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Cooking is a science and an art, and the man who puts all his heart into satisfying his fellow men deserves consideration

 

AUGUSTE ESCOFFIER 1846-1935

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOUNG PIGEON ON A CHESTNUT BRANCH

 

by: Eneko Atxa

 

 

 INGREDIENTS (4 pax):

 

Aromatised chestnut branch:        

1,400 gr. cassava

500 gr. purple maize

14 gr. volcanic salt

500 gr. chestnut purée

1l. water

Nuts (hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts)

5 gr. chestnut chips

30 gr. sugar

1 gr. white pepper

 

Chestnut leaf:                                  

Cassava stock

Filo pastry

 

Sand:

100 gr. butter

100 gr. chestnut

30 gr. stock from cooking the cassava

4 gr. salt

Others:

2 young pigeons

 

PREPARATION:

Aromatised chestnut branch: Peel the cassava twice, until small cracks are revealed. Cut into sticks about 10 cm long, only using the outside part. Remove the grains from the purple maize, keeping the woody part. Mix the salt with the chestnut purée and water and bring to the boil. Cook the cassava in it for about 45 min. Leave to cool then place, together with the cooking stock, in a container with chestnut chips. Place in the microwave for 25 min. at 75º, setting 7, so that the chestnut aromas impregnate the cassava without altering its texture.

 

Chestnut leaf: Cut the filo pastry into a leaf shape and brush with the cassava cooking liquid. Dry in the oven at  80ºC (176ºF).

 

Sand: Mix all the ingredients forming a smooth paste. Wrap in film and form into a cylinder shape. Freeze. When frozen, grate very finely and bake for 15 min. at 130ºC (266ºF).

 

 

TO SERVE

Sear the two pigeons on the skin side until a crust forms. Paint the serving dish with a few brushstrokes of stock. Place a little sand in the base of the plate then arrange on top the branch and leaf. Finish with the pigeon and a few wafers of chestnut and some nuts.

 

 

 

Technique: Cryo-Rendered Duck Breast

 

              

 

Dr. Nathan Myhrvold                             Chef Chris Young
Intellectual Ventures
Bellevue, WA
intellectualventures.com

Chef Chris Young and Dr. Nathan Myrhvold of Intellectual Ventures – Seattle, WA

 

Dr. Nathan Myrhvold and Chef Chris Young have developed a technique for rendering duck breast while avoiding that oft-encountered rendering byproduct, overcooked meat. In the pages of their forthcoming 1,500 page cookbook that sets out to teach chefs about the generation of cooking, Myrhvold and Young explain this tested technique for balanced rendering. The secret? Dry ice. “The whole idea is to use cold in balance with hot,” says Dr. Myrhvold, the scientist-cum-culinary innovator behind Intellectual Ventures, the laboratory where techniques like Cryo-rendering were developed.

 

Traditionally rendered duck breast is scored and seared, skin-side down, for about 80% of its total cooking time. While this results in crisp skin and rendered fat, an unwelcome but consistent consequence is gray, overcooked protein. Myrhvold and Young developed a method that creates a barrier to prevent overcooking: a thin frozen layer that acts as a buffer between the skin and the rest of the duck flesh. The duck breast is completely flattened as it freezes on a block of dry ice, then the fat is quickly rendered on a hot griddle. The breast finishes cooking in a Winston CVap (sous vide would result in watery skin that would have to be re-crisped) and is frozen once more before a final 2 minutes to crisp on the griddle. That final seven minutes of re-freezing is key, as it freezes the same amount of flesh that would normally have overcooked in the final minutes of rendering. Although it’s decidedly more multi-faceted than the traditional technique, Myrhvold and Young’s cryo-rendered duck has crisp skin, evenly cooked flesh, and is less tight—and thus juicier—than the alternative.

 

Step One: Perforate the skin of the duck breast with a clean, stainless steel dog hair brush.

Step Two: Lay the duck breast in a bed of salt for 4 hours to denature the collagen proteins in the skin and extract moisture (don’t exceed 4 hours as salt will begin to leech into the flesh).

Step Three: Put the breast skin side down on a block of dry ice with a weighted bag on top (cheesecloth weighted with ballast works) to flatten the duck breast. The duck will freeze to the point of rigidity, so it’s necessary to weigh it down to ensure even cooking on the griddle. Leave the breast on the dry ice for 25 minutes.

Step Four: Put the frozen duck breast on an extremely hot AccuTemp Steam Griddle, skin side down, to render fat. Cook for 7 minutes. 

