Nothing brings people together like great food and drink, especially cocktails made with fresh ingredients such as GREY GOOSE's signature The Lakeshore Punch. Chicago's own "cowboy chef" John Wayne Formica and mixologist Revae Schneider used ingredients from John's rooftop farm to create a deliciously wholesome menu including mozzarella roulade, braised beets, peach turnover and lamb tartare with chickpea chips for an exclusive farm-to-rooftop gathering.
John's 1,000 square foot rooftop garden, which grows 130 different vegetables, takes rooftop gardening to a whole new level. All the ingredients were sourced from the garden to compliment The Lakeshore Punch, a refreshingly crisp mix made of GREY GOOSE La Poire, pear nectar, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, cucumber, lime and mint.
Check out John and Revae prepping for the party in the video above and tune in to find out why things always taste better when they're fresh. And be sure to also check out The Lakeshore Punch recipe at the end of the video, The Lakeshore Punch boards on Pinterest, and John Wayne Formica's recipes (after the jump).
Mozzarella Roulade:
Ingredients:
57 g fresh mozzarella
28 g spring mix
28 g arugula
60 g pickled tomato sliced, set in pickling ½ hour
4 g orange supreme
1 g orange zest
2 g chiffonade basil
5 ML extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
Stretching the mozzarella into a sheet:
In the smaller saucepan, heat a few quarts of water to 185F. You may salt the water if you would like your finished cheese to be a little salty. Dip the colander of mozzarella into the hot water bath, heating them up to about 135 °F or until they become gooey and stretchable. If you have a pair of rubber gloves, this is a good time to put them on, as you will be working the hot mozzarella with your hands. When the Mozzarella gets stretchy, start out by kneading them like a piece of bread dough on a clean surface, working gently at first. When the mozzarella cools down and becomes less pliable, put it back in the colander and dip it in the water bath again. After a few cycles, you will see the cheese starting to get smooth and shiny. Drain off the whey as you work the cheese. At this point you can start stretching it like taffy instead of kneading. Stretch into ¼ inch sheet and cut into 2x4 inch rectangles.
Creating the roulade:
Centering the mozzarella rectangle brush with oil and dust with light salt. Place one layer of arugula and one layer of spring mix atop, rollup tight, gluing the edge of mozzarella to itself to ensure a sealed roll. Slice into desired piece sizes.
Plating:
Align sliced roulades as desired top with marinade pickles from the pickling liquid. Place orange supremes on either side of roulade on plate. Finish with basil and orange zest sprinkled atop. Garnish with an extra drizzle of oil and sprinkle of salt.
Tips:
Do not over-fill & over-tighten the mozzarella when rolling it up. If you do so, the cheese will break apart. Gentle hands rule!
Make sure the mozzarella cheese is cooled completely before rolling up the mozzarella because if you put cold greens (spring mix and arugula) onto the hot mozzarella, the greens will wither.
Any other fresh greens will suffice for this dish, so feel free to mix it up. Fresh is best.
The entire dish can be pre-made and cut ahead of time for a party and will last a few hours without getting mushy.
Don't be afraid to salt liberally—the mozzarella and greens need salt to be delicious and burst with Mediterranean flavor.
Pickled Tomato Mix
Ingredients:
125 ml white distilled vinegar
42 ml water
95 g sugar
9.5 g kosher salt
1 ea bay leaf
1 ea kaffir leaf
9.5 g black peppercorn
1 ea cinnamon stick
2 ea star anise
9.5 g small dice celery
9.5 g small dice yellow onion
9.5 g small dice carrot
4.7 g fennel seed
2 ea dried chili pod, red
Directions:
In a pot combine and mix well all ingredients. Bring to boil on medium heat. Remove from heat and let cool while steeping combined ingredients. Strain. Store.