Photo: FX/Hulu
For folks who love television viewing as much as they love hanging out in the kitchen, a new season of FX’sThe Bearis cause for celebration. In this season, the staff of The Original Beef of Chicagoland get busy opening a new restaurant in the Beef’s building. That means plenty of opportunities for drama and, more importantly, new recipe inspo.
Every Dish They Make on ‘The Bear’ —Plus Recipes to Create the Magic at Home
This year,The Bear’s beautiful food photography gets a chance to linger on new menu items for the restaurant—including some doomed recipes—plus an entire Christmas dinner. While we wish we’d gotten a chance to lay eyes on a few of the dishes mentioned in passing this season (like that smoked bone marrow with beef consommé and frozen Concord grapes), there are still plenty of meals we can’t wait to recreate.
Episode 2: “Pasta”
Fresh Pasta (or King’s Hawaiian Rolls) with Lamb Ragout
While Carmy puts together some fresh pasta, Sydney tells us the horror story of her final catering gig, when her fresh pasta got crumbly and she had to serve her slow-cooked lamb ragout over sweet Hawaiian rolls. We love to opt for a vegetarian ragout, like thisMushroom Ragout with Herbed Ricotta & Pappardelle, which you can serve over fresh pasta, dried pasta or even dinner rolls, if you like. Meatier options might include ourChicken & Mushroom Ragout.
Pickles
The second episode of the season throws us into the culinary deep end as Carmy and Sydney try to develop the menu for their new restaurant. We hear plenty of ideas that we never see—hamachi crudo and veal chop demi-glace among them—plus some test recipes that aren’t quite there yet. That includes Sydney’s lacto-fermented pickles, which have way too much acid in them.This recipefrom our friends at The Spruce doesn’t require any acid at all; all you’ll need is salt, filtered water and lots of carrots. Sitting the carefully canned veggies on the countertop to ferment at room temperature for a day or two should yield tasty results. But you could also try pickling just about anything withour method.
7 Must-Eat Fermented Foods for a Healthy Gut
Episode 3: “Sundae”
Marinated Radicchio with Burnt Grapefruit
Another of Sydney’s not-quite-right recipes, this glamorously colorful salad is served in a warm orange sauce and, apparently, too salty. To recreate this recipe, you might consider marinating your radicchio slabs in a simple balsamic vinaigrette, like ourLemon-Balsamic Dressing, for about an hour. (Sydney mentions adding a little chili—some sliced serrano pepper in your marinade could help add heat to your recipe.) Then char the radicchio in a cast-iron skillet with a little neutral oil and some fresh rosemary—that’s the method Sydney opts for. Serve it up with segments from aBrown Sugar Broiled Grapefruitin a small, colorful pool of grapefruit-garlic vinaigrette.
Longanisa Breakfast Sandwich with Hash Browns
Sydney orders this mouthwatering breakfast sandwich during her mandated day of taste-testing, and it looks pretty darn delicious. The best way to recreate this recipe would be going down to Kasama, the Chicago restaurant where these scenes were shot, and ordering a sandwich right off the menu. (The same goes for the mushroom adobo that Sydney orders without giving viewers much of a peek.)
Ice Cream Sundae
In an episode called “Sundae,” you’d better believe there’s going to be some ice cream. Sydney grabs a dish at Margie’s Candies in Chicago, where the clamshell bowl includes a scoop of vanilla, a scoop of pistachio, several generous dollops of whipped cream, a drizzle of hot fudge and a cherry on top. Sounds like it’s time to hit the freezer aisle for some old-school ice cream—then you can top your perfect mix of flavors with ourMagic Chocolate Drizzle.
Cheese-Stuffed Pasta in Brown Butter with Pesto
We see all kinds of plates cross Sydney’s table in this feast of an episode. But the chef keeps coming back to a dreamy pasta dish. Through a collage of Sydney’s extremely active imagination, we see her eventually land on a dish of handmade, ricotta-stuffed tortellini tossed in a brown butter sauce and served over a green sauce—since the garnishes include basil, pine nuts and parmesan, it seems safe to say this is a dreamy pesto. You could pick up tortellini from the refrigerated aisle, or try a recipelike this onefromSerious Eats. Just toss the cooked pasta in a little brown butter and serve with basil pesto to complete the picture.
Episode 6: “Fishes”
Lobster
Well, we can all rest assured that Jamie Lee Curtis knows how to take Feast of the Seven Fishes seriously. (Here’s an explanationbehind that classic holiday event, if you need one.) Her character, Donna, spends this episode frantically trying to complete her Christmas menu—no eighth fish allowed. It’s not clear exactly how Donna is making her lobster this year, but based on everything zipping in and out of the oven, we’ll assume she’s opting for boiled tails.This guide to cooking lobsterwill help you out.
Should You Stop Eating Maine Lobster? Seafood Watch Says Yes
Branzino
One item taking up valuable real estate in the Berzatto family oven is a pan of branzino that Donna wants to have broiled perfectly. A great stand-in might be this five-star recipe forRoasted Branzino with Lemon and Thymefrom Martha Stewart. This 30-minute entree would pair well with just about any veggies, including ourRoasted Eggplant with Lemonor ourMelting Cauliflower with Lemon, Feta & Oregano.
Tuna Casserole
A crisis nearly derails the night when a cheery guest shows up with a tuna casserole—making Christmas dinner a feast of eight fishes. There’s nothing simpler than an easy tuna casserole, and we have a few favorites to choose from. ThisSkillet Tuna Noodle Casserolefeatures a homemade mushroom sauce that binds together canned tuna, whole-wheat noodles and some peas. You could also opt for ourSpinach & Tuna Noodle Casseroleto add some more veggies to the picture.
Cannoli
When Carmy sets his eyes on the gorgeous pile of cannoli at the end of the night, you have to mourn that perfect holiday supper that never was. Folks who want to try making cannoli themselves have to learn to make the crispy, fried pastry shells, the custardy cream and even a sweet chocolate coating, if you like.This recipe from Serious Eatsis a great choice for those who want to take on a project.
Episode 7: “Forks”
Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza
Episode 9: “Omelette”
Boursin Omelet
Sydney cooks this omelet low and slow, applying butter to the pan liberally to keep the eggs from sticking. This method will yield a silky French omelet, which you can learn all about from our friends atSerious Eats. Basically, you’ll want to whisk about 3 eggs and add them to a nonstick skillet with a generous amount of melted butter. Use a rubber spatula to continue scrambling the eggs until they begin to set. Tilting the pan away from you, begin to fold the omelet starting at the top of the pan. Pull the cooked, folded part of the omelet back into the now-empty part of the pan, so that the runny, uncooked egg can cook in a thin layer in the newly empty space. When your eggs are about halfway done, use a piping bag or a spoon to add a line of Boursin cheese to a cooked part of the omelet. Keep cooking until your eggs are cooked and the omelet is entirely rolled. Once your omelet is on a plate, top it with crushed sour cream-onion potato chips and a sprinkling of chopped chives—just like they do at The Bear.
Episode 10: “The Bear”
Focaccia
Lots of dinners go whooshing past the camera in this fast-paced finale, including bucatini, steaks and amberjack. But we get a good look at hands dimpling this fluffy, aerated focaccia. Newbie bakers will be thrilled to learn that focaccia is one of the most straightforward bread-baking projects around.
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