Step Five: Wrap the breast with plastic wrap, leaving skin exposed, and cook in a Winston CVap oven.

Step Six: Return the cooked duck breast to dry ice, skin side down, and weigh down with warmed bag for another 7 minutes.

Step Seven: Finish the breast on a hot griddle, cooking skin side down for 2 minutes to crisp the skin and complete the rendering process.

Making an Heirloom Melon Terrine

 

           


Chef Gabriel Bremer of Salts Restaurant - Cambridge, MA

Executive Chef Gabriel Bremer of Salts Restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts offers a simple but arresting method for featuring the flavors, colors and textures of summer’s heirloom melons.

 

Chef Bremer’s terrine does not require an actual terrine dish, although the finished product resembles a terrine in shape and layering. Bremer uses at least two to three varieties of heirloom melons for a single terrine, ensuring a gradation of sweetness and color in the finished product.

 

The success of the terrine depends simply, but pivotally, on the quality of the fruit and the proportion of pectin and calcium glucinate. Chef Bremer uses solutions of pectin and calcium to permeate and fortify the terrine as it is vacuumed.

 

The result is a dish that is both gentle and straightforward, combining the rusticity of a simple fruit dessert with innovative technique.

 

   

Step 1: Trim two to three melons of their skins; divide into hemispheres and seed.
Step 2: Trim the hemispheres from two different melon varieties into neat, matching rectangles that stack perfectly.
Step 3: Prepare calcium glucinate by hand-blending calcium with water; prepare pectin solution by adding pectin to water already in blender.
Step 4: Put melon slices in vacuum bag with calcium solution. Seal and vacuum to incorporate calcium into melon slices without completely compressing them; let rest 10 minutes and blot with towel to remove excess calcium solution.
Step 5: Brush melon slices with pectin, sandwiching those sides; brush exposed sides and surface of melon slices with pectin solution.
Step 6: Put stacked melon slices into vacuum bag, vacuuming this time to fully compress; let rest for 8 to 10 hours, preferably overnight.
Step 7: Slice fully compressed melon terrine into desired shape and serve.

 

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Blowfish Carpaccio with Monkfish Liver Ponzu Sauce


Chef Masaharu Morimoto of Morimoto – New York, NY

From Morimoto, The New Art of Japanese Cooking by Masaharu Morimoto (DK Publishing, 2007)
4 Servings

 



Ingredients

    Monkfish Liver Pate (Yield: 1 pound/450 grams):
  • 1 pound (450g) fresh monkfish liver*
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 1 cup sake

    Ponzu Sauce (Yield: 2 cups):
  • 1/3 lemon
  • ¼ orange
  • 1 cup ponzu juice
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup sake
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • 6 tablespoons mirin
  • 5 ounces (150g) bonito flakes
  • 2 sheets of kombu, 4x8 inches (10 x 20 cm) each, broken in half

    Monkfish Liver-Ponzu Sauce (Yield: 1/3 cup):
  • ¼ cup monkfish liver pate (from above)
  • 2 tablespoons ponzu sauce (from above)
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • Salt

    To Assemble and Serve:
  • 4 ounces (100g) blowfish fillet or another sashimi-quality fine white fish, such as monkfish, fluke or red snapper
  • 3 tablespoons monkfish liver-ponzu sauce
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons baby cilantro leaves
  • 2 tablespoons shaved white truffle or 1 tablespoon white truffle oil

Method

For the Monkfish Liver Pate:
Put the monkfish liver in a bowl, salt all over, and pour in the sake. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour, turning the liver once. Rinse the liver to remove the salt and sake. Clean it, removing all blood vessels. Steam the liver for 25 minutes. Refrigerate until chilled. This can also be stored in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.

*We butcher our own fish, but you can go to a high-quality fish monger and special-order the monkfish liver, so you don’t have to remove it from the fish yourself.

For the Ponzu Sauce:
Squeeze the juice of the lemon and orange pieces into a large container.  Toss in the rinds.  Add all the remaining ingredients, cover, and refrigerate for at least a week and up to a month before using.  Strain before use

For the Monkfish Liver-Ponzu Sauce:
Blend together the monkfish liver pate, ponzu sauce, and soy sauce. Season with salt to taste.

To Assemble and Serve:
Slice the fish fillet very thinly and arrange on a heatproof plate.  Drizzle the Monkfish Liver Ponzu Sauce over the fish.  In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil until it just begins to smoke.  Quickly and carefully, pour the hot oil over the fish slices to sear them.  Garnish with cilantro leaves and shaved white truffle or a drizzle of truffle oil.

