3 celebratory recipes from the world’s most spectacular restaurants
As we attempt to bring haute cuisine home, we asked three of the best chefs from around the world to share their favorite holiday recipes
· Place the breadcrumbs, Parmigiano Reggiano, nutmeg and lemon zest in a shallow bowl. In the meantime, bring the broth to a low simmer.
· Break the eggs and add to the dry ingredients, then mix together into a uniform ball of dough.
· Place the dough in a potato ricer and press it directly into the boiling broth.
· Cook these passatelli until they surface (about 1 minute).
· Serve them hot, with the broth, in a bowl.
Note: For the broth, a classic vegetable or chicken broth is best. However, in an emergency, I often prepare a Parmigiano Reggiano-rind broth. I keep all the rinds from grated cheese in the refrigerator until I have a good amount – say 250g. The cheese rinds can be added to a big pot of cold water and simmered for a couple hours. As the rinds melt, they give off flavor and thicken the broth with the proteins and fats from the cheese. This broth is very simple, but can be great to have in a pinch. Of course, the cheese rinds can also be added to classic broths to enrich the flavor as well.
For something special but comforting: Passatelli in brodo from Massimo Bottura at Osteria Francescana
150g breadcrumbs
100g grated Parmigiano Reggiano
A pinch of ground nutmeg
A pinch of lemon zest
1 litre of chicken broth
3 eggs
For an impressive and elaborate main: Venison, pumpkin, Brussels tops and walnuts, from James Lowe of Lyle’s
Serves 2
For the venison
200g venison loin (ask your butcher to prepare a loin of deer for you, trimmed of all silver skin; 100-120g per person is a good amount, as the venison is quite rich)
30g duck fat (if possible, or vegetable oil), and a little vegetable oil
40g butter
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
5 stems thyme
5 juniper berries
For the veg
1 pumpkin (I would suggest something with a low starch content, so Delica or Crown Prince work well for this. If you can’t find these, butternut squash is also a safe option)
8 leaves of Brussels tops – the delicious cabbage-like leaves that grow at the top of a Brussels plant (hispi cabbage can be used as a substitute)
A little olive oil
Salt
Unsalted butter
30g walnuts
1 pickled walnut
For the vinaigrette
50g white wine vinegar
10g maple syrup
50g olive oil
· Remove the venison from the fridge about 2 hours before cooking, so it comes up to room temperature.
· Prepare the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin in half, season with olive oil and salt and wrap in baking parchment, then in foil, and place in an oven preheated to 180°C. Cook for about 45 minutes, or until soft.
· Once cooked, open up the foil (be careful: it’ll be hot!), then scrape out the seeds and discard, scrape the flesh away from the skin and weigh it, discarding the skin.
· Place the flesh in a blender with 15 per cent of the weight of the pumpkin in chopped butter.
· Season with salt
· Place your frying pan on the stove at three-quarters heat. Season the outside of the venison with salt (a pinch on both sides) and pour the duck fat and a splash of vegetable oil in to the frying pan.
· Carefully add the venison to the pan – it should be hot enough to be sizzling, but if the oil is smoking, turn down the heat (make sure your stove extractor is on full for this one!).
· Fry for 60 seconds on one side, then flip and fry for 60 seconds on the second side, then flip again. Repeat this process once more so that both sides have been on the pan twice (4 minutes in total).
· Drop in the butter, garlic, thyme and juniper and start to ‘baste’ or spoon the butter over the meat. Once you have done this for 30 seconds on one side, flip it and do the same again.
· Remove the venison from the pan and leave it to sit on a plate for 4 minutes – it will then be ready to slice.
· For the Brussels tops, bring a pan of water to the boil, drop in the leaves for 30 seconds, take out to drain and leave to steam for 30 seconds, then dress with a little of the vinaigrette (below) and a pinch of salt.
· To prepare the vinaigrette, simply mix the ingredients with a whisk. This vinaigrette can be kept for longer in your fridge and used as a good salad dressing for the future.
· Slice the pickled walnut thinly.
· Toast and crumble the dry walnuts.
To assemble
· Spoon the pumpkin purée between the plates.
· Cut the venison in half and season the cut side with coarse salt, then add a couple of slices of pickled walnut and the crumbled toasted walnuts.
· Dress the Brussels tops and add to the plate.
· Use the resting juices from the venison, along with a splash of olive oil and the vinaigrette from the Brussels, to use as a sauce for the plate.
· For the buñuelo dough, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Using your fingertips, work the dough and gradually add the warm water, adding enough to make a cohesive dough.
· Knead on a clean, dry work surface until smooth (10-15 minutes).
· Place the dough in a previously greased bowl, cover with plastic or a damp towel, and leave to rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
· Divide the dough into approximately 2.5cm pieces and roll each into a ball (use oil – ideally grapeseed – to coat the dough to stop it from drying). Using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 15-17cm-diameter circle – each buñuelo should be thin enough to be translucent.
· Arrange the dough circles in parchment paper that has been sprayed with oil and cover with another layer of paper to prevent drying.
· Heat a little oil (2.5-3cm deep) in a Dutch oven or a large skillet with high sides over a medium-high heat until the temperature registers 175°C. Fry the buñuelos, one at a time, until golden on one side (between 30 and 60 seconds). Turn over with tongs and fry until the opposite side is also golden (30 to 45 seconds).
· Transfer to prepared trays and repeat with the remaining dough.
For the syrup
· Combine the piloncillo (or brown sugar), water and cinnamon.
· Boil over a medium-high heat in a medium/heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the mixture is syrupy (5-7 minutes).
· Strain the syrup and discard the solids, then add the orange liquor, orange zest and orange juice.
· To serve, drizzle the warm syrup over the buñuelos.
For a show-stopping dessert: Buñuelos from Daniela Soto-Innes at Cosme
For the dough
Makes 15 pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup warm water
Oil, for cooking
For the syrup
1 piece of piloncillo, or 1½ cups brown sugar
1 cup water
1 stick of Mexican cinnamon
¼ cup Combier or orange liquor
Zest of 2 oranges
½ cup orange juice