M.C. ESCHER SURF AND TURF
Serves 6
I went through an “experimental” phase in life from the age of nineteen to twenty-one. Basically, I read books while on magic mushrooms. I read incessantly about great artists like Michelangelo, Dalí, Van Gogh, and M.C. Escher.
Growing up homeless, I had watched untold numbers of people I knew ruin their lives and disown their families for chemicals. I had always vowed to stay away from hard drugs. But mushrooms and marijuana were okay. Those were natural, you see, no big deal.
When you’re young and dumb you can convince yourself of anything.
I had convinced myself early on that I could use the knowledge from great artists to inform my cooking. The minute I saw M.C. Escher’s painting Sea and Sky, I wanted to make a dish related to it.
This dish is about as weird as things can get and I love it. We use duck and skate wing to bring the elements of sea and sky to the plate, and add some maitake mushrooms and caramelized milk to represent the earth that brings them together. I created an edible version of the picture, seasoned with the same flavors that are on the plate, to show each guest where we were coming from.
With proper cooking and perfect seasoning, any dish can be memorable. When we incorporate M.C. Escher to take it to the next level, it goes from a memorable experience to a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Inspiration is all around us.
CARAMELIZED MILK:
500 grams whole milk
30 grams sugar
2 grams salt
DUCK CONFIT:
200 grams salt
150 grams sugar
25 grams shallot, minced
25 grams garlic, minced
15 grams thyme leaves
6 duck legs
800 grams duck fat
CONFIT POWDER:
50 grams tapioca maltodextrin (see Sources, here)
50 grams reserved duck fat, strained
Salt for seasoning
POULTRY POWDER:
150 grams chicken stock (store-bought is fine, or for homemade, see here)
10 grams Ultratex 8 (see Sources, here)
3 grams salt
SURF AND TURF PAPER:
Poultry Powder
Sea Powder
SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS AND MUSHROOM PUREE:
250 grams maitake mushrooms
Salt for seasoning
30 grams olive oil
20 grams shallot, minced
20 grams garlic, minced
40 grams unsalted butter
100 grams water
10 grams solera sherry vinegar
SKATE WING:
300 grams cleaned skate wing
2 grams salt
30 grams canola oil
25 grams unsalted butter
Juice of ½ lemon
TO FINISH:
10 grams micro mustard greens
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Dehydrator (optional)
Edible paper for printing (see Sources, here)
Printer and ink for edible printing (see Sources, here)
Handheld steamer (optional)
CARAMELIZED MILK:
Place the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepot and set over medium-low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture comes to a simmer, skim the top, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, or until it has thickened and caramelized.
DUCK CONFIT:
Put the salt, sugar, shallot, garlic, and thyme leaves in a mixing bowl and whisk to blend. Put a layer of cure in a deep baking dish large enough to hold the duck legs without overlapping them, arrange the duck legs in the dish, and cover with the remaining cure. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 days.
After the third day, rinse the legs and pat them dry with paper towels. Put the duck fat in a saucepan large enough to hold the legs and set over medium-low heat. Once the duck fat has melted, add the duck legs to the pan and bring the temperature up to 200°F. Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, until the duck is completely tender, 2 to 3 hours.
Place a wire rack on a sheet pan. Transfer the duck legs to the rack to drain and cool, reserving the remaining fat in the saucepan. Once the legs are cool enough to handle, pick the meat and discard the bones. Store the picked meat with enough duck fat to cover the meat in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 5 days. Strain and reserve the remaining duck fat for the Confit Powder and to use again.
CONFIT POWDER:
Put the tapioca maltodextrin in a food processor. Turn it on and, with the machine running, slowly drizzle in 50 grams of the reserved duck fat from the confit. Season with salt and reserve in an airtight container until ready to plate.
POULTRY POWDER:
Line a dehydrator tray or sheet pan with a silicone mat. Whisk together the chicken stock, Ultratex 8, and salt in a medium bowl until it forms a paste. Spread the chicken paste in an even layer, approximately ¼ inch thick, on the prepared tray or sheet pan. Dehydrate in a dehydrator at 140°F for 1 hour or in your oven at the lowest setting until completely dry, 30 to 60 minutes.
Break the dehydrated chicken paper into tiny pieces and grind it into a fine powder in a spice grinder. Reserve in an airtight container until ready to use.
SEA POWDER:
Put the Tosaka seaweed in a spice grinder with the salt and grind to a fine powder. Reserve in an airtight container until ready to use.
SURF & TURF PAPER:
Use edible inks to print M.C. Escher’s Sea and Sky onto six 4-by-3-inch pieces of edible paper. Lay the printed paper face down on a sheet of parchment. Steam the paper with a handheld steamer or brush the back of the paper lightly with boiling water to soften the top layer and make it sticky. Use a small strainer to dust the top half of the paper with the Poultry Powder. Dust the bottom half with the Sea Powder. Put another sheet of parchment on top of the seasoned paper and place a cutting board on top of the parchment to press the paper. Once the paper is dry, 20 to 30 minutes, use a paper cutter or sharp knife to cut the pictures into individual bites. Reserve in an airtight container until ready to plate.
SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS AND MUSHROOM PUREE:
Remove and discard the stems from the maitake mushrooms and season the mushroom tops with salt. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender and turning golden brown. Add the shallots and garlic, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter to glaze the mushrooms.
Put 150 grams of the cooked mushrooms in the blender. Keep the rest of the mushrooms warm in the pan. Alternatively, you may reserve them in a covered container in the refrigerator. Add the water and sherry vinegar to the blender and puree on high for 1 minute, until completely smooth. Taste and add salt as needed. Transfer to a small saucepot to keep warm.
SKATE WING:
Season the skate wing with salt. Put the canola oil in a large sauté pan and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, lay the skate wing in the pan and sear for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Add the butter and baste the fish for 30 seconds. Remove the fish from the pan and season with lemon juice.
TO FINISH:
While the skate is cooking, put the Duck Confit with some of the duck fat in a small saucepot set over medium heat and heat it up.
Put a 20-gram dollop of warm Mushroom Puree on each plate. Place 40 grams of Duck Confit on top of the puree. Place 40 grams of seared Skate Wing next to the Duck Confit. Sauce the plate with 20 grams of Caramelized Milk. Place a few Sautéed Mushrooms on top of the Skate Wing. Use a small strainer to dust 10 grams of Confit Powder around the plate. Garnish with micro mustard greens and serve.
