Just Forking Around

Oysters & Pearls

It's a legend that has enthralled gourmets and gourmands ever since its genesis in the 1990s. Deconstructed it is a warm, poached oyster served on a bed of warm sabayon of pearl tapioca topped with a scoop of caviar. A mere spoonful whose mysteries unfold on the palate. To taste it was to savour each component separately and together: the silky custard suspended with pearls giving it texture, the delightfully poached fine de Claire oyster and the white sturgeon caviar lording it over:  firm, nutty, and delightful like a breath of ocean air with a tantalising saltiness. But its creator top American toque Thomas Keller has never tasted it. 

"I was walking down the aisles of a grocery store and there’s a box of purple tapioca with the word 'pearl' on it. And I think pearls come from oysters, so why don’t I put it together and add cavaiar to it. And bang the dish has been around for 12 years. I have never tasted it. I know what each component taste like, and I have an idea what the finished dish tastes like. I don’t do that for all my dishes."

Perhaps he fears tasting it could mean being ‘forced’ to evolve it. Why mess with a classic!

 

 

NOBU InterContinental Hong Kong showcases innovative Donburi lunches

NOBU InterContinental Hong Kong takes the traditional Donburi, a Japanese rice bowl dish, to new and innovative heights with its selection of Donburi Lunches, available daily through the end of September.

Many of the Donburi dishes showcase NOBU's innovative new-style Japanese cuisine and incorporate South American influences. Of the five cold Donburi dishes, signature NOBU creations include the NOBU Style Sashimi Jalapeno Donburi and the Sashimi Donburi with Chilled Spicy Ochazuke. Signature Hot Domburi dishes include Wagyu Tataki Jalapeno Donburi, and the Duck Breast and Moro Miso Egglpant Donburi. For a European influenced creation, the "Loco Moco" Foie Gras and Wagyu Donburi is a delicious option. The Iwashi Donburi is a seasonal donburi. Meanwhile the Smoked Chicken Donburi featured house smoked chicken.

All Donburi lunches are served with Salad, Miso Soup and Oshinko, with prices ranging from HK$200 - HK$628. (There are also two traditional Donburi Lunches - the Oyako Donburi (HK$130) and the Unagi Domburi (HK$195)

NOBU InterContinental Hong Kong Second Floor, InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong Restaurant reservations: (852) 2313-2323 Reservations fax: (852) 2366-5205 E-mail: [email protected] www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com / www. NobuRestaurants.com

Mario Batali's Grilled Lamb Chops with Garlic Confit & Mint

Last Christmas, this was the main course in the six-course dinner I made for friends. I served it with a side of lemon pasta and creamy mashed potato. It was also my first attempt at plating food, so it didn't turn out like I wanted it to, but it was easy to make and the friends loved it. I have reproduced the recipe below for those that want to try it. I didn't have sweet vermouth/Malvasia to add, so I subsitituted it with a sweetish wine I had at home. Enjoy! 

Step 1

Preheat the grill or broiler

 Step 2

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

30 cloves garlic (peeled)

2 cups dry white wine

1 cup sweet wine (such as Malvasia) or sweet vermouth

4 springs of mint (leaves only)

 In an 8-inch to 10-inch pan, heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic cloves and sauté slowly, shaking pan to keep garlic moving, until brown on all sides (about 10 minutes).  Add the mint.  Add sweet wine and dry white wine, bring to a boil, cook until liquid is reduced to ¼ cup; the garlic should be very soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

 Step 3

1 8-rib rack of lamb (trimmed and cut into chops)

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon mint

1 tablespoon sugar

Squeeze of lemon juice

Drizzle of olive oil

Make the rub with sugar, salt, mint and lemon juice and put on the chops.  Drizzle with olive oil or vermouth.  Grill or broil, turning once, until medium rare (about 4 to 5 minutes per side).  Transfer to a platter.

 Step 4

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Season the garlic mixture with salt and pepper.  Spoon into the centre of four warmed plates, lean the chops against the garlic, and serve immediately.

 

 

Cocina Nueva: The New Spanish Kitchen

With Spain’s growing reputation as the new centre of innovative cuisine in Europe, author and chef Jane Lawson’s latest delicacy, Cocina Nueva: The New Spanish Kitchen, is a timely tome. In it she pays homage to her experiences on a recent gastronomic tour of that country and what she describes as “incredible, artistic, technically perfect, fascinating dishes that tasted of focused raw passion.” From tapas plates to authentic, rustic meals, Lawson ingeniously transforms the classics with a modern flair but keeping the traditional colours, flavours and textures. Each chapter – divided into Tasca (tapas), Cocina (main meals) and Postres (desserts), the way the Spaniards like to eat – offers a variety of simple-to-prepare dishes backed up by fabulous photography. Enjoy spiced sidra over a variety of tapas dishes like garlic prawns with chorizo or chicken albondigas with saffron almond sauce. Or spoil friends with sherry-poached veal with potato and anchovy gratin, crisp cumin chicken with red capsicum jam, or the txangurro (baked spider crab) ravioli. As a sweeteners, nothing like the sweet bunuelos with orange curd or café con leche jelly to top a great meal. Now if only I could manage to put it all together on a plate.

