Recently in Chris Lee Category
January 4, 2008
Chris Lee, Michelin-starred executive chef of Gilt Restaurant at The New York Palace Hotel, reveals the secret recipe for one of the most coveted menu items on both TV and in reality, "The Gossip Grill."
Watch the segment from TODAY:
Recently making his sitcom debut on The CW's Manhattanite prep school hit show, Gossip Girl, Chef Lee presented the characters with their very own signature sandwich––a decadent grilled cheese creation of fontina, truffles, and a wild arugula salad.
The inside dish on this hit-making sandwich? "[Gossip Girl cast members] Blake Lively and Penn Badgley came in for dinner last week and suggested that we rename the grill cheese to the new name, "The Gossip Grill––'You Know You Love It.'" It sounded good and it gives ownership to the characters of the show; so we changed it," says Chef Lee. "...I also changed the recipe because white truffle season is officially over."
Spotted: Top secret recipe by famous chef made...at home.
Learn this hush-hush recipe before you're the talk of the town.
XOXO, Secret Sauce
Method:
About the Chef:
A great chef from Philadelphia has slipped back into New York under the radar, almost without being noticed. Christopher Lee grabbed national attention as the executive chef at the Striped Bass in Philadelphia, captured the James Beard “2005 Rising Star Chef of the Year” award and was named one of Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs for 2006, as well as Philadelphia magazine’s “2005 Chef of the Year” and Philadelphia Inquirer’s “Four Star Rating” in 2006. But in Autumn 2006, the Long Island native returned to his New York roots to take the helm at Gilt Restaurant in the New York Palace Hotel.
Chef Lee isn’t interested in creating a once in a lifetime experience. Although you’ll remember a meal at Gilt for the rest of your life, Lee’s New American menu is one you’ll want to select from again and again, sampling as much as possible, and coming back again as it changes with the seasons.
The secret to his success is sourcing familiar ingredients, but always in season and always of the highest possible quality. He’s able to source the best by maintaining excellent personal, loyal relationship with local farmers and other top-notch purveyors. Not only is he able to get the freshest sustainable fish and seafood, the finest cuts of meat, but he’s also one of top five white truffle buyers in the city.
Like his mentors, including Portale, his plates are works of art, but every dab of sauce or garnish also enhances the main ingredient.
Visit Chef Chris Lee on the web @ giltnewyork.com
Chris Lee "Extra" Secret Sauce
Chris Lee, Michelin-starred executive chef of Gilt Restaurant at The New York Palace Hotel, reveals the secret recipe for one of the most coveted menu items on both TV and in reality, "The Gossip Grill."
The inside dish on this hit-making sandwich? "[Gossip Girl cast members] Blake Lively and Penn Badgley came in for dinner last week and suggested that we rename the grill cheese to the new name, "The Gossip Grill––'You Know You Love It.'" It sounded good and it gives ownership to the characters of the show; so we changed it," says Chef Lee. "...I also changed the recipe because white truffle season is officially over."
Spotted: Top secret recipe by famous chef made...at home.
Learn this hush-hush recipe before you're the talk of the town.
XOXO, Secret Sauce
Method:
- Layer two (2) slices of fontina cheese between two (2) slices of white bread and shave a couple of slices of truffles in the middle of each sandwich; do the same for all four sandwiches.
- Heat a large fry pan over medium heat and add the butter.
- When the butter melts, add the sandwiches and cook until the bread is nice and toasted.
- Remove and slice sandwiches in half and place into four plates.
- Wild Arugula Salad: Place arugula in a small bowl with the vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, sliced shallots, and season with salt and pepper.
- Toss the salad well and garnish the plates with it.
 | In December 2007, a single white truffle weighing just over three pounds was bought at auction for a record $330,000. |
About the Chef:
A great chef from Philadelphia has slipped back into New York under the radar, almost without being noticed. Christopher Lee grabbed national attention as the executive chef at the Striped Bass in Philadelphia, captured the James Beard “2005 Rising Star Chef of the Year” award and was named one of Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chefs for 2006, as well as Philadelphia magazine’s “2005 Chef of the Year” and Philadelphia Inquirer’s “Four Star Rating” in 2006. But in Autumn 2006, the Long Island native returned to his New York roots to take the helm at Gilt Restaurant in the New York Palace Hotel.Chef Lee isn’t interested in creating a once in a lifetime experience. Although you’ll remember a meal at Gilt for the rest of your life, Lee’s New American menu is one you’ll want to select from again and again, sampling as much as possible, and coming back again as it changes with the seasons.
The secret to his success is sourcing familiar ingredients, but always in season and always of the highest possible quality. He’s able to source the best by maintaining excellent personal, loyal relationship with local farmers and other top-notch purveyors. Not only is he able to get the freshest sustainable fish and seafood, the finest cuts of meat, but he’s also one of top five white truffle buyers in the city.
Like his mentors, including Portale, his plates are works of art, but every dab of sauce or garnish also enhances the main ingredient.
Visit Chef Chris Lee on the web @ giltnewyork.com
Chris Lee "Extra" Secret Sauce
