Key West Chef Shares Lemon Pasta Recipe
Dan Hilbert demonstrates how to make pan-seared chicken pasta and a quick strawberry shortcake using a pound cake shortcut.
By Aiko Soto ·
Chef Dan Hilbert brings a slice of Key West to the home kitchen with a two-course meal.
Hilbert, who works at the Isla del Sol Yacht and Country Club, presented the recipes on FOX 13 Tampa Bay's Dinner DeeAs. The main dish is lemon chicken pasta. It features boneless skinless chicken thighs seared in an oven-safe skillet. The chicken finishes in a 400-degree oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. The sauce combines white wine, chicken broth, lemon juice, and heavy cream. Cooks add garlic, red pepper flakes, and capers to the pan before deglazing with wine. The pasta simmers in the sauce with parmesan cheese and butter. Sliced chicken, fresh basil, and half of a cup of crumbled feta join the pot before plating.
The dessert offers a simplified approach to a classic. Hilbert uses a store-bought pound cake as the base. He cuts the cake into four rectangles measuring about 2 by 3 inches. A thin layer of unsalted butter coats one side of each slice. The buttered cake warms in the oven for a few minutes. This step replaces the need for a traditional biscuit or shortcake recipe. The fruit component uses 12 ounces of fresh strawberries. The berries are sliced and mixed with 1.5 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Lemon zest, lemon juice, four to five basil leaves, and a dash of kosher salt complete the fruit mixture.
The topping is a homemade lemon creme fraiche. The base requires only one cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of buttermilk. This mixture sits on a kitchen counter for 12 to 24 hours to thicken. Cooks then refrigerate the thickened cream. For the final topping, 6 ounces of the prepared creme fraiche combines with 1 ounce of powdered sugar. Lemon zest, 1.5 teaspoons of lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract mix into the cream. The warm pound cake serves as the plate for the macerated strawberries and the lemon creme fraiche. This method delivers a complex flavor profile without extensive baking time.
Dinner DeeAs airs every weekday at 1 p.m. on FOX 13 Tampa Bay. The show also runs at 7 a.m. on FOX 35 Plus in Orlando. Viewers can find episodes on YouTube and Fox Local. The segment allows home cooks to replicate restaurant-style dishes using common grocery store items.
