Serves 2-4
Ingredients
2 cod fillets, 7-8oz each
4 holland leeks, halved and rinsed
1 belgian endive, base removed and tops reserved
1 cup parsley leaves
2 cups white grapes
2 cups verjus
½tsp agar-agar
5 tbsp green peppercorns
¼ cup cream
3 cups mussel stock
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 cup white wine
Butter
Salt and pepper
Method
For the parfait
In a large braising pan, slowly simmer 3¾ of the leeks in salted water until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the leeks from the liquid and allow them to cool. Once cooled, line the leeks in a 5 inch by 12 inch plastic lined mould. Set the mould aside. In a blender, purée the grapes (setting 1-2 grapes aside) with the verjus and pass through a chinois. Place the passed liquid in a saucepan. Put ½tsp of agar-agar into the liquid and bring to the boil, whisking continuously. Once the liquid comes to the boil, pour it over the top of the leeks and set the parfait in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight. After the parfait has completely cooled down, carefully remove from the mould and cut into a 5in x 1in rectangle. Take 1 grape cut into quarters, and place on top of the rectangle of parfait. Set the parfait aside.
For the green peppercorn purée & marinière
Blanch the parsley leaves and purée the blanched leaves with 2tbsp of the green peppercorns, using just enough water to get the blender spinning. Set the purée aside in a squirt bottle. In a medium-sized pan, sweat the shallots with the remaining sliced leeks and green peppercorns in butter until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the white wine and allow the wine to reduce by half. Next, add the mussel stock and cream and allow the aromatics to gently simmer in the stock for about 10-12 minutes. Strain the sauce through a chinois and adjust the seasoning. Set aside.
For the endive
In a sauté pan, brown 1tbsp of butter and gently wilt the tops of the endive in the butter. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
To finish
Season the cod with salt and pepper. In a sauté pan, sear the cod for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until a metal skewer is warm to the touch when it is inserted and removed from the center of the fish. While the fish is cooking, take a round plate and make a straight line with the green peppercorn purée. On the left side of the line, place the rectangle of parfait perpendicular to the puree. Once the fish is cooked, place the fish above and on the right side of the purée. Place the endive tops on top of the fish and pour 2-3tbsp of the green peppercorn marinière on the plate. Serve immediately.
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
1kg foie gras lobes
12g fine sea salt
3g freshly ground white pepper
1 pinch sel rose preserving salt (d’artagnan)
Chicken stock
Yellowfin tuna, pounded flat between 2 layers of plastic wrap, and cut to 4½in wide x 9in long marquise shape
1 piece toasted baguette (sliced on #3 setting of meat slicer)
Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Shallots, minced
Chives, sliced
Lemon halves
Method
For the foie gras
Snip off the ends of the foie gras and place the foie gras in salted iced water overnight (use fine sea salt, as if for cooking vegetables: this exposes the veins). Remove the foie gras from the iced water, temper for 3 hours at room temperature, and pull the veins out. Weigh the foie gras and then season it according to the proportions given above (try to put 40% of the seasoning on the smooth side and 60% on the rough side of the foie gras). Let the foie gras cure for 24 hours under refrigeration. Roll the foie gras (3-4 lobes per roll, plus scrap) in saran wrap to get a proper shape (3-4in wide and 11in long) and to minimise air bubbles in the roll. Carefully remove the saran wrap and place the foie gras roll on a damp cheesecloth (rinse first with cold water). Roll again into shape, this time tying the shorter end after rolling a few times and holding the other end while continuing to hold to get a good shape. If the foie gras is rather soft, allow it to rest for 20 minutes under refrigeration so it can firm up a bit. Bring the chicken stock to the boil, allow to cool to 160ºf and add the foie gras rolls. Maintain a temperature of 160°f and cook the rolls until the foie gras reaches an internal temperature of 90°f. Remove the rolls from the stock and allow to cool under refrigeration in perforated pans, leaving adequate space between the rolls. When cool, remove the cheesecloth and reshape with saran wrap. To serve, quarter each roll and cut into thin slices to fit on top of baguette pieces.
To serve
Place the baguette piece in the center of the plate. Place a piece of foie gras on the baguette. Remove the plastic wraps from the tuna and place on top of the foie gras. Season the tuna with salt and pepper and generously brush the tuna with olive oil. Sprinkle a few shallots over the tuna and generously sprinkle chives over the tuna. Wipe the plate well (to the edge of the tuna), and squeeze lemon juice over the tuna at the last minute.
