Mission: Cook! (35 page)
Add
the thyme, tarragon, bay leaves, salt, and pepper to the water, and heat to the point just before boiling (a “simmer”), when the bubbles are rising to the surface but not breaking the surface. Insert 2 bamboo skewers into each tail to stop the lobsters from curling up. Chop off the ends of the skewers if they are long. Add the lobster tails to the poaching liquid and squeeze the juice from the segmented orange over the tails. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.
Do not over-cook.
Shock in ice water when done.
Combine the hazelnut oil, rice wine vinegar, chives, tarragon, thyme, and onion in a bowl and whisk together until combined. (If refrigerating the dressing overnight, add 1 tablespoon orange juice for fruitiness.) Put the salad ingredients (white, black, and red grapes, kiwi, English cucumber, onion, peaches, navel orange, and avocados) into a bowl, pour the dressing on top, and fold together.
PRESENTATION
Put several butter lettuce leaves on a plate as a bed. Place a portion of sliced radicchio in center. Arrange 3 endive leaves, pointed end out, in thirds sticking out of the lettuce bed. Spoon the fruit salad into the center of the lettuce bed. Remove the bamboo skewers from the lobster tails, break off the tail fins (to use later), and peel the whole lobster tail from the shell. Slice the meat at an angle and arrange on top of the salad. Place the tail fins in the center as decoration. Slice a piece of peach and “fan” as a decoration with the tail fin. Drizzle with truffle oil and enjoy!
SERVES
6
6 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced paper thin (use a mandoline)
1 bunch of chives
Two 10-ounce logs goat cheese
6 portobello mushroom caps, cleaned
¼ cup olive oil, or as needed to coat mushrooms and toss greens
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3
/
4
cup canola oil
1 bunch of baby greens (like frisée or mâche)
½ cup aged balsamic vinegar, as needed to toss into greens
6 yellow teardrop tomatoes, quartered
EQUIPMENT
A mandoline
Parchment paper, oiled
A squeeze bottle, like the ones used for ketchup or mustard
A bowl of ice water standing by
This recipe provides the elements you need to make a wonderful presentation of this most memorable appetizer. I love the feeling of architecture, where the “chips” stand erect. Like a sculptor, feel free to be creative.
Preheat
the oven to 275 degrees. Cover a sheet pan with oiled parchment paper and lay the potato slices out on the paper, making sure that you will have enough for 6 slices per plate (a total of 36 slices for 6 servings). Place a second sheet of oiled parchment paper on top of the potatoes and another sheet pan on top. Bake for 40 minutes.
Take 2 or 3 of the chives and chop them finely. (Keep the rest of the bunch of chives whole to be blanched for the chive oil.) Cut the logs of goat cheese in half lengthwise and roll in the chopped chives to coat. Slice the goat cheese logs into ½-inch-long pieces, giving you a total of 36 cylinders or disks. Set aside.
Preheat the grill. Remove the black gills from the mushrooms. Rub the mushrooms with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill the mushrooms for 2½ to 3 minutes on each side.
Blanch the bunch of chives in boiled, salted water for 10 seconds. Plunge the chives into ice water to stop cooking. Squeeze the water out of the chives. Place the chives in a blender with the canola oil and salt (to taste). Puree until liquefied. Pour into a squeeze bottle.
Toss the baby greens with a little bit of olive oil and vinegar, and season.
PRESENTATION
Slice the 6 mushrooms into sixths (as you would a pizza), forming a circle of 6 wedges on each plate. Place 6 goat cheese disks around the circle of mushroom wedges on each plate. Then lodge a potato crisp (standing on edge) into each portion of cheese. Place the salad greens in the middle of each circle of wedges. Drizzle the remaining balsamic vinegar and chive oil around the plate, and place 4 of each of the tomato quarters around the plate. Serve.