 

Raspberry Transparency, Yogurt, Rose Petals

 

Chef Grant Achatz of Alinea – Chicago,

 



Yield: 8 Servings

INGREDIENTS

Raspberry Juice:
575 g (1 lb 4.3 oz) raspberries
110 g (3.9 oz) water
50 g (1.8 oz) sugar

Candied Rose Petals:
300 g (10.6 oz) sugar
300 g (10.6 oz) water
100 g (3.5 oz) rose petals

Raspberry Sheets:
500 g (1 lb 1.6 oz) raspberry juice
15 g (.5 oz) rose water
7 g (.2 oz) NH pectin
reserved candied rose petals

Yogurt Powder:
50 g (1.8 oz) spray-dried yogurt powder
15 g (.5 oz) confectioners’ sugar

METHOD

METHOD
For the Raspberry Juice:
Put the raspberries in a medium bowl. Wearing gloves, smash raspberries until broken down and no whole berries remain. In a medium saucepan, bring the raspberries, water, and sugar to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Line chinois with 3 layers of cheesecloth. Strain the raspberry liquid through prepared chinois, allowing it to drain overnight in refrigerator. Discard the solids and reserve the juice.

For the Candied Rose Petals:
Line a sheet tray with a double layer of paper towels. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Blanch rose petals for 1 minute. Drain on prepared sheet tray. Discard the liquid. Line dehydrator tray with silicone mat. Arrange the petals in thin, even layer on prepared tray and dehydrate at 150°F for 24 hours, or until crisp. Reserve in airtight container.

For the Raspberry Sheets:
In medium saucepan, combine the raspberry juice and rose water. Using an immersion blender, blend in the pectin. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Skim away foam. Fill large bowl with ice water. Place tall container in ice water. Pour liquid into container and let cool to room temperature. Spray 1 acetate sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In saucepan, reheat the raspberry base over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until liquid. Pour onto prepared acetate sheet, allowing it to pool in center. Form the acetate into a U-shape and raise and lower ends until evenly coated. Let mixture flow as close to edges as possible so it is as thin as possible. Pour off any excess. Place sheet on dehydrator tray and sprinkle rose petals in even layer across sheet. Dehydrate at 105°F for 4 hours, or until the raspberry sheet can be removed from acetate in single piece.
Rip sheet into random hand-sized pieces. Spray the second acetate sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place sheet on dehydrator tray, and place torn raspberry pieces in even layer on sheet. Dehydrate at 125°F for about 4 hours, or until crisp. Remove from dehydrator tray to cold surface to harden.

For the Yogurt Powder:
Combine yogurt powder and sugar. Reserve.

To Assemble and Serve:
Tap yogurt powder though sifter over raspberry sheets until sheets are half covered in white powder. Place in clip service piece.


BASIL PUFFS

 

Grant Achatz

 

 

INGREDIENTS (serves 12)

500 ml. Basil juice
180 gr. Sugar
2 gr. Salt
9 gr. F50 methylcellulose

PREPARATION

Combine the basil juice with the sugar and salt. Sheer in the F50 methylcellulose, stirring all the time, and whip in the mixer to stiff peaks. Spread over a silpat forming puffs and place them in the dehydrator until dry.

TO SERVE

Serve each basil puff on the purpose-designed support.

 

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TOMATO SORBET, OLIVE OIL POWDER AND TOAST

INGREDIENTS (serves 10)
by Wylie Dufresne
 

For the tomato sorbet: 
1 kg. tomato purée
14 oz. glucose
80 g. sugar
200 ml. water
4 g. stabilizer
For the olive oil powder: 
25 g. extra virgin olive oil
20 g. tapioca maltodextrin
Pinch of salt

PREPARATION

Tomato sorbet
Boil glucose, water and sugar together. Add stabilizer and cook for 5 minutes. Cool syrup and blend with the tomato purée. Freeze ina an ice cream machine or in a Paco Jet.

Olive oil powder
Add olive oil slowly to tapioca maltodextrin and mix well until incorporated. Season with salt.Toast: Toast small cubes of sour dough bread and garnish with micro basil and Maldon salt.

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CITRIC OYSTER: ESSENCE OF CALAMONDIN, LEMON CAVIAR, CITRIC SEA FOAM AND ORANGE BLOSSOM 

by Rodrigo de la Calle

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

 

For the oyster:

4 super king oysters

 

For the citric sea foam:

1 citron (Citrus medica)

½ l. mineral water

2 gr. soy lecithin

 

For the citric caviar:

1 fingerlime fruit (Microcitrus Australasica)

 

For the essence of calamondin:

1 Kg. calamondin oranges (Citrus calamondin)

1 l. mineral water

250 gr. granulated sugar

3 gr. Xanthan

 

For the orange blossom:

 

1 dozen orange blossom flowers

 

PREPARATION:

 

For the oyster: Very carefully open the oysters so that the flesh is not damaged and a minimum amount of liquid is lost.

