Serves 6
This is a global first: the first-ever clam bake where you first eat the clam, and then you eat the fire. When guests arrive at Moto we put a candle on the table right after they are seated and light it. Unbeknownst to them, the candle is made from solidified brown butter, slowly melting as they enjoy their meal. The last thing they’re thinking is that they’ll be eating that candle in about an hour! Back in the kitchen we make a beautiful corn stock with perfectly cooked lobster, clams, chorizo, fingerling potatoes, and leek confit. We bring it out to the table and then pick up the candle and pour the melted butter on top of the dish. It’s a shocking moment for the guests, and the brown butter marries perfectly with the shellfish.
450 grams unsalted butter, diced
1000 grams water
6 corncobs, cut in half
100 grams carrots
50 grams onion
3 thyme sprigs
9 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
50 grams unsalted butter
50 grams shallot
25 grams garlic
400 grams corn kernels
10 grams salt
200 grams Corn Stock
150 grams leeks, sliced and cleaned
850 grams canola oil
10 grams salt
5 fingerling potatoes
850 grams beef fat
5 grams salt
7500 grams (about 2 gallons) water
100 grams salt
3 lobsters
50 grams unsalted butter
1 link dried chorizo
24 littleneck clams
30 grams canola oil
1 shallot, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 thyme sprig
300 grams white wine
5 grams salt
Micro basil
6 votive candleholders
Eight 1½-inch-long pieces of butcher’s twine
Put the butter in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently. The butter will melt and bubble, and the solids will begin to turn brown. Once the milk solids are golden brown, remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher. Pour 50 grams of warm brown butter into each candleholder and use 2 chopsticks to hold a piece of butcher’s twine upright in the center. Reserve any extra brown butter for another use. Put the candles in the refrigerator to set for 2 hours. Once the candles are firm, remove the chopsticks, trim the wicks to ¼ inch above the surface of the candle, and reserve in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Put the water, corncobs, carrots, and onion in a large stockpot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 hour. Strain the Corn Stock through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve.
Put the butter in a large saucepot set over medium-high heat. Once the butter begins to brown and releases a nutty aroma, add the shallot and garlic, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and tender. Add the corn and cook for 30 minutes over low heat. Add the salt and Corn Stock and transfer the mixture to a blender. Puree on high for 1 minute, until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve.
Slice the leeks thin and season with salt. Place in a medium saucepot and cover with oil. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and let sit on the stove for 1 hour to become confit. The leeks will become soft and tender. Strain and keep warm until ready to plate.
Slice the potatoes ¼ inch thick on a mandoline. Put the beef fat in a medium saucepan set over medium heat and bring to 300°F. Line a sheet pan with paper towels. Fry the chips in the beef fat for 30 seconds or until golden brown. Remove from the oil and transfer to the prepared pan to cool. Reserve in an airtight container until ready to plate.
Put the water and salt in a large saucepot set over high heat and bring to a boil. Place the live lobsters in a stockpot and pour the boiling water over them. Allow the lobsters to poach in the water, away from the heat, for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath. After 4 minutes, use tongs to remove the lobsters from the water. Twist and pull the tails from the bodies, and place the tails in the ice bath. Return the lobsters to the water for an additional 3 minutes to cook the claws. Transfer the cooked lobsters to the ice bath to cool. Drain and remove the meat from the shells. Slice the claws and tails and put them with a little butter in a saucepan set over medium heat to keep warm until ready to plate.
Dice the chorizo into ½-inch cubes. Put them in a cast-iron skillet set over medium-low heat and let them cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the fat has rendered out. Keep warm until ready to plate.
Put the clams in a large bowl of generously salted cold water and leave them to purge their sand for 30 minutes. Drain the clams and rinse them in cold water. Put the canola oil in a large sauté pan set over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until the aromatics are tender and lightly browned. Add the clams, white wine, thyme, and salt and cover with a lid. Steam for 3 minutes over medium heat, until the clams pop open. Remove from the heat, pull out the clams, and use a spoon to scoop out the meat, discarding the shells. Reserve the cooked clams in their liquid in the pot.
At the beginning of the meal, place a Brown Butter Candle in front of each diner and light it. Put 40 grams of Corn Puree in the center of each plate. Put the tip of a spoon in the center of the puree and drag it across the plate in a line to create a swoosh on each plate. Put 40 grams of sliced Lobster on the Corn Puree, giving each serving both claw and tail meat. Add 2 or 3 Clams to each plate. Put 10 grams of rendered Chorizo on the plate and drizzle the plate with chorizo oil. Add 3 or 4 Fingerling Potato Chips, then scatter 20 grams of Leek Confit around the plate. Garnish with a few leaves of micro basil. Serve the plates and pour some of the melted Brown Butter Candle on each dish. Enjoy.