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Archive for the ‘Ideas in Food’ Category

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Aromatic Poaching broth

1600 grams water

470 grams sliced fennel

450 grams green grapes

320 grams unripe Bosc pear sliced off the core

305 grams celery chopped

260 grams green apple sliced off the core

110 grams lemon juice

10 grams salt

1 gram whole allspice

Place all the ingredients in a pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for twenty minutes and let cool naturally. When the pressure is released allow the mixture to rest another twenty minutes, then strain out the solids and chill the liquid. Reserve the poaching for cooking the artichokes.

Poached artichokes

1770 grams aromatic poaching broth

8 medium sized artichokes

Put the aromatic poaching liquid in a pot large enough to accommodate the broth and the artichokes. Remove the first two layers of artichoke leaves from each artichoke. Trim the top of the artichoke leaves toward the heart so that 4 cm of leaves are still attached to the artichoke heart and stem. Use a vegetable peeler to trim around the base of the artichoke until the tender heart flesh is just exposed. Remove more layers of the artichoke leaves if they interfere with the peeling of the artichoke heart. Use the peeler to remove the outer dark green skin of the artichoke heart and stem. Start at the edge of the artichoke heart and peel upwards toward the stem end. Peel in long uniform strokes, rotating the artichoke so that it is peeled evenly. When the coarse exterior skin is removed and the white interior flesh is free of fibers, trim the tip of the stem and place the artichoke in the aromatic broth. Turn the artichoke in the broth so that it is evenly coated in the liquid, which will help prevent it from oxidizing. Repeat with the other artichokes. Put the pot on a medium flame and place a lid on the pot. When the liquid comes up to a simmer, turn the heat down to low and cook the artichokes for thirty minutes or until the tip of a knife inserted into the heart of the artichoke penetrates with just a hint of resistance. Remove the artichokes from the heat and place them in a container so that they are covered in liquid. Let the artichokes cool naturally to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator to chill completely. Let the artichokes rest in their liquid for several hours.

Remove the artichokes from the liquid. The artichokes will have taken on a pinkish hue from the poaching liquid. Remove any coarse leaves from the artichoke and discard. Peel off the tender interior leaves and reserve for the artichoke yogurt. After removing the interior leaves, the heart of the artichoke will be exposed, full of the thistle inedible fibers known as the choke. Use a medium sized melon baller to gently remove these fibers. Lay the artichoke on a cutting board with the stem facing to the left. Use a sharp knife to cut the top of the artichoke straight and flat. This cutting will remove only a small fraction of the artichoke. Stand the artichoke upright so that the stem stands tall. Use a round metal cutter the size of the artichoke to trim the edges of the heart so that the heart is now perfectly round. You want to uses the largest cutter possible that will still cut the edges of the artichoke, it is usually 7 cm in diameter. When the artichoke is trimmed, place it back in the cold poaching liquid. Repeat the cleaning and trimming with the other seven artichokes. When all the artichokes are cleaned, take them out of the liquid, strain the liquid into a zip top bag and place the trimmed artichokes into the cleaned liquid. This will allow the artichokes to absorb more flavors and to be submerged in the cooking liquid so that they do not oxidize.

Whipped Crispy Artichokes

300 grams poached artichoke liquid

3.4 grams Methocel F50

0.51 grams xanthan gum

40 grams Maltrin M100

Place the artichoke liquid in the blender. Turn the speed onto low and then increase the speed until a vortex forms in the liquid. With the blender running, sprinkle the xanthan gum and Methocel into the vortex. Increase the speed to high in order to shear the hydrocolloids into the liquid. The mixture will take on a foamy appearance and there will be no particles or clumps in the liquid. Turn off the blender and pour the artichoke mixture into a metal bowl, which is sitting in an ice bath. Stir the mixture and chill it until it reaches 10°C. At this point the Methocel will be fully hydrated.