 

For the citric sea foam: Using a grater, grate the citron peel. Cut the rest of the fruit into small pieces. Cook with the peel at 60ºC (140ºF) for 2 h. Strain, add the lecithin and set aside.

 

For the essence of calamondin orange: Make a syrup with the sugar and water then leave to cool. Transfer to a vacuum pack with the calamondin oranges and cook at 60ºC (140ºF) in a 100% steam oven for 3 h. Remove from the pack and blend while hot. When cold, mix in the xanthan.

 

For the citric caviar: Prepare a container with ice and water and insert the whole fingerlime fruit. Keep cold.

 

For the flowers: Select the flowers and refrigerate covered with damp paper.

 

 

TO SERVE:

Place the oyster at the centre of the plate and add a few drops of calamondin essence. Surround the oyster with the citric sea foam. Drop the flowers on top. At the last minute, half open the fingerlime fruit and, pressing lightly from the end, drop the balls on top of the oyster. Serve.

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MUSSELS IN MANDARIN ESCABECHE WITH APPLE ICE CREAM

by Xosé Cannas 

 

INGREDIENTS:

Mandarin escabeche (pickle sauce):

4 large mussels

2 onions

Rind of 10 lemons

Rind of 8 mandarins

Rind of 1 lime

225 ml. sunflower oil

75 ml. vinegar

1 bunch chives

1 bay leaf

1 bunch parsley

 

Apple ice cream:4 Reineta cooking apples

Powdered mandarin:5 mandarin rinds

Vinegar reduction:1 dl. vinegar per 50 gr. sugar

Rocket salad: Rocket

Vinaigrette:1 dl. extra virgin olive oil

33 ml. sherry vinegar

80 gr. honey

Roast pine kernels

 

PREPARATION:

 

Mandarin escabeche: Open the mussels in boiling water for an instant. Cool in iced water and remove from the shell. Set aside. Lightly fry the onion in the oil. Add the other ingredients. Cook for 15 min. Place the mussels and the strained escabeche in a vacuum pack. Warm before serving.

 

Apple ice cream: Peel the apples and remove the pips. Cook sous-vide at 80ºC (176ºF) for 2h 30 min. Cool and freeze. Process in a sorbet maker.

 

Powdered mandarin: Peel the mandarins. Retain the rind only. Grind to a powder in a food processor.

 

Vinegar reduction: Reduce the vinegar with the sugar.

 

Rocket salad: Select some rocket leaves.

 

Vinaigrette: Roast the pine kernels. Emulsify the oil with the vinegar and honey. Mix together.

 

 

TO SERVE:

 

Make a circle on a dish with the vinegar reduction. Put a mussel in the centre. Decorate harmoniously with the other ingredients.

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CHILLED CORN SOUP WITH SEA URCHIN AND VANILLA ICE CREAM

by Tetsuya Wakuda

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4)

Vanilla ice cream:
13 Egg yolks
100 gr. Caster sugar
1 l. Full cream milk
2 Vanilla beans
100 gr. Glucose
300 ml. Cream
Corn soup:
50 gr. Butter, diced
20 ml. Grapeseed oil
50 gr. Onion, finely diced
500 gr. Corn kernels
400 ml. Mineral water
Sea salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
Others:
40 pieces sea urchin roes

PREPARATION

Vanilla ice cream:
Gently whisk the egg yolks, then add the caster sugar and continue whisking together until dissolved. Slowly bring the milk with vanilla beans to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Add the glucose, return to a low heat and stir until dissolved (the mixture should be slightly thickened and coat the back of a spoon). Remove from the heat and pass through a fine meshed sieve. Set aside to cool, then chill. When fully chilled, add the cream and churn in an ice-cream maker.
Freeze until ready to use.

Corn soup:
Melt the butter in a large skillet, add the grapeseed oil and, as soon as the butter starts bubbling, add the onion and sweat until soft and just translucent. Then add the corn kernels and stir together thoroughly. Pour in the mineral water and heat to 85-90ºC, but do not boil. Allow to cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and place into an ice bath. When cold, remove half the liquid from the mixture, keeping the kernels in the remaining liquid and set aside. Blend the remaining mixture until smooth, pour through a fine meshed sieve, removing all husks. Set aside. Add the rest of the liquid to the pureed mixture and stir together to combine into thick consistency.

