Inspired by StudioKitchen

[percyn]

If your visit to the legendary StudioKitchen has inspired you, a home cook, to try out some of the dishes or seek out a particular ingredient, please do share....

[percyn]

Let me start off with some nut oils I was introduced to at SK -

From right to left:

Argan Oil - Found only in Morocco I believe, this is made from the nuts of the Argan tree. It has a musky, sort of macadamia nut flavor.

Manzanilla Olive Oil - Cold pressed and unfiltered...the essense of olives.

Avacado oil - To be honest, I have not introduced to this at SK, but I found it while hunting for the Manzanilla....shows that you can discover other treats along the way

[percyn]

Essence of corn soup - Shola had a much better version of this, but this rendition is not bad to enjoy at home. Puree some raw white baby corn kernels (cut them fresh off the cobb) in a blender and strain the "juice". Reduce the juice a bit and add cream, salt and white pepper to taste....hmmm...hmmm...good.

Edited August 3, 2005 by percyn (log)

[mrbigjas]

thanks for starting this, percy. i was thinking about it before i started dinner, but unfortunately forgot to take a picture.

anyway, this was one of the first things i learned from shola--that if you're making a soup with corn, you can use milk instead of cream, because the corn starch will thicken things up nicely when it hits a boil.

tonight i did just that--i had some leftover sauteed chanterelles from the other night, and a couple of ears of that insanely sweet mirai corn they're selling at fair food farmstand, so i cut the kernels off, cooked them with just some water and milk (OK, and a couple tablespoons of cream that was all i had). then i pureed and sieved. a little salt, pepper and just a tiny bit of cayenne, because i like a little heat with sweet.

the result tasted good but didn't have either the color or the texture i wanted. the chanterelles contributed mainly aroma and color--unfortunately the color was brown, so the soup wasn't as brilliant yellow as i would have liked. i knew this was going to happen, though. i think i need a smaller sieve or something, though, because it wasn't as super smooth as i'd have liked. it's interesting, though, because you could smell the mushrooms, and they left an aftertaste, but while the soup was in your mouth all you could taste was corn.

another dish we had was beets and cheese, a combination i rediscovered at our last dinner at SK. the cheese wasn't a goat cheese, but a spanish sheeps milk cheese with a flavor similar to boucheron called cana de oveja, that i picked up over at dibrunos. a vinaigrette with thyme and walnut oil was on the beets, because i didn't have a microgreen salad to put on top... it's a damn good combo, and this cheese is freaking great, and $12.99 a pound over at dibrunos. go get some, everyone! it's pretty full in the mouth, so beets with their sweet earthiness are a good combo.

no picture of that one either, sorry. it was just beets and cheese after all.

[percyn]

Tomato water risotto with basil and crab

Not as good as Shola's version, but one of the best risottos I have made.

MrBigJas, those chanterelles sound good...

[mrbigjas]

chanterelles and corn kind of go together in my mind. both summer ingredients.

so how much of the tomato water did you end up with? did you end up diluting it at all? with what? how much did you make, and how much tomato did you use to make it? shola said 10 pounds when we were there, but he was cooking for 10 after all...

tonight was something that was kind of a mix between one of my favorite dishes at lacroix, and that starter we had at studiokitchen this last time: a piece of red snapper pan-fried and served with a red lentil veloute.

using red lentils as a soup base to serve with something came from shola's pork dumpling and lentil soup thingy. straining the lentils and making a veloute with it came from lacroix's dish of sweetbreads and foie gras with a lentil veloute. serving it with fish is because i like fish and lentils together.

i took a bite before taking a picture, and i'm not much for more than a snapshot, but here it is:

[percyn]

Now that looks like a SK dish !!

so how much of the tomato water did you end up with?  did you end up diluting it at all?  with what?  how much did you make, and how much tomato did you use to make it?  shola said 10 pounds when we were there, but he was cooking for 10 after all...

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Well, initially I had only sliced and diced about 10 medium sized tomatoes and strained it (ran out of cheesecloth, so I strained in a sieve lined with 2 coffee filters). This only yielded say 1/4 cup or so of tomato water. Then Shola emailed me saying that I should puree and strain the tomatoes, which I did and ended up with about a cup of tomato water. Next time I plan to cut more tomatoes and use a cheese cloth, but to be honest, even though I diluted the tomato water with say 1 cup of bottled water, the flavor was very pronounced, especially if you use a bit of the tomato pulp, as I did.

Try it...very easy to make..just takes some advanced planning.

[rlibkind]

Percyn,

The risotto looks delicious! And letting a little pulp fall into the tomato water makes no difference in that preparation, I imagine. But next time you make tomato water, use it in a cold soup. In this instance, you should try to avoid letting the pulp get into the tomato water, it clouds the finished product. Add some complementary herbs or spices (perhaps cilantro, or lemon grass or cumin -- separately, not in the same recipe -- chill and serve with a few small to medium shrimp or perhaps a few thin slices from a barely cooked diver scallop. Very refreshing. (If you use lemon grass, steep in the soup over a simmer for 10 minutes, then sieve before chilling.) What really sets this soup apart is the visual clarity which seems so antithetical to the intense, sweet flavor.

