Chef Kent Rathbun


After rapidly rising through the ranks of some of the world's finest restaurants, chef Kent Rathbun has created two of the most talked about restaurant concepts in the nation - Abacus and Jasper's. In 1997, drawing on contemporary global cuisine, Rathbun established his own world-class restaurant, Abacus. His vision of an elegant culinary hotspot materialized in the heart of Dallas' uptown district and, within months of opening, Abacus received numerous accolades, including Mobil Four-Stars; AAA Four Diamonds; Five Stars from the Dallas Morning News; Bon Appetit's Best of the Year 2001 issue, which named Abacus' Chef's tasting menu a "Top Pick"; "Best Chef" by D Magazine; "One of the Top Meals Around the World" by USA Today and Abacus' induction into Nation's Restaurant News' Fine Dining Hall of Fame.

With Abacus' acclaim, Rathbun soon began research for his second concept, Jasper's. Adding a touch of "home cooking" flair to Abacus' level of ingredients and featuring a "modern outdoors" theme, Jasper's "Gourmet Backyard Cuisine" quickly became a location with distinction. With the opening of its first location in Plano, Texas, Jasper's recognition helped Rathbun expand to additional locations in The Woodlands and Austin, Texas. Jasper's has been named one of Esquire Magazine's Top-20 Best New Restaurants in America and has been touted by various publications throughout Texas.

Rathbun also has thrived on the national scene and was nominated as the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef: Southwest for four years. He has been featured in numerous national publications and has repeatedly appeared on a number of TV shows, including the Food Network's "Chef du Jour", CBS' "The Early Show" and NBC's "Today" show. Most recently, Rathbun appeared on Food Network's "Iron Chef America", defeating Bobby Flay. He was honored to be one of the featured chefs for the Bush 2001 Inaugural Ball and has participated in "Taste of the NFL", a pre-Super Bowl event, for five years.



California Avocado Roast Corn Nachos

Serves: 8
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

California Avocado Roast Corn Nachos

Ingredients

  • 1 medium red onion, diced
  • 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
  • 4 ripe Fresh California Avocados, peeled, seeded and diced
  • 1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
  • 1 jalapeño, stemmed, cored and finely diced
  • ½ cup roasted corn kernels
  • ½ cup black beans
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
  • Salt, to taste
  • 8 Tortilla Cups (see make-ahead recipe below)
  • ¼ cup grated Cotija cheese

Instructions

  1. Sauté diced onion over medium heat until tender. Allow onion to cool.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together onion, garlic, avocado, cilantro, jalapeño, corn kernels and black beans.
  3. Season mixture with lime juice and salt. Chill in refrigerator for one hour.
  4. Fill Tortilla Cups with mixture and garnish with cheese.

Tortilla Cups

Ingredients

  • 8 corn tortillas
  • Vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. Using a circular cookie cutter that is three inches in diameter, cut circles out of corn tortillas.
  2. Fill a large pot or deep fryer three-fourths full with oil and place over medium-high heat. Heat oil until it reaches 350º F.
  3. Place one tortilla round into oil. Using a 2 oz. ladle, press the tortilla into the oil so it forms a cup around the ladle. Keep tortilla round submerged until crisp. Remove and place on paper towel to eliminate excess oil.
  4. Repeat procedure with remaining tortilla rounds.

*Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.

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