It’s been a heck of a week out here in the Hamptons with lots of dinner parties and fancy guests staying over at Big Bossman’s house. The abundance of fresh produce around me has been boosting my creativity but this dessert is one of the only thing i had the time to photograph in the midst of all the madness. The apricots, lemon verbena and blackberries were grown on the property and the ricotta used in the ice cream was homemade as well. It doesn’t get much more local than that.

I just wish i could have a quiet day to share the bounty with you but it hasn’t happened yet and it’s not happening anytime soon since my backup chef hasn’t reported to duty because of an injury. Don’t you worry for me though, i may be zen but i’m a warrior, which makes me a ninja.. err.. or something like that.

Not only fresh lemon verbena makes great infusions but it’s one of those magical ingredient that brings the best out of apricots and peaches. I’ve also made a batch of peach-verbena jam that looks promising but we’ll save that for later.

I feel like i’ve been neglecting this blog (and you’re damn right, i’m feeling guilty about it!) but i can’t wait to go back to a more regular posting schedule after labor day, when things quiet down a bit. We’re also working on some blog upgrades and new features so there’s a lot on the back burner. So stay tuned for more exciting adventures…

• Lemon Verbena Poached Apricots with Fresh Ricotta Ice Cream & Blackberry syrup

• Serves 8
• 

• • Lemon Verbena Poached Apricots:

  • 4 cups water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup lemon verbena leaves
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 12 apricots

  • Fresh Ricotta Ice Cream:

  • 2 1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • zest of 1 Meyer lemon
  • 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons limoncello (optional)

  • Blackberry Syrup and Filo:

  • 2 pints fresh blackberries
  • 1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
  • 1/2 lemon juice
  • 4 sheets of filo dough
  • butter
  • powdered sugar
  • Fresh verbena leaves for garnish

• • For the lemon verbena poached apricots:

  • Combine the water, sugar and the vanilla bean (split) in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the lemon verbena leaves and reduce the heat. Let it infuse.
  • Cut the apricots in half and discard the pits. Place the apricot halves in the lemon verbena syrup and poach them for 10 minutes over a very low heat. Remove from the pan from the heat and let it cool. Refrigerate the apricots in the lemon verbena syrup, preferably overnight.

  • For the ricotta ice cream:

  • Place the fresh ricotta, sugar, Meyer lemon zest and the pinch of salt in a food processor and blend. Add the heavy cream and blend until smooth. Add the limoncello, if using. Refrigerate until completely chilled. Add the chopped pistachios.
  • Place in the bowl of an ice cream maker and freeze. Reserve in the freezer until ready to use.

  • For the filo and blackberry syrup:

  • Preheat the oven to 375′F
  • Place a sheet of filo on a clean surface. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Fold in half. Brush with butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar again and fold in half. Repeat until you obtain a small rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half to obtain 2 squares about 2 by 2 inches. Place them on a baking pan lined with a silpat. Repeat with the remaining sheets of filo. Bake until golden brown and caramelized, about 10 to 12 minutes.
  • Meanwhile place the blackberries, sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until they release their juice. Add the lemon juice. Adjust the sweetness if necessary and cool.

  • To assemble:

  • Place a square of filo at the bottom of 8 plates. Top with scoops of fresh ricotta ice cream. Place 2 halves of the poached apricots on top of each and cover with another square of caramelized filo. Spoon some blackberries and syrup around and garnish with fresh verbena leaves.

When life gets hectic and stressful (and believe me, it does even for a zen chef), there are a few things that i found to be therapeutic and they include doing the dishes, baking and making pasta from scratch. Everything else related to cooking i classify under ‘work’. And there’s plenty of work these days starting with a party for 40 guests in the Hamptons in just a few days and plenty more fancy guests arriving in the following days. Think of it as a little Bed & Breakfast (..and lunch, and dinner) for the ultra rich. And if you want to know exactly how i’m preparing for it you should click here. It will take you to a post where i demonstrate my high levels of professionalism.

So what do i do when i get a day off? Well, i make pasta of course, because it relaxes me. On top of that i wash the dishes. Are you impressed yet or do you think i’m just plain weird?

Okay, err.. i guess i shouldn’t have asked.

