Grant Achatz

croquettes of smoked steelhead roe, belgian endive and radish

INGREDIENTS / 4 serves
CREME FRAICHE 2 gelatine sheets 100 g (3.5 oz) crme frache 10 g (.4 oz) water 2 g (.07 oz) kosher salt 4 g (.1 oz) simple syrup CUCUMBER BALLS 1 English cucumber, peeled CANDIED BELGIAN ENDIVE 1 Belgian endive 500 g (1 lb 1.6 oz) water 250 g (8.8 oz) sugar INTERIOR GARNISHES 20 g (0.7 oz) BLiS smoked steelhead roe reserved cucumber balls reserved crme frache mixture BREADING 200 g (7.1 oz) all-purpose flour 3 eggs, beat 1 of the three eggs 20 g (4.2 oz) Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) coarsely ground in spice grinder reserved interior garnishes RED ONION 1 medium red onion

PREPARATION
CRME FRAICHE Immerse gelatine sheets in ice water for 5 minutes, or until pliable. Gather gelatine together, squeeze out excess water and reserve. In small saucepan, stir together crme frache, water, salt, and simple syrup. Warm gently over medium-low heat to a simmer, stirring often to prevent scorching. Whisk in gelatine until dissolved. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat. Keep warm enough to remain liquid. CUCUMBER BALLS With inch (10 mm) parisienne scoop, scoop 8 balls from the exterior of cucumber, avoiding seed layer. Reserve at room temperature. CANDIED BELGIAN ENDIVE Choose 4 long, large unblemished outer leaves from the endive. Halve leaves lengthwise. In medium saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add endive and immediately reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until very tender. Remove from heat. Reserve endive in cooking liquid. INTERIOR GARNISHES Spoon 7 eggs into centre of each of the 8 hemispheric moulds, inch (1.9 cm) in diameter. Gently place 1 cucumber ball atop of each roe portion. Press down on the cucumber so that it sits below the top edge of mould. Fill moulds with the crme frache mixture. Refrigerate moulds for at least 3 hours, or until set. Remove spheres. BREADING Place flour, eggs, and Panko in 3 separate bowls. Dip each sphere into flour, tapping to remove excess. Coat with eggs and remove with slotted spoon, allowing excess to drain away. Roll in Panko until evenly coated, pressing additional crumbs onto top and bottom if necessary. Repeat 3-step process so each sphere is double coated.

FRIED CAPERS 250 g (8.8 oz) canola oil 8 small capers, rinsed, drained and dried LIME SEGMENTS 1 lime RADISH 1 small red radish HERB GARNISH 8 small sorrel leaves (tips only if leaves are large) 8 parsley leaf tips 8 chive pieces, each cut at 45 degree angle and an inch (1.3 cm) long Reserve herbs in separate bowls of ice water.

RED ONION Cut onion into 1/16 inch (2 mm) dice. Rinse pieces under cold water for 3 minutes to remove sulphur flavour. FRIED CAPERS Line a sheet tray with a double layer of paper towels. In small saucepan, the heat oil to 400F (200C). Fry capers until puffed and crispy, but not browned. Drain on prepared sheet tray. LIME SEGMENTS Remove zest and pith from lime. Slice in toward centre of lime, using natural divisions between segments as guide and stopping when you reach centre of fruit. Turn knife slightly to free 6 segments. Cut into inch (3 mm) dice. RADISH Using knife or mandolin, cut radish lengthwise into slices 1/16 inch (2 mm) thick. Cut slices into strips 1/16 inch (2 mm) wide. TO ASSEMBLE AND SERVE Preheat oven to 250F (120C). Line a sheet tray with a double layer of paper towels. In small saucepan, heat oil to 475F (245C). Fry croquettes for 15 to 20 seconds, or until just golden. (Longer frying times will result in leakage.) Transfer to prepared sheet tray and keep warm in oven for 5 minutes to soften filling. Carefully wrap warm croquette with 1 candied endive leaf half. Top with 2 radish strips. Spoon 5 steelhead eggs on top, followed by small spoonful of red onion, 1 fried caper and 1 lime dice. Place 1 piece each of sorrel, parsley and chive on the plate along with the other garnishes.

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