What local chefs would serve President Obama, if they could

As Barack Hussein Obama takes the oath of office Tuesday, a team of chefs will be busy preparing a celebratory luncheon at the Capitol's Statuary Hall. The president-elect's people haven't yet (as of press time) released the menu for the dignitaries expected to attend the new president's first meal, but early word is two of his favorite's - chili and pizza - won't be on the menu.

Lacking an official menu that you could re-create in your own kitchen, I asked four of the area's top chefs to each develop a course suitable for a presidential feast. Here's what they came up with.

Jeremy Lycan

Niche Restaurant, Geneva

Appetizer: Lobster in Mojo de Ajo With Creamy Grits and Hibiscus Fresca

About this recipe: "I wanted to capture his person, who he is. I know he's a big fan of Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill) and Mexican food in Chicago. I also wanted to show Chicago's ingenuity; how we take things from multiple cultures and make it our own. I did that (by modifying) shrimp and grits."

The hibiscus fresca draws its color and flavor from Hawaii's state flower.

Dossier: Lycan, 32, cooked for Mikhail Gorbachev and then-first-lady Barbara Bush while the high-profile pair visited Millikin University in Decatur, where Lycan worked at the time.

"The Secret Service came in; everyone had to wear credentials. I never got the opportunity to meet him."

Lycan also cooked for Olympians Nancy Kerrigan and Oksana Baiul and the Princess of Thailand Maha Chakri Sirindhorn during his tenure at the Four Seasons Hotel in West Palm Beach, Fla. In January 2008, he presented a winter menu at the James Beard House in New York City.

Hagop Hagopian

Fresh 1800, Hyatt Hotel, Schaumburg

Salad: Salad of Warm Breast of Pheasant With Baby Arugula, Michigan Apples, Maytag Blue Cheese, Toasted Walnuts, Ciabatta and Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette

About this recipe: "It's cold outside, so I wanted to do a warm salad. This salad highlights local ingredients: pheasant you can catch in southern Illinois, Maytag Blue Cheese is from Iowa, the apples are from Michigan. It's a nice salad and the preparation is very simple."

Dossier: Hagopian, 34, graduated from William Fremd High School in Palatine and has been with the Hyatt for almost two years. He's an accomplished ice carver and is scheduled to prepare hors d'oeuvres during the Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence later this month at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago. He's cooked for local politicians and says he feels good about Obama taking the helm.

"He brings fresh ideas; he's thinking long term."

Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris

Prairie Grass, Northbrook

Entree: Tallgrass Beef Tenderloin With Mushrooms and Herb Topping, Potatoes and Pea Shoot Sprouts

About this recipe: Stegner and Bumbaris bring Midwest flavors together with the grass-fed Tallgrass Beef, mushrooms from River Valley Ranch near Lake Geneva, Wis., potatoes grown in Wisconsin and pea shoot sprouts from Three Sisters Garden. "This represents the style of cooking that we do," says Stegner, a vocal proponent of the eat-local food movement. "I believe this country needs to make a statement."

Dossier: During their tenure at the Ritz Carlton in Chicago, Stegner and Bumbaris fed President Bill Clinton and first lady Hilary Rodham Clinton, international dignitaries and rock stars including the Rolling Stones and Tina Turner. Last summer, Stegner cooked at a fundraiser attended by incoming first lady Michelle Obama.

Gale Gand

Tru, Chicago; consultant and author

Dessert: As American As Apple Pie With Sour Cream Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce

About this recipe: "Obama is as American as apple pie, but in a new sense of the word. Pie is such a Midwest thing I couldn't resist ... Midwest apples, of course, caramel because of the Affy Tapples we're famous for, and sour cream ice cream because it's yummy with pie."

Dossier: Gand has previously cooked for Obama at political dinners and at Tru where the couple celebrated their anniversary two years ago. Her resume also includes meals cooked for Mayor Richard M. Daley, the Clintons, Prince Charles and Princess Diana as well as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

Lobster in "Mojo de Ajo" with Grits and Hibiscus Fresca

6 large cloves garlic thinly sliced

4 tablespoons corn oil

1/2 cup rehydrated Guajillo chile, pureed and strained

1/2 cup rehydrated Ancho chile, pureed and strained

1/4 cup water

8 lobster claws, cooked

Creamy Grits

11/2 cups stone ground grits

2 cups water

1 cup milk

1 cup grated white cheddar

Hibiscus Fresca

2 ounces dried hibiscus flower

3 cups boiling water

6 cups ice water

3/4 cup lime-infused simple syrup

For the lobster: In a large sauté pan over medium heat combine corn oil and sliced garlic; gently sauté until garlic becomes translucent. Add chile purees and water then simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add water as needed to maintain sauce consistency.

Remove meat from the lobster claws and add to simmering sauce; simmer until heated through.

For the grits: Combine grits, milk and water to large sauce pot over low heat. Stir and cook until grits are tender adding water as needed. Fold in grated cheese and season with salt and pepper.

For the fresca: Steep dried flowers in boiling water then strain into lime simple syrup. Add ice water and serve chilled.

To serve: Place grits in the center of the plate; top with lobster meat and sauce. Serve fresca on the side.

