| Chef: Nate Auchter | |
| Food Mood: Fish and Seafood | |
| Cuisine: New American/Regional | |
Description |
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| Dish (and recipe below) includes: 2 cups Leek and Fennel Ragout 1 recipe Sweet corn cakes 6 each Grilled Softshell Crabs Lemon and Bacon Emulsion Garnish of 6 each Sauteed Ramps (if available) Plating this Dish: Place the corn cakes on the plate, spoon the ragout over top, and place the grilled crabs on top of that. Spoon the emulsion all around, and drape a single saut?ed ramp, if available over the crab. |
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Servings: 6 |
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Ingredients |
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| Fennel and Leek Ragout 1 1/2 pounds Slab bacon 2 large bulbs Fennel 1 bunch Leeks 2 cloves Garlic (minced) 2 Tbsp. Parlsey, Italian (minced) Kosher Salt to taste Black pepper to taste Sweet Corn Cakes 1/2 cup Butter, softened 1/2 cup Masa Harina 1/4 cup Water 1/3 cup Yellow Cornmeal 2 Tbsp. Heavy Cream 1/4 tsp. Baking Powder 1/4 tsp. Salt Lemon and Bacon Emulsion 1/2 cup Reserved Bacon Fat 1/4 cup Lemon Juice 3 Tbsp. Cider Vinegar 2 Tbsp. Heavy cream 1 Egg yolk 3 sprigs Thyme 1 Shallots (sliced very thin) 2 Bay leaf Salt and fresh ground pepper corns to taste Grilled Softshell Crabs 6 each Softshell crabs Salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup Melted Butter |
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Method |
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| Leek and Fennel Ragout Medium dice the bacon and render in a medium sautoir. Once the bacon is rendered, remove from the pan. Strain off some of the fat (but reserve it, DO NOT THROW AWAY), and keep about 1/4 cup in the pan. Medium dice the leeks, and add this with the garlic to the bacon fat in the pan. Over very low heat, cook the leeks until they are ?melted? or translucent with no color, but very very soft. Meanwhile, slice each fennel bulb into 1 1/2 cm slices, and grill these off, ensuring that nice color is applied to each slice from the grill. Once cooked, medium dice these as well. Remove the leeks from the pan and place in a medium bowl, add the bacon, fennel and minced parsley, stir together and season with the salt and pepper. Sweet Corn Cakes Beat the butter in an electric mixer until light, gradually beat in the masa harina. On low speed, mix in the water, a little at a time. In a small bowl mix together the sugar, cornmeal, cream, baking powder and salt. Stir into the other mixture. Spread out in a greased pan, and bake in a water bath at 350F for about 30 minutes or until set. Lemon and Bacon Emulsion Heat the cider vinegar in a medium sauce pan over medium flame with the thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves, and shallot. Add a splash of water. Reduce the liquid until there is only about 1 tbsp remaining. Add in the heavy cream and reduce slightly until thick. Strain the liquid into a blender. Be sure to squeeze the remaining liquid from the shallots. Add the lemon juice, and the egg yolk. Turn on the blender, and in a slow steady stream, add the bacon fat until the mixture is a thick sauce. Season with the salt. Add pepper, parsley or chives if desired. Grilled Softshell Crabs Clean the crabs if not already done. Using a pastry brush, brush each crab with melted butter. Season with salt and pepper. When everything else is made, place each crab on a hot grill over medium flame. Grill each side about 3 minutes, or until the grill marks on each side are nice and pronounced. Check the crabs for doneness by touch, they should feel stiff to the touch. Remove and plate. |
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