Chef Gary Rush Leader in Facilitator Training

"Recipes on a website about Structured Facilitation and Facilitator Training?"

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Gary ChefEl Chef Gringo con Sabor Boricua

 

In 1985, Gary founded MG Rush Systems, Inc. In 2004, he ceased operations of MG Rush Systems and left the U.S. to pursue his dream of becoming a restaurateur and incorporated in Puerto Rico as MG Rush dba Miracles Restaurant, a critically acclaimed restaurant in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

"Gary believes that pursuing dreams keeps us alive and growing. That our dreams provide synergies and lessons in life that we use as we pursue new goals and that it is never a mistake to pursue our dreams - it is a mistake not to."

In 2005, after a one year absence, Gary returned to consulting reinstating MG Rush Systems, Inc., changing his company name from MG Rush Systems to MGR Consulting, Inc.

 "The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it." -- Ralph Waldo Emersongary rush

FoCuSeD facilitation Logo Gary Rush, IAF CPF | M, MGR consulting, Inc. is back with a new identity! - new company name, new internet domain: mgrconsulting.com, new telephone number, new logo, new lessons learned, new ideas, tools and concepts, and a new product - FoCuSeD™ holistic structrured facilitation - the ultimate structured facilitation technique - a revolution from FAST facilitation (a proprietary structured facilitation product created by Gary in 1985), but with the same values, mission and vision, to continue his legacy as a recognized leader in the field of Structured Facilitation and Facilitator Training.

So, Gary is also a Chef (read our FoCuSeD™ Facilitator eNewsletter Pursuing Dreams).

 

As a Chef he adds recipes to complement the season. Check out his recipes and let us know what you think - contact Gary.

MG Rush dba "Mirácles" Restaurant asalon

Recipe By: Chef Gary
Servings: 8 to 10 for appetizer or first course
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Wine Suggestion: Serve a wine without oak (the soup is spicey) like a Rosé Champagne such as Vueve Clicquot Rosé, or a Gewürztraminer.
Amount Measure Ingredient Preparation Method
12 each Carrots peeled
½ each Onion diced
1 ½ Tablespoons Butter  
2 Tablespoons Water  
1 clove Garlic minced
2 inch piece Fresh Ginger peeled and cut in half lengthwise
½ each Habanero Peppe seeded
1 to 2 cups Heavy Cream  
  to taste Salt and Pepper  

Instructions:

  • Peel the carrots and ginger. Juice half the carrots and ginger – set aside. Dice the remainder.
  • Cut the habanero and remove the seeds (leave them in if you want it very hot). Use a fresh habanero or a dried one if fresh is not available.
  • Sauté the remaining carrots and ginger with the onion, garlic, and habanero in the butter and water over medium heat. Sauté slowly until soft – don’t brown the vegetables.
  • Place the vegetables and any liquid into the VitaMix or a blender. Add some of the carrot/ginger juice to thin. Puree until very smooth. Add more carrot/ginger juice if needed. Mix the puree with the remaining carrot/ginger juice.
  • Push the puree through a tamis or a fine sieve to make it very smooth. Taste for salt and pepper.
  • To serve, add cream to thin soup to desired consistency (use a whisk to combine puree and cream). Refrigerate and serve cold.

Notes:

  • The soup – without the cream – will last up to 1 week in the refrigerator. This is good for planning - make this ahead of time if you are serving this at a dinner for friends.
  • We served about 2 ounces in a martini glass as an amusé at the restaurant. For an appetizer, serve 4 to 6 ounces (it is a rich soup).
  • Garnish with a flower or cilantro leaf if desired.
  • Increase or decrease the habanero to adjust heat. Fresh habaneros are best, but not always available. We used fresh in season and dried during the winter.
  • Adjust cream to desired consistency – we liked a fairly thick soup.
  • If you don’t have a juicer, replace half the carrots with 1 ½ to 2 cups of carrot juice. Grate half the ginger and squeeze the pulp through a double layer of cheesecloth to extract juice to mix with the carrot juice.
  • Adjust the quantities to scale the recipe according to how many people you are serving.

Glossary:

  • Tamis - this is a round, drum-like, piece of equipment with a screen. You pass food through the screen to strain it. A strainer (fine sieve) works well.
  • Sauté - this a high temperature cooking method. A sauté pan or fry pan is used. The pan is placed on a burner until it is quite hot. Oil is added then the ingredients are added. The the heat may be then lowered and the food cooked until done. Food is constantly moved (sauteed) while cooking.
  • Puree - this is taking food and, using a blender or food processor, chopping it to an almost liquid state.
  • Amusé - this is a short term for amusé bouche (French for "teasing the mouth"). The amusé is typically the first small taste of food provided to guests (compliments of the Chef) - prior to the appetizer.

