Chef Messier’s Sugar Cookies!

AH&L invites Sun Dial Restaurant, Bar & View Executive Chef Christian Messier to blog about his favorite holiday recipe: Sugar Cookies.      

As the holiday season approaches, you can feel the excitement in the air. Most people are out shopping for gifts, decorating their yards, going to children’s holiday plays, and looking forward to a few days off to relax.

And then there are the lives of chefs. This time of year, chefs are inundated with holiday parties, off-site catering events, a multitude of special holiday menus, and the final sprint to the end of the year to meet or beat food and labor cost goals.

Still, this time of year holds a special place in our hearts. When I think about my favorite holiday recipe, many memories from my childhood come to mind. Holidays were filled with friends and family gatherings– most of the time around food and enjoying each other’s company. (This was long before HDTV, pay per view, or Xbox.)

Many two-hour long trips to Grandma’s house were filled with eager anticipation of kitchen countertops filled with containers of baked goods: home-made candies, cookies, and of course, a house filled with the smell of a roasting turkey.

My favoriteholiday recipe, though, was one Grandma Tony and I found in a Lutheran Church cookbook from Rudd, Iowa from the early 1970s. The contributors were Gladys Gruis and Mrs. Dale Sido. It is a Sugar Cookie Recipe requiring no time to set up in the refrigerator as many do.

As I make cookies with my children, and think back to when I was young, I realize the best holiday recipe of all has only three ingredients; good food, family, and friends spending time together. And the best part of the recipe? It’s so easy to make. Cook, cool, and decorate as you wish.

Drop Sugar Cookies Recipe
Although it is called “drop cookies,” we always rolled the dough out right away, without refrigeration, and cut shapes with cookie cutters appropriate for the season. They were easy to cut and tasted terrific.

Sift:
2 1/2 c. flour
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda

Cream:
1/2 c. margarine and 1/2 c. lard or 1c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla

Add 1 egg. Beat until fluffy. Stir in dry ingredients. Add 2 T. milk. Drop by teaspoonfuls on ungreased sheet; flatten with bottom of glass which has been dipped in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees, 12 minutes.

Enjoy the cookies. What is your favorite holiday recipe?

—Chef Messier

About the chef: The Sun Dial Restaurant, Bar & View Executive Chef Christian Messier integrates 15 years of culinary experience into creating contemporary American cuisine with the finest ingredients and his own creative flair. Chef Messier came to The Sun Dial from The Renaissance Grand Downtown St. Louis-Convention Hotel where he was chef for almost two years. Prior to that, Chef Messier served as sous chef at The Phoenician, a five-star, five-diamond, world-class resort in Scottsdale, AZ. He began his career at the award-winning Country Club of the South in Alpharetta.About the restaurant: The Sun Dial Restaurant, Bar & View is Atlanta’s only tri-level complex featuring a revolving upscale restaurant, a rotating cocktail lounge, as well as an observatory view level. Situated atop the Westin Peachtree Plaza at 210 Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, the Sun Dial offers breathtaking 360-degree panoramic views of Atlanta, live jazz, seasonally-influenced contemporary American cuisine and specialty desserts.

Add comment October 30th, 2007

Guest Blogger, Chef Nick Oltarsh, from the Room at TWELVE

Grilling at home can be both exciting and intimidating - some of the best and most flavorful meats and vegetables come off the grill, but getting to that point can sometimes be a challenge. You’ve probably asked yourself whether or not charcoal or gas is better, if you should use high or low heat, marinades or dry rubs and whether or not to leave the lid open. As Executive Chef of Lobby at TWELVE and the modern American steakhouse, Room at TWELVE Centennial Park, I’ve learned that using high heat is essential for searing the outside of a meat, whether it be a rare steak or tuna, but be sure to lower the heat and allow time to do its work on a thick piece of meat. When grilling, it’s best to keep the lid closed to enhance your food’s flavor by allowing it to keep its natural juices.

What are some grilling tips you have that make for a delicious meal?

<>-Chef Oltarsh 

Add comment October 19th, 2007

Guest Blogger, Chef Nick Oltarsh, from the Room at TWELVE

Purists say putting any kind of sauce on a steak is an insult to both the chef and the steak - a good piece of meat should be juicy and flavorful in itself. But as Executive Chef at Downtown’s modern American steakhouse Room at TWELVE Centennial Park, I have found that certain sauces (stay away from the ketchup!) can actually enhance a steak. Room’s grilled house steak served with a red wine sauce creates a harmony of flavors that will take your enjoyment of steak to the next level. How do you like to break the “no sauce on a steak” rule?

- Chef Oltarsh

Add comment October 10th, 2007

AH&L welcomes our first guest blogger, Chef Nick Oltarsh, from the Room at TWELVE.

The Perfect Pairings for Steak

Fall is officially here, and it’s the perfect time to get your grilling in before the weather turns frosty. So gather your family and friends, throw some steaks on the grill and enjoy a delicious meal on the deck. Add just the right bottle of wine, and you might even have guests thinking you are a trained professional. As Executive Chef of Lobby at TWELVE and Downtown Atlanta’s modern American steakhouse, Room at TWELVE Centennial Park, I’ve experienced firsthand how wine can make a meal. Today, a more relaxed approach of guidelines makes pairing much easier and more interesting than the standard red wine, red meat mantra; great pairings are all about balance. Perfectly grilled steak pairs well with a full intensity red such as Cabernet Sauvignon while a Syrah brings out the flavors in red meat covered in an herb marinade. What are some of you favorite meat and wine combinations?

– Chef Nick Oltarsh

Add comment October 5th, 2007