East Coast Chefs Meet West’s at Extravaganza : Culinary Experts to Prepare Favorites at Third Annual Wine & Food Festival

Imagine, if you will, the ultimate restaurant dining experience. Fantasize tasting savory morsels prepared by a battery of chefs from the most innovative restaurants from the East Coast to the West--all in just one evening.

You don’t, however, have to merely imagine such a happening. Spago’s Wolfgang Puck is making it come true. On Oct. 6, Spago restaurant will present the third annual American Wine & Food Festival from 4 to 8 p.m. on the outdoor terrace of the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. Proceeds of the event will be donated to the Los Angeles Chapter of Meals on Wheels.

Those attending will sample the culinary creations of Lydia Shire, Seasons Restaurant, Boston; Lawrence Forgione, An American Place and Jonathan Waxman, Jams, New York; Paul Prudhomme, K-Paul’s, New Orleans; Dean Fearing, Mansion at Turtle Creek and Avner Samuel, Hotel Crescent Court, Dallas; Bradley Ogden, Campton Place and Jeremiah Tower, Stars, San Francisco; Wolfgang Puck, Spago, and Joseph Venezia, Hotel Bel Air, Los Angeles; Piero Selvaggio, Valentino, Santa Monica. For good measure, add Maida Heatter, author of some fabulous dessert cookbooks.

Along with the chefs’ specialties, guests will have the opportunity to taste wines from 43 premier wine makers--such as Acacia, Chateau St. Jean, Duckhorn, Grgich Hills, Jordan and Trefethen. It’s an unstructured event. Guests are expected to wander from table to table, grazing as they go, then just sit, relax and enjoy the casual atmosphere.

Tax-Deductible Donation

The $125-per-person donation is tax deductible. Tickets are limited and available through Spago restaurant. This year’s goal is to raise $100,000 for the nonprofit, volunteer community service dedicated to providing in-home meals to the elderly, ill and disabled.

Participating chefs gave The Times’ Food department a sneak preview of recipes they will be preparing for the event. Organizer Puck plans to serve Quail on Corn Cakes With Zinfandel Sauce. Typical of his creations, it is simple but imaginative.

Puck, owner of Spago and Chinois, is one of an influential breed of young chef-restaurateurs. French trained, he has become known for blending classical techniques with fresh California ingredients.

Dean Fearing will be arriving from Dallas in time to prepare Halibut Breaded With Cashews and served with Mango-Basil Sauce. Fearing is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and began his career at the Maisonette Restaurant in Cincinnati. He joined the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, then moved to The Mansion on Turtle Creek.

His unusual sauce caught the attention of Times Food staff members. After preparing it in the Test Kitchen, all agreed that Fearing’s coating and sauce would be equally delicious on ham or chicken.

Well-known Southland restaurateur Piero Selvaggio will feature Involtini di Melanzane (Goat Cheese Wrapped in Eggplant) from his Valentino restaurant. A native of Sicily, Selvaggio came to Los Angeles to attend UCLA. After earning a degree in Romance languages, he switched fields and opened his Santa Monica restaurant. It became regarded by many as the standard against which other West Coast Italian restaurants were judged.

Eggplant slices, cooked only enough to make them pliable, are rolled around Italian goat cheese and marinated in a tangy dressing. Since the prepared dish is refrigerated for 24 hours, this is an ideal recipe to make ahead for a party.

Mostly Prepared in Advance

Lawrence Forgione, traveling from New York for the occasion, will delight guests with his Chicken and Chanterelle Croquettes. This is another recipe that is mostly prepared in advance, then shaped, rolled in bread crumbs and fried just before serving.

A native New Yorker, Forgione graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and has had an award-winning career as a chef. He also writes about food and serves as a foods adviser and restaurant consultant.

Author Maida Heatter will serve Williams-Sonoma Chocolate Cake With Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce, a recipe from her newest cookbook (“Maida Heatter’s Book of Great American Desserts,” Alfred A. Knopf: $25). The cake is equally delicious right from the oven, at room temperature or even frozen. Topped with the sauce it will be quite a finale to this unique evening.

QUAIL ON CORN CAKES

WITH ZINFANDEL SAUCE

Corn Cakes

4 quails, boned and halved

Salt, pepper

Flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon oil

1 cup Zinfandel

2 to 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

4 small sprigs fresh thyme

Prepare Corn Cakes. Season both sides of quail with salt and pepper to taste. Dust lightly with flour.

Heat heavy skillet, then add 1 tablespoon butter and oil. When very hot, saute quails, skin side down, 30 seconds. Turn and saute other side additional 30 seconds. Quail should be golden brown and medium rare. Transfer to plate and keep warm.

Pour any fat from pan, then deglaze with Zinfandel. Add thyme leaves to taste. Reduce wine to glace, about 1 to 2 tablespoons.

Add remaining butter, a little at a time, while tilting and swirling pan over very low heat until sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place 2 Corn Cakes on each of 4 heated plates. Arrange 1/2 quail on each Corn Cake. Spoon small amount sauce over each quail and remaining sauce around Corn Cakes. Garnish each plate with sprig of fresh thyme. Makes 4 servings.

Note: If sauce begins to break down, add small amount of liquid such as stock or water, then continue preparation.

Corn Cakes

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup milk

2 eggs, separated

Salt

White pepper

1/2 cup fresh corn, optional

2 to 3 cloves garlic, blanched

Unsalted butter

Combine cornmeal and milk in saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Stir in egg yolks and salt and white pepper to taste. Add corn.