So after finding some clams on sale at the market and a piece of chorizo that needed some loving in the back of the refrigerator, i said: Linguine with Clams and Chorizo!! It makes a lot of sense to me. But i’m weird, remember? You said it!

No, no.. yes!!.. you did!

I won’t hold any grudges and share the delicious recipe because i like you, although nobody has ever offered to give me a foot massage which i find deeply disappointing. It’s okay though. I still like you.

• Homemade Linguine with Clams & Chorizo

• Serves 6

• • For the linguine:

  • 1 1/4 cups tipo 00 flour or all-purpose
  • 1/2 cup semolina flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • For the Clams & Chorizo sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 ounces chorizo, diced
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 2 pounds Little Neck clams, scrubbed
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 lemon juice
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • chopped parsley
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

• • For the linguine:

  • Combine both flours and the salt on a work surface and make a well. Beat the egg yolks, water and olive oil with a fork in a small bowl and pour the mixture in the center of the well. Using the fork or your fingers slowly incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients using a circular motion until it creates a dough. Use more flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface. Knead for 5 minutes until you obtain a dough that’s silky and smooth. The dough is ready if it gently pulls back into place when stretched with your hands. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  • Cut the dough in 6 equal portions, shape them into rectangles and roll each piece in a pasta machine at the widest setting. Reset the rollers to the next narrower setting and again pass the dough. Trim the dough as needed. Continue until you obtain pasta sheets long and thin enough to see your hand through it when held up to the light.
  • Change to the linguine cutter attachment on your pasta machine and pass the pasta sheet through it to obtain linguine. Let them dry on a rack.

  For the Clams and Chorizo sauce

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  • In a large, heavy saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the shallots and cook until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute. Add the clams and the wine  and cover, and shaking occasionally, cook until the clams open, about 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile cook the fresh linguine for 2-3 minutes in the boiling water (or 8-9 minutes if using store bought).
  • Remove the clams discarding any unopened one. Keep the clam-chorizo broth on a low simmer while removing the clams from their shells and chopping them up. Add the chopped clams back to the broth along with the cooked linguine, the extra-virgin olive oil, the lemon juice and parsley, and toss to coat. Divide among serving bowls and top each portion with cheese. Serve immediately.

  

I wasn’t planning to post this recipe. Why? Well, because there’s no big mystery to it and you could probably figure it out just from looking at the pictures. Plus, i’m lazy. Okay, make that the main reason. Here’s the story, a layer of frangipane goes on top of crisp and buttery rounds of puff pastry, some perfectly ripe green figs are arranged on top and glazed with apricot jam and served with a delicious fig-balsamic reduction to cut through the richness and sweetness of it all. After posting a photo on twitter and getting a big enthusiastic response from my friends i thought that maybe i should after all. When the big enthusiastic response turned into menace and i was warned i would get stalked if i did not, i knew this was a winner.

So here you have it, stalker friends. You win again.

Of course, the quality of the figs make all the difference in the world and i could go on and on about how good it is but the result is of course relative to the quality of the ingredients you are using. I was thinking that miniature versions of these fig tarts could also be turned into accompaniments to a more sophisticated cheese course. Just an idea if you’re so inclined to play with your food.

Now, can i go back to bed?

• Green Fig Tart with Fig-Balsamic Glaze

• Serves 6

• • For the Fig-Balsamic reduction:

  • 12 ripe black figs
  • 1 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

  • For the green fig tart:

  • 1 sheet high quality puff pastry
  • 1 egg yolk (for eggwash)
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cup ground almond
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 10 ripe green figs, sliced in eights
  • 1/4 cup apricot jam
  • 2 tablespoons water
• 

  • For the balsamic-fig reduction:

  • Cut the black figs in half and scoop out the pulp (use the rest as a snack).
  • Place the fig pulp in a small saucepan and add the balsamic vinegar. Put on medium-low heat and reduce for about 15 min. Let it cool and strain.

