Surf n Turf

I knew going into this cooking project that these meals aren't exactly diet friendly. However, I truly underestimated the challenge it presented for my (New Year) resolution to lose weight. For the past week, I have been snacking on left over foie gras with generous chunks of brioche bread. Add a little jam, and you've got a concoction that is slightly fattier and sweeter than a large brownie. I've considered just tossing the leftover yummies, but at $60/lb, that seemed pretty darn wasteful - guess I'll just have to suck it up until it's all gone!

This week, we had some interesting experiences getting our hands on veal cheeks and sea urchin. Colin called just about every meat market and grocery store in the immediate Chicago area, and the only place that had them was....Chicago Game and Gourmet! Luckily, they had just one last package left - but it was 10 lbs of veal cheeks! The demand for these cheeks is so high at Chicago restaurants that most places can't keep them in stock. Also, cattle suppliers have recently started selling whole heads instead of cheek cutlets - and there was no way we were going to buy 4 baby cow heads.  So despite the fact that we only needed 1.5 lbs of veal, we got the 10 lb package. I found out that this cut of meat is capable of being incredibly tender and flavorful. Its gelatinous nature makes terrific sauces with little effort or starches. In fact, they're so delicious and versatile, we'll probably finish them off by the end of the week. 

 

Getting sea urchins proved to be

difficult too. Colin ordered them from Dirk's, and they were due to arrive last Thursday. However, Dirk's California supplier met some harsh weather and he had to turn to an alternative source from Maine to deliver some by Friday (Saturday was cooking day). Now I've actually never had sea urchin before, but Dirk said that instead of the big black ones from California, we would be getting the smaller green ones from Maine. Fine by me. Friday comes, and Chicago gets hit with horizontal snow, and I end up loitering around Dirk's store for about 3 hours, waiting for his shipment to arrive. Finally, in the late afternoon, after I'd given up and gone home, Dirk calls me with good new. I rush to the store to snatch up my precious sea urchins before anyone else can get at them, and Dirk was kind enough to show me how to prepare them. The recipe calls for sea urchin "tongues", which is just a euphemism for their genitalia; regardless, they were delicious, and I slurped up a couple at the store. Just like oysters :)

This week, since I thought the portions were going to be a little small, I also made some French bread (pictures below). It was perfect for soaking up the truffle sauce. I got the Madeira from Wine Discount Center on Elston St., and it is our new favorite place for special wines. They have a very large selection of fine wines and spirits at very reasonable prices. In fact, I got a second bottle of Madeira just to sip on, and 2 bottles of white burgundies for the meal, all for around $100.

Black Truffle Braised Veal Cheeks with Parsnip - this recipe is the last of a series of 4 that features black truffle as the main flavoring ingredient. I'm guessing that Chef Humm serves all 4 plates at one time, but I couldn't imagine making all 4 recipes for one meal. This one took about 4 hours of active cooking, and also a 24 hour marinade (which is the reason I made this on Saturday and not on Friday as originally planned....poor planning/reading meant I skipped over the marinade part at first)

Marinade veal cheeks with carrots, celery, onion, thyme, bay leaf, and red wine for 24 hours.

Drain and reserve veggies.

Simmer wine fluid, and skim off "impurities" i.e. gross solid stuff.

Close up of gross stuff.

Pat cheeks dry, and season with salt.

Quickly sear on both sides.

Sweat reserved veggies for 10 minutes.

Add a dab of tomato paste, and cook for 3 more minutes.

Deglaze with wine fluid, and reduce volume by half.

Add Veal Jus (I just used a mixture of beef and chicken broth to save time),

Return veal cheeks to pan.

Braise in 275 F oven for 2 hours.

Parsnip and Truffle - dice one large parsnip. If you've never had one before, it kind of tastes like a carrot.

Cook in salted water for 2 minutes.

Throw in ice water to stop cooking....you don't want to end up with mushy parsnip cubes.

Dice black truffles, then prepare salt and butter.

Add everything together with some chicken stock, and heat until warned through.

Truffle Jus - Mince shallots, prepare butter, thyme, and Madeira.

Sweat minced shallots and truffles.

Add Madeira, reduce by half.

Add Veal Jus (see before), thyme, and truffle juice, and reduce until 2 cups remain.

Parsnip Puree (aka Potato Puree) - In the spirit of not reading recipes carefully, I totally skipped out on the Parsnip Puree until just before plating. I had run out of parsnips, so I substituted with fingerling potatoes. Not ideal, but still delicious. Dice parsnips, and sweat in half a stick of butter.

Drain, then boil until tender. Add half-and-half and salt.

Puree until smooth.

Voila! Sorry about the shadow.

Sea Urchin and Green Apple - I didn't understand why the recipe says it serves 32, so I consolidated it into 4 portions. It was only when we began to eat did I realize how rich it was.....we barely made a dent in our servings.

My version of Lobster Stock - using shells. EMP calls for lobster meat, which I couldn't justify using for stock.

More improvisations for lobster stock - turned out delicious! The touch of Cognac adds so much depth.

Juice a few Granny Smith apples.

Strain and chill. I recommend doing this last, because the juice turns from this beautiful green to a brownish yellow.....still tasty, just not very attractive.

Prepare gelatin sheets by "blooming" in cold water.

Squeeze some tomatoes, then strain for juice

Sweat shallots.

Add sea urchin tongues for 1 minute.

Deglaze with Cognac, and reduce until pan is almost try (careful not to burn anything)

Add tomato juice, and reduce. Then add lobster stock, and reduce until it is 1.5 cups.

Swirl in cream and crème fraîche. Simmer without bubbles.

Season with salt, lime juice, and cayenne pepper.

Add drained gelatin sheets to mixture.

Pour into cups. I used regular glasses - but as I mentioned before, I probably should have used shot glasses instead. Refrigerate.

After 30 minutes of chilling, top with 3 sea urchin tongues each.

Add gelatin to apple juice.

Pour a bit of juice carefully in each cup. I think I put too much in. The EMP picture wasn't a very good guide for what it should look like in the end. Chill for a several hours until set.

Garnish.

French Bread - epicurious.com. This is my favorite bread recipe ever.

Mix 4 cups flour, 1 2/3 cups water, 1 packet foamed yeast, 1.5 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon vinegar in food processor until dough forms. Let rise twice.

Perfect, effortless dough!

Divide into 2, then roll out each into a long rectangle. Pinch together the long sides into a center seam. Place this face down.

Brush all sides with olive oil, then let rise for 30 minutes.

Bake with a pan of water underneath at 450 F for 30 minutes.

Perfect addition to any meal!

Tasting Notes:
The veal cheeks were scrumptious, especially paired with black truffle. I really liked my potato puree, but would like to see how it goes with a parsnip puree. It was a pretty easy recipe for how good it was. We had a few extra veal cheeks (since it technically serves 8) and was glad we didn't invite 8 people. The bread helped fill us up - this recipe alone is definitely not entrée sized.

The sea urchin had great flavor - it was very balance between too seafoody and too creamy. I wasn't a huge fan of the apple juice addition, but I should really wait to judge this recipe when I make it again in the right proportions and serving size. Overall, another successful week!