Tasting Menu Pictures and Recipes!
This entry is directly copied from my own LJ, sorry if I'm on any of your friendslists and it shows up twice for you. I just thought that this community would like the pictures and recipes from my tasting menu on Monday.
Well, I said that it would be over the top, and it was. I've got a photoessay, I've got pictures, I've got recipes, I've got a LOT of typing to do. It's 12:19AM right now, and I have been working on these photos since 9 to get them ready. How long-winded will I be today? Will anybody actually read the words, or do you all just want to see the pretty pictures?
My purpose for this entry is threefold- a story about how my day went- what worked, what didn't, etc; a record of the recipes I used, for my own reference, and in case somebody else wanted to try some; and of course a photographic spectacle of the meal.
The day was crazy. I was in the controlled panic of a competition chef from 9AM pretty much through straight until 11PM. As I worked through the prep list, slowly getting further and further behind, I just kept pushing myself.
By noon, it's looking pretty grim.
...
OK, enough of that- I was going to try and give at least a summary of how I was way behind, and try and figure out how I managed to pull up my bootstraps and be mostly ready by 7 o'clock. But even just thinking about it is totally stressing me out right now. SO lets just do a montage version-
Here's me:
Shelling Pistachios as fast as I can
Cutting up a Pumpkin in about 1 minute and steaming the pieces immediately
Fumbling with CDs to put on something fast to keep me jumping
Poking a Periwinkle with a fondue fork- this isn't working...
turning from the stove to the cutting board to the sink to the juicer to the fridge and back to the stove
Shelling Chestnuts as fast as I can (faster faster faster!)
Poking a Periwinkle with a skewer- a HA!
Literally running to Pete's Frootique to get the last ingredients
Running home, and right back out again to borrow plates from the Prince George
Calling Phil to tell him sorry I can't make it to the wine tasting, just meet us here
looking: all my burners are full, every pot, every measuring cup, and I've got pappadums in the oven. Now how am I supposed to cook rice?
Now maybe we can do a shot of the prep list getting crossed off, one item after another... and finally all that is left is Spinach Dumplings (supposed to be done by 12:30). It is now 7:12PM - my cellphone rings- it's Phil- pan right and he and sonya are standing outside. Everything is done except the dumplings, but I've got the first 2 courses already plated, so we can chat and drink wine and eat the first two courses while I put together the dumplings. Simple!
Yes, the montage version is much easier to deal with than a blow by blow.
So now that guests have arrived, let's talk about how the meal went- a much less stressful tale, believe me!
Pappadum and Pomegranate
For the amuse bouche, it was my intention to try and roll pappadums into tight cylinders and then load them with pomegranate seeds. When it came time to prepare the amuse, I was in the middle of cooking rice, making the stuffing for the spinach dumplings, making the celeriac salad and trying to do a few dishes. I only had a few seconds of attention to spare for the amuse, and the pappadoms did not cooperate. So I had to compromise and I served them just like normal, with a bowl of pomegranate seeds and directions to eat the two together. This turned out to be fun anyway, and more social.
Phil, Sonya and Jessica happily chat away as I put the last finishing touches on the meal, and we sip wine and munch on the pappadoms and pomegranate. Finally around 7:45, it is time to begin the meal proper.
Marinated Periwinkle, Asparagus Flowers, Pomello "Caviar", Amaranth and Sugar Snap Pea paint
The second course is my appetizer. It is plated and ready in the fridge, so I just bring out the plates, add a bit of paint to freshen up, and it's time.
For several of the courses, I was able to plate them up ahead of time and take advantage of the natural light in this apartment to get some stunning pictures of the plating. The appetizer was one of them.
For the app, I've decided to go ultra minimal, as inspired by the very small bites at Alinea in their famous epic tasting menus.
This app features Marinated Periwinkle, Asparagus Flowers, Pomello "Caviar", Amaranth and Sugar Snap Pea paint. In all, the entire course probably equals about one bite, but it serves to whet the appetite perfectly. In fairness, probably this course was the amuse, and the previous was more of a canape.
To make the Marinated Periwinkle, Steam Periwinkles for about 1 minute, then plunge them directly into an ice bath. Now use a skewer to gently pull them out of their shells. A fondue fork won't work ;) Next, put the meat in a container and squeeze half a lemon over them. Add salt, olive oil, black pepper, and finely diced Italian Parsley.