TO SERVE

Serve the corn soup in 4 bowls. Arrange 10 sea urchin roes in the centre of the soup, and top with a generous spoonful of vanilla ice cream

 

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CELEIRO HAKE GALICIAN-STYLE (2008 VERSION)

by Ana Gago

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

Dressing:

1 l. virgin oil

2 heads garlic

Pimentón de La Vera (a Spanish type of paprika)

Chardonnay grape vinegar

Pilpil:

1 head of hake

Chilli pepper

Garlic

Spring onion

Leek

Carrot

Olive oil

Dressing

 

Cream of peas:

Young peas

Vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

 

Clams:

Water

Clams

 

Hake: 

Celeiro hake

Salad sprouts

Salt

Pea powder (made from dried, crushed pea skins)

 

 

PREPARATION:

 

Dressing: Pour the virgin olive oil in a pan and add two heads of garlic cut in half. Cook over a low heat until soft. Leave to infuse while the oil cools down. When cold, add the pimentón and a few drops of vinegar.

 

Pilpil: Place the head of hake in a vacuum pack with all the other ingredients and cook in a Roner oven at 65ºC. Strain any liquid formed (the gelatine from the fish) and blend in a robot at speed 3. While blending, pour in a thin stream of dressing until the mixture is similar to a mayonnaise, check the salt and set aside.

 

Cream of peas: Cook the peas in vegetable stock and blend until smooth. Strain, and season with salt and pepper.

 

Clams: Bring a pan of water to the boil then add the clams. Leave until they start to open. Refresh in iced water.

 

Hake: Bake the portions of hake at 60ºC (140ºF) for 8 min.

 

 

 

TO SERVE

 

Form a circle of cream of peas and at the middle place a spoonful of pilpil. Next to it arrange the hake with a couple of clams and a few salad shoots and sprinkle with a little dressing, salt flakes and pea powder.

---------------------------------------------------CELEIRO HAKE GALICIAN-STYLE (TRADITIONAL)

by Ana Gago

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

Vegetable stock:

Leek

Spring onion

Chives

Bay leaf

Carrot

Water

Dressing:

1l. extra virgin olive oil

2 heads garlic

Pimentón de La Vera (a Spanish type of paprika)

Chardonnay grape vinegar                                                   

 

Hake:

Galician potatoes                                          

Celeiro hake

Young peas

Salt flakes

 

PREPARATION:

 

Vegetable stock: Make a stock with the vegetables and water. Set aside.

 

Dressing: Heat one litre of virgin olive oil with two heads of garlic cut in half. Cook over a low heat until soft. Leave to infuse while the oil cools down. When cold, add the pimentón and a few drops of vinegar.

 

Hake: Cook the potatoes broken into pieces in the stock. When almost done, add the hake in portions and the peas. Cook for 4 min. (without bringing to the boil). Drain.

TO SERVE:

 

Serve the potatoes, hake, peas and garlic and sprinkle with salt flakes. Add a little of the warm dressing.

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LOIN OF BEEF GRILLED AND PERFUMED WITH VINE WOOD COALS, THYME, NATURAL ANTHOCYANINS, ASHES, SALTS AND CRISP RADISHES


INGREDIENTS (to serve 4)

By Andoni Luis Adúriz

For the loin of beef: 
2 pieces 400 gr. loin of beef
100 ml. Arbequina extra virgin olive oil
5 gr. Charcoal ash
For the vegetable stock:
1.5 l Water
25 gr. Carrot
25 gr. Leek
2 cloves Garlic
50 gr. Onion
250 gr. Chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 bone
100 gr.  Gelatinous meat (shin, cheek, etc.)
For the dark stock:   
½ l. Vegetable stock
150 gr. Purple corn grains    
0.5 gr. Yeast extract   
2.5 gr. Table salt 
20 ml.  Squid ink
For the vine wood sticks:
325 gr. Wheat flour
30 ml. Extra virgin olive oil
5 gr. Bakers' yeast
160 ml. Dark stock
5 gr. Salt
For the crisp radishes:
500 gr. Dwarf radishes 
15 gr. Salt
1 l. Mineral water
For the ash-flavored salt:     
1 Bundle of vine wood.
100 gr. Añana salt
200 gr. Thyme leaves
For the leaves:         
8 Rau-Ram leaves

