining ingredients, adjust seasonings. Fill each Pot sticker sheet with 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling. Moisten the edge of the wrapper with water. Fold over the wrapper and crimp the edges. Boil
the dumplings in salted water until they float to the surface, about 2 minutes, remove to an ice water bath to cool. Another option is to simmer them in the Miso broth prior to adding the miso, until cooked through then serve.

Miso, Ginger and Shiitake Broth:

½bu Scallions, rough chopped
6 coins of fresh ginger
1/2t light vegetable oil
2 star anise pods
1 dried chile Arbol
1 carrots, peeled, cut in ¼” dice
1 Parsnips. Peeled, cut in ¼” dice
1 c dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated, sliced thin
11/2 qts water
1 green tea or Lapsang Souchong, tea bag (optional)
4T Red or Barley Miso, thinned to a slurry with water (substitute your favorite
miso)
1t toasted Sesame Oil
6 T thinly sliced scallion
6 T minced cilantro (optional)

Heat a stock pot, add the oil, and ginger sauté ginger for 2 minutes then add scallions and Star Anise, sauté 1 minute. Add the carrot, parsnip and shiitake mushroom , bring up to boil, then simmer 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the tea bag. Remove the teabag after one minute. Stir in the miso and adjust the seasonings. Place 3-4 dumplings in each serving bowl, then ladle over the broth. Garnish each serving with a couple of drops of sesame oil, chopped scallion and cilantro.

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Sunchoke Gallette with a Walnut Crust, and Orange Glazed Portobello Mushrooms

From the kitchen of Eric Tucker:

Crust:

2½c unbleached all-purpose flour
½c walnuts, toasted and ground
1½c palm shortening, Cut into 1/4” pieces
½t salt
Cold water as needed

Combine walnuts, flour and salt. Mix well.Work in the shortening, followed by enough water to form a soft dough. Form into a ball. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Sunchoke Puree:

2 c peeled sunchokes, cut into 1/2” cubes in water
1c peeled yellow finn potatoes, ½” cubes in water
2 cloves garlic minced
3T EVO
½c cashew cream
Nutmeg to taste
S+P to taste

Boil the sunchokes and potatoes, in salted water until soft. Drain well. Sauté the garlic in the oil over medium/low heat until just golden, place in a bowl with the potatoes/chokes, add the cashew cream. Mash the potatoes/chokes until fairly smooth. Add nutmeg, S+P to taste.

Orange Glazed Portobello Mushrooms

2-3 Portobello Mushrooms, stems removed
2 cloves garlic minced
1t minced fresh rosemary
Juice of 1 orange
2T Tamari (soy Sauce)
2T EVO
Black Pepper to taste

Thinly bias slice the mushrooms, transfer to a lightly oiled baking pan. Mix the remaining ingredients together. Pour over the top of the mushrooms. Bake in a 400° oven 7-10 minutes or broil 3-4 minutes. Divide dough into 6 pieces, roll out approximately 1/3” thick. Cut into 5-6” circle. Place about ¼c of the Puree in the center. Crimp the edges around the filling. Repeat with remaining dough. Place on parchment lined sheet pan. Bake 400° for 12-15 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Place Portobello slices over the top of the filling. Bake 4-5 minutes longer. Drizzle with really good EVO or a couple drops of truffle oil.
Serve with a bitter green salad.

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Fig Mustardo

From the kitchen of Eric Tucker:

1c dried figs, diced
2 c white grape juice
½c whole grain mustard
1t pink peppercorns (optional)

Simmer the figs in the grape juice over low for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the mustard and peppercorns. Cool to room temperature before using.

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Truffled Mushroom Pecan Pate

From the kitchen of Eric Tucker:

4 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2T olive oil
½sucanat (non-refined cane sugar)
2c crimini mushroom, sliced thin
1c black chanterelles, cleans, minced
2T dried porcini
1t minced fresh rosemary
2t minced fresh sage
3T Brandy or Bourbon
1 c toasted pecans
2c mushroom vegetable stock
2T agar flakes
2T tamari
2t Black Truffle oil or 1 Black Peringord Truffle
1t fresh grated nutmeg
Black pepper to taste

Caramelize the shallot and garlic over low heat with the sucanat. Add the mushrooms and sage. Sauté until the mushrooms are wilted and start to dry. Deglaze with the brandy. Add the pecans, stock and agar and simmer 15 minutes until the agar is dissolved. Add the tamari, truffle, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Puree in a blender. Place in a mold and refrigerated until set solid – 4 hours.

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About Our Guest

Edamame Gnocchi with a Sea Palm and Oyster Mushroom Cream Sauce

Edamame Gnocchi with a Sea Palm and Oyster Mushroom Cream Sauce

Gnocchi

Sea Palm– Oyster Mushroom Cream Sauce

For Gnocchi

For the Sauce

Grilled Radicchio Salad with Pink Grapefruit, Pink Peppercorns, Garlic-Tarragon “Ranch” Dressing

Grilled Radicchio Salad with Pink Grapefruit, Pink Peppercorns, Garlic-Tarragon “Ranch” Dressing

Garlic – Tarragon Ranch Dressing

French Lentil and Orange Salad with Fennel and Tarragon

French Lentil and Orange Salad with Fennel and Tarragon

Chinese Chive, Pea Green and Tofu Dumplings with a Miso, Ginger and Shiitake Mushroom Broth

Chinese Chive, Pea Green and Tofu Dumplings with a Miso, Ginger and Shiitake Mushroom Broth

Dumplings:

Miso, Ginger and Shiitake Broth:

Sunchoke Gallette with a Walnut Crust, and Orange Glazed Portobello Mushrooms

Sunchoke Gallette with a Walnut Crust, and Orange Glazed Portobello Mushrooms

Crust:

Sunchoke Puree:

Orange Glazed Portobello Mushrooms

Fig Mustardo

Fig Mustardo

Truffled Mushroom Pecan Pate

Truffled Mushroom Pecan Pate

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