For the sugar snap pea paint, I've simply juiced some sugar snap peas and added a bit of corn starch to slightly thicken the sauce and give it some body to better coat the plate.
With my audience primed and ready, I moved into the next course: Mushrooms.
Seared Oyster Mushroom with Chestnut Pudding, Danish Blue Cheese and Espresso-Balsamic "Ink"
Now, I had originally intended to serve the Mushrooms with the celeriac salad and pistachio sabayon. When I made the Celeriac salad though, I realised that it needed to go with the scallops, which would mean that I would have to serve the Mushrooms with Chestnut Pudding. Problem: I don't want to serve two nut preparations on the same course. Oh well, I'll just have to go with plan A I guess- the celeriac salad with the mushroom.
What ended up happening is a perfect example of a mistake turning in your favour. I started to plate, and accidentally put the Chestnut pudding instead of the celeriac salad. I must have known that it would work on some sub-conscious level. As I was searing the mushrooms, I was whisking the egg yolk and pulverized pistachio over a double boiler, it was just turning to crap. What the hell...?
Oh.
Sabayon needs wine. Otherwise it's just scrambled eggs, isn't it? Duh!
So two wrongs ended up making a right, after all! So we had the chestnut and the mushroom, and sod the pistachio failure.
For the pistachio pudding: Shell the pistachios and cook in well salted water until very tender. Remove from the boiling water, and rub off the outer skin. Push the flesh through a food mill or sive. (I actually used my food processor for this step). Add some sherry and salt to the blended chestnuts, but try not to clump it too much. Now whip some cream and fold it into the chestnuts.
For the Espresso-Balsamic sauce, I found a very simple and delicious recipe here which worked beautifully. Three cups of Balsamic, one tablespoon each of brown sugar and espresso beans. Now reduce this on a low heat down to a syrup, and strain the beans out. My only change would be to add more espresso, but this sauce is awesome.
I was hoping to be able to make the Kanji for Umami on the plate, but I couldn't find an image of that symbol with a cursory search on the internet. I did find Aki, meaning "taste" here, which was my design. Umami would have been better, since blue cheese and mushrooms are both reknowned for having very high umami.
I actually forgot the cheese at first when I served this course, hence it isn't in the picture. Fortunately I remembered at the last moment, and quickly added it to everybodies food, and used the brulee torch to melt it at the table. I wish I had thought to get an action shot of melting the cheese- in some cases the flames flared up quite dramatically, and probably would have made a great picture.
As it was, it got increasingly difficult to get pictures through the night, and I was trying to serve the meal as promptly as possible, so I didn't spend much time getting the best photos, unfortunately.
It was especially unfortunate for my next course:
Avocado Balls stuffed with Umeboshi and Wasabi dressed Granny Smith Apple and Green Bean, Micro Salad with Baby Tomatos and Smoked Salmon Snow
This was, despite the awful picture, the most attractive course of the night. The contrast of the Greens of the Avocado, the bright and yellows of the tomatos, and the pink smoked salmon snow stood out in brilliant, shocking contrast to the black plates. I thought the plates were cool when I got them, and now I'm extra glad that I have them.
The recipe for the avocado balls I've covered before in my journal. The micromix is dressed only with a touch of olive oil and some salt.
What is especially cool about this course was my improved smoked salmon snow. It was my intention to try and slice paper thin shavings of smoked salmon onto the avocado ball a la minute. When I had the plates ready to go, I got the smoked salmon out of the freezer, turned- and saw my microplane sitting on the counter. The proverbial lightbulb turned on in my head. I grabbed the microplane, and began shaving with gusto. The result had roughly the consistency of snow. Delicate, light as air- with the beautiful, intense smokey flavour of willie krauch's smoked salmon.
This course was an absolute slam dunk. I think the best of the meal, and possible the best I've ever created. Too bad all the pictures I have of it are blurry as hell! Argh!
Oh well, I will definitely be making this one again.
