Written by Emily Havener, Recipe by Chef Kayla Pfeiffer, Image Courtesy Carlos Gonzalez

At the Table

Chef Kayla Pfeiffer Shares Her Twist on a Southern Classic

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Small tweaks make a big difference in this country classic.

“For me it’s always a childhood memory or a travel story that has a huge impact on the dishes that we create and that evolve here,” says chef Kayla Pfeiffer. The chef grew up in Florida but attended Culinary Institute of America in New York and won the Chopped championship before returning to open Bicyclette Cookshop in Naples. Her country-fried lamb with Sichuan gravy is inspired by the Grand Slam and country-fried breakfasts at Denny’s she remembers eating as a child, while also reflecting the international influences that inspire her cooking and her newest restaurant concept, Heyday, which will serve as a chef residency for talent from all over.

Heyday cookshop — Image courtesy of Carlos Gonzalez

Pfeiffer begins the gravy by blooming Sichuan peppercorns in butter for a “fruity, floral, fragrant flavor profile” that lightens not only the gravy but the entire combination with the lamb, which is lightly pounded and then coated in panko and fried for a super crisp result.

Patience is the key, Pfeiffer says, “giving that milk 20 to 30 minutes to simmer and thicken up naturally itself” while whisking occasionally. The finishing touch is acid: a splash of lemon juice or vinegar in the gravy and a surprising grapefruit zest on the lamb. “It’s an ode to the traditional Milanese,” she says. “Anybody who knows me knows that I love acid.”

Country Fried Lamb with Sichuan Gravy

Nodding to the Grand Slam breakfasts she remembers eating at Denny’s as a child, Pfeiffer’s recipe for country-fried lamb with Sichuan gravy blends nostalgia with the international influences that inspire her cooking.