[mrbigjas]

thanks percy. i'ma give it a try one of these days.

[wkl]

Percy,

Did you puree the tomatos in a food processor or blender? how finely? How long do you let them strain.

Also, I wonder if you salted the tomatoes , then hung them if they would release more liquid?

Bill

[rlibkind]

Percy,

Did you puree the tomatos in a food processor or blender? how finely? How long do you let them strain.

Also, I wonder if you salted the tomatoes , then hung them if they would release more liquid?

Bill

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I've had succeess adding 1-1/2 tbs. kosher salt to about four pounds of tomatoes, then processing to a puree.

[percyn]

Percy,

Did you puree the tomatos in a food processor or blender? how finely? How long do you let them strain.

Also, I wonder if you salted the tomatoes , then hung them if they would release more liquid?

Bill

←

Pureed into a pulp in a food processor, sans salt.

In total it probably stayed in the fridge for 3-5 days (didn't get time to get to it sooner, but I guess 2-3 days will suffice).

[percyn]

A few days ago I made this...

Pan seared Halibut with exotic mushrooms, leeks and portobello foam. Served on truffle scented orzo

While I have not had this exact dish at SK, the foam and truffle "scenting" are perhaps techniques I picked up from Shola.

Cheers

Percy

Edited October 17, 2005 by percyn (log)

[BryanZ]

A beautiful dish. I'm not one to give out easy compliments but that looks ridiculous.

How did you make the foam? I wouldn't think that portobellos would be an ideal mushroom, perhaps too strongly flavored, but it certainly looks delicious.

And what is the truffle scenting technique?

[Spinner]

Id guess the foam was made with an immersion blender?

[Steven Blaski]

These plates are amazing! -- this is the first I've ever heard of SK.

My only reservation is the foam/froth gildings on a lot of the dishes. It's probably because I live in a multiple-cat household whose felines are wont to lose the contents of their stomachs all too often. A kind of bubbly residue that looks just like "portobello foam" above usually accompanies. I know, ewww. But there it is. So I'm hoping this is a passing trend in fine dining.

Edited October 17, 2005 by Steven Blaski (log)

[percyn]

A beautiful dish.  I'm not one to give out easy compliments but that looks ridiculous.

How did you make the foam?  I wouldn't think that portobellos would be an ideal mushroom, perhaps too strongly flavored, but it certainly looks delicious.

And what is the truffle scenting technique?

←

Thanks Bryan. I humbly accept your compliments as some of your dishes have been inspirational as well (especially that mushroom napolean).

The foam was created with an immersion blender from some Portobello cream soup. It is not as over-powering as you would think and overall the foam provides an interesting texture to the dish, not a break-or-make component of the dish IMHO.

The truffle "scenting" was my fancy way to saying I added truffle oil to the boiling water in the orzo and finished it with some more truffle oil once it was drained.

Hope that helps.

[BryanZ]

Thank you very much. I'm split on foams as a concept but this one seems simple enough that I'd enjoy it. And the truffle scenting technique is what I'd assumed; I'm assuming it's effective.

This inspired by thread makes me wish I could cook more at school.

[philadining]

this meal is more accurately "Inspired by West Philly BYOBs" but most of the credit is due StudioKitchen, so I'll post here.

Roasted Squash Soup, Bay Leaf-Nutmeg Foam

Stolen shamelessly from Shola's description at a recent dinner, with slight improvisations. Roasted squash, shallots and ginger finished in carrot juice, blended, chinoised, topped with a foam in which bay leaves had been steeping, topped with grated nutmeg. It might have only been half as good as Shola's version, but it was still delicious if I do say so myself...

Pork Tenderloin; Shallot, dried fruit, Riesling Jus; Sarabeth's Peach-Apricot Pain Perdu

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Scalloped Potatoes with Gruyere

The putting meat on top of a french toast thing was inspired by StudioKitchen, the sandwiching Sarabeth's preserves between two REALLY thin slices of bread was too. I don't think I've had anything so pedestrian as a pork tenderloin at SK, but I thought sending mom out for partridge might have been asking a bit much!

The brussels sprouts were inspired by our PLCB Chairman's dinner at Rx, many thanks to Greg Salisbury for the recipe, and to Shacke for the 11th-hour reminders! (That little burnt-looking one down front...that was the best one...) They were just halved, cleaned-up a bit, sauteed with salt, pepper and an obscene amount of Plugra, then tossed with a little maple syrup and roasted at 400f for about 10 minutes. Rocking good.