PREPARATION

Loin of beef
Trim the meat, removing almost but not all the fat. Remove any gristle. In a basin, mix the oil with the charcoal ash until well dissolved. Place the loin of beef in a vacuum pack with the ash-flavored oil and chill for 24 to 48 hours.
Vegetable stock
Place all the ingredients in a pan and season lightly. Cook over a low heat for 4-5 hours. Strain and set aside.
Dark stock
Mix all the ingredients except for the corn and bring to the boil. Blend in the robot and strain through a fine chinois. Add the purple maize and simmer very gently for at least 1 hour. Strain and remove the corn.
Vine wood sticks
Add the yeast to the dark stock at room temperature (approx. 25ºC). Dissolve, then add the oil and mix well. Sift the flour and place in the mixer, add the stock with the yeast and oil and knead for 10 minutes. Remove and form into a ball. Leave to rise for 1 hour. Roll out the dough using a rolling-pin and cut into thick strips. Stretch out using the palms of the hand. Form into strips and place on a sheet. Leave to stand for 20 minutes so that small cracks form, then stretch again to make the strips thinner. Bake for 3 minutes at 200ºC, remove and cut in half lengthways while hot to prevent them from breaking.
Crisp radishes
Wash the radishes in cold water and peel, pulling back the skin so that the veins are visible. Cut the radishes into quarters. Make a brine with the water and salt and insert the radishes. Place in a vacuum pack for 15 minutes, then remove.
Ash-flavored salt
Place the vine wood on a grid over a fire and cook until it has almost turned to ashes. Add the thyme leaves and leave to dry and burn with any remaining coals. Collect the ashes on a tray and sieve. Mix the salt and ashes in equal proportions. Place in the robot and blend.
Leaves
Wash in plenty of water with a vegetable disinfectant. Drain. Set aside until serving between sheets of absorbent paper in airtight containers.

TO SERVE

Grill the meat for 4 minutes over the vine wood coals. When the center of the meat reaches 45ºC, cover and keep warm. Serve on a bed of vine wood sticks and sprinkle with the ash-flavored salt. Add the radishes and finish with a few Raw-Ram leaves.

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IODIZED CUCUMBER WITH ROAST BELLY PORK, RAW HERB SALAD AND CELERY SORBET

INGREDIENTS

For the cucumber skin infusion: 
33% liquidised cucumber
33% clarified mussel juice
33% oyster juices
For the liquidised cucumber skins: 
700 g. cucumber (+/- 2.5 kg. cucumber)
For the clarified mussel juice: 
3 kg. mussels
75 g. butter
6 shallots
2 onions
Green leak, thyme and celery
750 g. white wine
Salt
Pepper
For the cucumber skin jelly: 

33% liquidised cucumber skins
33% clarified mussel juice
33% oyster juices                                                                 Agar-agar
For the raw herb salad: 
12 sprigs chervil
12 leaves tarragon
8 sprigs parsley
8 leaves watercress
20 chive tips
8 celery leaves
2 sorrel leaves, in julienne strips
For the vinaigrette: 

15 g. celery, chopped
50 g. shallot, chopped
20 g. parsley, chopped
50 g. spring onion, chopped
250 g. extra virgin olive oil 
60 g. sherry vinegar 
180 g. duck stock, reduced
100 g. truffle, chopped
Salt
Freshly-ground pepper
For the celery sorbet: 
1 l. water
250 g. sugar 
200 g. glucose
Juice of 1 lemon
500 g. celery juice
80 g. inverted sugar
8 sheets gelatine
And also:  
Belly pork

PREPARATION

Liquidised cucumber skins

Peel the cucumber, liquidise and strain.

Clarified mussel juice

Place the onion, shallot, green leek, thyme and celery in a pan with butter and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the white wine and boil for 5 minutes without allowing the mixture to darken. Add the mussels and a generous sprinkling of pepper, cover and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to stand covered for a further 3 minutes. De-fat the resulting liquid and leave to cool. Clarify with a proportion of 150g. egg white for every 1 litre of mussel juice.

Oyster juice

Collect the liquid found inside the oysters when opened, and strain.

Cucumber skin jelly

Mix the three liquids. Take 1/10th of the mixture and boil with 1.3g. agar-agar per litre, keeping the rest at 35ºC so that it conserves its properties. Mix the two and pour through a cloth filter. Pour 2 tablespoonfuls onto small bernardeau dishes.

Raw herb salad (3g. per dish)

Carefully wash the herbs and place in iced water to make them crisp. Drain and place on kitchen paper.

Vinaigrette (2 tsps per 3g. of salad)
Place the vinegar with the duck stock and the chopped vegetables, except for the parsley and the truffle, in a concave bowl. Gradually beat in the oil with a whisk. Finally, add the parsley and truffle and season with salt and pepper.