Moving on to the next course:
Pan Seared, Chipotle Dusted Scallops, served with a Salad of Celery Root, Pine Nuts and Cranberry, Pancetta Crisp and Ginger Beer reduction
Well, I've already mentioned that the Celeriac Salad was destined for the Scallops, and that much is very true. However, the real revelation in this course was the Ginger beer reduction. I am considering sending this picture and recipe to Propeller Brewery, a local company, and makers of the GB I used on Monday. When reduced to a syrup, gingerbeer becomes this really really intense spicy and sweet glaze, that is an absolutly fantastic plate garnish. It accompanied the spicy scallop and salty pancetta crisp perfectly.
By now it is 9:10PM and we're down to half a glass of wine each. Lots more flavours to come! The next two courses I was able to plate in the afternoon and get some much nicer pictures.
Carrot Course- Juice, Brunoise, Greens Infused Oil, Tuille
This course is in honour of Jeska- she brought back some AMAZING garden carrots from when she was at her dad's last weekend, and I wanted to see if I could capture the essence of those carrots in a course dedicated to just carrot. I think that that intention was conveyed very well in this course, which I presented in these gorgeous double shot glasses that I managed to borrow from Piccolo Mondo.
To make the tuille, I used the carrot cake recipe that I found here, only I omitted the baking soda. When I had the batter, I spread it very very thinly on my silpat, and baked at 350 degrees. I actually had to do this three times, because each time it wasn't quite thin enough. When the batter started to turn golden, I took it out, and cut it into strips, which I then wound around a cylinder and left to cool. They didn't get quite as crispy as I had hoped, but crispy enough, I think.
For the infused oil, I SHOULD have blanched the greens for 30 seconds in well salted water at a very strong boil, then plunged them into an ice bath. I didn't though. I was in such a hurry. So I skipped that step, and just threw the greens into the food processor with some canola oil, and letter' rip for like 8 minutes. Then I strained the contents with about 8 layers of cheesecloth, and viola- greens infused oil. A bit bitter, but ok.
This course was fun, I thought. And delicious. And.. probably a better palate cleanser than my intermezzo:
Pumpkin-Sage Sorbet
I got the inspiration for this sorbet from here but instead of trying to do some crazy swirl, I decided to just blend it all together. I peeled, seeded and steamed a small pumpkin, and blended the pieces vigorously, until they were ultra smooth. Then I made a 2:1 simple syrup, with the water that was left in the steamer, all full of pumpkin flavour. I then mixed that simple syrup with the pumpkin puree- about a 1:1 pulp to syrup mix- and added fresh sage and just kept going in the food processor. Then I froze the mix in my ice cream machine. Simples.
OK, I've just spent three hours on this post, it is 3:37AM There are still two more courses to write up, but I'm done for now. Perhaps in the morning I'll do the rest. But for now- Sleeeeeep!
Well, I said that it would be over the top, and it was. I've got a photoessay, I've got pictures, I've got recipes, I've got a LOT of typing to do. It's 12:19AM right now, and I have been working on these photos since 9 to get them ready. How long-winded will I be today? Will anybody actually read the words, or do you all just want to see the pretty pictures?
My purpose for this entry is threefold- a story about how my day went- what worked, what didn't, etc; a record of the recipes I used, for my own reference, and in case somebody else wanted to try some; and of course a photographic spectacle of the meal.
The day was crazy. I was in the controlled panic of a competition chef from 9AM pretty much through straight until 11PM. As I worked through the prep list, slowly getting further and further behind, I just kept pushing myself.
By noon, it's looking pretty grim.
...
OK, enough of that- I was going to try and give at least a summary of how I was way behind, and try and figure out how I managed to pull up my bootstraps and be mostly ready by 7 o'clock. But even just thinking about it is totally stressing me out right now. SO lets just do a montage version-
Here's me:
Now maybe we can do a shot of the prep list getting crossed off, one item after another... and finally all that is left is Spinach Dumplings (supposed to be done by 12:30). It is now 7:12PM - my cellphone rings- it's Phil- pan right and he and sonya are standing outside. Everything is done except the dumplings, but I've got the first 2 courses already plated, so we can chat and drink wine and eat the first two courses while I put together the dumplings. Simple!
Yes, the montage version is much easier to deal with than a blow by blow.
So now that guests have arrived, let's talk about how the meal went- a much less stressful tale, believe me!