Serves eight.

Cook's note: Jumbo shrimp can be substituted for the lobster claws. Look for dried hibiscus in Hispanic markets.

Chef Jeremy Lycan, Niche Restaurant, Geneva

Arugula and Apple Salad with Pheasant, Blue Cheese

1 pheasant breast (6 ounces)

1 tablespoon grape seed oil

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

6 ounces baby arugula

1 ciabatta (full moon bias and toasted)

6 toasted walnut pieces

2 ounces Michigan apples (cut into 1/4-inch-by-2-inch matchsticks

Mousse

2 tablespoons Maytag blue cheese

1/2 teaspoon minced shallots

3/4 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

1 large shallot, roasted and chopped

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the mousse: In a medium bowl, combine the blue cheese with the olive oil, heavy cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to service.

For the vinaigrette: Whisk the mustard, vinegar, chopped shallot and honey together until well combined. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until well emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

For the pheasant and greens: Season the pheasant with salt and pepper

Heat a small saute pan over medium to high heat and add the grape seed oil. Add the pheasant skin side down and cook until well golden on top and turn until done (pheasant tends to become very dry so extra attention is needed during cooking). Remove from the pan and let sit at room temperature.

Let the pan cool off a bit then add the arugula in the pan where the Pheasant was cooked and wilt the arugula for 5 seconds. Add wilted greens to a bowl and toss with the vinaigrette and combine with the apples.

To serve: Slice the pheasant breast in six pieces.

Place the ciabbata in the center of a plate and sequence 3 pieces of the pheasant breast atop the bread; top the arugula and apple. Form the mousse into two quenelles (ovals) with teaspoons and place them next to the salad. Add the walnuts to the top of the greens. Spoon some of the vinaigrette around the plate and serve.

Serves two.

Chef Hagop Hagopian, Fresh 1800 at the Hyatt, Schaumburg

Tallgrass Tenderloin with Mushrooms and Herb Topping

4 Tallgrass Beef filets (8 ounces each), completely trimmed and denuded

Salt

Fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Topping

2 cups sliced mushrooms from River Valley Ranch or another local source

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup minced shallots

1/2 teaspoon garlic

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup bread crumbs

2 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

1 teaspoon chopped chives

1 teaspoon chopped tarragon

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Season steaks with salt and pepper on all sides. In a large pan over high heat brown all sides of the steaks in olive oil. Do not over crowd the pans. Cook the steak until it forms a crust on the outside for about 2-4 minutes on each side.

Transfer the steak to a baking pan and put in the oven until medium-rare or desired temperature.

For the topping: In a medium size saute pan over medium high heat cook the mushrooms in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until they are golden brown. Remove from the pan and place on a cutting board; chop the mushrooms into small pieces. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan over medium heat cook the shallots in 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the shallots are tender and cooked through, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes stirring frequently.

Add the shallot mixture to the mushrooms. Allow to cool. Add the softened butter, bread crumbs and herbs. Mix well.

Spread the topping on the cooked steaks and put under the broiler for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot with sauteed local potatoes and garnish with pea shoot sprouts and a red-wine sauce.

Serves four.

Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris, Prairie Grass, Northbrook

Apple Pie with Sour Cream Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce

6 sheets of pate a brick

2 tablespoons melted butter

4 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon brandy

3 Honey Crisp apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Ice cream

2 cups sour cream

1 cup half and half

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel sauce

11/4 cups sugar

1/3 cup water

2/3 cup heavy cream

For the pie: Cut the pate a brick disks in half and brush with melted butter, then sprinkle with sugar. Scrunch up the pate a brick to form round mounds about the size of an English Muffin. Place on a sheet pan, space 1 inch apart. Bake at 400 degrees until light golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan, melt the butter until slightly bubbly. Add the sugar and stir in with a wooden spoon. Once blended add the cinnamon and stir to combine. Continue simmering to make a caramel. Stir in the brandy and lemon juice and continue cooking until it becomes a smooth caramel. Add the apple wedges and cook till almost tender. Stir in the dried cranberries and hold filling till ready to serve.

For the ice cream: Whisk all the ingredients together and let sit covered and chilled for at least 1 hour or over night.

Pour into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Meanwhile place an empty container in the freezer to later store the ice cream in.

For the caramel sauce: Pour sugar into the center of a deep saucepan. Carefully pour the water around the walls of the pan, trying not to splash any sugar onto the walls. Do not stir; gently draw your finger twice through the center of the sugar, making a cross, to moisten it. Over high heat, bring to a full boil and cook without stirring, swirling the pan occasionally to even out the color, until medium caramel in color, 5-10 minutes. Immediately turn off the heat and use a wooden spoon to slowly and carefully stir in the cream (it will bubble up and may splatter). Let cool.

To serve: Place a piece of the pate a brick on a dessert plate and spoon the warm apple filling on top of it. Place a second piece on top and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Place a scoop of the sour cream ice cream next to it and add a spoonful of caramel sauce. Serve immediately.

Serves six.

Cook's note: Look for pate a brick in Asian markets.

Chef Gale Gand, Tru, Chicago