Pour the chilled artichoke mixture back into the blender and turn the speed to medium. Sprinkle in the Maltrin and then increase the speed to high to completely disperse the Maltrin into the mixture. Once the mixture is homogenous, pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment and begin to whip the mixture, increasing the speed from low to medium and eventually to high. The mixture will increase in volume and eventually take on the appearance of stiff peaked egg whites without any dryness. The mixture cannot be over whipped, though once it reaches stiff peaks and is light, airy and shapeable it is down whipping.

Line a half sized sheet pan with a silicone liner. Spray the liner with pan release and then use a paper towel to wipe the pan so that only a fine film remains on the silicone. Use a teaspoon to spoon dollops of the whipped artichoke foam onto the liner, leaving an inch or two between dollops. The whipped artichoke should have irregular peaks and shapes so that they look like miniature clouds. Once the pan is full of artichoke dollops, place the pan in a 76°C oven to dry out. Let the artichoke clouds dry in the oven for an hour. After an hour feel the crisps. If they still feel spongy, put them back in the oven to dry and continue to check every fifteen minutes. When the crisps feel firm and dry throughout, remove the pan from the oven. Release the crisps from the pan and turn them all onto one side, exposing their bottoms. Place the pan back in the oven and continue to dry the crisps for another twenty minutes. Take one of the crisps out of the oven and taste it. It should be completely dry throughout. If there is any moisture left in the center, put the tray back in the oven to continue drying. Continue to check and taste them in fifteen minute intervals until the crisps are dry. When the crisps are dry remove the tray from the oven and take the crisps off of the pan. Let them cool on a cooling rack and then put them immediately into a zip top bag with a silica gel pack to absorb any moisture. Seal the top of the bag and reserve the crisps.

Artichoke Yogurt

200 grams reserved cooked inner artichoke leaves patted dry

250 grams whole milk yogurt

3 grams salt

Put the artichoke leaves, yogurt and salt in the blender. Puree the contents until they are smooth. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Dampen a piece of cheesecloth and fold it over so that it is four layers thick. Line a mesh strainer with the cheesecloth and put the strainer over a bowl so that is suspended over the bottom. Pour the artichoke yogurt into the cheesecloth lined strainer. Cover the strainer and bowl with a piece of plastic wrap and put the artichoke yogurt into the refrigerator to drain. Let the yogurt drain for twelve hours. After twelve hours, remove the artichoke yogurt from the cheesecloth and reserve it in a container in the refrigerator. The yogurt will have thickened to the consistency of pudding.

Chartreuse syrup

105 grams green Chartreuse

0.5 gram salt

Put the Chartreuse and salt in a small pot and place over a low heat. Cook the Chartreuse gently and reduce the liquid by just over two thirds. The final syrup should weigh thirty grams. In order to accurately weigh the syrup it helps to know the weight of the pot and then be able to weigh the reduced syrup in the pot as you get closer to the finished product. When the Chartreuse is reduced, strain it into a small squirt bottle. Any particles from the side of the pot will be removed during this straining process. Reserve the Chartreuse syrup in the refrigerator.

Chives

35 grams chives (1 bunch of chives)

Trim off the rough end from the base of the chives. Use a sharp knife to slice the chives into wheels, which are 1mm thick. Slice the length of the chives until you get close to the chive tips which may then be discarded as they cannot be sliced into uniform wheels, rather they appear like a small mince when cut.

To Assemble

Poached artichokes

Artichoke yogurt

Artichoke crisps

Chartreuse syrup

Chives

Remove the artichokes from their poaching liquid. Drain them and pat them dry. Lay an artichoke with the heart at 12 o’clock and the stem pointing downwards and sweeping to the right, in the center of the plate. Use the side of a teaspoon to place a dollop of artichoke yogurt on the right hand side of the artichoke stem. Sprinkle a large pinch of chives on top of the artichoke yogurt. Take an artichoke crisp and place a small dollop of artichoke yogurt underneath it to act as glue. Place the crisp on the plate to the left of the artichoke stem. Place a large drop of Chartreuse syrup on the plate at one o’clock and two centimeters away from the artichoke heart. Place a smaller drop of Chartreuse syrup at 7 o’clock one cm away from the artichoke stem. Place one drop of artichoke syrup at the 5 o’clock position one cm away from the tip end of the artichoke stem. Fill one nook of the artichoke crisp with a few drops of the Chartreuse syrup.

