Recipes from Embers: Cider Smoked Chicken and Toasted Chocolate Pot de Creme

Embers is a stick-season restaurant brought to you by the Fall ‘25 cohort that personifies the quiet stretch between fall and winter when the leaves have fallen, the air turns crisp, and fire becomes the heart of gathering. The menu highlights smoke, char, and seasonal produce, creating dishes that feel nostalgic yet elevated. Embers celebrates the in-between: fall into winter, flame into smoke, memory into tradition.


SMOKED CIDER CHICKEN

Yields 12 portions

INGREDIENTS

  • 2.5 lbs yellow onion, medium dice

  • 8 oz shallots, medium dice

  • 8 oz tomato, medium dice

  • 2 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped

  • 1 cups niter kibbeh, room temp

  • 1.5 cup berbere spice

  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin

  • 4 cups chicken stock

  • 2 tbsp garlic-ginger paste

  • 2 lbs chicken thighs,

To Serve

  • 6 cups pilau rice

DIRECTIONS

  1. Process onion, shallots, tomatoes and rosemary in food processor until everything is finely chopped. Mixture will create a lot of liquid. DO NOT DRAIN.

  2. Add mixture to a wide surface pot and cook on med-high heat for 45 minutes. Stir frequently. Mixture will be mostly dried up.

  3. Add the Niter Kibbeh and cook on med-low heat for about 30 mintues. Stir frequently. Mixture should look like a burnt orange paste.

  4. Mix in the Berbere and cumin. To avoid burning, add 1/4 cup of stock at a time. Cook for 5 minutes on low heat.

  5. Add in the chicken, garlic-ginger paste and salt. Be sure to fully submerge the chicken into the base. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes on low heat.

  6. Stir in the 2 tbsp of niter kibbeh and submerge the eggs in. Allow to rest over night.

  7. Remove eggs from stew and pass throw spider strainer. Toss eggs with green onion and mitmita.

  8. Serve each 6 oz portion with 1/2 cup of rice

TOASTED CHOCOLATE POT DE CREME

HONEY CURD

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 vanilla bean

  • 255 g honey

  • 710 g heavy cream

  • 237 g whole milk

  • 9 egg yolks

  • 4 g salt

DIRECTIONS

  1. Split and scrape vanilla bean

  2. Add vanilla and honey to put and begin to caramelize

  3. Have milk and heavy cream combined and on standby for honey

  4. Once honey has caramelized add heavy cream/milk mixture to stop cooking

    Mix then add the rest

  5. In separate bowl whisk eggs and salt together and temper honey mixture

  6. Return to heat and cook for 1-2 minutes continuously stirring

  7. Strain and cook at 210 F for 40-50 minutes until edges have set

WHITE PEACH SORBET/HIBISCUS DUST

INGREDIENTS

  • 1000 g white peach concentrate

  • 150 g sugar

DIRECTIONS

  1. Blend sugar and concentrate thoroughly

  2. Divide evenly into pint containers and freeze

  3. Paco jet

WHIPPED HONEY

INGREDIENTS

  • 250 g honey

  • 30 g water

  • 2 tsp versawhip

  • 15 g hibiscus

  • 20 g lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

  1. Infuse honey, water, hibiscus. Bring to boil. Steep for 15 minutes.

  2. Strain honey hibiscus mixture. Add honey until liquid totals 280g.

  3. Once cooled, add lemon juice and versawhip

  4. Blend until smooth then whip on high until fluffy

  5. Transfer to piping bag with 805 tip

TART DOUGH

INGREDIENTS

  • 298 g butter

  • 267 g 10X

  • 18 g trimoline

  • 357 g AP flour

  • 357 g whole wheat flour

  • 165 g egg yolk

  • 36 g eggs whole

  • 3 g salt

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cream butter, 10X, Trimoline

  2. Add eggs in 3 stages

  3. Add sifted flour, salt, and clove all at once

  4. Preshape into rectangle, wrap and cool overnight

  5. Roll to quarter inch thick cut with lid of ring molds

  6. Butter ring molds and line

  7. Freeze

  8. Bake from frozen at 300 F until GBD

Jessica Sigmundsson