6 great recipes from 25 years of Free Press top restaurants series

Cook like a chef.

One of the most delicious components of the Free Press Restaurant of the Year series over the past quarter-century has been the curation of some mighty fine, elevated recipes.

We've tested and documented many chefs' recipes over the last 25 years of Restaurant of the Year reporting, paired with programs like Detroit Top Tables and the Top 10 Takeover dining series.

Cooking like a chef as come a long way since the advent of the Food Network, and duplicating dishes can be a tall order for home cooks.

But that's the beauty of some chef recipes: You can make them at home.

With this year's top restaurants set to be revealed next week, we thought it fitting to share some of our past favorites.

Most of these recipes reflected dining dining trends at the time or were restaurant favorites.

This grouping has a lot of flavors going on and each dish is bold and beautiful, so be sure to get your food styling tweezers out. The recipes range from a main dish to a salad and appetizers. They don't require a lot of heavy lifting or oddball ingredients, and are easily doable.

All the recipes were previously tested by Susan Selasky in the Free Press Test Kitchen or the Great Lakes Culinary Center in Southfield.

Here are a half-dozen favorites.

Enjoy!

Brussel Sprouts and Feta Salad

Makes: 2 salads / Preparation time: 15 minutes / Total time: 20 minutes

This Brussels Sprouts Salad from Forest in Birmingham is simple yet packed with flavor. Shaved Brussels sprouts are blended with roasted Brussels sprouts and tossed with Bulgarian Feta cheese. Look for the cheese at grocery stores with a large cheese selection like Holiday Market in Royal Oak. Bulgarian feta is made from sheep's milk; the texture is creamier than Greek feta and the flavor profile is tangier. Finally, the salad is finished with a soft white balsamic vinegar-based vinaigrette.

1/2 cup Brussels sprouts, shaved and roasted

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 cups Brussels sprouts, ends removed, shaved

3 tablespoons golden raisins

2 ounces Bulgarian Feta

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the 1/2 cup shaved Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Drizzle with a few drop of olive oil; toss to coat. Roast about 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool.

In a large bowl, combine the roasted and regular Brussels sprouts, raisins, feta, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and pine nuts. Gently toss to coat. Serve.

From Forest, Birmingham.

Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen at the Great lakes Culinary Center, Southfield.

Townhouse Mac & Cheese

Serves: 6 (generous main dish servings) / Preparation time: 20 minutes / Total time: 1 hour

On the Detroit Townhouse menu, the Mac & Cheese was described as: Mac & Cheese/ Boursin Mascarpone Sauce/ Parmesan Cracker Crumble/ Aged Cheddar Cheese. It's the combination of all those cheeses in a cream sauce that make Townhouse's Mac & Cheese a winner. One staffer called Townhouse's Mac & Cheese as addictive as Girl Scout cookies. Every bite has you craving more.) If you cannot find orecchiette pasta in your local grocer, you can substitute fusilli, penne, rigatoni or macaroni.

SAUCE

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small shallot, peeled, finely chopped

1 large clove garlic, peeled, finely chopped

3/4 cup white wine

1 quart (4 cups) heavy whipping cream

1/2 pound (1 1/2 packages) Boursin cheese (herb or herb and garlic variety)

3/4 pound mascarpone cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons corn starch

2 tablespoons water

Pasta

4 quarts water

2 pounds dry orecchiette pasta

2 tablespoons kosher salt

GARNISH

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup butter crackers (like Ritz)

3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups aged white cheddar cheese

To make the sauce: In a medium stock pot heat the vegetable oil on low heat. Add the shallots and garlic and slowly saute until lightly translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Increase heat to medium and add white wine and deglaze pot. Continue cooking until the wine is reduced by half. Slowly whisk in the heavy whipping cream to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer 5 minutes. Whisk in the Boursin and mascarpone cheeses to the sauce. Continue cooking until the cheeses melt. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste being careful not to over season.

In a small bowl combine the corn starch and water to create a slurry. Slowly whisk the slurry into the sauce. Continue cooking, while whisking, until the sauce is thickened enough to just barely coat the back of a spoon. Do not over thicken sauce. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To make the pasta: In a large stock pot, heat water to a boil. Add the salt to boiling water and then add pasta. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions, about 9-10 minutes. Drain, do not rinse.

To make the crumble: In a food processor or in a large mixing bowl using your hands, combine all ingredients and crush to desired consistency. Mix together thoroughly.

To serve: Preheat the broiler to low. Place the sauce over low heat and add the cooked pasta. Stir to combine and heat through. Spoon the pasta mixture into individual ramekins (or desired serving dish). Top with aged cheddar cheese and Parmesan crumble and place in oven on middle rack. Broil until the top is golden brown.

From Townhouse, Detroit.

Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen at the Great lakes Culinary Center, Southfield.

Roasted Cauliflower

Serves: 6 (side dish servings) / Preparation time: 20 minutes / Total time: 40 minutes

At Selden Standard, executive chef and co-owner Andy Hollyday roasts cauliflower in the restaurant's wood-burning hearth at a temperature of 600-plus degrees. At home, Hollyday says, a 500-degree oven will suffice. The seasoned roasted cauliflower is paired with a drizzling of a dressing with hints of tahini, toasted coriander and cumin. Don't skip the toasting of the coriander and cumin seed, it really intensifies their flavor. This recipe makes more dressing than you'll need, but it will keep in the refrigerator at least a week.

CAULIFLOWER

1 head cauliflower cut into florets

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

DRESSING

1 tablespoon coriander seed, toasted and ground

1 tablespoon cumin seed, toasted and ground

2 garlic cloves, peeled, minced

1/4 cup tahini paste

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of ground cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

FINISHING

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (parsley or mint can be substituted)

1-2 pickled peppers, deseeded and julienned (use jalapeños or Fresno or hot or sweet Hungarian hot or sweet)

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the cauliflower to a sided baking sheet (set the mixing bowl aside because you'll use it again), and roast about 10 minutes or until cauliflower is golden brown and just cooked through, stirring once or twice throughout.

