It’s so wonderful to see brands innovate and bring new things to the consumers plate. AXN Top Chef in a recent event tried to do something new as well. They pick recipes from their popular culinary show Top Chef and brought them to the table in an exclusive session alongwith the young and talented Chef Saransh Goila for media and bloggers.
AXN’s show Top Chef is a reality show where professional chefs compete against each other to create the finest of dishes and a panel of judges rate them on the basis of taste, presentation and technique. CheF Saransh Goila re-created top 3 recipes for the audience to taste – ‘Macrons with Guacamole’, ‘Quinoa Pasta cooked with Zucchini Salsa Verde’ and ‘Jerk Halibut with Mango slaw’.
Mumbai Candid brings to you the recipes of all these three dishes. Do try them and let us know how they turn out in the comments below.
1] Macarons With Guacamole
Ingredients
MACARONS
4 egg whites
1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
Grated zest of 1 lime
½ cup sugar
GUACAMOLE
2 ripe avocados; pitted, peeled and cut into large dice
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
½ Teaspoon red wine vinegar
1½ Teaspoon Ground Cumin
0.25 Cup Minced Red Onion
1 Jalapeño Chilli, seeded and minced
2 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt And freshly ground pepper
CORN PUREE
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 stalk lemongrass, smashed
1 kaffir lime leaf
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
3 sprigs fresh cilantro
Salt And freshly ground pepper
1 cup heavy cream
0.25 cup CornNuts, finely ground
MAKES 40 MACARONS
FOR THE MACARONS: Preheat the oven to 185°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, and lime zest in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to whip until the whites are stiff and glossy. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip or plastic bag with the corner cut off and pipe small round domes of meringue about 2 inches in diameter onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake until a pale golden brown and dry to the touch, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. If it’s a humid day, you may need to turn off the oven and let the macarons dry for up to 12 hours. Set aside to cool completely.
FOR THE GUACAMOLE: Combine the avocados, lime juice, vinegar, and cumin in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the onion, jalapeno, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Scoop the guacamole into a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip or a plastic bag and set aside in the refrigerator.
FOR THE CORN PUREE: Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the lemongrass and lime leaf and sweat until soft. Add the corn kernels and cilantro and sweat for 10 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the lemongrass, lime leaf, and cilantro and transfer the corn mixture to a blender. Blend until smooth, then pass the purée through a fine-mesh sieve. Set aside.
To serve, pipe the guacamole between 2 macarons. Spoon small circles of corn purée on to a plate or plates and set a macaron sandwich on top of each pool of purée. Dust the plate with the CornNuts and serve.
Prep Time: 45 minutes, plus 3 hours for baking
BRYAN DISHES
“The macaron is something that I use at my restaurant a lot. The idea is to create a very light-flavoured shell that is crisp, so layers of texture can be achieved with a smooth purée or pudding. Normally in the mid-Atlantic it takes about ten hours to prepare these macarons using a dehydrator; I took a huge risk trying to pull this off. I relied on the environment, being in the desert, to dry the macarons overnight.”
2] Quinoa Pasta
Ingredients
SALSA VERDE
Leaves from 2 bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley
Leaves from 1 bunch fresh basil
12 cornichons, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Capers; rinsed
4 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed
Sea salt and Freshly ground pepper
PINE NUT GREMOLATA
1/2 cup gluten-free crackers
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
PASTA
1 pound quinoa spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic sliced
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper Flakes
6 zucchini, cut lengthwise into thin slices
2 cups Oven-Dried Tomatoes (below)
SERVES 4
PREP TIME – 45 minutes
Method
FOR THE SALSA VERDE: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch and shock the parsley and basil. When cool, drain, squeeze out the excess water, and chop coarsely. In a food processor or blender, combine the herbs with the cornichons, capers, garlic, and olive oil and process until well combined. Season with salt and pepper and adjust the consistency with more olive oil, if needed. Set aside.
FOR THE PINE NUT GREMOLATA: In a food processor, combine the crackers, pine nuts, and parsley and process until finely chopped. Pulse in the lemon zest and garlic, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
FOR THE PASTA: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the capers and red pepper flakes. Add 1 cup of the pasta water and the zucchini to the pan and bring to a simmer while the pasta finishes.
Drain the pasta. Add the pasta and salsa verde to the pan with the zucchini. With the pan still over heat, toss to combine.
To serve, spoon the oven-dried tomatoes around the circumference of each serving plate. Using tongs, arrange a nest of the pasta in the centre of the plate and top with the gremolata.
HOW TO MAKE OVEN-DRIED TOMATOES
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2cup garlic cloves, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons sea salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Preheat the oven to 275°F. Put the tomatoes and garlic on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the vinegar, basil, salt, and red pepper flakes and toss to combine well. Spread in an even layer. Bake until the tomatoes are soft and darkened, about 2 hours.
3] Jerk Halibut with Mango Slaw
Ingredients:
JERK HALIBUT
1 tablespoon Jerk Seasoning (below)
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 halibut fillets, about 6 ounces each
Salt and freshly ground pepper
MINT-CILANTRO VINAIGRETTE
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4cup rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
MANGO SLAW
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into julienne
1/4cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper
RICE:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Jamaican curry paste
1 cup long-grain rice
2 cups water
Plantain or taro chips for garnish
SERVES 4
Prep time: 2 hours Season 5, Episode 1 Elimination Challenge: Create a dish that represents the ethnic cuisine of a New York neighbourhood.
Method
FOR THE JERK HALIBUT: In a small bowl, whisk together the jerk spice and 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Rub the marinade all over the halibut, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
FOR THE MINT-CILANTRO VINAIGRETTE: In a blender, puree the cilantro, mint, ginger, olive oil, vinegar, sugar, and lime juice, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
FOR THE MANGO SLAW: In a bowl, toss together the mango, cilantro, and three-fourths of the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
FOR THE RICE: In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Mix in the tomato paste and Jamaican curry powder, then add the rice and sauté until toasted. Add the water, bring to a boil, cover, turn the heat down to low, and cook until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish and panfry until lightly browned, about 5 minutes per side.
To serve, place a small mound of rice in the center of each of 4 plates, and arrange a fillet on top of each mound. Top with the mango slaw. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and top with the plantain chips.
HOW TO MAKE – jerk seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Combine all the ingredients. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Let's Get Candid 