Loup De Mer Seared With Sweet Potato Figs And Jamon Iberico Food

LOUP DE MER SEARED WITH SWEET POTATO, FIGS, AND JAMON IBERICO

Steps:

• Poach the dried figs: Place port in a small saucepan over medium heat; reduce to 1 cup. Add star anise, thyme, and black peppercorns; remove from heat and let stand 20 minutes to infuse. Strain into a medium bowl; discard spices. Add figs to port reduction and let stand until tender, about 30 minutes.
• Heat chicken stock in a medium skillet over medium heat. Drain figs and add to skillet along with butter and cook until figs are glazed, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Roast the figs: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sugar in a shallow dish. Press cut sides of figs into sugar. Heat canola oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over high heat. Using a paper towel, blot any excess oil from skillet. Place figs in skillet, cut-side down; cook until sugar caramelizes, about 1 minute. Turn figs and transfer skillet to oven. Roast for 1 minute.
• Roast the white mushrooms: Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place mushrooms in skillet, cut-side down, and cook for 1 minute. Add butter, thyme, and salt to skillet; cook until butter is melted. Continue cooking, basting mushrooms with melted butter, until mushrooms are tender, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Make the fig jus: Heat canola oil in a large, straight-sided skillet over high heat. Add bones and sear until golden on all sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove bones from pan and set aside. Drain excess oil from skillet and discard.
• Place skillet over medium heat; add figs, star anise, shallots, and guanciale; cook, stirring, until shallots are translucent and fat is rendered from guanciale, 4 to 5 minutes. Add vinegar to skillet to deglaze. Return bones to skillet along with chicken jus; bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and season with salt.
• Make the loup de mer: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Season fish with salt and place skin-side down in skillet, making sure skillet is hot or fish will stick. Reduce heat to medium-low and press fillets down with a metal spatula to keep flat as they begin to curl; let cook until skin is crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn fillets and cook until flesh side is just warmed, 2 to 3 seconds. Transfer fish to a rack, skin-side up.
• Serve: Drizzle raw mushroom slices with olive oil; set aside. Spoon 2 tablespoons sweet potato puree onto a plate and pull down center with a small spoon. Place 2 fish fillets in center of plate. Arrange 4 roasted fig halves, 2 glazed poached dried figs, 4 pickled porcini mushroom slices, 4 roasted porcini mushroom halves, 2 raw mushroom slices, and 2 slices Iberico ham around fish. Finish plate with fig jus and garnish with 4 lamb's-quarter leaves. Repeat three more times with remaining ingredients.

LOUP DE MER

Steps:

• For the loup de mer: Put the thyme and lemon and orange zest together in a bowl and, while stirring, slowly drizzle in enough olive oil a little at a time to form a paste; it should not be runny, just moist.
• Salt the fish and cover it with the citrus paste; let sit in the refrigerator until the other components have been completed.
• For the beer blanc: Fill a medium pot about 3/4 full with water and place over low heat. The water should be warm to the touch but not hot.
• Sweat the shallots, fennel and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until the shallots are transparent, about 3 minutes. Pour in just enough canola oil to coat them, and then add the salt. This will ensure the vegetables don't brown as the salt pulls moisture out of them and creates a steaming effect. After about 1 minute, add the beer and vinegar and stir to combine.
• Simmer the mixture until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of water or fish stock and reduce the heat to low. Whisk in 12 tablespoons of the butter, one cube at a time, waiting until it is completely incorporated before adding more.
• Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Discard the solids and transfer the liquid to a powerful blender (or use an immersion blender set to high) and process while adding the remaining 4 tablespoons butter a little at a time. The emulsion will not be stable for long, so transfer the mixture to a heat-proof bowl and place it over the pot of warm water on the stove to keep it warm. The sauce does not hold in the refrigerator, so discard after use.
• For the potato and fennel hash: Put the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Let the potatoes sit in the water until soft, about 10 minutes. Strain off the water and spread out in a single layer on a flat surface to cool.
• Sweat the shallots, garlic, carrot, celery and fennel with the oil in a saute pan over medium heat until soft but not colored. Add the cooled potatoes, the chicken broth, butter and pinch of salt. Reduce over medium heat until there is only enough liquid to glaze the vegetables. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and taste for salt, adding more if necessary.
• To serve: When the beer blanc sauce and potato and fennel hash are completed and holding, heat a grill or grill pan to high and and grill the fish skin-side down, until 70 percent cooked, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully turn over the fish and cook on the flesh side for only about a minute or so.
• Place some beer blanc on 4 plates. Place some potato and fennel hash in the middle of each plate. Top with the fish skin-side up. Garnish with the fennel fronds if desired.

CURRY VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons grape seed oil with curry over medium-low heat until heated through. Remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes.
• Strain into a small bowl and add remaining 3 tablespoons oil and vinegar; season with salt, and whisk to combine. Stir in raisins and pine nuts.

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES AND FRESH FIGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Wash the sweet potatoes, halve them lengthwise, and then cut each half into 3 long wedges. Mix with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and some black pepper.
• Spread the wedges out, skin side down, on a baking sheet and cook for about 25 minutes, until they are soft but not mushy. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
• To make the balsamic reduction, place the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat and simmer for 2 to 4 minutes, until it thickens. Be sure to remove the pan from the heat when the vinegar is still runnier than honey; it will continue to thicken as it cools. Stir in a drop of water before serving if it does become too thick to drizzle
• Arrange the sweet potatoes on a serving platter. Heat the remaining oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the green onions and chili. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often to make sure not to burn the chili. Spoon the oil, onions and chili over the sweet potatoes. Dot the figs among the wedges, and then drizzle over the balsamic reduction. Serve at room temperature. Crumble the cheese over the top, if using.

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES & FRESH FIGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475°F / 240°C.
• Wash the sweet potatoes, halve them lengthwise, and then cut each half again similarly into 3 long wedges. Mix with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and some black pepper. Spread the wedges out, skin side down, on a baking sheet and cook for about 25 minutes, until soft but not mushy. Remove from the oven and leave to cool down.
• To make the balsamic reduction, place the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat and simmer for 2 to 4 minutes, until it thickens. Be sure to remove the pan from the heat when the vinegar is still runnier than honey; it will continue to thicken as it cools. Stir in a drop of water before serving if it does become too thick to drizzle.
• Arrange the sweet potatoes on a serving platter. Heat the remaining oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the green onions and chile. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often to make sure not to burn the chile. Spoon the oil, onions, and chile over the sweet potatoes. Dot the figs among the wedges and then drizzle over the balsamic reduction. Serve at room temperature. Crumble the cheese over the top, if using.