I made it home from France yesterday and I couldn't wait to show off my new skills to Tina, Mommy, Daddy, and Talal. The dishes that I learned to make in France were not foods that I would typically make, nor enjoy eating.
Instead, I made my own meal with my favorite tastes. The first course was an Orange-Beet Salad. The salad consisted on orange segments soaked in sugar, fresh orange juice, and apple cider vinegar. Each plate had three boiled and perfectly-cut discs of beets. One beet was dipped in the orange juice/vinegar mixture. I heavy coated it in sugar and bruleed the beet for a sweet orange crunch. I scooped Blue Cheese onto the beets and placed dill on the plate. After brushing the plate with the juice, I sprinkled the Maldon Smoky Salt Flakes onto the plate. To this point, I had the sweetness adn acidity from the oranges; the earthiness of the dill, saltiness from the Blue Cheese, and crunch from the salt. Lastly, I wanted spice. I roughly chopped habaneros and boiled them in water. After the water came to a boil, I removed the peppers and added a couple drops of red food coloring. I measured the remaining liquid to measure out the appropriate amount of Agar Agar. Using a pipette, I dropped habanero water into cold oil, thus creating the caviar and the spicy component to the salad.
The entree was a Beef Shortrib, simply cooked in a skillet. In my Dutch Oven, I made a jus, using tomatoes, onions, garlic and beef (bone-in). I collected the charred bits form the bottom, slowly adding red wine and deglazing, repeatedly until the sauce was dark brown in color. The asparagus were simply roasted in the oven with salt and pepper. The true star of the dish, however, was the mashed potatoes. I boiled potatoes and mixed in butter, crushed fresh garlic, toasted pinenuts, white pepper, and salt. I rolled the potatoes between two sheets of parchment paper and set it to cool in the freezer. Once cool, I cut squares outfo the potatoes and coated them with cornmeal. I then an-fried the potatoes to make a crunchy outer layer. For drama, I created (better yet, attempted to create) a tuille (fried water, flour & oil) for a crispy to top the meat. All in all, a delicious meal.
All I can say is practice makes perfect!
At Home
With Talal, Tina, Mommy & Daddy