One of the questions frequently asked of chefs playing on the fields of Modern Gastronomy is this: where do your ideas come from? Ferran Adria (El Bulli) and Grant Aschatz (Linea) have addressed this question very directly. Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck) has done so too, though perhaps in a rather more obscure, techie and non-intuitive manner.

Culinary deconstruction is one approach: taking a classic dish, breaking it apart into its constituent components and putting it back together on the plate in new and surprising ways. The chefs often find their inspiration in visual imagery, songs, poetic turns of phrase or the desire to tell a story. One approach is to take a classic food combination (ham & cheese, duck & orange or lamb & mint) and transform them using the toolset of Modern Gastronomy.

And it is with that later approach in mind that we offer Bacon and Eggs, a classic combination if there ever was one. Here, the “bacon” takes the form of the Bacon Snow already seen in this space ( http://sdfoodtravel.com/modern-gastronomy-spot-prawns-with-bacon-snow-tomato-prawn-gel-and-nuoc-cham/). While the “egg” is hardly “Modern” in its preparation (it is just hard boiled, grated and cemented to a bread stick using mayonnaise), its presentation – as a lollipop – captures the playfulness and the visual surprise element of Modern Gastronomy.

Perhaps the key to the dish is that it is fun to eat. The bacon snow acts as a dipping sauce for the egg lollipops with the grissini playing the role of a bacon and egg delivery system. And then there is this: it tastes good.

Bacon and Eggs (Egg Lolipop with Bacon Snow)

Ingredients

For the Mayonnaise:

• 2 eggs
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 ½ cups grapeseed oil
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce

For the Egg Lollipops:

• 12 grissini
• 1 large egg
• 8 Middle-Eastern, Nicoise, Kalamata or other good non-green olives
• 10 basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

For the Bacon Snow:

• 20 grams freshly rendered bacon fat (rendered from approximately 2 pounds of bacon)
• 25 grams tapioca maltodextrin

1. Make the Mayonnaise.Separate the whites from the yolk from one egg, reserving the whites for the crab cakes. Place the yolk and the other egg in the bowl of a food processor, together with the juice of one lemon. Add the fish sauce and process until combined. With the food processor running, add the oil in a slow and steady stream. Add the remaining lemon juice and the Sriracha sauce and process to combine. Refrigerate until needed.

2. Boil the Egg. Bring a pot of water to a hard, rolling boil and carefully place the egg into the boiling water using a slotted spoon. Cook the egg for 10 minutes, then remove it and let it cool.

3. Prepare the Other Egg Lollipop Ingredients. While the egg is cooling, chop the olives finely and chiffonade the basil.

4. Make the Egg Lollipops. Shell the hard boiled egg and grate it using the large holes of a box grater. In a large mixing bowl, combine the grated egg with the chopped olives and the chiffonaded basil and mix thoroughly. Coat the top part of each grissini with the mayonnaise and roll each in the egg-olive-basil mixture.

5. Make the Bacon Snow. Place the maltodextrin in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade. With the processor operating drizzle the rendered bacon fat into the feed tube, stopping every once in a while to scrape down the bottom. Continue drizzling the fat in until the resulting “snow” reaches the desired texture. It should still feel like a powder in your fingers but should melt nearly the instant it hits your tongue.

6. Plate the Dish. Make a “pool” of the bacon snow at the center of an appetizer plate (a colored – or at least non-white – plate will make for a dramatic presentation). Arrange one egg lollipop on either side of the line of bacon snow, with the lollipop sticks extending off the plate in different directions.

The first thing to come to the minds of many when they hear the term “Israeli cuisine” is probably bagels and lox. They would be misguided. Falafel would be more like it, or maybe shawarma. Told that, the next thing to come to the minds of many San Diegans might be that you can’t get Israeli cuisine here. They would be wrong. Hillcrest’s Tiki Taka Grill (646 University Ave.) offers Israeli, as opposed to Ashkenazi Jewish, food.

For more see:  www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-11780-tiki-taka-grill-is-a-laffa-minute.html

I am a Board Member of a new Non-Profit corporation:  the Culinary Historians of San Diego.  Our first public event, The Fishing Industry In San Diego – Then And Now, will take place at 10:30 A.M. this Saturday May 18, 2013 at the Star of the Sea Event Center, 1360 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA  92010:

The Culinary Historians of San Diego (CHSD) kicks off its first public (free) event with a talk on the evolution of our fishing industry, and its impact on our diet. Kenny Alameda, President of ClipperOil Marine Fuels, is the speaker. After the talk, a fish lunch will be available for purchase.

The mission of the CHSD is to provide the public with a history of food and drink, and its role in society, both locally and internationally. Presentations combine academic with the popular to have broad appeal to food enthusiasts. Regular presentations are open to all. Membership in the non-profit Society supports both CHSD projects and the Culinary Collection of the San Diego Public Library.

 

For membership details, contact Marilyn Marx, CHSD President, at (619) 234-7189.