Whip egg whites with dash salt until stiff. Stir 1/4 of whites into cornmeal mixture, then fold in remaining egg whites.

Thinly slice garlic. Heat heavy, non-stick skillet, then add small amount of butter. Ladle about 1/4 cup batter into skillet for each corn cake. Sprinkle each cake with several slices garlic. Brown 1 side over medium heat, then turn and brown other side. (Batter is delicate, so cook until set and use wide spatula to turn cake.) Remove from pan and keep warm. Makes 8 Corn Cakes.

HALIBUT BREADED WITH CASHEWS

AND MANGO-BASIL SAUCE

4 (6-ounce) portions boneless halibut

1/4 pound roasted cashews

1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs

Salt

3 to 4 tablespoons peanut oil

Mango-Basil Sauce

Remove skin from halibut. Grind cashews in food processor or put through fine grater. Combine cashews with bread crumbs in medium bowl.

Season halibut with salt to taste, then coat with crumb mixture. Heat oil in large oven-proof skillet. Carefully place halibut portions in skillet and lightly brown. Turn fish over. Place pan in oven and bake at 375 degrees about 8 minutes until fish is firm but not overcooked.

Place fish in middle of warm plates. Surround with Mango-Basil sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Mango-Basil Sauce

2 medium, ripe mangoes

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 small bunch basil

Salt

Lime juice

Peel and seed mangoes. Place in large saucepan with chicken stock and whipping cream. Bring to boil, then simmer until reduced in half, about 20 minutes. Pour mixture into blender and blend until very smooth.

Wash basil and tie bunch together with string. Pour mango mixture into top of double boiler and submerge basil in mixture at least 20 minutes. Keep warm over simmering water. Remove basil and season to taste with salt and lime juice.

INVOLTINI DI MELANZANE

(Goat Cheese Wrapped in Eggplant)

1 large or 2 small eggplants

Salt

Soy or peanut oil

2 to 3 ounces Caprini cheese

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

4 drops Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

Pepper

Chopped garlic, optional

Slice eggplant into 1/4-inch slices. Sprinkle salt over slices and let stand about 10 minutes. Pat dry.

Heat enough oil in skillet for 3 to 4 eggplant slices to float at a time. When oil is very hot, add eggplant and cook about 30 seconds. Turn and cook additional 30 seconds, until slices are soft enough to roll. Do not overcook. Place cooked slices on paper towels to drain.

Cut cheese in equal number of small pieces as eggplant slices. Place 1 piece in center of each eggplant round. Roll eggplant around cheese and place in baking dish.

Whisk together mustard, Worcestershire, vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic to taste in bowl. Brush gently over eggplant and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours. Makes about 24 rolls.

CHICKEN-CHANTERELLE

CROQUETTES

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups diced fresh chanterelles

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups whipping cream

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken

4 1/2 cups white bread crumbs

2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs

Salt, pepper

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Oil

Melt butter in large skillet. Add onion and garlic and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Add chanterelles and continue cooking additional minute.

Stir in flour until evenly distributed. Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add cream, stirring constantly. Bring to boil, add chicken and simmer 3 to 4 minutes.

Lower heat and blend in 2 cups bread crumbs. Add herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in eggs. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, just until slightly thickened (use care so mixture does not curdle).

Remove mixture from heat, place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 to 5 hours or overnight.

Shape mixture into small ovals and roll in remaining bread crumbs. Heat oil to 350 degrees and deep-fry 4 to 5 minutes, turning until golden brown on all sides. Makes about 35 croquettes.

WILLIAMS-SONOMA

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE SAUCE

1/4 pound unsalted butter

1/2 cup Port

4 ounces semisweet chocolate

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, separated

3/4 cup sifted flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce

Butter 10-inch springform pan. Line bottom with baking pan liner paper or wax paper cut to fit and butter paper. Dust with flour, then set aside.

Place butter, Port and chocolate in small, heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally until butter and chocolate are melted.

Reserve 2 tablespoons sugar. Add remaining sugar to egg yolks in small bowl of electric mixer and beat at high speed a few minutes until very pale in color. Turn speed to low and gradually add warm melted chocolate mixture, beating until smooth.

Beat in flour, then remove bowl from mixer. (Cake may be prepared hours ahead to this point. Cover this bowl and bowl of egg whites and let stand at room temperature.)

Beat egg whites and salt in small bowl until hold soft shape. Gradually add reserved 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until whites hold definite shape when beaters are raised but are not stiff and dry.

Fold about 1/3 of chocolate mixture into beaten whites. Transfer both remaining chocolate mixture and egg white mixture to larger bowl. Fold together gently only until just incorporated. Do not handle more than necessary.

Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake in center of oven at 325 degrees 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Gently run knife around sides of cake to loosen, then release and remove sides of pan.

Cover cake with rack and invert. Remove bottom of pan and paper lining, then cover bottom of cake with serving plate and invert again, leaving cake right side up. Cake will be only 1 inch high. Serve with Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce. Makes 8 servings.

Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup whipping cream

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

2 to 3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Place milk, cream and chocolate in heavy saucepan, uncovered, over low heat. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted. Whisk or beat until smooth. (At first chocolate will form tiny specks in liquid, but will become smooth with continued whisking or beating.)

Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and taste. Add additional sugar, if desired. Add butter and stir to melt. Let stand until room temperature. Makes 1 1/4 cups.

Note: Sauce should be served at room temperature. If prepared ahead and refrigerated, reheat slightly before serving.