Atlantic City is establishing a new legacy, not as a city of casinos and gambling, but as a city that is creating a hot and exciting culinary scene. One of the outstanding leaders in this culinary crusade is Caesars Entertainment. Within the last year, the company has opening several new restaurants with top chefs at its four Atlantic City resorts.
The most recent transformation in culinary entertainment is at the Showboat Hotel’s Foundation Room. Adapting to the tastes and desires of his clientele, Executive Chef David Suscavage created an enticing menu of tapas (small plates in Spanish) influenced by the cuisines of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim. The eclectic and diverse menu reflects dishes and flavors that offer a wide selection to please any palate. Some of the outstanding and unusual items on the menu include: Thai Curry Samosas with Shiso Leaf Dipping Sauce; Yakatori Beef, Marinated Beef Tenderloin on skewers with Kimchi Fried Rice; Mirin-Glazed Sea Bass with Purple Yams, Crispy Leeks and Black Bean Sauce. Desserts are just as diverse and appealing with choices of Patrón Tequila Lime Sabayon and Rambutan, Sweet Rambutan Ice with Tropical Fruit and Lavender.
Chef Suscavage honed his skills and knowledge in Asian cuisine in Southern California where he co-owned a catering company and was a consultant to many successful restaurateurs along the Southern Pacific Coast. For more than six years, he has been a member of the Caesar's Entertainment Culinary Team and was most recently the Restaurant Chef for the award-winning Waterfront Buffet and former Chef of the prestigious Steakhouse, both at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City.
A graduate of Johnson & Wales University with degrees in Food Service Management and Culinary Arts, Chef Suscavage is known for his creative approach to fine dining and has been published in Harrah's Seven Star Cookbook by John Schlimm whose new cookbook Grilling Vegan Style will be released in May 2012.
Here is a recipe for one of Chef Suscavage’s tempting tapas dishes, Chicken Bisteeya, a Moroccan Chicken Satchel.
Chicken Bisteeya
Ingredients:
- 5 Lb Diced Dark Meat Chicken
- 1 Lb Diced Red Peppers
- 1 Lb Diced White Onion
- 2 Tbsp Honey
- ½ cup Ras El Hanout Spice
- 1 box Phyllo Sheets
- 1 cup Chicken Stock
- ¼ cup Butter
- Seasoning: Salt and pepper
- Garnish: Powdered Sugar and Ground Cinnamon
Directions:
1. Sauté the diced dark meat chicken with the white onion and red peppers. Allow the onions and peppers to release their liquid and stew with the chicken, then add your Ras El Hanout spice*.
2. Add the honey and control the moisture level with chicken stock so you do not allow the mixture to become too dry. You are looking for a thick stew-like consistency. Remove from heat and allow cooling.
3. Prepare your satchel by cutting the sheets of phyllo into approximately 5” squares. Separate each sheet of phyllo and brush a small amount of melted butter in-between the layer.
4. After stacking 6 layers, place about 3 ounces of the mixture into the center, fold up the edges and crimp the top of the satchel closed.
5. At this point you can refrigerate until you need to serve. When heating, place on metal sheet pan and bake at 325 degrees for approximately 15-20 minutes.
6. Just before serving, garnish with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and ground cinnamon.
*Ras El Hanout (in Arabic means “top of the shop”) - The secret of this mix and its recipe is passed down through generations. Native to Morocco, every spice vendor in the region has its own recipe. Zamouri's, too, has its original blend used only in the remote region of Zamour (North Africa Atlas Mountains) for a thousand years.
Ingredients from over 30 different herbs and spices include: Grains of Paradise, Lavender, turmeric, ajawan seeds, kalajeera, ginger, galangal, oris root, rose buds, monk's pepper, cinnamon and more
Caesars Entertainment takes the culinary four stars in 2011 for either opening new or re-inventing seven restaurants at three of its four resorts in Atlantic City. Look forward to more excitement happening on the culinary scene in this Jersey Shore town during 2012.
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