 

Admission: Free

The mission of the CHSD is to provide the public with a history of food and drink, and its role in society, both locally and internationally. Presentations combine academic with the popular to have broad appeal to food enthusiasts. Regular presentations are open to all. Membership in the non-profit Society supports both CHSD projects and the Culinary Collection of the San Diego Public Library.

In my article in last week’s San Diego CityBeat week’s Summer Guide issue , I wrote about my return to the Morley Field Velodrome as a CityBeat food writer the purpose of my visit was a picnic featuring a homemade Pork and Chicken Liver Pâté Bánh Mì.  On CityBeat’s blog we are offering the recipe:  www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/blog-1212-picnic-at-the-velodrome.html

Befitting my Status Update from bike racer to CityBeat food writer I returned to the velodrome…for a picnic:

The “Generation 6″ cars that race on the high-banked ovals of NASCAR’s short tracks have brakes. The bicycles that race on the high-banked track of the San Diego Velodrome do not. NASCAR vehicles have a complex transmission. Track bikes have a single fixed gear. And while track bikes will never put out the 450 to 850 horsepower of a Gen 6 car at Bristol Motor Speedway, with current and former world champions racing at the San Diego Velodrome the differences can seem to fade: A lot of “engine” power in close quarters makes for exciting racing.

See more at: www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-11754-morley-field-velodrome-is-nascar-in-the-park.html

We’ve all experienced it: that brilliant idea that’s so utterly perfect it absolutely has got to work. It’s a certifiable, undeniable, verifiable winner. Acclaim, if not riches, will surely follow. And perhaps that should be your first clue to do a mental double take. Turn away while you still can. All evidence suggests that sort of idea is the one that will have you falling flat on your face.

For more see: http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-11725-sora-is-fusion-that-doesnt-fuse.html

My colleague at San Diego CityBeat, Marie TranMcCaslin, author of the Wandering Appetite column and the Meandering Eats blog (www.meanderingeats.com) is involved in the superb San Diego Food Bloggers Bake Sale charity fundraiser.

As Marie said, “It’s one hell of an event and we raised over $3000 last year for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.” This year’s Bake Sale is scheduled for May 4, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Great News cookware & Cooking School, 1788 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA 92109. Join us there.

Sea Urchins roe — the “uni” that sushi-lovers know so well — is one of the greatest ingredients that San Diego and Southern California provide to the world.  While other places in the world produce uni none do so better.  Oddly, it is an ingredient that only infrequently finds its way onto non-Japanese menus in San Diego.  There is no reason it should be so.  Here, for example, is uni done as a Spanish tapa.

Serves approximately 30 tapas

Ingredients

For the Pink Pickled Onions:

• 2 red onions, sliced thinly into half moons
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 allspice berries
• 20 black (or mixed) peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon

For the Sea Urchin Paste:

• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (or canola, peanut or another neutral oil)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped carrots
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fennel
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup good quality tequila
• 10-15 tongues of sea urchin roe (the contents of 2-3 fresh sea urchins)
• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the Octopus:

• 1 octopus, cleaned, about 1 ½ pounds (this will make more than you will need)

For the Toast:

• 1 baguette, cut in half inch slices
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

For the Garnish:

• 30 attractive fennel fronds

1. Make the Pink Pickled Onions. Place the onion slices in a metal bowl and cover with boiling water for one minute before draining. Place the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the sliced onions to the saucepan and let stand for one to two hours. Store in a refrigerator.
2. Make the Sea Urchin Paste.  In a sauté pan over medium heat, bring the grapeseed oil, carrots and fennel up to temperature, season them with salt and pepper, and lightly caramelize them on all sides.  Deglaze the pan with the tequila and transfer the contents to a food processor.  Pulp to combine and then add the sea urchin roe.  Process the mixture to a paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically, and adding as much olive oil as is necessary to keep it processing to a spreadable texture.
3. Cook the Octopus.  Bring a pot of water to a hard boil and dunk the octopus in it for five to ten seconds, just long enough for the water to come off the boil.  Remove the octopus long enough for the water to return to a boil and repeat four more times.  Return the octopus to the water one more time and simmer it for 45 minutes to an hour, until the thickest part of the octopus (the “skirt,” where the head meets the legs) yields to the sharp point of a small knife with little resistance.  That is when it is done.
4. Toast the Bread.   Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit (or broil).  Brush each piece of bread with some of the extra virgin olive oil.  Toast the bread until it just browns on the top.
5. Assemble the Tapa.    Spread a generous amount of the Sea Urchin Paste on top of the bread.  Arrange some fennel fronds on top of the paste.  Top with one to three pieces of thinly sliced octopus, depending on the slices and the piece of bread.    Garnish with the pink pickled onions.

Phở Hòa is the Truth. It does phở and only phở. If you want spring rolls, you’re out of luck. If you want bánh mì or bún, you’d best look elsewhere. Phở Hòa is not one of those places where you can bring your xenophobic friends and expect them to find something that does not involve beef, noodles and broth.

 
For more see:  http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-11678-city-heights-pha%EF%BF%BD%EF%BF%BD-h%C3%B2a-does-one-thing-really-well.html

Michael A. Gardiner