Provided by Tiny Lou’s.
If you’ve dined at Tiny Lou’s recently, you may have detected a few changes, most notably the addition of Josh Wetshtein as the new executive chef of the restaurant and Hotel Clermont.
Wetshtein has been cooking for 25 years, starting as a teenager in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. He attended Le Cordon Bleu in Pittsburgh and spent most of his formative years working in Chicago before moving to Washington, D.C. to work at CUT by Wolfgang Puck. From there, he relocated to Bahrain and opened two Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group restaurants and lounges at the Four Seasons Hotel, later joining Miami-based Groot Hospitality and New Orleans-based One Pack Hospitality.
Wetshtein says pure chance brought him to Atlanta. “Once I saw [Hotel] Clermont and Tiny Lou’s, it was love at first sight and I knew I had to be here,” he said.
At Tiny Lou’s, Wetshtein packs dishes with local and seasonal ingredients. (Think fiddlehead ferns, white asparagus, and rhubarb.) But he’s also added a bit of playfulness to the menu. Tiny Lou’s new standout appetizer, chips and caviar, serves as a prime example
“Potato chips, creme fraiche, and caviar is a combo that’s a classic,” Wetshtein said.
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Essentially, it’s a leveled-up French onion dip, a slightly fancy interpretation of a snack he loves, all very fitting for a restaurant named after a popular dancer who worked at the Clermont Motor Hotel’s Gypsy Room during the 1950s.
This recipe has been adapted to include store-bought potato chips, which Wetshtein usually creates in-house at Tiny Lou’s. “Making chips from scratch is pretty involved, so I suggest buying them,” he said.
The recipe calls for a piping bag with a tip, which, along with caviar, Wetshtein recommends sourcing at Whole Foods. The ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and assembled in advance or just before serving. Once assembled, the dip will last.
But Wetshtein advises changing the recipe and making it your own.
“One of the great things about home cooking is making things to your own taste,” he said. “Don’t feel confined by a recipe, experiment, and have some fun.”
Dip ingredients1.5 Tbsp crispy garlic
1.5 cups sour cream
3 cups creme fraiche
1.5 cups mascarpone
1.5 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp dried onions
1/2 Tbsp salt and 1/3 tsp salt, separated
2 large yellow onions
1.5 Tbsp port
3 Tbsp sherry
1/2 cup demi glace
Black pepper to taste
1 8-oz bag of potato chips
Optional: caviar of choice
Directions
1. Using a spice grinder, blend crispy garlic into a powder. Next, blend dried onions into a powder.
2. Mix garlic powder, onion powder, sour cream, creme fraiche, mascarpone, lemon juice, and salt together using a whisk. Let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then relocate to a piping bag with a tip.
3. While the cream mixture is cooling, thinly julienne the onions and season with salt.
4. In a cast-iron or carbon steel skillet, caramelize onions fully, until golden brown throughout.
5. Once onions reach the desired color, deglaze with port wine and reduce until nearly dry (au sec). This will help lift and incorporate any food particles stuck to the pan.
6. Deglaze with sherry until nearly dry.
7. Once fully reduced, add demi glaze and cook until the onion mixture is tight. Add black pepper to taste.
8. Let cool at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes. Once cooled, very finely mince caramelized onions, store, and refrigerate.
Assembly
1. Layer the caramelized onions in a small serving dish. Using a piping bag with a tip, squeeze the cream mixture on top.
2. Garnish with julienned chives and caviar of your choice. Serve, or refrigerate until ready to serve. Pair with potato chips of your choice.