A Note on the Mandoline
Nothing slices perfect vegetable slices for a recipe quite like a mandoline. If you invest in one, buy the best you can afford. (You can also use a meat slicer, but obviously one of those is more expensive.) The slicer disks on food processors do not always cut as thinly as you need, and (depending on the size of the vegetable ) may also necessitate cutting the product down to size to fit through the feed tube. For a recipe like Crispy Potato and Goat Cheese, Chive Oil, and 8-Year Balsamicâwhich is as much about the look of the food as the tasteâa piece of specialized equipment such as a mandoline will help you make the impression for which you are hoping.
SERVES
6
FOR THE RICE PILAF
6 cups chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups wild rice
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted batter
3 ripe peaches, washed, pitted, and diced small
2 shallots, diced small
2 bunches of baby arugula, well washed and stems removed
FOR THE CITRUS EMULSION
2 shallots, diced small
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 quart orange juice
¼ cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE FISH
½ to 1 cup Wondra flour, as needed
6 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
6 skate wings, cleaned
¼ cup canola oil
3 ripe peaches, washed, pitted, and diced small
1 bunch of microcelery
6 lemon wedges
Skate is a fish that looks fabulous on the plate, like a fan. It also has the distinction of being a rarity in most grocery stores, so if you can get your hands on some, it can be a real eye-opener at an elegant dinner party.
Add
the chicken stock to a deep stockpot, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Add the wild rice, then return to a boil and reduce the heat and simmer. Cook the wild rice for 45 minutes, or until tender, keeping covered at all times. (Whilst the rice is cooking, begin preparing the citrus emulsion as described below. Then complete the rice pilaf.)
To complete the rice pilaf, in a sauté pan, add 4 tablespoons of the butter. Toss in the peaches; slightly caramelize the peaches. Add the shallots and arugula, and toss in the pan. Add the wild rice and the remaining butter. Adjust the seasoning with salt and plenty of ground black pepper, and set aside.
To make the Citrus Emulsion, sauté the shallots in 1 tablespoon of the butter (reserve the other 3 tablespoons). Add the orange juice and reduce by half. Add the heavy cream and reduce again by half, over medium heat, making sure it doesn't burn. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the rest of the butter. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. (Complete the rice pilaf as described above.)
To prepare the fish, mix the flour and black pepper together. Dredge the skate wings in the flour mixture. In a sauté pan, heat the canola oil. Cook the fish until it begins to brown on the edges. Be patient for at least 2 minutes before peeking, to allow the flour mixture to adhere to the surface of the fish. When golden brown, flip and brown the other side. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until it has cooked through. Depending on the size, this may take 8 to 10 minutes, butâ¦it may take a lot less time. Do not overcook the fish or you will lose the delicate flavor. It will continue to cook even after it is removed from the heat, a phenomenon known as carryover cooking. Trust yourself to check the fish for doneness rather than relying on strict times.
PRESENTATION
Place the diced peaches and the rice pilaf in the center of each plate. Top with the skate wings. Drizzle the citrus sauce around the fish. Top with the microcelery and serve with lemon wedges.
A Note on Skate
Skate, a fish which looks something like a small ray, may not be available at supermarkets, but you will be able to get it from your fishmonger. This is a good thing because it is challenging to clean, and the fish market will do it for you. It is worth seeking out because it has a very unique taste.
SERVES
6
FOR THE SNAPPER MARINADE
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
4 tablespoons lemon juice (1 lemon)
Salt and pepper
FOR THE SHRIMP MARINADE
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lime juice (from about ½ lime)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
FOR THE SNAPPER AND SHRIMP
Six 6-ounce red snapper fillets
12 extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
FOR THE SALAD DRESSING
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons 8-year balsamic vinegar
Juice of 3 limes
2 tablespoons chopped mint
Salt and pepper
FOR THE ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD
1½ pints grape tomatoes (about 1 pound)
3
/
4
cup fresh corn kernels (from about 3 ears)
1 large zucchini, balled with a melon bather
2 fennel bulbs, very thinly sliced (preferably on a mandoline)
5 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
I used tiny melon ballers of different sizes to cut the zucchini and to create this effect with the grape tomatoes. I think they look like colorful costume pearls surrounding this entrée.
