"Oysters and Pearls": Sabayon of Pearl Tapioca with Malpeque Oysters and Osetra Caviar

I've heard all the stories surrounding the famous "Oysters and Pearls" dish, a Keller classic that is served to all the guests at Per Se. Indeed, whenever I ask a friend who has dined at Per Se to name their favorite dish, more than half say this one. I wanted to recreate this dish as closely as possible, so I made an extra effort to properly source all the ingredients.

The dish is named "Oysters and Pearls": Sabayon of Pearl Tapioca with Malpeque Oysters and Osetra Caviar. It has the distinction of being one of the most expensive dishes in the book to prepare, as the osetra caviar can cost between $65 and $130 an ounce (I opted for the cheaper Californian Osetra, which set me back $65/oz. -- I know, I'm cheap). All of the other ingredients were fairly easy to find; the Malpeque oysters were sourced from The Lobster Place in Chelsea Market. I was also tempted to buy a few Mayan shrimp, which, for those of you who don't know, are gigantic shrimp with heads on, each about the size of a flute. TLP also carries live sea urchins (!) and the most vibrantly alive soft-shelled crabs I have ever seen.

Anyway, here's the mise en place for the sabayon:

And here's a close-up of the small tapioca pearls:

Aren't they cute?

I soaked them in milk for an hour and then rinsed and drained them under cold running water.


I cooked 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup cream together in a small pot with the oyster trimmings.

I brought this to a simmer and drained it. I then poured it over the tapioca pearls in another pot...

I cooked the mixture for 7-8 minutes, adjusted the heat, and cooked for another 5-7 minutes, until it was sticky. Here you can see the tapioca in all its sticky glory:


I cooked the egg yolks and 1/4 cup oyster juice in a metal bowl over a pan of hot water, whisking all the time. I poured the hot sabayon over the tapioca mixture, along with freshly cracked black pepper, crème fraîche, and whipped cream. I also added a little salt (but not too much!).

I put this mixture into five ceramic ramekins, wrapped them in saran wrap, and refrigerated for a few minutes.

Later, I took them out and put them on a baking sheet into the oven at 350 degrees.


Meanwhile, I prepared the sauce. I took some vermouth, oyster juice, shallots, and white wine vinegar and put it in a sauce pan.


I cooked this until it was reduced sufficiently, and the shallots were glazed. I then added eight tablespoons of butter slowly...

Lastly, I added the oysters and chives at the very end.


I took the tapioca/sabayon item out of the oven after about 4-5 minutes. Here they are:

I spooned the sauce on top along with two oysters (some got three) and garnished with a very healthy amount of Osetra caviar. Here is the finished product:


What an amazing canapé! The sabayon and tapioca was so rich and creamy. The texture of the "pearls" of caviar complemented those of the tapioca. The salinity of the oysters dazzled with those of the sabayon/tapioca.

It was such a decadent dish.

Everyone enjoyed it very much so. I will definitely make it again.

Sources:
Malpeque oysters from The Lobster Place
Osetra caviar from Pescatore
Tapioca and grocery items from The Food Emporium

Pickled Oysters with English Cucumber "Capellini" and Dill

Summer is upon us. I know the "rule of thumb" is that you should eat oysters that end in the letter "R" (i.e. September - December), but aside from the fact that the oysters may be slightly smaller (since they are out of season), you can generally eat oysters all year round. The "rule of thumb" evolved because of problems associated with long-distance shipping and spoilage.

So, last night, I decided to prepare a few of the oyster canapés in the French Laundry Cookbook.
The first that I will write about is Pickled Oysters with English Cucumber "Capellini" and Dill. (So I lied. I actually started this the night before).

Anyways, the night before, I started prep work on this beautiful recipe. Here is my mise en place:

Dill, sugar, white wine vinegar, water, cloves, coriander seed, and star anise.

I put this into a small sauce pan and simmered gently.

Next, I shucked the oysters. I got the oysters from Wild Edibles Market. I asked for the meatiest oysters they had. They suggested Umamis from Rhode Island. When I asked the fishmonger whether or not they were as meaty as [insert other type of oyster here], she shucked one in front of me, handed it to me, and said, "Eat it."

I did, and that sealed the purchase. Here they are in all their glory:

I shucked them (and ate a few while shucking them too -- I'm a sucker for raw oysters), and separated the oysters and the cleaned and scrubbed shells.

Next, I put the oysters into the pickling liquid and stored this in my refrigerator.

