Category — Recipes

Scallops, because of their naturally high sugar content, sear wonderfully. The crisp, golden brown crust of a seared scallop creates texture and accentuates its sweetness. I think scallop pair exceedingly well with tropical flavors, and this dish features quite a few.

First is a puree of young coconut. Young coconut is an immature coconut, and the meat is tender and mildly sweet. The puree is both rich and refreshing, a unique quality of coconut.

The diced pineapple is tossed with fresh Jalapeño and dark rum. The pineapple is then compressed in a vacuum sealing bag. As you remove all the air, the sides of the bag apply large but equal pressure on all sides of the pineapple, compressing the cell walls and creating a unique texture along with an intense concentration of flavor.

The dish also features a smooth avocado and lime sauce. The unctuous sauce combines the richness of avocado with the bright, acidic qualities of lime juice and lime zest. It contrasts well with the richness of the scallops and coconut. Leaves of fresh cilantro add intense bursts of flavor to the dish.

Finally, a fried slice of plantain adds some much needed texture and additional tropical influence to this seafood dish.

Young Coconut Purée:

• 1 young coconut
• Kosher salt, sugar, and lime juice to taste

Carefully crack open the young coconut above a bowl or other large container. Collect the juice, then remove the coconut flesh from the inner shell. The flesh will have remnants of the shell stuck to it. Trim the brown remnants from the flesh, taking care not to remove too much of the young coconut flesh. Place the coconut in a blender and add about half the coconut water. Purée on high speed for 1 minute. Add extra coconut water as needed to achieve a sauce with the consistency of chocolate syrup. Season with kosher salt, sugar, and lime juice.

Left to right: A young coconut, un-trimmed young coconut meat, cleaned and trimmed young coconut meat

Rum-Compressed Pineapple:

• 1 ripe pineapple
• 1 Jalapeño chile
• 2 Tbsp. dark rum
• Kosher salt, to taste

Slice the rind from the pineapple then cut into medium dice. Juice (or eat) the scraps. Slice the jalapeño into quarters lengthwise. Remove the seeds and the skin. Dice the jalepeño fine. Toss with the diced pineapple and add the pineapple juice (if you didn’t eat the scraps) and dark rum. Season with kosher salt. Place the diced pineapple mixture into a vacuum sealing bag and seal on high. Store in the refrigerator until needed.

Avocado and Lime Puree:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 limes, juiced and zested
• Kosher salt, to taste

Place the avocado in a blender with lime juice and zest. Season with kosher salt and blend into a fine puree. Pass the purée through a fine mesh strainer or chinois. Press plastic wrap directly on top of the purée and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Fried Plantains:

• 1 plaintain
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Kosher salt and ground allspice, for seasoning

Slice the plantain lengthwise on a mandolin to 1/16 inch thick. Fry the plantain slices at 365° F until golden brown and crisp. Season with a mixture of kosher salt and ground allspice.

To Assemble and Serve (For Each Portion):

• 3 large diver scallops
• Vegetable oil, as needed
• 1 Tb. whole butter
• 2 strips lime zest
• Cilantro stems
• Young coconut purée
• Avocado and Lime Purée
• Rum-Compressed Pineapple
• Fried plantain slice
• Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Clean the scallops of the small but tough side mussel. Season on all sides with kosher salt. Rest and dry the scallops on a paper towel. Heat a cast iron sauté pan over high heat and add a thin layer of vegetable oil. Sear the scallops to a deep golden brown on one side and then flip. Immediately add the butter, lime zest, and cilantro stems. As the butter begins to melt and brown, spoon it over the scallops (A French technique called poulet).

Arrange the purées, pineapple, and cilantro leaves on a plate. Add the seared scallops and a fried plantain slice. Enjoy!

Suggested wine pairing: California Sauvignon Blanc

These stunning photographs were taken by Mike Boehmer.

Mike is a Chicago-based photographer and a regular contributor to The Windy Pixel. Please visit www.mikeboehmer.com for more fantastic photography!

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Your coffee service this evening may look terribly conventional. Indeed it is a cup of coffee with whipped cream and an Italian cookie. But in what forms are all these elements?

The coffee is actually an espresso créme brulée. Espresso combined with a velvety baked custard create a delightful hot and cold, creamy and crunchy version of the classic latté. The “foam” or “whipped cream” on top is a lightly sweetened mascarpone mousse with a touch of shaved dark chocolate.