Pappadum and Pomegranate
For the amuse bouche, it was my intention to try and roll pappadums into tight cylinders and then load them with pomegranate seeds. When it came time to prepare the amuse, I was in the middle of cooking rice, making the stuffing for the spinach dumplings, making the celeriac salad and trying to do a few dishes. I only had a few seconds of attention to spare for the amuse, and the pappadoms did not cooperate. So I had to compromise and I served them just like normal, with a bowl of pomegranate seeds and directions to eat the two together. This turned out to be fun anyway, and more social.
Phil, Sonya and Jessica happily chat away as I put the last finishing touches on the meal, and we sip wine and munch on the pappadoms and pomegranate. Finally around 7:45, it is time to begin the meal proper.
Marinated Periwinkle, Asparagus Flowers, Pomello "Caviar", Amaranth and Sugar Snap Pea paint
The second course is my appetizer. It is plated and ready in the fridge, so I just bring out the plates, add a bit of paint to freshen up, and it's time.
For several of the courses, I was able to plate them up ahead of time and take advantage of the natural light in this apartment to get some stunning pictures of the plating. The appetizer was one of them.
For the app, I've decided to go ultra minimal, as inspired by the very small bites at Alinea in their famous epic tasting menus.
This app features Marinated Periwinkle, Asparagus Flowers, Pomello "Caviar", Amaranth and Sugar Snap Pea paint. In all, the entire course probably equals about one bite, but it serves to whet the appetite perfectly. In fairness, probably this course was the amuse, and the previous was more of a canape.
To make the Marinated Periwinkle, Steam Periwinkles for about 1 minute, then plunge them directly into an ice bath. Now use a skewer to gently pull them out of their shells. A fondue fork won't work ;) Next, put the meat in a container and squeeze half a lemon over them. Add salt, olive oil, black pepper, and finely diced Italian Parsley.
For the sugar snap pea paint, I've simply juiced some sugar snap peas and added a bit of corn starch to slightly thicken the sauce and give it some body to better coat the plate.
With my audience primed and ready, I moved into the next course: Mushrooms.
Seared Oyster Mushroom with Chestnut Pudding, Danish Blue Cheese and Espresso-Balsamic "Ink"
Now, I had originally intended to serve the Mushrooms with the celeriac salad and pistachio sabayon. When I made the Celeriac salad though, I realised that it needed to go with the scallops, which would mean that I would have to serve the Mushrooms with Chestnut Pudding. Problem: I don't want to serve two nut preparations on the same course. Oh well, I'll just have to go with plan A I guess- the celeriac salad with the mushroom.
What ended up happening is a perfect example of a mistake turning in your favour. I started to plate, and accidentally put the Chestnut pudding instead of the celeriac salad. I must have known that it would work on some sub-conscious level. As I was searing the mushrooms, I was whisking the egg yolk and pulverized pistachio over a double boiler, it was just turning to crap. What the hell...?
Oh.
Sabayon needs wine. Otherwise it's just scrambled eggs, isn't it? Duh!
So two wrongs ended up making a right, after all! So we had the chestnut and the mushroom, and sod the pistachio failure.
For the pistachio pudding: Shell the pistachios and cook in well salted water until very tender. Remove from the boiling water, and rub off the outer skin. Push the flesh through a food mill or sive. (I actually used my food processor for this step). Add some sherry and salt to the blended chestnuts, but try not to clump it too much. Now whip some cream and fold it into the chestnuts.
For the Espresso-Balsamic sauce, I found a very simple and delicious recipe here which worked beautifully. Three cups of Balsamic, one tablespoon each of brown sugar and espresso beans. Now reduce this on a low heat down to a syrup, and strain the beans out. My only change would be to add more espresso, but this sauce is awesome.
I was hoping to be able to make the Kanji for Umami on the plate, but I couldn't find an image of that symbol with a cursory search on the internet. I did find Aki, meaning "taste" here, which was my design. Umami would have been better, since blue cheese and mushrooms are both reknowned for having very high umami.
I actually forgot the cheese at first when I served this course, hence it isn't in the picture. Fortunately I remembered at the last moment, and quickly added it to everybodies food, and used the brulee torch to melt it at the table. I wish I had thought to get an action shot of melting the cheese- in some cases the flames flared up quite dramatically, and probably would have made a great picture.