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Daniel Patterson was kind enough to pass on his kit of favorite essential oils for us to work with. I had the opportunity to experience Daniel's deft hand with these oils at this year's ICC. I followed up his workshop by attending Ken Oringer's session on cooking and marinating sous vide. Ken used the vacuum machine to infuse ceviche flavors into raw geoduck. Watching these two talents back to back provided enough of a catalyst for a great leap of faith.

We took the essential oils and put a drop of a few different kinds inside a vacuum bag. Then we massaged the bag to disperse the oils inside. Finally we added some planks of honeydew melon to the bag and drew a full vacuum on them. Once the melon was evenly bruised, we cut the bag open and were blown away by the results. The harmonious aroma of the essental oils blended with the melon and whacked us upside the head with the result. Upon eating the fruit we were even more pleased with the results. Our first blend was ginger, green lemon and black pepper. Now we are exploring combinations of oils and ingredients and using them at different temperatures; particularly because either cold marination or the low temperature of sous vide cooking will preserve the aromatic impact of Mandy's incredible, edible essential oils.

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We have received a number of requests for this recipe so here it is.

Burnt Sugar Fluff

Burnt Sugar Syrup

500 grams/17.6 ounces sugar

150 grams/5.3 ounces water

Put the sugar in a dry pan on medium heat. Slowly caramelize the sugar until it reaches a dark cherry wood brown. Remove from the heat and slowly add the water. The sugar and water will bubble and spurt so be careful. Once the water is added put the mixture back on a low heat to fully combine the sugar and water and form a complete syrup. When the syrup is rich and fluid, strain it into a metal container or heat proof bowl and allow to cool. When the burnt sugar is cool it will be thick and just pourable.

Burnt Sugar Fluff

108 grams/3.8 ounces/ 3 egg whites

400 grams/14.1 ounces burnt sugar syrup

4 grams/0.14 ounces/2/3 teaspoon salt

250 grams/8.2 ounces confectioners sugar

Put the egg whites and burnt sugar syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk on medium for at least ten minutes and closer to fifteen minutes. Periodically turn off the mixture and scrape the sides and bottom to the bowl. The egg whites and syrup will come together and begin to thicken, lighten in color and gain volume. At this point add the salt increase the speed and whip for two more minutes. Turn the mixer off and add the confectioners sugar. Turn the mixer on low to blend the ingredients. Once the confectioners sugar is integrated increase the speed to high and whip for another two minutes. When down whipping the mixture will be light, airy, and sticky, just like a fluid fluff. Reserve in the refrigerator until ready to use.

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The size and shape of an ingredient not only affects how it delivers flavor but how that flavor is perceived. It's the difference between a tea sandwich and a triple decker.The shape of something from a cubic square to a thin slice to an abstract broken piece changes the way you react to it when it is consumed. It is often the lack of uniformity which adds an element of note or stimulates the flavor of a dish. When everything is precise we become comfortably numb. When an ingredient is shaped in an unexpected way, that difference is important. The rough edges and contoured lines allow for seasoning to cling and each bite to express the flavors in a slightly different configuration. We seasoned our Asian pear-apple with salt and lime juice. We then dressed it with lime zest and peeled, diced jalapeno. The fruit is crispy and refreshing and the texture holds onto the aromatic elements so that they are delivered randomly, which in turn elevates the entire experience.

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With the bee happily working these garlic chive blossoms we have to ask, how would garlic honey taste? We love how what we see connects the dots for what we will eventually cook.

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The tuna is minced and seasoned with olive oil, salt and basil. We fold in squash blossoms and zucchini quarters for texture. The tuna is then wrapped in shaved zucchini which is brushed with olive oil and lemon juice. Finally we add a few of the marinated zucchini pistils. This dish is almost complete but falls short. We are working on a loose herbal vinaigrette to sauce the dish. And after Daniel's workshop on essential oils today we have some new paths to follow.

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For those of you following along our work flow.

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