  • For the green fig tarts:

  • Preheat oven to 350′F
  • Cut 6 rounds of puff pastry with a 3-inch pastry cutter and place them on a silpat on a baking tray.
  • Prick the center of the puff pastry rounds with a fork (leaving about 1/4 inch border untouched). Mix the egg yolk with a tablespoon of water and brush the eggwash on each pastry round.
  • For the frangipane, place the butter, sugar, ground almonds and the eggs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until emulsified and smooth. Add the flour and pulse until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Bake the puff pastry round until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and press each round down while hot with the flat side of a metal spatula (or place a sheet of parchment paper on top and cover with another sheet tray to prevent them from puffing too much). Add 1 1/2 tablespoon of almond frangipane in the center of each round and spread it around. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes.
  • Meanwhile, place the apricot jam and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a glaze.
  • Place the sliced green figs on top of the tarts and glaze with the apricot mixture.
  • Serve with a drizzle of the fig-balsamic reduction. Better enjoyed the same day.

  

It’s hard not to come across a bakery in Paris that doesn’t sell large slices of the popular Flan Parisien (also known as flan pâtissier) with its delicious thick custard browned on top and a buttery pâte brisée on the bottom. This flan couldn’t be any simpler, quicker or delicious and can only get better after spending the night in the refrigerator.

You could think of it as the “not-so-distant” cousin of the delicious Portuguese egg custard tart so popular in Portugal and all over Asia under the code name Tan-Ta. Ah, the calories! After coming back to New York i knew the craving would get worse. And get worse, it did!  At least that’s how i interpret the eye twitch every time i catch a glimpse of the dry pignoli cookies in the window of my local bakery.

So for medical reason i had to make my own version, to see if at last, it would take care of that damn eye twitch. I couldn’t resist scrapping half a tahitian vanilla bean into the custard but consider that ‘over the top’ for this simple and humble flan. I, or even you could get slapped by my grandmother for it. So add it discretely, and at your own risk.

As for my medical craving, i think i temporarily took care of it. Not sure how long the relief will last though.

In the meantime, enjoy!

• Flan Parisien

• Serves 8
• 

• • For the pate brisee:

  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 3 tablespoons milk

  • For the flan patissier:

  • 3  cup milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean (seeds only)
  • apricot jam for glazing (optional)

• • For the pate brisee:

  • Sift the flour in a large bowl.
  • In another bowk, mix the butter with a spatula to a creamy consistency. Add the salt, sugar and egg yolk and mix well. Add the milk and mix.
  • Add the flour to the butter mixture and mix with your hands until you obtain a dough with smooth consistency.
  • Wrap it in cling wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

  • For the flan Parisien:

  • Butter an 8-inch wide & 1 1/4-inch tall pie dish.
  • Roll out the pate brisee and line the pie dish. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Preheat oven to 350′F
  • Combine the milk, water and vanilla in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, the sugar and the cornstarch. Add the mixture to the hot milk in a steady stream while whisking. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens and starts to boil. Remove from the heat.
  • Let the custard cool for 10 minutes before pouring it in the pie dish.
  • Bake for 1 hour, until set and brown on top. Cool and refrigerate overnight. Glaze with apricot jam.

I’ve had this salted-caramel macarons in my archives since last year and i’m not sure why i haven’t posted it yet. I’m getting nostalgic just from looking at them. Going on pilgrimage at Pierre Herme’s boutique in Paris two weeks ago and tasting the masterpiece reminded me that maybe i should publish this post after all. Damn, it was good. While the salted-caramel flavor combination is classic and less daring than let’s say… a strawberry-wasabi macaron, i dare you to find someone.. anyone who will not love this macaron at the first bite.

I remember struggling with the salted-caramel ganache a bit when i made those. The butter ratio seemed a little bit odd but it could be a mistake i made when converting the recipe which happened after a night of heavy drinking. It’s hard for me to accept there is such thing as too much butter in a recipe but i will double check from my informant on the other side of the Atlantic and adjust the recipe if necessary.

The macaron technique remains the same old classic Herme i demonstrated in previous recipes here and there, only the color changes. Those are a bit too yellow by the way. You’re aiming at a caramel color all the way through. As those colorful flakes you sprinkle on the shells prior to baking, they’re optional of course, but you can buy them in specialty pastry supply shops if you like your macarons to have some ‘bling’.

Good luck and enjoy!