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
2 striped bass fillets, 7-8oz each
Piquillo peppers, cut into 1in diameter rounds
Daikon, blanched and cut into 1in diameter rounds
Daikon sprouts
Kataifi (shredded filo)
3 cups chicken jus
2 shallots, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
6-8 bay leaves
2 tablespoons black peppercorns, crushed
¼ cup of rice vinegar
Butter
Salt and pepper
Method
Toss the kataifi in melted butter and line onto a baking tray. Bake in an oven at 350°f for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Set the kataifi aside. In a medium-sized saucepan, sweat the shallots, garlic, bay leaves and black peppercorns in 1tbsp butter, about 6 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the rice vinegar. After the vinegar has reduced by half, add the chicken jus. Allow the aromatics to gently simmer in the jus for about 10-12 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and set aside. Season the striped bass with salt and pepper. Place the striped bass in a small baking tray with 2tbsp water and 1tbsp butter. Cook the fish in the oven at 425°f for about 6 minutes, or until a metal skewer inserted into the center of the fish is warm to the touch when removed. While the fish is cooking, take a plate and arrange 3 pieces of daikon and 3 pieces of piquillo pepper into a round shape, alternating the two. When the fish is done, place the fish in the center of the daikon and piquillo peppers. Place a little handful of the kataifi and the daikon sprouts on top of the fish. Pour 3 tablespoons of the sauce on the plate and serve immediately.
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
8oz albacore tuna fillets
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 cucumber blossoms, halved
2 bibb lettuce hearts, halved
1 vine-ripened tomato
1 baby red bell pepper, sliced ¼in thick
2 haricots verts, split in half and blanched
5 quail eggs
1oz compressed caviar
1 loaf sourdough bread
Dijon mustard
Crème fraîche
1 bunch chives, thinly sliced
1000g water
7g sodium alginate
1 cup niçoise olives in brine
1g xantham gum
5g calcium chloride
Extra virgin olive oil
Sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 pressure cooker
Method
For the tuna
Season the tuna with salt and pepper. Divide the tuna into 2 pint-sized mason jars. Place 1-2 slices of shallot in each jar, cover the tuna with extra virgin olive oil and seal the jars. Turn the heat to high on the pressure cooker. Once the pressure cooker is pressurised, release some of the pressure and cook for 11 minutes. Remove the tuna from the pressure cooker and chill. Once the tuna is chilled, remove it from the oil and transfer to a mixing bowl. Mix in 1tsp of the extra virgin olive oil from the jar and 1tsp dijon mustard, being careful not to break up the tuna too much. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if the tuna is bland, and set aside.
For the garnishes
Score the tomato and remove the core. Blanch the tomato. Remove the skin from the tomato and cut into quarters. Remove the seeds and place the remaining tomato flesh onto a baking tray. Liberally drizzle the tomato with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast in the oven at 250°f for 1½ hours. Set aside. Take the loaf of sourdough and cut into 1½in x ¼in batons. Toast the batons in an oven at 200°f until they are dry, about 10 minutes. Set aside. Purée the olives and the brine, and pass through a cheesecloth-lined chinois. Purée 100g of the olive liquid with 1g xantham gum and 5g calcium chloride, and set aside in a squirt bottle. Next, purée the 1000g water with the 7g sodium alginate and set aside in a baking pan. Take the olive liquid and pour into the sodium alginate bath to form little balls. Set aside. Gently boil the quail eggs for 2-3 minutes or until the yolks are cooked. Remove the shells and cut the eggs in half. Separate the whites from the yolks. In a mixing bowl, mix ½tsp crème fraîche, ½tsp mustard, and ½tsp chives with the yolks. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the yolk mixture into a piping bag and pipe the mixture into the cavities of the halved egg whites (where the yolk used to be). Set the eggs aside.
To serve
Place the tuna in a 1½in x 4in mould. Toss the lettuce hearts, bell peppers, cucumber blossoms, roasted tomatoes and haricots verts with extra virgin olive oil and a few drops of sherry vinegar. Spread the compressed caviar over the sourdough batons. Arrange the deviled eggs, the vegetables and the croutons over the top of the tuna. Lastly, gently take the liquid olives out of the alginate bath and place over the top of the vegetables. Serve immediately.
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© shimon & tammar; william hereford