Recipe By: Chef Gary, adapted from Charlie Trotter
Servings: 8 for main appetizer or 8 as a side dish with entré
Preparation Time: 2 hours
Wine Suggestion: This is a lobster dish and goes well with a crisp white wine, such as a Vouvray, Sauvignon Blanc, or even a Pinot Noir.
Amount Measure Ingredient Preparation Method
2/3 cup Salt Cod Prepared as below
2/3 cup Potatoes boiled and peeled
4 cloves Garlic roasted
2 ½ Tablespoons Olive Oil  
2 ½ Tablespoons Heavy Cream  
1 Tablespoon Cilantro Chopped
½ pound Lobster or shrimp meat diced into 1/4 inch pieces
  to taste Salt and Pepper  
¼ cup Flour  
2 each Eggs lightly beaten
¾ cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs  

Prepare the Salt Cod:

Rinse salt cod. If using Bacalao, soak in repeated changes of cold water over 2 days. Bring almost to a boil and strain immediately. Repeat 3 more times. Do not let it boil. While still warm, place in a mixer bowl with a paddle attachment and slowly beat it at medium speed to fluff.

Make the Brandade:

Add the warm potato, bit y bit until it is fully incorporated. Beat in the garlic, then, with the mixer still at medium speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, then the cream. Fold in the cilantro and lobster/shrimp/or langoustine meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Using plastic wrap, form a log about 2 to 2 ½ inches in diameter. Tightly roll the wrap, secure the ends, and place in a freezer for 1 hour.

Finish and Plate:

Remove log and let it sit for 10 minutes. Cut into ½ to 1 inch sections. Dredge in flour, then egg wash, then bread crumbs and deep fry or sauté for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.

To serve: Thinly slice shallots, dredge in flour and fry until crispy; thinly slice another shallot and stew with butter until soft - about 10 minutes. Place stewed shallots on bottom, followed by brandade and topped with fried shallots.

Notes:

The Brandade lasts for up to 6 months in the freezer.

 

Glossary:

Bacalao is dried salted cod found in most Hispanic Grocery stores.

Recipe By: Gary Rush
Servings: 36 for appetizer
Preparation Time: 1 hour plus 3 hours chilling time
Special Equipment: stock pot, food processor
Wine Suggestion: Use a light Pinot Noir or a Rosé Champagne such as Vueve Cliquot Rosé
Amount Measure Ingredient Preparation Method
2 pounds Salmon deboned
4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream  
1 each Lemon juiced - juice reserved
1 each Shallot finely diced
  to taste Salt and Pepper  
2 packets Gelatin or use 4 Gelatin leaves
2 quarts Court Bouillon  
  • Make the Court Bouillon: Combine one bottle of white wine, a Chardonnay is good, with a quart of water, one onion diced, one head of garlic cut in half, one carrot peeled and sliced, one stalk of celery sliced, 2 bay leaves, 12 black peppercorns, and a couple branches of thyme. Bring these to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.
  • Add the Salmon. Simmer for 3 minutes and remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes - it will be medium rare at this time. Do not let the Court Bouillon boil.
  • Drain the salmon. Place it in a food processor along with the salt, pepper, shallot, lemon juice, and two tablespoons of the cream. Blend to a fine puree.
  • Meanwhile, soften the gelatin in cool water. Place softened gelatin in a saucepan with the two remaining tablespoons of cream. Heat cream and gelatin until gelatin is fully dissolved. Add cream and gelatin mixture to the salmon puree and blend until smooth..
  • Pour into molds and chill at least 3 hours.
  • Serve cold.
Notes:
  • This holds in the refrigerator - well wrapped in plastic wrap - for up to one week.
  • You can chill the salmon mousse on a sheet pan and cut out shapes when it is cold. At the restaurant, we used a heart-shaped cutter to cut out hearts and served this as an amusé.
  • Garnish with a sliced strawberry for a lovely Valentine's Day treat.
  • We garnished this with a beet reduction - take 5 pounds of beets, peeled and juiced. Simmer the juice (slowly as it burns very easily) until it is reduced to 1 ½ cup. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and cool. It will be bright red, very sweet, and syrupy. Put the beet reduction into a squirt bottle and drizzle the sauce around the mousse.
  • You may cut the recipe in half or double it depending on how many people you have to serve.
  • Use the best salmon you can find - preferrably wild caught salmon. The flavor is all salmon so you want good salmon.

Glossary:

  • Court Bouillon - This is a traditional white wine based liquid for poaching fish. It is generally simple with onion, carrot, celery, and herbs. Sometimes chefs add fennel and vary the herbs for different flavors. After poaching the fish, the bouillon can be reduced and butter added to make a nice fish sauce.