• Salted-Caramel Macarons (Macaron Caramel au Beurre Sale by Pierre Hermé)

• • Recipe translated/adapted from Pierre Herme’s “Macaron”
  • Makes about 72 macarons

  

• • For the meringue:

  • 300 grams almond flour, sifted
  • 300 grams powdered sugar
  • 110 grams egg whites, aged 7 days (or left outside covered overnight)
  • 300 grams powdered sugar
  • 75 grams bottled spring water
  • 110 grams egg whites, aged 7 days (or left outside covered overnight)

  • Salted-Caramel cream:

  • 300 grams sugar
  • 335 grams creme fraiche
  • 65 grams French salted butter
  • 290 grams French butter, softened

  • For the salted-caramel cream:

  • Place about 50 grams of sugar in the bottom of a large pot. Melt it of medium heat and incorporate 50 more grams of sugar. Repeat 4 more times until all the sugar has melted. Meanwhile, bring the creme fraiche almost to a simmer.
  • Caramelize the sugar until it’s a deep amber color and take it out from the heat. Add the 65 grams of salted French butter while mixing with a wooden spatula (be careful as the mixture is extremely hot). Add the creme fraiche in several additions and keep mixing with the wooden spatula.
  • Place the pot back on the burner on low heat and cook until it reached 108′C. Pour in a deep dish, cover on contact with cling wrap and refrigerate until cold.
  • Meanwhile, beat the remaining 290 grams of butter for 8 to 10 minutes, until light and fluffy and incorporate it to the caramel cream in two additions. Place in a pastry bag with a #11 tip.

  • For the macaron meringues:

  • Sift the almond flour and the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Add them to the almond flour and to the powdered sugar. Add the first batch of egg whites (110 gr) without mixing them.
  • In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil until it reaches 118′C. Meanwhile, place the second batch of egg whites in the bowl of a mixer equipped with the whisk attachment. When the sugar is at 115′C start beating the whites on medium speed.
  • Pour the sugar at 118′C over the egg whites. Beat until the temperature of the mixture drops to 50′C and you have a compact and shiny meringue. Fold the meringue into the almond-sugar-egg white mixture until it’s homogeneous. Place in a large pastry bag with a plain #11 tip.
  • Place parchment paper on 4 baking trays and use a pencil to draw 1 1/2 inches circles to cover the surface with 1/2 inch in between. You should have about 36 circles on each parchment papers. Turn over the paper so the pencil markings won’t transfer to the meringues.
  • Pipe rounds of the meringue dough onto the prepared parchment paper. Sprinkle the pistachio powder over the meringues and let them out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This is a very important step where the piped meringue rounds develop a thin ‘crust’ over their surface.
  • Preheat the oven to 350′F. Bake the meringues for exactly 12 minutes. Open the oven door quickly-twice during cooking. When the cookies are cooked slide the parchment paper onto a work surface and leave them to cool.

  • Assemble the macarons:

  • Garnish half the shells with the salted caramel ganache. Cover with the other half. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Enjoy at room temperature.

I just came back from a much needed vacation with the family in France. This post is not the ultimate guide to eating in Paris, just a little glimpse at how we do it in the old country and it starts with a picnic at home. The abundance of delicious foods in every neighborhoods makes it quite easy to improvise a dinner. On the table some quiches, a jambonneau, a delicious pâté de campagne, a pig feet with sauce gribiche, olives and some truly incredible cheeses from Rodolphe Le Meunier (MOF) i brought back from a memorable adventure in Tours a day earlier. Add a few baguettes, a bottle of Bordeaux and a green salad and i’m in heaven.

For dessert we had some of the best chocolate éclair i ever tasted. They were bought at Le Furet Tanrade, a pastry shop around the corner from my brother’s apartment also famous for its homemade jams and that has been in business since 1728. Those éclair were deep, dark and perfect. My waistline is expanding just thinking about them.

And since we’re talking about expanding waistlines how could you not resist a strawberry and mint baba from Lenôtre as well as a few other goodies i won’t post for decency reason. Okay, maybe just because they were eaten before i could take a picture.