As it was, it got increasingly difficult to get pictures through the night, and I was trying to serve the meal as promptly as possible, so I didn't spend much time getting the best photos, unfortunately.
It was especially unfortunate for my next course:
Avocado Balls stuffed with Umeboshi and Wasabi dressed Granny Smith Apple and Green Bean, Micro Salad with Baby Tomatos and Smoked Salmon Snow
This was, despite the awful picture, the most attractive course of the night. The contrast of the Greens of the Avocado, the bright and yellows of the tomatos, and the pink smoked salmon snow stood out in brilliant, shocking contrast to the black plates. I thought the plates were cool when I got them, and now I'm extra glad that I have them.
The recipe for the avocado balls I've covered before in my journal. The micromix is dressed only with a touch of olive oil and some salt.
What is especially cool about this course was my improved smoked salmon snow. It was my intention to try and slice paper thin shavings of smoked salmon onto the avocado ball a la minute. When I had the plates ready to go, I got the smoked salmon out of the freezer, turned- and saw my microplane sitting on the counter. The proverbial lightbulb turned on in my head. I grabbed the microplane, and began shaving with gusto. The result had roughly the consistency of snow. Delicate, light as air- with the beautiful, intense smokey flavour of willie krauch's smoked salmon.
This course was an absolute slam dunk. I think the best of the meal, and possible the best I've ever created. Too bad all the pictures I have of it are blurry as hell! Argh!
Oh well, I will definitely be making this one again.
Moving on to the next course:
Pan Seared, Chipotle Dusted Scallops, served with a Salad of Celery Root, Pine Nuts and Cranberry, Pancetta Crisp and Ginger Beer reduction
Well, I've already mentioned that the Celeriac Salad was destined for the Scallops, and that much is very true. However, the real revelation in this course was the Ginger beer reduction. I am considering sending this picture and recipe to Propeller Brewery, a local company, and makers of the GB I used on Monday. When reduced to a syrup, gingerbeer becomes this really really intense spicy and sweet glaze, that is an absolutly fantastic plate garnish. It accompanied the spicy scallop and salty pancetta crisp perfectly.
By now it is 9:10PM and we're down to half a glass of wine each. Lots more flavours to come! The next two courses I was able to plate in the afternoon and get some much nicer pictures.
Carrot Course- Juice, Brunoise, Greens Infused Oil, Tuille
This course is in honour of Jeska- she brought back some AMAZING garden carrots from when she was at her dad's last weekend, and I wanted to see if I could capture the essence of those carrots in a course dedicated to just carrot. I think that that intention was conveyed very well in this course, which I presented in these gorgeous double shot glasses that I managed to borrow from Piccolo Mondo.
To make the tuille, I used the carrot cake recipe that I found here, only I omitted the baking soda. When I had the batter, I spread it very very thinly on my silpat, and baked at 350 degrees. I actually had to do this three times, because each time it wasn't quite thin enough. When the batter started to turn golden, I took it out, and cut it into strips, which I then wound around a cylinder and left to cool. They didn't get quite as crispy as I had hoped, but crispy enough, I think.
For the infused oil, I SHOULD have blanched the greens for 30 seconds in well salted water at a very strong boil, then plunged them into an ice bath. I didn't though. I was in such a hurry. So I skipped that step, and just threw the greens into the food processor with some canola oil, and letter' rip for like 8 minutes. Then I strained the contents with about 8 layers of cheesecloth, and viola- greens infused oil. A bit bitter, but ok.
This course was fun, I thought. And delicious. And.. probably a better palate cleanser than my intermezzo:
Pumpkin-Sage Sorbet
I got the inspiration for this sorbet from here but instead of trying to do some crazy swirl, I decided to just blend it all together. I peeled, seeded and steamed a small pumpkin, and blended the pieces vigorously, until they were ultra smooth. Then I made a 2:1 simple syrup, with the water that was left in the steamer, all full of pumpkin flavour. I then mixed that simple syrup with the pumpkin puree- about a 1:1 pulp to syrup mix- and added fresh sage and just kept going in the food processor. Then I froze the mix in my ice cream machine. Simples.
OK, I've just spent three hours on this post, it is 3:37AM There are still two more courses to write up, but I'm done for now. Perhaps in the morning I'll do the rest. But for now- Sleeeeeep!