Waterloo & CityBIO
Waterloo & City 12517 West Washington BoulevardLos Angeles, CA 90066 (310) 391-4222 Get Directions
Seared Foie Gras
This recipe is somewhat complicated but well worth the effort. First make the tete de spam, then the sorbet and brioche (recipes and directions below). Once all your recipes are completed you can finish the dish.
Tete de Spam
Char Siu Flavoring
Boil meat with onions, garlic, salt, black pepper, water and vinegar till falling off the bones. Allow to cool until able to handle with bare hands. Pick meat off the bones, discard bones. chop meat and cooked onions to the consistency of spam. Add char sui flavorings, salt and sage to taste. Pour into a large pan and allow to cool in refrigerator overnight. Cut in squares.
Pineapple Sherbet
To prepare sorbet cut pineapple into 2-inch pieces. Place pineapple and lemon juice in a food processor; process until smooth. Add sugar; process 1 minute or until sugar dissolves.
Pour mixture into an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions, Spoon sorbet into a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze 4 hours or until firm.
5 Spice Brioche
Combine the water, yeast, five spice and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (If the bowl is cold, start with warmer water so it's at least 110 degrees when you add the yeast. Mix with your hands and allow to stand for 5 minutes until the yeast and sugar dissolve. Add the eggs and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, until well mixed. With the mixer on low speed, add 2 cups of the flour and the salt and mix for 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low, add 2 1/4 more cups of flour and mix for 5 more minutes. Scrape the dough into a large buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Meanwhile, greased a loaf tin. Set aside.
Place the dough in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the softened butter in chunks, and mix for 2 minutes, adding additional flour as needed to make a ball. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and divide the dough into 5(4-ounce) balls and place them in the tins. Cover the tins with a damp towel and set aside to rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When the loaves have risen, brush the top of each with the egg wash and bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops spring back and it sounds slightly hollow when tapped. Turn the loaves out onto a wire rack to cool.
Born in Nottingham, England, at the age of 15 Brendan Collins quit secondary school to follow his dream and enroll in culinary school. A true talent, by 17 he had his first job at a Michelin two-star restaurant, Le Gravroche in London. He continued to hone his French technique at some of London’s top gastronomic temples including The Café Royal, The Heights and Pied et Terre.
Collins’ first executive chef position was at The Calls Grill in Leeds. Under his direction, the fledgling dining room received the prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand in 1999. Soon after, Collins returned to London to work as a sous chef at Oxo Tower Restaurant, a modern British restaurant owned by the Harvey Nichols Group, before accepting the position as sous for celebrity chef Marco Pierre White at Quo Vadis. While there, Collins garnered one Michelin Star and earned a reputation as one of London’s rising culinary talents.
At the behest of celebrated chef Josiah Citrin, Collins moved to Los Angeles in 2002 to serve as chef de cuisine at his acclaimed Melisse Restaurant in Santa Monica. During his four year tenure at Melisse, the restaurant received the Mobile Four Star Rating each year and was among the first California dining destinations to be awarded a coveted Michelin two star rating. Collins left Melisse to open Mesa in Orange County; as executive chef there, the restaurant enjoyed great critical and popular success. Collins returned to Santa Monica to open Anisette with Alain Giraud. Not long after the opening, he was lured away by an offer to become executive chef of The Hall at Palihouse. There he solidified his individual culinary style and gained fan following while winning critical acclaim.
As Executive Chef and Proprietor at Waterloo & City, Collins combines his impeccable French technique, seasonal California ingredients and imitable “British lad” attitude to create a cuisine that’s at once comforting and exciting. Drawing on his training in butchery and belief in using the whole animal, Collins is dedicated to using only the best ingredients and cooking food that he likes to eat.
Collins is a dedicated husband to wife, Eden Rountree Collins, and father to daughter, Saffron Rose Collins.