Chef Paul Rosenbluh and Chef Monique King

CHEF PAUL ROSENBLUH AND CHEF MONIQUE KING Teamwork has multiple definitions for chefs Monique King and Paul Rosenbluh. Not only are they married to each other and are the parents of three daughters, they also join forces in the kitchen to fashion Firefly Bistro’s original and outstanding culinary creations. In fact, it was cooking that brought the two chefs/owners of the South Pasadena hot spot together. Monique King has been a chef for over a decade. After graduating from Pitzer College in Southern California, the Los Angeles native started working with two of the best in the business, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, at City in 1989. It was here that King began to develop her unique style and perfect her trademark Ethnic Cuisine. In 1991, King was anxious to branch out on her own and moved to Chicago. She opened Soul Kitchen in 1993. With the opening of her own restaurant, King started to attract major attention from numerous movers and shakers in the culinary world and established herself as part of Chicago’s vanguard wave of young chefs who also owned their restaurants. Described by Travel and Leisure Magazine as “the Lauryn Hill of New American cuisine,” King enjoyed tremendous success with her Chicago eatery and was featured in articles in Food & Wine and in Nation’s Restaurant News’ Culinary Currents in section in February 1999. Enter Paul Rosenbluh. Rosenbluh joined the Soul Kitchen staff as sous chef in 1997, bringing with him a wealth of experience acquired at some of the country’s finest dining establishments. Paul received his training at California Culinary Academy in San Francisco where his externship included work at Palomino and Cypress Club. He then moved to Austin, TX where he served as sous chef at Coyote Café until it closed. After Rosenbluh had been working at Soul Kitchen for a short time, it didn’t take long before he and King realized they had more in common than a mutual interest in cooking. They got married and had their first daughter, Jula. However, they decided to move back to Los Angeles where King grew up and Rosenbluh had some family. Feniger and Millikan heard about King’s exodus from Chicago to Los Angeles and immediately hired her to be the Executive Chef at Border Grill in Santa Monica. From 2000 to 2001, King’s culinary expertise wowed everyone at Border Grill – from serious foodies to dabbling diners – and she bean to develop a loyal following. Meanwhile, Paul worked at several high-end restaurants, including Granita, Joe’s and Campanile, in order to get a feel for Los Angeles tastes. In September 2001, the two welcomed their second daughter, Riley and began to put their creative minds to work to develop their own restaurant. They joined forces with King’s stepfather, actor Carl Weintraub, who is their partner and the restaurant’s maitre D’. With South Pasadena as their location preference, the three waited patiently for the right spot to open. The 1009 El Centro location they found formerly housed another restaurant, Nicks. But, with some savvy design modifications to the space and tempting menus in place, King, Rosenbluh and Weintraub opened Firefly Bistro on July 18, 2002. Since then, Firefly Bistro has been receiving critical nods from the Los Angeles Times (** Review), Los Angeles Magazine, the Los Angeles Times 2003 Top 300 Restaurants issue and Angeleno Magazine. The couple welcomed a third daughter, Quinn, in 2003.

Recipes by Chef Paul Rosenbluh and Chef Monique King

FIREFLY BISTRO’S Texas Style shredded Brisket with cumin Braised cabbage and molasses roast tomatoes

 

Chefs: Monique King and Paul Rosenbluh

 

 

Brisket Dry Rub:

 

1/2 cup       salt

1/4 cup       garlic powder

1/4 cup       onion powder

3 Tbls.        black pepper

2 Tbls.        celery seed

1 Tbls.        dry mustard

2 tsp.          cayenne

1 Tbls.        dry sage

2 Tbls.         dry thyme

 

 (1) 7-9  lb. Brisket

 

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Rub mixture over 1 whole brisket.  Reserve any leftover rub for later use.  Let stand for one hour.  Traditionally you would slow smoke this brisket for 14 hours in your smoke pit.  Since not many people in southern California have a smoke pit we will do ours in the oven instead.

   

Pre-heat the oven to about 250.  Place the brisket in a roasting pan and place in oven.  The Meat will roast slowly for about 5-6 hours.  You will know it's done when the meat becomes tender and easy to shred.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for about an hour before trying to handle.  Shred brisket by hand and either use immediately or store in the refrigerator.

 

 

 

Cumin  Braised Cabbage

 

 

1 head            green cabbage-sliced

1                    yellow onion- sliced

1 Tbls.            garlic- chopped

1 Tbls.            cumin seed

1 can              Beer-lighter is better

2 cups            chicken stock

                      salt/pepper

 

In a large sauté pan or pot, sauté onion, garlic and cumin seed in 3 Tbls. butter.  Let cook for 3 min.  Add in beer salt and pepper.  The steam will start to break down the cabbage.  Add chicken stock and allow to cook, stirring occasionally for 15 min.  Adjust for salt.

 

 

 

Molasses Roasted Tomatoes

 

 

5           Roma tomatoes- quartered

1/3  cup molasses

             salt/pepper to taste

 

 

Place tomatoes in a roasting pan and drizzle molasses over quarter.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in 350 over uncovered for 30 min. Allow to cool.

 

 

 

B.B.Q. Sauce

 

 

1             onion

2 Tbls.    garlic

2                jalapeno

2 cups        tomato juice

2 cups         ketchup

1/2 cup        cider vinegar

1/2 cup         molasses

2 Tbls.          cumin

2 Tbls.          coriander

1Tbls.          Tabasco

2 tsp.           dry mustard

2 Tbls.          horseradish

                    salt

 

Sauté onion, garlic and jalapeno for 2 min.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil.  Reduce hear and simmer for 30 min.

*B.B.Q sauce is always better the next day.

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