L2O Blog

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. 

Kombu

Kombu is something we already use in the kitchen. We use it as a wrap when we cure raw fish. It is also an important ingredient in dashi and stocks. Even though we have it, it is good to always be looking at new sources for the best product.

Kombu, or Laminaria digitata grows on the Atlantic coast, while Laminaria setchelli grows on the Pacific coast. The large leaves can grow to be two-feet wide and four-feet long. It can be difficult to harvest because of its size and because it grows in deeper waters. It is a Japanese delicacy and also known for it's health and healing powers.

Sea Palm

Yesterday I posted about nori, today is sea palm. You can see we are tasting some new seaweeds in the kitchen from a west coast purveyor. It is good product, fresh with good flavors and texture. The best way to get to know a product is to try it simply on its own. We are not sure yet what we will do with them.

Sea palm, or postelsia palmaeformis, grows on the Pacific Coast of North America. They look like palm trees and it is the fronds that are usually harvested. It needs to be dried immediately or else it will go sour. They have a mild salty flavor and a texture almost like a noodle.

Nori

Nori, or porphyra, is supposed to be the world's most popular sea vegetable. There are several species of seaweed, or the genus porphyra, that are edible and delicious. It is a good source of assimilable protein and vitamins. The Japanese cultivate nori in aquaculture farms. American nori is usually picked from the wild and is harvested by pulling it from the rocks. It is usually dried in its natural blade form. Once dried it has a very rich flavor. A really distinctive characteristic of nori is that it is ultra thin, almost like cellophane.