Local chef invited to cook at the Oscars for celebs

(WJBK) - A local chef and resident FOX 2 guest has been invited to cook up some food for the celebs. Bobby Nahra owns Lakeland Banquet & Event Centre in St. Clair Shores and he'll be headed to Hollywood next week to take part in the Oscars scene.

"[The VIP tent I'll be in] is invite only. It's about 100 people every couple hours; Spielberg, George Lucas, high-end, top of the food chain Hollywood -- and I'm nervous," Chef Bobby shared with us Thursday when he stopped by the FOX 2 Cooking School.

He says he will leave next Tuesday for Hollywood and prep for the next few days.

"Then, Sunday night, they're kicking me out," he joked. "We're looking forward to making this happen and representing Detroit."

Chef Bobby says he's just focused on getting through the experience and hasn't spent much time daydreaming about which celebs he'd like to meet.

"I would love to meet The Rock. My kids love The Rock" he admits, though. "Maybe meet Sylvester Stallone. He's a hero of mine."

So, what's he cooking up for the A-listers? He was asked to come up with a recipe that incorporated Baron chocolate, and to handle the Baron chocolate swag bags. He came up with a chocolate raspberry sauce to accompany a seared duck breast, as well as a orange dark chocolate risotto. He shared his recipes for those dishes, which you can find below.

He also came up with his own flavor for Baron chocolate, toasted coconut, which is hitting the market now.

You can find more information on Lakeland Banquet and Event Centre at www.lakelandbanquets.com.

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CHEF BOBBY'S RECIPES

Chef Bobby highly suggests making this simple brine for the duck. He says this process is essential for keeping the duck protein moist and tender for hours.

FOR THE BRINE
4 cups of cold water
1 tbsn of kosher salt
1 tbsn of course cracked black pepper
1 tsp paprika
Mix all ingredients and add duck breasts for one hour up to three hours is cool too. Place in the refrigerator.
Using a pair tongs "Carefully" remove duck breasts from brine onto a plate with some paper towel.  PLEASE BE SURE NOT TO CONTAMINATE THE AREA WITH  RAW DUCK.

FOR THE DUCK BREAST
4 medium boneless breasts of duck  "Maple leaf Duck Breasts" Preferable
1 tsp sea Salt
1 tsp cracked peppercorn
2 tbsp Olive oil
Preheat your oven at 375

Season the duck skin side only with cracked pepper and sea salt. A generous sprinkle if you like. Get a cast iron skillet and preheat it on hi heat.

Add your olive oil to the hot skillet  Add seasoned duck breast skin side down. (BE AWARE THIS WILL MAKE SPATTER!! THE DUCK HAS MOISTURE! SO IT WILL SPATTER! PLEASE BE CAREFUL!)

Lower the heat to medium high and let the skin get nice golden brown for about 3-4 minutes and check to see if its browned. When preparing duck breast you want to melt the duck fat that is between the skin and the tender meat. Depending on your stove top and your skillet you may need to dial the heat down or up. My burner always fluctuate on our stove too. Check breast with meat thermometer and establish 130 degrees.

Flip the breast over onto the pan and place the oven for 6 minutes until the breast reaches 149 -150 degrees. Place on cutting board and let rest for about a minute. Have a sip of wine and smile we are almost there.

You will now!! with a very sharp French knife slice the duck breast on a bias cut as thin as you can slice it. Place back into warm pan with juices until all four breasts are cut and portioned out.
   
You will place a ring mold onto a platter of your choice and pack some risotto into the ring mold. Then carefully place the warm duck breast on top of the risotto in the ring mold.

TIP!! If you don't have a ring mold. You can recycle a soup can or a can of beans. Be sure to cut both ends out and press down any sharp edges with a pliers and wash and dry. About 3-4 inches in height is all you need.

BARON ORANGE DARK CHOCOLATE RISOTTO
For this recipe we are using a hint of Baron's Dark Chocolate Raspberry segment candy bars for the sauce and the risotto.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup Arborio rice
4 cups of milk
100 gram Baron Orange Dark Chocolate Bar, finely grated
Almonds and Walnuts for sprinkling, quartered
Candied orange segments for Garnish

Similar to a regular risotto process, melt the unsalted butter in a hot pan and add the rice. Stir for about a minute or until the rice is translucent. Pour a cup of milk into the pan and stir until the milk reduces. You must stir continuously. As the milk evaporates, add another 1/2 a cup of milk to the rice and continue stirring. Repeat this process until the rice is at the 'al dente' stage.

Add the chocolate to the rice, and stir until the chocolate has melted and the milk has reduced to a creamy consistency.

Serve the dessert immediately in cups and finish with a sprinkle of walnuts on top

BARONS CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY SAUCE
3 bars of Baron Raspberry chocolate
1⁄4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups raspberries

1. Melt chocolate in a saucepan over very low heat.
2. Add cream, stirring to combine.
3. Raise heat to medium and continue cooking the sauce until it reaches the "syrup" stage (about 5 minutes).
4. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla, stir until well mixed.
5. Place raspberries in a strainer (over a bowl); using the back of a large spoon, press the berries through the strainer to remove the seeds.
6. Stir the strained berries into the chocolate sauce.
7. Serve over The pan seared duck, ice cream or desserts.
8. The sauce will keep refrigerated for up to 1 week (make sure it is in a covered container).
9. If stored in the refrigerator, allow to soften before serving.
10. With a silicon pastry brush paint chocolate sauce on the plate.