Celery sorbet: Mix the water, sugar and glucose and heat to melt the glucose. Liquidise the celery and strain through a fine strainer. Mix the liquidised celery with the inverted sugar, lemon juice, water, glucose and sugar, and add 8 sheets of gelatine per litre.

Belly pork: Cut into pieces measuring 4 x 3 cm and place each piece in a bag. When required, cook for 10 minutes in the Ronner at 65ºC and just before serving, sauté on all 4 sides.

TO SERVE

Place the salad with the truffle vinaigrette to one side of the dish containing the jelly, with the sautéed pork alongside and, at the centre, a quenelle of celery sorbet.

 

ROAST CARRÉ OF LAMB WITH FLORENCE ONIONS AND PEARLY STOCK WITH SAFFRON

INGREDIENTS ( to serve 4) Michel Bras
 
 

1 carré of lamb
weighing 1.6 kg 
Florence onions
10 Florence onions 
1 orange peel 
12 coriander seeds 
8 cl grapeseed oil 
3 dl water
Pepper corns 
Bay leaf 
Celery stick 
Saffron strands 
Salt

PREPARATION

Carré of lamb
Ask the butcher for a carré from a 1-year old lamb. Have it cut into 4 pieces. Roast on an oven dish at 170ºC. Check the meat with a thin metal rod during roasting to make sure it is underdone. Leave it to stand for at least 30 minutes in a warm place or covered with a sheet of aluminium foil. Bone and trim the meat. Cut lengthwise into 3 slices. Season with salt crystals and black pepper.

Florence onions
Peel the onions and blanch for 3 minutes in boiling water. Place the remaining ingredients in a pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the onions to the stock and cook gently until soft. Leave to stand in the stock for 24 hours.

TO SERVE

Finely chop 2 onions for decoration. Check the seasoning and dress with a spoonful of the fat from the top of the stock. Serve the meat and accompany with one whole onion standing vertically, one onion cut in half and the chopped onion. Pour a little stock over the plate and add a few drops of the cooking fat. Decorate with a few strands of saffron.

 

 

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COLD FIDEUÁ AL PESTO, WITH PARMESAN DROPS


For the fideuá stock:
4 kg. mantis shrimp
2 heads garlic
20 black peppercorns
600 gr. onion
400 gr. leek
25 saffron strands
60 ml. mild olive oil
18 l.mineral water

For the hollow noodles:
1 l. stock
200 gr. noodles

For the fideuá stock jelly:    
150 ml. stock
2 gr. liquidized tapioca flour

Parmesan drops:
2 l. mineral water
900 gr. 3-year-old Parmesan
9 gr. powdered aloe vera
Himalaya salt

Others: 
basil pectin
3-year-old Parmesan, 5 dice (0.5 cm)
Granny Smith apples
Raw pine nuts
Basil (up to 5 different varieties and at different stages of growth)
Common ice plant
Chervil
Pennyroyal (mentha pulegium) flower
Salvia
Rosemary flowers
Basil flowers
Stevia flowerHimalaya salt flakes

PREPARATION

Fideuá stock
Chop the vegetables and fry gently in the oil. Add the shrimps and brown for 12 min. over a very low heat. Add the water, half the saffron strands and the pepper. Cook without bringing to the boil, skimming frequently, until 6l. of stock are left. Remove from the heat, add the remaining saffron, cover the surface with kitchen film to seal, and leave to infuse for 6h. Strain. Use to cook the rice noodles.

Hollow noodles
Bring the stock to boiling point. Add the noodles, stirring well to prevent them from sticking together. After cooking for 7 min., strain and leave at room temperature to cool. Mix with the Arbequina extra virgin olive oil. Rectify the seasoning and set aside.

Fideuá stock jelly
Bring the stock used to cook the noodles to the boil, add the neutral starch and beat vigorously. Transfer to a dropper and chill. Use this cold jelly to lightly cover the noodles on the plate.

Parmesan drops: 
Bring the mineral water to the boil. Insert the wafers of Parmesan cheese. Leave to infuse for 30 min. then strain.
Add the powdered aloe vera to 1 l. of this Parmesan stock, and rectify with the Himalaya salt.
Transfer the mixture to a dropper. Drip the Parmesan stock into a bath of cold seed oil so that it sets in drop shapes. Pour the mixture through a colander, retain the drops and set aside. The drops are then served on top of the noodles so that they have to be mixed.