A side view:

The next day, I went and purchased a large English cucumber. Look at this baby:

English cucumbers are often sold in specialty groceries, not your standard Whole Foods or whatever. They are also sold as "seedless cucumbers" and are often wrapped in plastic wrap, whole. I have read that the English cucumber has fewer seeds, and the skin can even be eaten raw (and not affect the taste too much).

Anyhoo, I took out my trusty mandolin and julienned 1/16th inch strips. They sort of resemble cannelloni, don't they?

I soaked this for 30 minutes in rice wine vinegar and some chopped dill.


I strained this, pushing the liquid out. I then tossed it with some fresh dill and started the plating process.

Next: Plating! The book recommends serving on top of either a bed of seaweed or a bed of special salt mixture. The latter was WAY too expensive as it called for three cups of salt mixture (or more). I only checked one store for salt, but they only had one type of rock salt and it was $15 a bag. The other salts they had were way too fine to use. I also tried looking for fresh seaweed everywhere to no success. Every time I asked a grocery store attendant whether they had fresh seaweed, they directed me to the Asian dry goods aisle. Ugh.

Anyway, at the Manhattan Fruit Exchange, I was lucky enough to find sea beans.

First, a "nest" of sea beans:


Next, a clean oyster shell:


Now, some "cannelloni":

Then a pickled oyster:

A small sprig of dill:

Finally, top with some Osetra caviar. This was probably the most expensive portion of the dish, at $65/ounce. I got the California type since I'm a cheapskate.

I served this to three guests and myself.

What can I say? Aside from the intense effort to find all the right ingredients, it was actually one of the easiest recipes I have made in the cookbook, requiring only a few steps and no actual heat from the stove.

I enjoyed the flavor very much. The pickled flavor from the oyster intensified the salty, briny umami flavor of the oyster. The dill completed the oyster flavor as well. The caviar provided slight salinity. The soft texture of the oyster was complemented by the slight crunchiness of the cucumber whereas the caviar provided a slippery delicate texture, with the extraordinary "pop!" that came every so often when chewing. There were so many flavors and textures in this dish. And of course, everyone loved it and asked for seconds (and in some cases, thirds).

This is definitely going on the rotating kitchen menu.

Sources:
Sea beans from Manhattan Fruit Exchange (Chelsea Market)
Umami oysters (RI) from Wild Edibles
Osetra caviar from Pescatore
English cucumber from Food Emporium
Produce and other items from Whole Foods

Double Rib Lamb Chops with Cassoulet of Summer Beans and Rosemary

With the coming of the summer, I decided that it would be a great opportunity to prepare a late spring/early summer dish: Double Rib Lamb Chops with Cassoulet of Summer Beans and Rosemary. I had already made the "Quick" lamb sauce from a previous day's cooking, so this recipe would be a cinch.

I found fresh green beans and yellow wax beans and dried cannellini beans (in place of white marrow beans), cranberry beans, fava beans, and soybeans. I soaked the dried beans in water overnight at room temperature. The next day, I took them out, and they had sprouted! I trimmed the sprouts and peeled the fava beans. Here they are:

I also prepared a fresh batch of Brunoise. Aren't the colors pretty?


I blanched the green beans and yellow wax beans until they were tender and soaked them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. I trimmed the edges and cut them into one-inch pieces.


I then took all the beans and cooked them in water and chicken stock in two pots for one hour. I added a mirepoix of aromatics to each pot (quartered onion, leek, and carrot) as well.

Here they are cooking in two pots:

FYI, do not leave your spoon on top of your pot like that, even if it's a wooden spoon. I looked at it an hour later, and it was charred from the heat of the sauce pan.

To finish, I drained the beans, discarded the aromatics, removed any beans that floated to the surface, and removed all skins that came off in the cooking. This was an extremely laborious process.

I returned the beans to heat and added half the "Quick" lamb sauce as well as some tomato diamonds, Brunoise, butter, salt, and pepper and heated it through.

The cassoulet was indeed aromatic and the colors were astounding. I'm a little disappointed with my point-and-shoot's quality that dulls the colors.

Next, the lamb. I got these lamb chops from the butcher at Whole Foods. I was indecisive about which type of lamb to get, so I got three American lamb chops and three New Zealand lamb chops. You can tell them apart in the image below because the NZ lamb has two ribs while the American ones only have one.

I tied them with string until they were uniform and tightly wrapped.

Then, I wrapped the bones in foil so they wouldn't burn. I also salted and peppered the chops liberally.
I heated some canola oil in a skillet and browned each side, three minutes on one side, two on the other.