Of course, Paris is known for its temples of high gastronomy. Those establishment run my kitchen Gods capable to imprint your memory with tastes and sensations you’ll remember as long as you live, but during this trip i was more in the mood (and in the budget) to explore the classic bistros to see for myself, as a lot has been written on the subject, if they were a dying breed.

I don’t know if i was under the charm of the authentic decor or just lucky but i don’t have any horror story to report as i didn’t have a single bad meal while i was there. Is it just me?  The classics, which is what you should order when eating in those old bistros were well prepared and quite delicious. I had snails, terrines, pied de cochons, cotes de boeuf and desserts like creme caramel and ile flottante and i haven’t been disappointed. No thrills, but good. That’s what a bistro should be about.

On the left, one of the last subway stop kept like in 1900. In montmartre.

The picture on the right is a little look at my brother’s antique camera / early cinema boutique. During the time i was there an assistant for Martin Scorcese was busy buying a whole lot of antique things for an upcoming movie. So stay tuned as you may see some of these pieces on the big screen soon.

That’s just me practicing taking photos at night. That’s, of course, a little look at Notre-Dame taken from the Seine.

If window licking is more your speed you could do that on rue montorgueil, my old neighborhood. Stohrer’s pastry shop was opened in 1730 by Nicolas Stohrer who was previously Louis XV pastry chef. He was also the inventor of the Baba au Rhum and they claim the recipe hasn’t changed since. The pastry chef have though, err.. i hope.

And Paris wouldn’t be Paris without street artists, musicians and dudes doing Superman tricks on lamp poles. This guy clearly didn’t have what i had for lunch.

Another old bistro that’s been in business since 1896, the food at Chartier is definitely not was it used to be but the room, the atmosphere of old Paris and the cheap prices make it a descent place to have a quick lunch if you stick to the basics. I had an andouillette and a Pêche Melba that were quite good. Watching the servers carrying so many plates also makes it worth the trip.

In case you haven’t noticed, i love wandering around the Seine at night. Across from the river “La Conciergerie”, a former royal palace and prison in Paris infamous for its reputation as the “antechamber to the guillotine” during the Reign of Terror, the bloodiest phase of the French Revolution. Scaryyy..

We don’t care much about cutting people’s heads anymore. We much rather make colorful and delicious things instead and a trip to Paris wouldn’t be complete without indulging on macarons. Pictured above the display of Eric Kayser’s boutique.

I think i got a little carried away on my quest for the perfect macaron. Pictured, boxes from Eric Kayser, Gerard Mulot, Ladurée, Pierre Hermé, Jhules and Cafe Pouchkine.

My favorite macarons were eaten one afternoon at the terrace of a cafe rue de Vaugirard and came from Pierre Hermé’s boutique. And i’m not sure if my favorite was the Pietra macaron (praline-noisette) or the olive-oil-vanilla macaron as they were both out of this world delicious. One thing is sure though, what made them even more delicious is the excellent company i was sharing them with..

Hope you enjoyed this little tour. Let’s finish with a little look at my ‘home’ away from home…

______________

If you enjoyed this post there’s more in the Zen Eats! serie:

• Zen Eats Kyoto
• Zen Eats Singapore
• Zen Eats Hong-Kong

A quick little post before I head to France for a little break before the Hamptons season. Sorry for the lack of posting this past few weeks but a combination of work and not feeling too shabby have kept my blogging mojo on the low side. Hopefully this little vacation will recharge the batteries and i’ll come back with plenty of fresh ideas.

In the meantime, a pizza i’d take with me to my post-apocalyptic bomb shelter if i had one. That’s how good this is. You could call it a Spanish Pizza with its chorizo, piquillo peppers, sweet onions and aged manchego cheese and that may be what i’ll be munching on during the world cup final on sunday. Go Spain!

See you soon, friends!

• Pizza with Chorizo, Piquillo Peppers, Caramelized Sweet Onions & Aged Manchego

• Makes 4 pizzas

• • For the no-knead pizza dough:

  • Use Jim Lahey recipe substituting 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (optional)

  • For the topping:

  • 1/2 lb Spanish chorizo
  • 2 Vidalia onions, finally sliced
  • 1/2 cup piquillo pepper, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Tomato sauce
  • 1/2 lb aged manchego

• • For the pizza:

  • Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500′F.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the vidalia onion and cook until they start to caramelize, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sliced piquillo peppers and continue cooking for 10 more minutes.
  • Roll out the pizza dough according to directions (follow link for recipe).
  • Top the pizza dough a thin layer of tomato sauce. Top with the sweet onions/ piquillo pepper mixture.
  • Top with slices of chorizo and sprinkle the top with the grated manchego.
  • Cook on the very hot pizza stone for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden.

