Today's Case

Grand Finale Restaurant Subject: Grand Finale Restaurant Recipes Request From: Kristin Date: 3/2/2023, 12:58 PM To: Phaedrus On 3/2/2023 1:06 AM, Kristin wrote: Would you please help find any recipe from The Grand Finale restaurant, located in Glendale, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati). It closed a couple of years ago very suddenly.  I cannot find any of its recipes anywhere, though their menu and information about it are often posted, and their Facebook is still up. I am especially interested in the following: Chicken Ginger Crab Cakes with Corn Relish and Mustard Sauce Spinach Crepe Chicken Crepe Cherry Cordial Pie  Banana Torte Cherry Cobbler Cheesecake Ice Cream Puff Soft roll served before meals The food was absolutely magnificent! Thanks in advance for anything you might uncover! Sincerely, Kristin  Hello Kristin, Sorry, I did not have any success at all with Grand Finale's recipes. It does not appear that they have ever given anyone any of their recipes at all, and I found no indication that anyone has ever created a copycat recipe for any of their dishes. When they closed, there was some hope that they might publish a cookbook of their recipes, but there is no indication that they ever did so. I did find a copy or two of their menu, and these are descriptions from their menu of the dishes that you ask about: Grand Finale Restaurant Menu Chicken Ginger: Sweet Ginger & Walnuts top Boneless Chicken Breast marinated in Soy, Sherry & Honey Crabcake: Corn & Red Pepper Relish with a Chilled Mustard Sauce Spinach Crepes: Whole Steamed Leaves in a Swiss, Cheddar & Parmesan Sauce Coq Au Vin(the only chicken crepe on the menu): Chicken, Nutmeg & White Wine Sauce with Almonds The other dishes that you list were not on the menu by the names that you give, although they might be there under other names. I will post this for reader input. Phaed Subject: Grand Finale Restaurant Recipes Request From: Phaedrus Date: 4/2/2023, 4:25 PM To: Kristin Hi Kristin, One of my readers sent the attached clipping from the Cincinnati Enquirer. It does not have any of the recipes from your list, but it does have three dishes that The Grand Finale served. See below for the recipes: Phaed From: The Cincinnati Enquirer 28 Sep 2005, Wed · Page 34 The Grand Finale "Puff 1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough, 10 by 15 inches 2 whole eggs, beaten 6 scoops premium vanilla ice cream 3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (or more raspberries) Real whipped cream in an aerosol can 1 cup fudge sauce Powdered sugar Thaw pastry dough. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut 1/2 of dough into 6 rectangles and paint with beaten egg.(Save the rest of the dough for another use.) Bake rectangles on sheet pan for 20 minutes until puffed and golden. Cool. Split each puff and put bottome half on a 9-inch plate. Decoratively arrange all berries on plates around pastries. Top each bottom puff half with a large scoop of ice cream and place top half on top of the ice cream. Use the whipped cream to completely cover the sides of the puff and the ice cream, but not the top. Drizzle the fudge sauce on top until it runs down part way onto the whipped cream. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve quickly. Makes 6 servings. ----------------------------------------------- B.L.T Deviled Eggs 12 large hard-boiled eggs, split lengthwise 3 tablespoons crisp cooked bacon, finely chopped 1 1/2 tablespoons dried tomatoes (not oil-packed), finely chopped 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons chives, chopped 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped 3/4 cup mayonnaise Pinch of salt & pepper 8 ounces cooked chilled lobster tail or claw meat in pieces (see note) Chopped parsley garnish Remove egg yolks from egg whites. Mash yolks and combine with bacon, tomatoes, mustard, chives, parsley, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Fill egg whites with yolk mixture and top with small piece of lobster meat. garnish with chopped parsley. Note: Lobster meat could be replaced with smoked salmon, chilled shrimp or sliced grilled sea scallops. -------------------------------------------------------------- Brie and Roasted Pear Soup with Herbed Walnuts Walnuts: 1 cup walnuts Olive oil Pinch each of salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and oregano Preheat oven to 375. Drizzle walnuts in a baking pan with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs. Roast 15 minutes. Soup: 4 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 large white onion, peeled, in 1-inch pieces Olive oil 2 cups heavy cream 3 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 3/4 pound brie, all rind removed, in 1-inch pieces Chopped parsley 1 cup herbed walnuts While wlanuts are roasting, arrange pears and onions in shallow roasting pan and drizzle. Season with slat and white pepper. Roast in same oven for 20 minutes until soft. In a heavy pan heat cream, wine and stock. Bring to boil. Add pears and onions and gently boil 3 minutes. Puree in batches in blender and return to pan. (Be sure lid is on tightly.) Heat soup to almost boiling and add brie. Stir until brie is melted, but do not let soup boil. Serve immediately or keep warm over a water bath. Garnish with walnuts and parsley. Makes 8 servings.