Vegan Asparagus Soup with Truffled Chanterelle Mushrooms

One of my favorite ways to create a memorable dining experience with a beautiful soup. Soup is one of my favorite foods. However, I often find them loaded with cream or butter, which really kills my vibe. This asparagus soup is fresh, simple and light enough for you to hit a post meal yoga class. 

The preparation keeps the soup green, and highlights the freshness of asparagus while exploring the depth of truffle and mushrooms. This method creates a silky texture from the onions and leeks rather than adding cream or butter, keeping it light and vegan. The beauty of this soup is that it can be served warm or cold depending on your mood. Make a little bit extra and use it as a garnish for the next days lunch (i'll show you how). 

Serves 8

Ingredients

Asparagus - 2 Bunches (woody ends snapped off) Reserve tips for garnish
Leek - 1 each sliced 
White Onion - 1 each sliced
Vegetable Stock - 8 cups
Olive Oil - 2 Tbsp
Lemon - 1 each
Salt and Pepper - to taste

Mushrooms

Chanterelle (or any mushroom) - 1 lb
Olive Oil - 3 tbsp
Fines Herbs - 1 tbsp of each minced (parsley, tarragon, chives, chervil) 
Truffle Pate - 1 small spoonful 
Salt and Pepper - to taste

Method

First slice leeks down the middle and wash out all the dirt. Now slice leek and onion. Place them into pot with olive oil over medium heat. Sprinkle with salt, cover and let sweat till translucent, about 10 min.

While the onions sweat, slice the tops off of the asparagus at an angle and slice in half. Blanch in boiling water and shock in an ice bath. Add the broth and bring it to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook till tender, about 10 min.

Ladle the soup into a blender and blend till smooth. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

**Important** Keep your soup GREEN! 

Immediately pour into a metal floating in an ice bath (two bowls, one filled with ice and water, the other resting on top). You must chill the soup quickly to prevent the green from turning a nasty army green color. 

Mushrooms 

Clean the mushrooms by wiping off any excess dirt. Now split the mushrooms in half. In a large saute pan over medium high heat with oil, add the mushrooms and don't touch them. Meanwhile, chop up your fines herbs, a classic french herb mix. When you see light browning around the edge of the mushrooms, give them a stir, add the herbs, truffle pate, then season with salt and pepper and take the pan off the heat. Chanterelles don't need too much time to cook.

The Finish

Place the mushrooms in the center of the bowl. Top with asparagus and ladle the hot soup around it. Finish with a nice extra virgin olive oil and serve.  

Scallops New Style

Sea Scallosp, Ponzu, Pomegranate and Citrus Make the Perfect Bite

Scallops never cease to amaze me. Only something this delicious can be such a prominent part of man's religious, architectural, and artistic development since 400 BC. My love for scallops has followed suit. While searing a scallops brings out the natural sugars, a raw preparation highlights the unparalleled silky and fresh texture. 

This simple preparation lightly cooks the scallop with a drizzle of hot oil while letting its texture shine. Citrus notes of ponzu and lime compliment the fresh crunch of pomegranate, bite of flowering chive and unctuous nature of fine olive oil. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

Scallops - 8 each 
Pomegranate - seeds of 1/2 each
Seasonal Micro-greens
Chive Blossoms
Salt and Pepper - to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1/8 cup

Dressing (makes extra)

Ponzu - 1/2 cup
Lime - Juice of 1 lime
Lime Zest - 1 each
Honey - 1 tbsp
Salt and Pepper - to taste

Method

First remove the side muscle from the scallop. Feel around the edge and simply peel it off. Next, lay the scallop on its side (lateral slices, against the grain) and slice into thin discs. Lay these discs onto the plate you plan on serving on. 

Make the dressing by combining the ponzu, lime juice, zest, honey. Whisk together and then season with salt and pepper. 

When you are ready to serve, get a pan very hot and then add the extra virgin olive oil into it. When it is shimmering, carefully spoon the oil over the scallop to lightly cook it. Next, spoon the dressing over the scallop. Top the scallop with a touch of fleur de sel.  Carefully decorate the plate with pomegranate seeds and micro herbs and serve. 

With this dish you will see why people have worshiped the scallop since their discovery. 


 

Seafood Saturday - Scallops, Gazpacho, Sea Bass Oh My

A Refined Seafood Saturday

Although I grew up in the mountains, the ocean and seafood is forever in my heart.  I fell in love with seafood because cooking it is an art. It is tactile, ever changing and requires love, attention and practice. One must respect the delicate nature of the food, while applying just enough heat, transforming it to a completely new flavor and texture.

For the opening weekend of summer, a seafood is a must. I was inspired to being the meal with a light heirloom gazpacho with sweet sea scallops and finish with a rich Chilean sea bass, with fresh early summer peas, zucchini and mint.

