L2O Blog

Faking the Asparagus

A fake, even if it has an unreal value, has something intriguing and appealing about it in some sense. Kind of a real visual aspect, but made out of something else. The pastry world has applied this idea and done a lot with it, but savory has always been hesitant.

If you see an asparagus, you want to taste the real thing. White asparagus made me think of that because the water content is so high and the color is white, so we could easily fake an asparagus. I called Michael to discuss the idea. He works at the Chicago School of Mold Making and we have collaborated on some other ideas in the past. A week later he was at the restaurant picking up asparagus that we had just received from the farm. He sent us the first prototype of the mold and in four weeks time we were able to finalize a recipe that works well with the final mold. It is actually pretty simple. 

The asparagus are peeled, finely sliced, and mixed until disintegrated. It is then passed through a fine cloth sieve to recover all the natural juices. We bring it to a simmer, set it with a combination of low and high acyl gellan gums and a touch of half&half to add some richness. Once it is set it can be reheated up to 120-degrees Fahrenheit without melting and combined with other components as a part of a dish. The texture is firm and soft, with a pleasant mouth feel.

Nameko

Nameko is an amber brown mushroom that has a slightly gelatinous texture that gives it a unique mouth feel. It is cultivated in California. They come into small bunches; so we just cut to cup with a bit of the foot. They are braised with clarified butter with a touch of bouillon. When cooked they have a certain stickiness, that is, in a way very enjoyable. We serve them with a lobster preparation to combine the delicacy of two very different components. A cabernet sauvignon essence binds them together.

Crispy Rice

We have been using a plain crispy jasmine rice to go with the kampachi. The jasmine rice is rinsed only once to keep some of the natural starch, then cooked in the rice cooker with salt and water until it is soft. We spread the rice on a silpat and dry it in a combi oven at a low temperature with the fan on high for about 3 hours. Then we let it dry naturally at room temperature. We fry it to order the next day as needed. 

Junior calls himself the specialist of the crispy rice. We have two Jasons in the kitchen, and this one is the youngest, so we call him Junior. When someone else makes it he always said it is not as good as his, and makes sure I am fully aware of it. A couple of weeks ago I asked Junior to see what happens when you add squid ink to the rice. The rice does not turn 100% black, but it is very flavorful and is just as light as the plain one. We used it with a sweet bread-Surune Ika dish and might use it again in the future with a different preparation.

Foie Gras, Candied Butter, White Asparagus

To start the plate: shavings of raw green asparagus, white asparagus poached in butter and a dumpling of White asparagus and white grits

The next layer of flavors and textures: pickled rhubarb, syrup of rhubarb and tamarind, and seared foie gras seasoned with honey powder and red togarashi.

The final touches: duck jus emulsified with foie gras and pink peppercorn, cotton candy seasoned with butter powder, pink peppercorn, bee pollen and Murray salt, and fresh edible flower petals.

Croquant

Croquant is the French word for crispy or crunchy. It is usually related to something very thin that has been dehydrated or deep fried. Here we use a mix of glucose, fondant, and isomalt, that we cook into a white caramel and let set until hard. It is then ground to a powder and mixed with any dry component to flavor the mix. Pictured below are nori, raspberry, and soy. We create a shape with a stencil on a silpat. We melt the mix in our bread oven at a 150ºC  and then let it cool down. On the final step we place the croquant over a silicon mold, partially melt it back and press to create the shape. 

California Morel

After spending few years in California I built and kept a very good relationship with Connie. She picks and collect mushrooms from the region, select them. When you work in San Francisco she will come by your kitchen and drop few boxes of mushrooms a couple times a week. But she also ships overnight for out of towners. We still get the same mushrooms in Chicago. They have a dark color and are very meaty with a rich flavor. These morels are really special.

All this to comment on this picture. I took it few weeks ago, thinking I will have plenty of time as the morel season had just started. But last Friday Connie told me the that season is already over. It is hot and dry in California, with very few rains, so the morels are not growing any more. We will get the four last pounds today. We will switch to cepes for the next six weeks until that season ends. 

To prepare the morels, we cut the stem, wash them several times, then let them drain overnight. We braise them the next day with browned butter and chicken bouillon until they are fully cooked and the juice has reduced to intensified the flavors. We do make a stock with the stems that we use during service to warm them up and glaze them with fresh butter.

Burata Capelli, Ham bouillon, Little Neck Clams

Wakame

This is the last seaweed of the tasting series. It is a good practice to taste things systematically to have a good knowledge of comparison. Recording it on the blog means we will always have it. I think the two are working well together.

Alaria is a very common sea vegetable in many countries. It is known by different names such as wakame, wing kelp, honeyware, murlins and tangle. The plant grows by pushing out from the frond to several feet in length. So the sweetest part is closest to the base of the plant. It has a rich and sweet flavor. It is important to dry it completely or else it can rot.  

Bull Whip Kelp

Bull Whip Kelp, or Nereocystis luetkeana, is a tapered, tubular brown sea vegetable, which can grow up to several yards long. The plant is topped by a bulbous float to which several long, thin blades attach. When people on the North Pacific Coast think of seaweed they often think of bull whip kelp, because they are long, sinuous "whips" that often wash up on the beaches during fall and winter.

Whip kelp stipes are more tender near the narrow end. This is actually the part we tasted. The seaweed itself is not crunchy but has a softness that make it easy to eat. They can be cut into rings and dried or added fresh to bouillon or soups.

Dulse

Dulse, or Palmaria palmata, is harvested in the North Atlantic and the Pacific Northwest. This one is from the west coast. The blades can grow up to one and a half feet. It has a leathery texture and a salty flavor, even after it is rinsed in fresh water. Sometimes salt will crystallize on the surface. The red color makes it visually more unique than the usual dark green of most seaweeds.