Next, I removed the lamb chops from the skillet, removed most of the oil, and added butter and the lamb chops back to the pan. I also added garlic and thyme sprigs to the lamb.

I put the skillet in the oven at 375 degrees for four minutes, until the meat was medium-rare. Then I took it out and let it sit for a few minutes.


In the meantime, I heated up the "Quick" lamb sauce and reduced it until it was about 1/4 cup.

Okay, time for plating. First, the "Quick" lamb sauce and the cassoulet of beans:

Then the lamb chop with some rosemary leaves...


I plated three NZ chops and three American chops. I personally devoured one NZ chop and one American chop. I liked the NZ chop better because it had less fat on it and the meat was more tender. The American chop had much more fat on it and it was a little tougher.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. I also think it's one of those dishes you can prepare at home for a regular dinner. It didn't take all that long to make, especially if you prepare the cassoulet of beans ahead of time. Every one of my guests agreed and wanted more.

Sources:
Lamb from Whole Foods
Produce from Whole Foods

Homemade Veal Stock

When I started reading the recipes for the meat entrees in The French Laundry Cookbook, I realized that every single meat dish required an ingredient called, "Quick" X Sauce, where X is Duck, Lamb, Veal, etc.. These sauces are anything but quick. To exemplify this, one of the ingredients for the sauce is Homemade Veal Stock, which takes about 24 hours to make. Now, I have made soups and stocks in the past that have taken five or six hours, so I said to myself, what the hell, I'll give it a try. The result was marvelous.

First, I obtained ten pounds of veal bones from my local butcher. I went to Esposito's again, as they always have what I want and at relatively inexpensive costs (they were $1-2 a pound). I also grabbed some extra bones of different animals (lamb, duck, etc) to make sauces for some future dishes you will see.

Step 1 -- The "blanching of bones for clarification(1 - 1.5 hours). I rinsed the bones under cold water and covered them with clean, cold water in a large stock pot. I slowly brought this pot of water to a simmer. It took just over an hour. I skimmed and moved the bones around a little (not too much!) and skimmed some more, removing the impurities. There was a lot.

I ran them under cold water and rinsed all the gunk off. The stock pot was also filled with gunky material that stuck to the bottom, so I had to rewash it completely. Mind you, this stock pot is as large as a small television so it is quite the hassle to clean. It can barely fit in my sink!

Here are the cleaned bones, ready for step 2.


Step 2: Veal #1 -- The initial extraction of flavor from bones and aromatics to obtain a first liquid (5-6 hours).

I placed the cleaned veal bones in 12 quarts of cold water in the stock pot and brought this up to a simmer gradually. This took about an hour an a half. I also skimmed continuously.


When it was at a simmer, I added the aromatics, tomatoes, and tomato paste.

First, the tomato paste:

While the bones were blanching, I prepared the mirepoix of aromatics: carrots, leeks, onions, bay leafs, garlic, thyme, parsley.

I added the tomatoes and aromatics:

To give you an idea of how big this stock pot is, here is a side view:

I let this simmer for four hours, skimming the entire time.

I reduced and strained and skimmed...

And more...

Until four hours later, I had this:

I strained all the solids and reserved them in another bowl.

Then I strained the rest through a tamis. It fit perfectly over my stock pot:

Then a chinois:
I put this in an ice bath in my sink and when it was cooled, I put it in my fridge.

Step 3: Veal #2, or remouillage -- The second extraction of flavor to obtain a second liquid (5-6 hours). Remouillage is the French term for the "remoistening," or second extraction from the bones.

I returned the bones and aromatics and other solids to a clean stock pot and added 12 quarts of water and slowly brought this to a simmer...

I simmered this for four hours until it had reduced.

I strained this through a tamis and a chinois again, discarding all the solids.

Here we can see both Veal #1 (right) and Veal #2 (left). Remarkable colors.

Step 4: The "marriage" of Veal #1 and Veal #2 -- I mixed both together into a third stock pot and slowly brought this to a simmer. This took another 1-1.5 hours.

I reduced and reduced and reduced and reduced for about 6-8 hours...until there was only about two quarts left.
It was rich and dark in color and sauce-like in consistency after all that reduction. It also smelled and tasted heavenly.

I put it into two single quart plastic containers and froze them. This was a day and a half later.

Wow. What an amazing recipe. Next up, the "Quick" sauces!!!

Sources:
Veal bones from Esposito's
Produce from Whole Foods