As a private chef timelines change every second. I strategically designed this meal to be flexible, knowing that 1 of the 15 guests may very well arrive late, or the walk through the sculpture garden may take longer than expected. Having a cold or room temperature first course, allowed me to focus on the execution of the second. Choosing a fatty fish like Chilean sea bass gives allows me to ‘precook’ the fish, keep it warm but also keep it moist. Use these tip to save on time and stress.

Seared Sea Scallop With Heirloom Gazpacho

Serves 8

When I present a dish, I like to educate those who are about to taste it. As a result, I often serve soups table side. In the center of the plate lies the elements of the dish. In this case the gazpacho. Pouring table side keeps the temperature, enhances presentation and saves time.

Gazpacho

Tomato – 3 lbs vine ripened (peeled, seeded and chopped)
English Cucumber – 2 each
Red Bell Pepper – 2 each
Jalepeno – 1 small seeded and minded
Garlic – 2 cloves minced
Shallot -2 each minced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – ½ cup
Lime – 2 each juiced
Sherry Vinegar – 1 tbsp
Cumin – 1 tsp
Salt and Pepper – to taste

To peel the tomatoes make a small ‘x’ at the base. Drop into boiling water for 15 seconds and then into an ice bath. Peel. Next cut in half and gently squeeze to remove seeds. Now add all the ingredients into the blender and puree. If there is not enough liquid add some water. Don’t be afraid to press the ingredients down with the back of a ladle to help with the blending. Once blended run through a strainer. If this is too thin simply add some of the pulp back. If you like it thicker, just blend, don’t strain. Give it one last taste and then place in a pitcher in the refrigerator.

Deconstructed Gazpacho Salad

English Cucumber – ½ each (small dice)
Red Bell Pepper – 1each (small dice)
Shallot – ½ each minced (minced)
Sherry Vinegar – 2 tbsp
Olive Oil – 2 tbsp
Honey – drizzle
Salt and Pepper – to taste

Cut all the vegetables into a small dice and then season with vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper. Cover and put in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Pan Seared Sea Scallops

Fresh Scallops – 2 per person
Olive Oil – just a tad to lubricate the pan
Salt and Pepper – to taste

Cooking a scallop properly requires proper technique. The trick is to not touch them. Heat a pan over medium high heat.  Cook them mostly on one side to develop a beautiful crust and then just  ‘kiss it’ on the other to finish it off.

Season the scallops lightly with sea salt and pepper. Add a dash of oil to the hot pan, when it is shimmering it is ready for the scallops. Nice side down place the scallops in the pan giving them an inch of separation form the next one on each side.

Let the scallop cook with out touching until you see the edges caramelize and turn brown (about 2 min). Flip so it 'kisses' the pan and then immediately remove.

The Method

When you are ready to serve, place a spoon full in the center of the plate. Top with the scallops. Pour the gazpacho table side!

Chilean Sea Bass, Peas, Zucchini and Mint, Basil Oil

Serves 8

Chilean Sea Bass is a rich, fatty fish. In the not so recent past, it was over fished. At that point I never ate it. Now the fish and sustainable ways of catching them are making a resurgence. Now every once in a while I can taste one of my favorite fishes. Because it is so fatty, it is perfect for parties. It can sit for a while and not dry out... in fact it makes it even more juicier as the heat evenly melts the fat.

For this recipe, first cut your fish. Get a pot of boiling water on the stove for blanching the vegetables. The rest is simple.

Zucchini and Peas

Fresh Peas – 3 cups
Zucchini – 3 cups diced
Mint – 1/3 cup minced
Chives – 1/4 cup minced
Thyme – 2 sprigs picked
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – ¼ cup
Lemon – 1 each juice
Salt and Pepper – to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 F set to convection.

Dice zucchini  and mince the herbs. Place the zucchini on a baking tray, be sure it is only one layer. Drizzle it with some oil and season it with salt and pepper and thyme. Cook at 350 F for 7 min in a convection oven, or until tender but not too soft.

For the peas, blanch them in salted boiling water for 2 min or until they turn bright green. Shock in an ice bath and drain.

When ready to serve, toss zucchini and peas into a hot sauté pan. Add olive oil, and herbs, season with salt and pepper and lemon juice to taste.  You can keep these warm. Just not for too long otherwise they will turn a funky color.

Basil Oil

Basil – 1 bunch
Ice – 4 cubes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 1 cup
Lemon – 1 each juiced

Blanch the basil for 30 seconds in boiling water. Shock and squeeze the water out. Put the basil, ice and oil in a blender and blend till bright green, add the lemon to preserve the color.

Sea Bass

Sea Bass – 2.5 lbs cut into 5 oz servings
Salt and Pepper – to taste
Olive Oil – to coat pan

Cut the sea bass into 5 oz squares. This is about 3 inches by 3 inches if it is thick.  Season the fish with salt and pepper.

In a non stick pan over medium high heat, place the fish skin side down. Cook until skin is crispy. About 7 min. Flip the fish and put it in the oven for 5 min.

The Finish

To finish make sure that the vegetables are hot, place them in the center of the plate. Perch the fish on top of the veg then drizzle basil oil around the plate.