 

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CREAM OF ALMOND MILK AND CAULIFLOWER WITH PRAWN CONSOMMÉ

Cream of almond milk and cauliflower:
300 gr cauliflower
700 gr almond milk (400 gr flaked almonds in 1 litre cow's milk left overnight, then blended 3 times)

 

Prawns:
1 litre mild oil  20 prawns
1 clove garlic
3 gr pepper 
Salt

PREPARATION

Cream of almond milk and
cauliflower
Cook the cauliflower in the microwave. Transfer to the Thermomix at the maximum speed and gradually pour in the milk. Season, strain and while still hot transfer to the serving plates. Refrigerate before adding the prawn jelly.

Prawn consommé
Make a basic broth from chicken and vegetables fried until soft. Add the prawn heads, sherry and water. Gradually reduce until the desired flavour is obtained. Check the salt and add 6 gelatine sheets for every litre. Serve when almost cold so that it sets immediately.

Prawns
Cut the prawn meat into 1 cm pieces. Season with salt and place on a tray. Cook the oil with the heads and other ingredients for 30 minutes. Strain and add to the prawn meat at 65ºC. Leave to stand for 5 minutes at room temperature then refrigerate for 12 hours. To serve: Serve as shown in the photo.

 

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AROMATIC SUGAR LEMON BUBBLES

 

INGREDIENTS

200gr isomalt sugar
Inverted water pipe ore gas cleaner bottle
Lemon oil

METHOD

Boil the isomalt sugar to 180C°, let cool down to 80-100C°. Fill the Inverted water pipe ore gas cleaner bottle with lemon oil. Blow a sugar bubble with the Inverted water pipe ore gas cleaner bottle.

TO SERVE

Serve on a spoon to any dish you want to have lemon fragrance to.  

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ABSTRACTION OF SEA

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

Iodine-flavoured seaweed stock:
60 gr. Onions
40 gr. Carrots
2 heads garlic
30 gr. Leeks
50 gr. Kombu seaweed
2 peppercorns
0.5 Kg. Cockles
0.5 Kg. Muscles
200 gr. Chicken legs, browned
12 oysters (3 per person)
4.5 L. Water sherry.

Tremella-mushrooms:
16 Tremella mushrooms (4 per person).

Seaweed marinade:
200 ml. Mineral water
50 ml. Rice vinegar
6 tbsp. Soy sauce
Icing sugar and salt crystals.

Seaweeds:
kombu
Sea lettuce
Wakame and wakame shoots
Irish gums
Sea spaghetti
Dulse
arame, hijiki.

Tiger nuts:
25 gr. Dried tiger nuts
20 ml. Mild-flavoured olive oil
Rind of 1 ripe lemon
1 Stalk lemon grass (1 g.)
1 Clove garlic
3 Black peppercorns.

Thick rice vinegar syrup:
20 gr. Sugar
2 ml. Rice vinegar
3 l. Rice vinegar
50 gr. Neutral apple pectin gelatine.

Others:
4 slices smoked white tuna (1 per person)
6 drops tiger nut oil (use a dropper)
salt flakes.

PREPARATION

Iodine-flavoured seaweed stock:
Mix all the ingredients, excluding the oysters,and cook for 12 hours. Leave to stand, strain and clarify. Use 25% for the serving dish and the remaining 75% for cooking the mushrooms. Tremella mushrooms: Blanch in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove and cook in the iodine-flavoured seaweed stock, in a covered pan, at 90ºC for 2 hours. Carefully remove the stalks.

Seaweed marinade:
Prepare the base of the marinade by mixing all the ingredients and setting aside. Cook the necessary seaweeds in water for 3 hours, then drain. Mix the seaweeds with the marinade and leave to stand. Tiger nuts: Insert the dried tiger nuts in a vacuum pack with water, salt, olive oil and a garlic clove. Cook in the Roner at 61ºC for 8 hours. Leave to stand for a further 8 hours. Thick rice vinegar syrup: Make a caramel with the sugar and 20 ml. rice vinegar to prevent it from crystallising. When a light caramel colour appears, add the remaining 3 lt. vinegar and reduce to 80 ml. Remove from the heat and mix in the neutral apple pectin gelatine.

TO SERVE

Place the seaweed marinade at the centre of the plate with the oysters and tiger nuts. Arrange 3 tremella mushrooms around in a clockwise direction (at 1, 4 and 8 o'clock). Top each tremella with 3 salt flakes. Next to the seaweed marinade, tiger nuts and oysters place a slice of white tuna cut in half. Finish by sprinking the dish with a few drops of tiger nut oil.

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