I’m pretty sure you’re already familiar with Peking duck, the famous roast duck from Beijing that has been prepared since the imperial era. The meat, or rather the crispy skin is served with steamed pancakes, scallions and plum sauce. The diners spread sauce over the pancake and it’s wrapped around the crispy skin with scallions and cucumbers and eaten by hand. And boy, it’s amazing.

Well, you can call this a Frenchman version of Peking duck with a little detour by the Mediterranean, Gascony, and back to China. It won’t earn you frequent-flyer miles though. A mix-match of flavors reminiscent of Peking duck but with a definite French flair to it because of the Mediterranean chickpea pancake (socca) and the duck confit, the plum sauce stays the same. I don’t mess with plum sauce, ever. I think i even added a few strips of lemon confit in there because i’m fun like that.

The socca (nothing to do with soccer) is a star of its own here, a specialty of Nice it’s considered to be a chickpea ‘crepe’ although the street version is rough around the edges and delicious that way, this version makes a wonderful wrapper.

Needless to say, use copious amounts of the crispy duck confit skin in there to mimic the one of Peking duck. Easy. Fun. Delicious.

• Socca with Duck Confit, Peppery Greens & Plum Sauce (aka Peking Duck Redux)

• Makes a bunch

• • Socca batter recipe:

  • 1 cup chickpea flour
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for cooking
  • salt and pepper, to taste

  For the garnish:

  • 2 or 3 duck leg confit, well-browned and crisp
  • watercress
  • scallions
  • radicchio (optional)
  • lemon confit (optional)
  • Chinese plum sauce

• • For the socca batter:

  • Sift the chickpea flour and all-purpose flours together, add salt and pepper. Make a well in the center and drop the egg. Whisk it into the flour mixture then add the water slowly and then the heavy cream until you obtain a smooth batter. Whisk in the olive oil and reserve until ready to use.
  • Heat an 8-inch non-stick pan over medium high heat and drizzle a little olive oil. Pour enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan and swirl it around like if you were making crepes. Cook the socca until it starts to brown on the bottom, flip it and cook it for another minute or so. Repeat and stack them up.

  • For the garnish:

  • Spread some plum sauce over the chickpea pancakes, garnish with some watercress and scallions. Add chunks of duck confit (meat and crispy skin), roll and eat.

  

By now you’re already familiar with my friend Olivier who’s done a few demos on this blog in the past. If you’re not you can read about his past exploits here and there. Olivier is a private chef and works in a penthouse apartment on Park Avenue overlooking Manhattan with an herb garden right outside his kitchen and an helipad for last-minute grocery shopping. Okay, maybe i exaggerate a little. Or maybe i don’t.

As usual, i’ve been bugging him to cook for us and this time he offered to do grilled Spanish mackerel prepared 3 different ways for this improvised cooking session. I hope these simple dishes by this skilled chef will inspire you to give it a try.

Spanish Mackerels are beautifully colored fishes and the king of nearshore water along the coast during the spring months where they feed on small fish and prawns, which makes them relatively easy to catch. Their slender bullet-shaped bodies are blue and silver, spotted with golden yellow or olive ovals. They are distinguished from the King Mackerel in having these spots without stripes on the sides, and in lacking scales on the pectoral fins. Spanish Mackerels are also one of the richest sources for Omega-3 fatty acids but what matters the most to us today is how delicious they are and how Chef Olivier is gonna prepare them.

What matters to me most is when can i start eating! So let’s hurry along, shall we?

The first variation he came up with was grilled mackerel with a ‘raw’ salad of celery, cucumbers, chives, red onions and a fantastic emulsified vinaigrette of Maille mustard with tarragon, chives, lemon juice, capers, piment d’Espelette and olive oil. There’s no need to write a recipe here, the ingredients used speak for themselves and the presentation should give you a clue.

