Chestnut, too many garnishes to list
Sometimes, I think there is no more beautiful color in the world than that of a chestnut.
A few years ago on Christmas Eve, my friends and I roasted chestnuts over open fire. We used a cast-iron pan ... which I forgot to shake and move around as often as I should have, so we (well, I should be fair here and say *I* instead of *we*) ended up burning half of them. Still, the ones I didn't do all Cajun-style were really, really good. I've had quite a fondness for chestnuts these past few years. I didn't eat them a lot as a child, but I've cooked with them and roasted them from time to time, and I really, really like them. To me, they're a bit rich ... so I go easy on the intake. But when I do eat them, they make me smile. It's like a nut that gives you a hug. (Get your mind out of the gutter.) (Or don't.) (See if I care.) (I said "nut.") (HA!) (I'm 12.)
For this recipe, I peeled and skinned the Kuhn Orchards chestnuts in the photo above, and simmered them in cream with salt and a bay leaf, then pureed them with some of the cream before emulsifying with butter. You can see the final result of this process in the final plating photo. I made it a day ahead of time and refrigerated it until it was time to serve.
Another component I made the day before was the bacon powder.
I froze this slab of bacon from Truck Patch Farms, then removed the plastic and grated the hell out of it onto a parchment-lined tray for the dehydrator.
I dehydrated it at 150F degrees for about 50 minutes until it was dry, then stored it in a covered plastic container at room temperature.
The one thing I often don't have good luck with on this blog are making gels. I don't know why. Sometimes they're too tough and not tasty, and other times they don't come together at all and look like surgical waste. I can't explain it. This time, though, the gel gods were smiling upon me and the marsala gel worked! I brought some Marsala wine and a bit of Kelcogel JJ Gellan Gum to a boil (bringing it all together with my immersion blender prior to it coming to a boil), and then a simmer.
I poured it into a shallow pan and let it set up in the fridge overnight. You'll see the beautiful, perfect amber squares in the final plating shot. I pumped my fist to the sky and high-fived myself over this accomplishment and then called my therapist to set up an appointment. I might need to get out of the house more.
Will you look at these gorgeous egg yolks? Just look at them! The eggs are from Smith Meadows Farm. [NOTE: Forrest Pritchard, the farmer/owner/main dude at Smith Meadows writes a pretty funny blog about his farming life. I highly recommend it. He also has a book coming out in Spring 2013.]
Back to the eggies!
I whisked the yolks with some heavy cream, kosher salt, and ground Thai long peppercorns.
I poured the mixture into a plastic bag and cooked it sous vide at 180F degrees for 20 minutes. When I cut away the bag, the eggs looked like this:
I sliced off the ends so I could have a taste, and also squared it off so the pieces on the plate would be prettier. Look how bendy this was:
It tasted pretty fan-darn-tastic on its own, and even better in the finished dish. I sliced what I needed, laid them out on a plate, and covered it with a damp paper towel.
There wasn't really a need to do this next component a day ahead of time, but I did. Chocolate-dipped demarara sugar cubes:
Stored those suckers in the fridge until the next day.
I was on a roll, and kept prepping ingredients. Next up? Onion sticks. I turned this onion into dehydrated, charred-end onion sticks:
Welcome back, I've missed your lovely posts.
Posted by: Chris Petrilli | November 18, 2012 at 10:42 PM
It's good to see another post up - I've been following your blog for years and have missed it this past year.
I love how you smashed everything up for the final tasting. I usually like nibbling at everything before putting it all together. There's a funny story of a dinner at Bucharest where a pile of finely grated horse radish was mistaken for cheese. I took a nibble to taste it while my partner ate a huge mouthful...hahaha
Posted by: Explody Full | November 19, 2012 at 01:57 AM
It's like a nut that gives you a hug. (Get your mind out of the gutter.) (Or don't.) (See if I care.) (I said "nut.") (HA!) (I'm 12.)
I've missed those so much.
Posted by: Rafal | November 19, 2012 at 09:09 AM
I'm exhausted just reading this post, but it sounds so good that I'm wiping drool of my keyboard.
Welcome back! :)
Posted by: Lauren | November 19, 2012 at 01:53 PM
How on earth did I miss your September post? Hope the health issues have settled down even more and congrats on the cookbook too! I have really missed reading your blog and this dish looks and sounds fabulous. I could eat a basketful of those celery root chips right now. Welcome back to your zen place.
Posted by: Jean Marie | November 19, 2012 at 05:41 PM
You had me at bacon powder.
Posted by: Jen | November 19, 2012 at 06:07 PM
Looks great, thanks for posting... although the thought of grating frozen bacon gives me shivers.
Posted by: Sheryn | November 20, 2012 at 12:34 AM
Dear Carol -
Bacon powder...now I know what to give my aunt for Christmas!
Sooooo good to hear your voice again.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Caitlin Haywood Conroy | November 20, 2012 at 10:42 AM
I believe you may have covered this before but I can't find it. What is the dehydrator that you use? Thanks. Glad to have you back.
**Erik, it's an Excalibur 5-tray dehydrator. Bought it used for $50. They retail new for $200-ish. I like it.
Posted by: Erik | November 20, 2012 at 12:49 PM
Missed you - so glad you're back on on top form!
Posted by: Sarah | November 21, 2012 at 11:04 AM
Missed you so much! welcome back!
Posted by: Jules | November 23, 2012 at 06:28 PM
It's so nice to see another post. I wish I could taste all the things you're making. Well, I could, couldn't I, by making them myself. I wish you a happy and fun holiday season.
Posted by: JoP | November 27, 2012 at 02:33 PM
Glad to see you back on the blogwagon! I've had a year myself that didn't permit much other than work, and am glad to be back to blog reading and writing. In a way, I'm sort of selfishly glad that you haven't been posting either, because it means I haven't missed anything! :)
Posted by: Camille | November 28, 2012 at 05:49 AM
p.s. Considering I still have enough homemade celery salt to last another year, I think I'm going to have to try those celeriac chips. Thanks for the idea!
Posted by: Camille | November 28, 2012 at 05:51 AM
Soooo glad you are back! I have missed your kitchen whimsy and joy... and pictures... and everything that makes this blog wonderful.
Posted by: Rea | December 02, 2012 at 09:20 PM
Always great to see a new post. I was wondering how the charred onions worked in the dish. It doesn't sound that pleasant.
Posted by: Tiffany | December 11, 2012 at 05:02 PM
I had a big smile on my face when I saw your November post! Hope you're feeling well. The one big thing (for me) that I'll be making for Christmas is a Dacquoise cake.. wonderfully labor intensive! Wishing you a very happy Holiday.
Posted by: Didi | December 21, 2012 at 09:42 PM