Renaissance Flavours

Three-star Michelin chef Annie Feolde of Restaurante Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence and Grand Chef of Relais & Chateaux in Italy talks about the masterpieces she plates.

 It’s pretty ironic that the only three-star female Michelin chef from Italy is French. But Annie Feolde hasn’t added any Gallic airs to reach for these stars. Instead she has retained the essence of Tuscany, plating, as she puts it, “light and nice-looking dishes,
with roots in Tuscan cuisine” at Enoteca Pinchiorri, her restaurant in Florence named after her husband. The three Michelin stars, she believes, are a result of the top quality she has ensured in all aspects of her cooking.

I met her a couple of years ago, when she was invited to Le Normandie at The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok to offer foodies here a chance to experience her simple yet elegantly plated dishes. The focus at that time was on taste and the colours of Tuscany. Her amuse bouche was an indicator of things to come. A spoonful of couscous, tomato, celery, basil, drizzled with olive oil, it was light, refreshing with a slight crunch, an amalgam of basic Italian flavours

 

Noci Di Capessante Con Pomodoro Fresco E Crescione or scallop with fresh tomato and watercress

What is your food philosophy?

 

First of all, I want to be faithful to the style. I try to find traditional dishes, and we have deep-rooted traditions. What I have tried to do is not make these dishes modern but lighter. When I see an interesting recipe, I try to pick the main values, and then make them taste lighter. My menus are simple and they best reflect the Italian food. There is no need to be extremely fussy or cook Italian, French style (She’s French so she’s even more careful about this) Some people don’t understand my style. Sometimes I’m a bit angry when people criticise what I’m doing and I cannot argue them. Anyway, I don’t struggle with this because it usually ends up with compliments. They say my cooking style has a taste of French, which is not true. And though I am not denying my nationality, my food is Italian.   

Fusilli Al Ferretto Con Gamberi, Bottarga Di Tonno E Liquirizia or home-made fussilli with tiger prawns, tuna bottarga and liquorice powder

Tuscan chefs are known for never tampering with the traditional recipes. How do you develop the recipes?

 

 There was a revolution about 40 years ago in Italy which resulted in a modernised restaurant kitchen and cooking styles. However, I want to preserve the roots and Italian identity, as do some restaurants in the countryside. Meanwhile, chefs in town want to make it all more modern. I would not say I have modernised the dishes but just made them lighter.

Ravioli Siamesi Farciti Di Faraona Stufata E Burrata, Fonduta Di Parmigiano, Timo Fresco E Sugo D' Arrosto or Siamese ravioli filled with slowly braised guinea fowl and burrata cheese, parmesan fondue, fresh thyme and pan jus

How did it begin?

 

My husband had a wine bar... an enoteca. Then we added some food like appetisers and pasta to the menu. Once a French minister from the European Council visited and asked for Tuscan food, and when I said we didn’t serve any she closed the menu without ordering anything and continued talking to the other two gentlemen with her about politics. I was upset but realised I needed to learn more, do more. People from around the world come here expecting Tuscan. So I introduced Tuscan flavours to the menu and developed it from that. My food is very Tuscan now but it was not at first. I started to learn about ingredients from books but I couldn’t understand them completely, so I threw them away. When I decided to study again, I found that every recipe reflects the nation’s history and culture. As I knew more about the stories underneath recipes, I better developed them.

Have you ever felt like exploring French cuisine?

 Never. 

 Do you consider Italian cuisine the best?

I’ve never felt it’s the best. Food business is competitive but I tend to preserve my style. It’s nice that everyone tries his/her best, but I’m not in school any more so I don’t want to fight. My three Michelin stars mean a lot to me. We always look for quality not ambition without efforts.

Orata In Crosta Di Olive Nere Con Purea Di Patate All' Olio Extra Vergine Di Oliva, Scalogno E Timo or Sea bream coated with black olives, potato puree whisked with extra virgin olive oil, shallots and herbs

 What inspires you?

 

First I started cooking in order to please my husband and others. I love eating, and I wanted to make people feel good. Later on, I found I had a passion for this business. I love to be around people, I think the best way to get to know them is through the table.

 What is your favorite cuisine besides Italian?

I like the Japanese, Thai and Chinese cuisines because they have so much variety. 

 

Zuccotto Al Modo Nostro Con Frutta E Verdure Candite or Zuccotto with candied fruit and vegetable