I ended up by eating this plate because well.. i could i tell you about it if i didn’t! What i wouldn’t do for you my dear readers. The contrast of the raw crunchy salad spiked with the creamy, mustardy dressing played really well against the grilled mackerel. A nice play between the oily fish, the piquant sauce and the bright, crisp vegetables.

I would have asked for seconds but there was more to come..

The second variation on grilled mackerel came with raw fennel, tomato confit, cucumbers, black olives, lemon, basil and a tapenade/harissa vinaigrette. The essence of the Mediterranean right there, on the plate. And later, in my tummy. Yes, again.

Another delicious dish. The combination of olive tapenade and harissa is brilliant. Big, bright, bold flavors with the refreshing touch of raw fennel, the sweet concentrated flavor of the tomato confit and the zing from the lemon.

I would have had a second helping (or is it a third at this point?) but there was more to come..

Grilled mackerel with giant Italian white beans, tomato confit and a vinaigrette of garlic confit, parsley, scallions with a hint of aged sherry vinegar was another hit. Absolutely beautiful. Note that the same dish could also be done with grilled sardines or grilled octopus with great results. It was so good i had to finish the plate and pack the leftovers to take home. I also had to pack the leftover staff meal to take home, as everything delicious left on sight. You can call me greedy.

I’m considering putting Chef Olivier for sale on Ebay as well.

These three dishes were improvised in less than an hour with common ingredients. See what a little ingenuity and skill can do?Now it’s your turn. What can you come up with?

Thanks again to Chef Olivier for cooking with us today. And let’s encourage him to come back again.

For other cooking sessions with Chef Olivier follow those links:

• Cooking Session with a Real Life Topchef
• Roasted Woodcock “en Cercueil”

If you can’t decide between a tartare, a crudo or a salad to start your meal, i’ve got the perfect dish for you. It starts with a layer of finely chopped tuna tartare, if you have access to o-toro or any fatty cut of tuna by all cost use it, you won’t be disappointed. Thinly sliced sea scallops  seasoned with lemon juice, good olive oil and pink peppercorns are arranged on top and a little salad of edible spring flowers, baby arugula and tender bits of frisee gently seasoned with more olive oil, lemon juice and sel de guerande turns this dish into something not only beautiful to look at, but delicious, refreshing and light. There’s not much more you can ask for in this warm weather.

I discovered at a dinner at Esca last year that fresh, pristine, and slightly marinated raw sea scallops have a special affinity for pink peppercorn. Pink peppercorns have a fragrant, sweet, and spicy flavor reminiscent of a mild citrus zest and sweet berries which is a match made in heaven for the sweet flavor and delicate texture of sea scallops.

Some may think edible flowers are a gimmick but used sensibly they offer a wide variety of tastes from sweet to spicy and peppery which add complexity to this dish. Of course, the quality of the ingredients is crucial to the success of this dish. It’s otherwise very easy to assemble. Enjoy!

• Tuna Tartare & Scallop Crudo with Pink Peppercorn & Spring “Salad”

• serves 4

• • Tuna Tartare recipe:

  • 1/2 pound sushi-grade tuna, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • Pinch of freshly ground pink peppercorn
  • 1/4 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon mirin
  • salt, to taste

  • Scallop Crudo recipe:

  • 8 sea scallops, finely sliced
  • 1/2 Meyer lemon, juiced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon pink peppercorn, whole
  • Sel de Guérande

  • For the Spring salad:

  • Assorted edible Spring flowers, leaves only
  • baby arugula
  • frisée, tender bits only
  • olive oil
  • Meyer lemon
  • Sel de Guérande

• • To assemble the dish:

  • Combine all the tuna tartare ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Chill until ready to serve.
  • Combine the scallops with the Meyer lemon juice and olive oil. Chill until ready to serve.
  • Using pastry rings divide the tuna tartare among 4 plates. Top each tartare with the scallop crudo and some of the remaining marinade. Season with sel de Guérande and pink peppercorn.
  • Season the Spring salad with olive oil, Meyer lemon juice and salt. Top each tartare with the salad. Serve immediately.