The potatoes were inspired by the restaurant Nan at 40th and Chestnut. For a while, potatoes like this were a side with everything. Super-thin slices of potatoes (gotta love that mandoline!) cooked down with cream, garlic and bay leaf, then layered with gruyere cheese and baked. Lipitor on the side.

The dinner was not up to SK standards by any means, but the meal was improved markedly by Shola's influence. My family thanks him!

(edited to correct the Sarabeth's fruits....)

Edited December 27, 2005 by philadining (log)

[mrbigjas]

wow, excellent job. i've been thinking about savory french toast a lot lately, since i made those italian grilled cheese sandwiches in mario's book... i forget the name of them... mozzarella in carrozza?

those scalloped potatoes were still the side for most dishes at nan when i was there just a couple of months ago...

[Vadouvan]

Very Nice Philadining...hee hee !

Very nice indeed.

[shacke]

The brussels sprouts were inspired by our PLCB Chairman's dinner at Rx, many thanks to Greg Salisbury for the recipe, and to Shacke for the 11th-hour reminders!  (That little burnt-looking one down front...that was the best one...)  They were just halved, cleaned-up a bit, sauteed with salt, pepper and an obscene amount of Plugra, then tossed with a little maple syrup and roasted at 400f for about 10 minutes. Rocking good.

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Those look awesome. I feel like yoda - now you are the sprout master.....

[percyn]

Very nice Philadining !!!

Since I have a few days off, I have been playing with my newly acquired water bath and cooking Sous Vide. Since I first experienced Sous Vide style cooking at SK, I posting on this thread in addition to the Sous Vide thread.

Short ribs after 36 hrs @141 F.

Served with a porcini and bordeaux demi glace sauce sprinkled with some fluer de sel

The texture was like that of a very tender steak, as opposed to the "pot roast" like texture I get with my traditional braising method.

I have a rack of lamb cooking right now and tomorrow morning I will immerse some lobster, shrimp and scallops and report back.

Cheers

Percy

[percyn]

As promised, here is the rack of lamb, lobster, scallops and shrimp. A full report can be found here

Rack of lamb with a sauce made from lamb jus, shallots, red wine and demi glace.

Lobster, shrimp and scallops with a sauce made from lobster brains, shells, mirepox, cognac, vermouth and cream.

[Vadouvan]

Greetings Percy....

SOUS-VIDERY 102

LOBSTER:

Refer to the French Laundry cookbook on Blanching lobsters so they remail uncooked.

Use the icebath to cool them down.

Cut lenghtwise.

Dry completely.

Season with Maldon salt.

Into the cryobag, Lobster tail, 1 tb unsalted butter,superthin slice ginger,3 thin slices from the lower stalk of lemongrass.

Chill the bag *unsealed*

Seal and cook in 58C water bath about 15 minutes (color changes to pink, barely past opaque)

Works for shrimp, prawns,Yabbies, bay bugs, langoustines et al.

No need to sear after that, defeats the whole point.

If you want a seared lobster, just sear it.

Leave it in the half shell after blanching, dry thoroughly,season with kosher salt and or spices.

Heat grapeseed oil till barely smoking.

Sear face down for about 45 seconds, flip it to the shell side and turn off the heat.

Leave it in the pan on the stove, do nothing.

let it sit 2 minutes.

DONE.

SOUS-VIDERY 103

DUCK:

1st off, avoid lame ducks.

Buy the Grimaud Farms Muscovy Drake breast from d'artagnan/whole foods.

Go back to page 233 of your Laundry cookbook.

"SQUAB SPICE"

Modify the recipe as follows :

Cinnamon to 1 full stick

Coriander, delete,replace with 2 TB fennel.

Cloves reduce to 1 tsp

4 Spice powder Delete, replace with.....

4 whole star anise

2 TB Sichuan peppercorns or Sansho Berries.

Follow the recipe as regards, toasting, sifting, storage.

For porposes of humor, you can label it "Epice de Canard"...haha...you seem like a "brother P-touch" kinda guy Percy.

By the way this works great with the above seared lobster.

Back to the ducks.

Score the skin without getting to the flesh.

Season with kosher salt and spice mix

Wrap in saran with fresh thyme and laurel.

Refrigerate about 2 hrs (dry marination).

Put it in the freezer to superchill it for 30 mins.

Remove herbs.

Sear over medium heat in a cast iron pan with no oil.

The only thing you are tring to achieve is render fat and Start to crisp the skin.

the freezing reduces heat penetration so it stays raw. (very important).

As fat renders, tilt pan and spoon it out.

You only want skin surface contact with the pan, renders fat quicker.

Cook till just barely golden.

Cool fast in Freezer again.

NOW you can Sous-Vide it.

Water bath 56C for about 2 hrs.

After sous-vide, you should sear it *quickly* to crisp skin and brown the other side lightly.

It should be a perfect rosy medium rare and tender......"redolent of spices" as philadining would say..man that dudes a poet.

Have fun.