While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare the dressing.

To toast the coriander and cumin seed, place them in a skillet set over medium heat. Toast, while shaking the skillet so they don't burn, about 3-5 minutes. Once the seeds become fragrant, remove the skillet from the heat, cool seeds slightly and transfer to a clean coffee grinder (or use a spice grinder if you have one) and grind them.

In a food processor or blender, combine the garlic, tahini, water and lemon juice; blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it emulsifies. Add cayenne, coriander and cumin, and salt to taste. Adjust seasoning to your liking.

Remove the roasted cauliflower from the oven and transfer back into the mixing bowl. Pour some of the dressing onto the cauliflower to just coat. You will have extra dressing. Add more if you'd like, and reserve the rest for a future use.

Add cilantro and pickled peppers. Adjust seasoning. Arrange in a bowl or platter, and serve.

From Selden Standard, Detroit.

Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

Sriracha Chicken Skewers

Makes: 24 / Preparation time: 45 minutes / Total time: 1 1/2 hours

24 chicken tenders (about 1 1/2 to 2 ounces each) or about 2 1/2 pounds chicken breast cut into 24 even pieces

24 wooden skewers (6 inches)

CHICKEN MARINADE

3 cups packed brown sugar

3 cups rice vinegar

1 1/2 cups sambal oelek chili paste

1 1/2 cups sriracha

3/4 cup fresh ginger, chunked, wrapped in cheesecloth

CHINESE MUSTARD AIOLI

1 to 2 tablespoons mustard powder

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Worcestershire

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon A1 Steak Sauce

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 to 3 tablespoons honey

Salt and black pepper to taste

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl or plastic sealable bag. Set aside.

To make the marinade: In a medium saucepan, add all the ingredients and simmer on medium until the mixture is reduced by half its original volume, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely. When completely cooled, pour the mixture over the chicken pieces, refrigerate and marinate several hours or overnight.

Meanwhile, make the Chinese Mustard Aioli: In a mixing bowl, combine the mustard powder with mayonnaise. Allow to bloom 5 minutes. Whisk in Worcestershire, ketchup, A1 sauce, heavy whipping cream and honey. Adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Set aside.

When ready to cook, preheat the grill or broiler. Skewer one chicken tender on a wooden skewer. When all the chicken is skewered, grill or broil until thoroughly cooked, about 6-8 minutes. Serve the chicken skewers drizzled with Chinese Mustard Aioli and marinated cucumbers.

Cook's note: For the marinated cucumbers you will need to make two recipes. Make the ginger vinegar first because it's an ingredient for the Asian Marinade. For ginger vinegar: In a medium saucepan bring 1 1/2 cups rice wine vinegar and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil. Add 1/2 cup peeled and sliced fresh ginger and remove from heat. Cool to room temperature, cover and store in the refrigerator.

To make the Asian Marinade: In mixing bowl whisk together 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 1/3 cup ginger vinegar, 1 3/4 cups rice wine vinegar, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 tablespoon salt together until the sugar is dissolved. Wrap 1 1/2 tablespoons of toasted and cracked coriander seed in a piece of cheesecloth and tie together. Add to the mixture. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to use, thinly slice a cucumber and pour some of the marinade over. Marinate the cucumbers for 45 minutes.

From Wright & Co., Detroit.

Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

Lobster Corn Dogs

Makes: 6 / Preparation time: 25 minutes / Total time: 45 minutes

6 ounces orange marmalade

6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

4 ounces honey

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro or to taste

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 cup soda water

Oil for frying

6 bamboo skewers (10 inches long)

3 lobster tails (4 ounces each)

Napa Slaw (see note)

To make the citrus glaze, bring the marmalade, vinegar, honey and ginger to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Reduce the heat to a simmer and reduce the mixture by one-third.

Remove the mixture from the heat and cool it slightly. Stir in the sesame oil, Dijon and whole grain mustard and cool it completely. Add the cilantro and set aside.

For the corn dog batter, in a large bowl mix together the cornmeal, flour and cornstarch. Slowly whip in the soda water. Let the batter rest 5 minutes before using it. In a deep fryer or pot, heat oil to 325 degrees. (You will need enough oil so the lobster is submerged.)

Cut the lobster tails lengthwise and remove the meat from the shell. Thread the lobster meat onto a 10-inch bamboo skewer. Dip the lobster sticks into the corn dog batter, coating them thoroughly, then slowly place them into the deep fryer for 3 to 5 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Place the Napa Slaw on a plate and lean the fried corn dog on top. Drizzle with citrus glaze, or use glaze as a dipping sauce.

Cook’s note: To make Napa Slaw: Mix together 6 cups shredded Napa cabbage, ½ cup red cabbage, 1 shredded carrot, 1 red bell pepper cut into strips. In jar or bowl, mix together ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, ½ teaspoon each of minced shallots, rosemary and thyme, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Whisk in ¾ cup walnut or canola oil. Pour over slaw.

From the former Coach Insignia at the top of the Renaissance Center.

Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

Gruyere Cheese Gougeres

Makes: About 40 / Preparation time: 20 minutes / Total time: 1 hour

1 cup water

7 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Pinch of sugar

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups grated Gruyére cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, salt and sugar; bring to a boil. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the cheese.

Fill a pastry bag that is fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip with the mixture. Pipe mounds, about 1½-inches in diameter and 2 inches apart onto the pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool before serving.

From the former Marais in Grosse Pointe.