San Diegans already know that local casinos boast some of the largest restaurants in the region. What they may not know is that its high-volume restaurants attract chefs from all over the world. We asked some of the region’s American and international chefs for their favorite Christmas dishes.
Marlene Moore
Head chef for Temptations Food Court’s six restaurants at Pechanga Resort Casino
Born and raised in the two-island Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago, the Menifee resident’s West Indian Christmas feast includes two turkeys (one traditional and one with jerk seasoning) and a ham as well as West Indian curry chicken with potatoes and steamed rice, oxtail stew with peas and rice, macaroni pie, potato salad with a hint of sweetness. She also makes jerk chicken, which she ranks a 12 on the spicy scale of 1 to 10.
“My holiday meal with my family takes a lot of work, but I love every minute of all the planning, preparation and the cooking. It makes me feel like I’m back home. Family and friends fly in from New York, Texas and Philadelphia to spend Christmas, or our celebration of it, at our house. I’m really looking forward to it this year, even more than in years before. It’s even more special after not seeing some of my family for about two years.”
Jason Luke
Assistant chef, Harrah’s Resort Southern California
“Growing up, I was embarrassingly picky about food. I fixated on fat, refusing to eat it or skin of any kind. Then, when I was 12, I watched my grandfather cook for Thanksgiving. He grew up very poor, but along the way had become a phenomenal cook, and watching him brine and roast a turkey, accompany it with perfect mashed potatoes baked into toasted cones, making gravy from the pan drippings, pan-searing fresh green beans, and making something I’d never seen before with cranberries and sour cream. It was like seeing him put his heart out on the table. When he pulled a piece of perfectly crisp skin from that turkey, I saw him just pause and take his time eating it. I knew it had to be something special, so I went for it, too. I was not prepared for what I had been missing. Thinking back, that moment may, in all reality, have sent me on the path to loving and working with food. I still make potatoes the same way, 30 years later, and making a cranberry mousseline is the best homage I can think of to the cranberry dish he made. Cheers Kawpaw.”
Larry D. Banares
Executive chef and director of restaurants, Viejas Casino and Resort
“Being of Filipino heritage, our culture is based on family. Not just immediate relatives, but extended family with generations often living in the same household. This dynamic creates an unbreakable bond built on food, family and friends. We are known to be extremely hospitable and generous, and love to entertain and celebrate, especially at Christmas. In the Philippines, Christmas starts in September with the full complement of holiday decorations and music. Hamon, bibingka, pancit, queso de bola and lechon are all Christmas favorites. For me, the true joy of cooking is sharing, offering nourishment and creating special memories with family and friends. This is a chef’s pleasure, especially during the holidays.”
Ronnel Capacia
Executive sous chef, Pechanga Resort Casino
Originally from the island of Guam, Capacia gathers with his family of more than 100 people every Christmas Day for a feast incorporating traditional Filipino and Chamorro dishes.
“We go to my aunt’s house in San Diego every year for Christmas dinner. I will usually head out of Pechanga around 4 or 5 p.m., but my wife and daughters travel to her house earlier in the day. When I get there, all the food is already prepared, but my aunts put me in charge of cutting and carving up the fruit. This is their show, not mine. It’s a family tradition I am so thankful to be a part of and to give my kids the experience of. The family enjoys meat from a whole roasted pig (about a 100-pound pig purchased from a farmer outside of Escondido), embutido (a rolled meatloaf with eggs and hot dog sausage), buko (coconut) salad, bibingka (a sweet rice cake made with coconut milk as well as the meat from the coconut added in) and Guamanian specialties such as red rice, kalbi ribs and chicken kelaguen. It’s all delicious and reminds me so much of growing up in Guam. There we would have fiestas for Christmas that included our whole village, like 200 or 300 people. After the religious ceremonies were over for the day, the men would check on the pig they had roasted overnight, and the women would finish preparing other dishes. It’s very much the same now in San Diego, only everyone helps with everything.”
Alain Martins
Executive pastry chef, Valley View Casino & Hotel
Raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Martins has worked in pastry for the past three years at Valley View Casino. For the holiday season, he will be preparing his signature bourbon pecan frangipane cake, which is served at the resort’s Black & Blue Steakhouse. His fondest memories involve how much teamwork it takes to come together and make the ever-changing pastry menu each season. As a boy he started making desserts for his older sister and then he studied the pastry profession at a culinary school in New York.
Redentor Ramos
Executive chef, Harrah’s Resort Southern California
“I don’t cooking for Christmas, as I am always at work doing brunch or special events. But when I do, I love creating an appetizer before a meal, where all my family and friends can gather around the kitchen and talk while the kids are opening their presents. My favorite item to prepare is lobster strudel. They are easy to make, and everyone always enjoys it.”
Redentor Ramos’ Lobster Strudel recipe:
Ingredients:
- Lobster Tail (cooked, deshelled and cut in chunks)
- Mushrooms
- Boursin Cheese
- Shallots
- Fresh Thyme
- Italian Parsley
- Garlic
- 4 sheets Phyllo Dough (room temperature )
- Melted Butter
- Salt and Pepper
- Truffle Oil — optional
For chicken mousse:
- Skinless Chicken Breast
- Egg White
- Heavy Cream
How to prepare:
- For the mousse, place the chicken on the food processor and pulse until smooth, slowly add the eggwhite and 2 tbsp of heavy cream and process until smooth and mixed well together. Set aside.
- Next, saute the mushrooms really well with minced shallot and garlic. Add the white wine, thyme and parsley. Stir frequently until the liquid evaporates. Season with Salt and Pepper. Cool down and set aside.
- In a stainless-steel bowl, combine the mushroom and the lobster. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Then add chicken mousse. Mix well and keep them refrigerated while preparing the Phyllo dough.
- To make the Phyllo Dough, line your sheet pan with buttered parchment paper. Lay out one sheet of Phyllo and brush with melted butter. Repeat using a total of four sheets of phyllo dough.
- Lay out lobster and mushroom mixture from end to end of Phyllo dough. Carefully roll into a strudel.
- Tucking both ends. Brush the strudel with butter. Bake at 375 degrees until golden and crisp. About 25 minutes.
- Finally, let it rest for 10 -15 minutes