Recipe By: Chef Gary
Servings: 12 for appetizer
Preparation Time: 15 minutes plus 1 hour chilling time
Wine Suggestion: Serve a Sauvignon Blanc or a Vouvray. You want a crisp, clean wine that won't overpower the delicate scallops.
Amount Measure Ingredient Preparation Method
12 each Sea Scallops U10 is best
2 each Lemon juiced - juice reserved
2 each Lime juiced - juice reserved
2 tsp Fresh Ginger sliced into very thin matchstick pieces
¼ cup Guanábana Pureé may substitute pear puree if you can't find guanábana pureé
  to taste salt, pepper, sugar  
1 each Scallion sliced into 1 ½ inch long matchstick pieces
Make the ceviche:
  • Juice the lemons and limes.
  • Slice the ginger into matchstick pieces - no more than 1/32 inch thick. Slice the scallion - about 1 ½ inch long - into matchstick pieces.
  • Mix ginger and scallion with the citrus juice. Add the guanábana pureé, salt, pepper, and sugar. Taste.
  • Slice the scallops - across the grain into 4 to 6 slices per scallop. Mix with the citrus/guanábana mixture.
  • Chill at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
  • Serve cold.
Notes: This is best served the same day as it's made. Garnish with edible flowers for presentation. miracles scallops

Glossary: Guanábana - The Soursop, Soursap, Guanábana, Graviola, Zuurzak, Coração-da-Índia, Guyabano or Corossol is a broadleaf flowering evergreen tree native to the Caribbean, Central and South America, from Brazil north to the West Indies. It is also commonly grown in South-East Asia, where it is known by names such as Sirsak (Indonesian, a corruption of the Dutch zuurzak) and Durian Belanda (Malay, lit. "Dutch durian"). It is in the same genus as the cherimoya and the same family as the pawpaw. Comparisons of its flavor range from strawberry and pineapple mixed together to sour citrus flavor notes contrasting with an underlying creamy roundness of flavor reminiscent of coconut or banana. The fruit is somewhat difficult to eat, as the white interior pulp is studded with many large seeds, and pockets of soft flesh are bounded by fibrous membranes. The soursop is therefore usually juiced or pureed rather than eaten directly (information obtained from Wikipedia).

Recipe By: Chef Gary
Servings: 4 for main course
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Special Equipment: stock pot, strainer
Wine Suggestion: This is a rich dish and requires either a Rosé Champagne or a spicey Syrah or Shiraz (Australian). "Jacobs Creek Shiraz" is a good match. You can also pair this with a good Spanish Rioja that isn't overly oaked.
Amount Measure Ingredient Preparation Method
½ pounds Tamarind Pulp  
1 each Orange zested and juiced
1 each Lemon zested and juiced
2 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger diced
2 clove Garlic minced
1 each Shallot diced
3 Tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce  
3 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce  
2 Tablespoons Dark Molasses  
2 tsp Louisiana Hot Sauce  
1 Bottle Red Wine  
3 ½ cup Beef Stock  
3 Tablespoons Butter  
  to taste Salt and Pepper  
2 Racks Lamb Chops Frenched
3 cloves Garlic minced
1 Tablespoon Rosemary finely chopped
1 each Lemon zested
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil  
  to taste Salt and Pepper  

Make the Sauce:

Place fruits and vegetables in sauce pan with bottle of wine. Bring to a low simmer and break up the tamarind pulp. Cook over low until reduced by 1/3 and tamarind pulp is fully dissolved. Add beef stock and simmer to thicken. Strain well - pushing solids through strainer to thicken sauce. Stir and reduce slightly. Season with salt and pepper and finish with butter.

Prepare the Lamb:

  • Cut the Lamb racks into sections with two ribs per section (you will get 4 sections per rack).
  • Mix together the garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Rub onto the sectioned lamb racks. Let marinade in refrigerator for 1 hour or up to 1 day.
  • In a very hot sauté pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, sear the lamb chops on all sides. Finish in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes for medium rare, 8 minutes for medium, and 10 minutes for well done (medium rare is how we served them at the restaurant).
  • Cut the lamb chops in half - one rib each - and serve 4 ribs per person with rice or potatoes and vegetables. Spoon the sauce on the side next to the lamb chops.
Notes: The sauce keeps for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. miracles lamb chops
Glossary: "Frenched" lamb chops are those where the meat has been cleaned away from the rib bone and only the round portion of the meat is left. This should be tied with butcher or kitchen twine to hold a round shape for presentation. Remove the twine before serving.

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Subcategories

Chef Gary | Appetizers and Tapas 4

Chef Gary | Main Courses 4

Chef Gary | Desserts 4

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