The cookie is a cookie…but it’s also not a cookie: it’s lady finger ice cream. The ice cream is made and flavored with the classic Italian pastry. After freezing the lady finger ice cream, I used a homemade mold to reform it into the shape of the cookie to which it owes its flavor and inspiration. I made the molds using Silicone Plastique from Make Your Own Molds, a great online source for culinary mold-making.

Silicone molds of lady finger cookies freeze the ice cream into perfect cookie shapes

Beneath the ice cream cookie is a sprinkling of chocolate lady finger crumbs. These crumbs bear a striking resemblance to coffee grounds (a very happy coincidence considering I did not plan this at all), bringing the flavor and concept of this dish full circle.

Do all these flavor elements sound familiar? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, your cup of coffee is tiramisu.

How do you make this classic yet modern dessert? Well, I’m happy to share my secrets! Simply sign up for the Garrett’s Table E-mail newsletter by clicking the link below and entering your e-mail address. I’ll include the recipe, including instructions on how to make your own ice cream molds, in my next mailing (March 1, 2010). All emails are confidential and you can un-subscribe at any time.

These stunning photographs were taken by Mike Boehmer.

Mike is a Chicago-based photographer and a regular contributor to The Windy Pixel. Please visit www.mikeboehmer.com for more fantastic photography!

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This is a Franken-recipe inspired by two of the greatest chefs in the world: Heston Blumenthal and Thomas Keller.

Months ago when I first looked through Keller’s Under Pressure, a book completely about cooking sous vide, I noticed a recipe for goat cheese sorbet. The sorbet was part of a fresh berry soup but I was enticed by it’s savory potential and bookmarked the recipe in my memory so it could resurface at a later, more appropriate time.

Recently, while reading through Blumenthal’s epic Big Fat Duck Cookbook, I had an intense desire to try his red cabbage gazpacho. A refreshing but rich cold soup made with raw red cabbage, Blumenthal’s gazpacho was incredibly flavor and easy to make. I immediately thought, “what other vegetables could be used to make a raw gazpacho?” The obvious answer, to me, was red peppers.

The result was a refreshing and colorful cold soup. The red pepper gazpacho has a vibrant flavor punctuated with fresh capsicum aromas. The sorbet is both rich and cleansing. The final element of the dish is a spoonful of chopped, roasted pistachios, which add texture and little explosions of saltiness.

Red Pepper Gazpacho:

Valentine’s Day weekend is upon us. Why not treat your significant other to some hand made candies? Here are some Garrett’s Table confections, complete with links and recipes. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Spicy Salted Caramel Chocolates

Key Lime Ice Cream Bon Bons

Multi-Flavored Filled Macarons

Handmade Orange Gummy Candies

Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

Orange and Fennel Páte de Fruit

Blood Orange and Grand Marnier Popsicles

Peanut Butter and Jelly Marshmallows

Almond Macarons Filled With Espresso Ganache

All of these photographs were taken by Justin Kern.

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Marshmallows are so easy to make. They can be flavored with just about anything too. These are vanilla marshmallows, flavored using whole vanilla beans.

Made from scratch, marshmallows are fluffier and more flavorful than anything commercially produced. And best of all, they toast incredibly well. Instead of becoming black and charred, the sugars in the marshmallows caramelize and create a crisp, créme brulée-like texture. Of course, the inside becomes warm and gooey. Here’s a simple recipe for marshmallows:

Marshmallows:

• 3/4 oz. gelatin
• 1/2 c (115 g) cold water
• 2 c. (415 g) sugar
• 2/3 c. (150 g) corn syrup
• 1/4 c. (57 g) water
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Flavoring, as desired
• Powdered sugar, as needed for dusting

Begin by blooming the gelatin with the 1/2 c. cold water in the bowl of a stand mixer. While the gelatin blooms, combine the sugar, corn syrup, remaining water, salt, and flavoring in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil. Add to the bloomed gelatin and whip on high speed for 10-12 minutes. The mixture should turn from a clear, viscous liquid to a thick, white, fluffy mixture.

Transfer the still liquid marshmallow to a plastic wrap-lined and greased container. Spread into an even layer using a greased offset spatula. Allow to set at room temperature for at least 2 hours.

Dust a cutting board with powdered sugar then unmold the marshmallow slab onto the cutting board. Dust the slab with powdered sugar and use either a greased or heated knife to cut into square marshmallows. Dust the marshmallows with powdered sugar and store in an airtight container.

The possibilities with marshmallows are endless. How about chocolate marshmallows or mint marshmallows? Want more bizarre flavors? How about sumac, basil, or celery marshmallows?

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