Calamari Salad

This wonderful dish was based off of a recipe from one of my back issues of gourmet magazine. It originally was for a Baby Octopus Salad. So the translation to calamari was in my mind inconsequential. The most important thing to remember is to avoid over cooking the squid. We are not looking for a salad of rubber bands here.  The premise is simple squid tossed with a dressing and lightly marinated.

So onward to the recipe then;
For the Dressing combine the following ingredients and set aside to allow the flavors to incorporate:
1tbl Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Vom Fass)
2tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1clv Garlic minced
2sprigs fresh oregano
2sprigs fresh thyme
(Strip the leaves from the herbs and chop finely)
1tsp Hawaiian Black Sea Salt
1tsp Waldburg Balsam Honey Vinegar

While the dressing is resting in a 2qt pot combine the following ingredients
2 Bay Leaves
1tsp dried savory
1/2tsp dill seed
1tbl kosher salt
2tbl orange or lemon juice
3-4cups water
Place over high heat and bring to a boil. While you are waiting you should make sure that your squid is tentacles only and that they have been thawed(if necessary), washed, and the beaks removed.

Once the mixture reaches a full rolling boil wait two minutes then remove from the heat and immediately add 1 1/2cups of squid tentacles at room temperature. Wait 15 seconds and then pour the squid into a colander and rinse with cold water. After a quick lite rinse transfer them to the prepared dressing and stir well. Place this covered on the counter and stir occasionally (every 5-10 minutes) the squid is ready to serve after 15-20 minutes.

I got Mussels!!!

This is a simple post on a simple idea. We got this amazing new vinegar in at work right before Christmas. It was a fig and chili vinegar. "Hmmm  I don't know" I know that's what you're thinking. But trust me it was sweet! Well spicy actually. And that got me to thinking what could I whip up as a delectable treat to use this new flavor sensation? Well of course being French trained and preferring difficulty and accurate production over ease of use  the first thing to come to mind was an emulsified sauce of some sort.

Now a basic vinaigrette will just not do. Too passe. I mean don't I have better ideas than that like everyday? So maybe I should be looking to what I want the sauce to go with. Seafood seemed a natural choice for me this time. (BBQ recipe coming later). Scallops, mussels, yes shellfish. And what sauce is better with shellfish cooked to perfection than a creamy rich Hollendaise? So with the encouragement of a friend and a little ingenuity I present a sauce fit for any shellfish you find:

Sauce Johanna

2ea egg yolks
1tbl Waldburg Balsam Fig & Chili
1/2cup Clarified Butter
3tbl Chili Oil
1/2tsp Siracha

Whisk together the yolks, fig&chili vinegar, and siracha. Slowly drip in the chili oil while whisking. Make sure your clarified butter is hot/warm ~120f is good. Whisk in the butter a thin drizzle at a time until it is all incorporated.

The sauce was then gentle poured of our melange of fine bivalves as shown below. Please note that the plate also shows Miataki Mushrooms with Quince Glaze, and The shelfish are Mussels with Sorrel and Peppers.

Deconstructed Bouillabaisse Inspired Terrine

This is an idea that come to me once when I was thinking of saffron. So what if ou take this wonderful soup pull in all apart slam it back together and do it in a way that is fun and interesting. Interesting, interesting is this fine recipe I found once diggin through cook books from the decade that killed cuisine (1950's). It was for Stain Glass Jello. Vso the idea has thusly been formed. I will now separate bouillabaisse by color, gelatinize it and reform in a smooth herbaceous cream.So this recipe is really four parts plus part five for assembly. Let us look at the word inspired, so for this inspiration I

Part one – Green

Ok so this is the least traditional part of the terrine. I choose to make it with a pesto like consistancy.

• 1/4c spinach
• 3ribs celery
• 3ea Green onions
• 1/3ea roasted green bell pepper (I used a jalapeno for spice, a poblano would be interesting too though)
• 3tbl Absinthe
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1pkt gelatin

Blanch and shock the green things. Puree with the absinthe. Would like to try this again in the future replacing the spinach with a combination of blanched fresh herb, savory, basil, etc. Next time may use a herb infused white wine redux to loosen the mixture and allow straining for a smoother texture.

Part two – Red

• 2/3cup crushed tomatoes
• 1ea medium tomato
• 5 deviend 16-20 shrimp
• 4oz misc mollusks
• 1/4cup Ruby Port
• 1ea very small chili mortia
• 1ea chili guajillo
• 2tbl Hungarian paprika
• 4tbl Spanish smoked paprika
• 3shakes Tabasco sauce
• 1pkt Gelatin

Sautee shrimp in olive oil until the shells turn and the smell aromatic. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree. Return to a skillet and cook stirring often to prevent scorching. After 10-15 minutes strain mixture to remove remaining shell, and pepper pieces. Place in a small pot and reduce to apx 1cup. Chill 1/4cup of the mixture and use to bloom gelatin. Combine with hot mixture and chill.

Part three – yellow

• 2cup chicken stock
• 1pinch saffron
• 1tbl turmeric powder
• 1tsp anatto
• 1med carrot small dice
• 1pkt gelatin

Bloom gelatin in 1oz tequila + 3oz cold chicken stock. Reduce to 3/4cup, strain, combine, chill. Note I did not puree the carrots into this mixture. Will consider for next time using parsnips and doubling the saffron. Then a puree would be more appropriate.

Part Four – White

• 5cloves garlic
• 1/2ea medium onion
• 2bay leaves
• 1tbl thyme
• 1tbl oregano
• 2tsp fennel seed
• 3cup cream
• 1/4cup milk
• 1/4cup half and half
• 3tbl firm fleshed white colored fish
• ~1/2cup cream
• 1pkt gelatin

Puree onion, garlic, milk, half and half, and fish, add to a pot with remaining ingredients. Reduce by half. Bloom gelatin in cold cream. Strain and add reduced cream mixture. Add additional cold cream to bring to 2cups of liquid.

Assemblage;

Remove your chilled an gelatinized colors from the cooler. Cut into roughly 1” cubes. In your larger container pour a thin layer of the white cream mixture chill for 3-5minutes. Add one third of your cubes of various colors. Pour in enough white mix at no more than 90f to cover the cubes. Chill for 5-7minutes. Add another third of the cubes again cover with white mixture. Chill 3-5 minutes. Then add the last third of cubes and all remaining cream mix. Chill overnight.

To serve dust with paprika, or mount with penguins!!

Ok so here is the post tasting problem. There was enough flavor in there for four terrines. So please add 3 cups of water and 2.75pkts of gelatine to the Red, Green, and Yellow. And multiple the fluids and gelatin in the white by four.