Chef at Home

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.

The size and shape of an ingredient not only effects how it delivers flavor but also how flavor is percieved. The shape of something from a square to a thin slice to an abstract broken piece tastes and feels different on the pallate. It is often the lack of uniformity which adds an element of note or points of the flavor of a dish. When everything is precise we become comfortable. When an ingredient is shaped in an unexpected way, the difference is important. The abstract tastes and delivers flavor in a contrasting way. The rough edges and contoured edges allow for seasoning to cling and express the flavors of a dish and an ingredient in a manner not regularly thought of and consumed. We seasoned our Asian pear-apple with salt and lime juice. We then dessed it with lime zest and peeled and 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 eating experience.

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.

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.

For those of you following along our work flow.

We almost always roast our chicken on a bed of vegetables. Usually we roast 7 pound birds, butterflied and resting on the bed. It looks like a chicken sitting on its nest. Recently we had an abundance of radishes from daikon to purple and we decided to roast our bird on them. We added some leeks and carrots, ginger and kimchee and roasted away. The chicken juices blended with the roasting vegetables. We enjoyed the dinner but there were plenty of roasted radishes and juices left over. We put the vegetables and their juices into a bowl and let them cool overnight. The following morning we decided to not just reheat the vegetables in their original form. Instead we put the vegetables and the congealed juices through a food mill. The result was an incredible sugo of roasted radishes. This result was not only delicious but it started an avalanche of ideas for creating flavored roasted vegetables: from lobster bodies roasted on white miripoix to bacon on a bed of onions. The blending of fond and roasted vegetables is delicious and a wonderful platform to build dishes and sauces upon.

When we were in Cabo last winter everybody rhapsodized about the freshly fried tortilla chips. They were at almost every meal, accompanied by salsa and guacamole, still warm from the fryer. Or so we thought. Of course when you’re in the business you notice things, you can’t help yourself. And one afternoon I watched as the cooks behind the line opened bag after bag of tortila chips, poured them into hotel pans and parked them under the heat lamps to warm up. It was enlightening to say the least.

Once home I tried the technique using our toaster oven and baked tortilla chips. People gushed. They were blown away that I fried my own tortilla chips and somehow managed to avoid making the entire house smell of oil. That is one of the biggest benefits of this technique, the taste of freshly fried chips without the lingering scent of oil. Since tortilla chips were so good it only made sense to try it with potato chips. We used Kettle chips with sea salt. They were fantastic. You have to let them cool a bit to maximize crispiness. But frankly you could serve them with a variety of dips before dinner and no one would complain because they are that good. Try it and you’ll never serve them straight from the bag again.

This idea has been a long time in the making. Thanks to Tony *for supplying us with some blood sausage puree.

Blood Sausage Cavatelli

220 grams AP flour

1 gram baking powder

225 grams puree of cooked blood sausage

Put the flour and the baking powder into a bowl and stir to combine. Add the blood sausage puree and use your finger tips to incorporate it. Once it comes together into a rough dough, knead it until it is smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a vacuum bag and seal. Put the dough in the refrigerator and let it rest and chill for thirty minutes. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and then from the bag. Roll the dough out until it 1cm thick. Cut the dough into 1cm squares. Roll each square along a gnocchi board so that it folds over itself and forms the traditional cavatelli/malloredus shape. Refrigerate the pasta if you are cooking it the same day, otherwise lay it out in one flat layer on sheet pans and freeze them. When the cavatelli is frozen transfer them to a zip top bag and store frozen for up to a week. The pasta can be cooked in boiling water directly from the freezer.

*Perhaps if there are enough requests Tony will share his incredible blood sausage recipe and his unique way of cooking it for non-traditional presentations and preparations.