Chef Spotlight: Justin Klauba of Scratch and Rain wants to make a wedding cake

Justin Klauba is the new executive chef at Scratch and Rain.

This downtown restaurant and lounge, located directly across from the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox for more than 10 years, is open for lunch, dinner, happy hour and – on weekends – late-night eats.

Klauba, 34, was inspired by his grandmother to become a chef and loves to grill. He’s never made a wedding cake but wants to.

Here, he shares his recipe for grilled rack of lamb.

What’s your favorite dish to cook at home? Anything on the grill – from steaks to rotisserie chicken and grilled flatbreads to seasonal produce such as asparagus and artichokes in spring, corn and squash in summer, root veggies in fall, and hard squash and gourds in winter.

Where do you eat when you eat out? Hogwash Whiskey Den, Wandering Table and Craft & Gather.

Who or what inspired you to be a chef? My grandmother was a pastry chef, and I remember the smell of fresh pastries and raisin bread in her home when I would go to visit. I spent a good number of hours in her kitchen watching and learning patiently anticipating what was coming out of the oven.

What are your go-to ingredients? Definitely seafood. Sometimes other meats. I love to use leeks, fennel, citrus and fresh herbs. I try to cook with the seasons.

What was the first dish a customer ever sent back, and how did you handle it? I was working as a brunch cook for a country club in Chicago, and I under-cooked a guest’s over-medium eggs. The eggs went out over-easy, and the guest sent them back. I felt some frustration, but my chef explained to me “that in this industry, not every guest is easy to deal with and you won’t make every guest happy. Save yourself the mental anguish and stress and realize that no matter what, more than likely, you’re going to have to remake the dish.”

What’s a dish you’ve never made but would like to, and why? I have never been asked to make a wedding cake. I think it would be nice to be extremely meticulous and spend the time making sure it was a beautiful cake for the wedding couple on their special day.

What dish or ingredient best represents you? I have worked in all different types of restaurants all over the world, and I feel most connected with Japanese cuisine, specifically izakaya pub-style cuisine.

Grilled Rack of Lamb

From Justin Klauba

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons vadouvan spice

2 teaspoons thyme

Kosher salt, to taste

Coarse, freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 rack of lamb, frenched

Mix all ingredients through garlic in a medium mixing bowl. Add lamb and marinate for 1 hour, covered, in the refrigerator.

On a preheated grill, cook lamb over medium-high heat for 8 to 9 minutes, turning as needed to promote even cooking throughout. Be careful to not burn or char the rib bones that are exposed to the open flame. (Wrapping the bones in aluminum foil can help prevent this.)

Remove lamb from grill and allow to rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

Note: Klauba provided recipes for his suggested accompaniments. Find those recipes below.

To serve: Cut rack of lamb into four double-bone rib chops. Spoon vadouvan-scented yogurt on a plate and smear it using the back of the spoon. Spoon warm lentil salad onto plate. Place eggplant puree next to lentils. Interlock the bones of two of the chops and place on top of the lentils and eggplant puree. Place a couple of the falafel on the plate next to the lamb and garnish with slices of pickled eggplant.

Warm Lentil Salad

1 cup red lentils

2 1/2 tablespoons Brunoise shallots

5 teaspoons chopped garlic

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup white wine

2 cups vegetable stock

Salt, to taste

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

Lightly saute lentils in a medium sauce pot with shallots, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil. Deglaze pot with white wine and cook to “au sec” – until the liquid is nearly gone. Add vegetable stock and salt and cook until lentils are tender. Add sprigs of thyme at the end, and let steep.

Charred Eggplant Puree

1 eggplant

5/8 cups extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

3 teaspoons miso paste

1 cup roasted garlic puree

4 teaspoons sesame oil

Kosher salt, to taste

Split eggplant in half lengthwise and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and season with kosher salt. Char on the grill until soft and tender. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature. Once eggplant is cooled down, place all of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Add salt to taste, then pass mixture through a chinois. Before serving, warm the puree in a small sauce pan.

Miso-Pickled Heirloom Eggplant

5/8 cup Chardonnay vinegar

5/8 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

5 teaspoons white miso paste

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound baby eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch discs

Place all ingredients except for eggplant in a medium sauce pot. Bring the pickling liquid to a boil, then pour over the sliced baby eggplant and cover. Let the eggplant cool down to room temperature before refrigerating. Before serving, place pickled eggplant on a small plate lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess pickling liquid.

Vadouvan-Scented Greek Yogurt

2 cups Greek yogurt

4 teaspoons vadouvan spice

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in blender and puree. Pass through a chinois and reserve.

Edamame Falafel

1 cup plus 2 1/2 teaspoons edamame, cooked

1/2 cup grams fava beans, cooked

3/4 cup garbanzo beans, cooked

1/2 cup lamb fat

1 egg yolk

5 teaspoons miso paste

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons mint

2 teaspoons cilantro

Potato starch, to coat

Salt, to taste

Mix all ingredients together and grind through the smallest die on the grinder. Mix in a chilled mixing bowl and roll into individual balls of 2 tablespoons each. Coat with potato starch and fry at 375 degrees until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt once they come out of the fryer.