PICNIC
Serves 6
In 2014, Chef Richie Farina became the executive chef at Moto. His culinary perspective is made clear with this dish, which brings the experience of a picnic to your table, complete with living grass and a picnic napkin. A Brie and walnut gougère accompanies house-made sourdough and a peppercorn focaccia topped with Billy Blue goat cheese, Montenebro goat cheese, and Prairie Breeze aged cheddar cheese. This nighttime picnic in the middle of a 20-course dinner is a welcome surprise, and a wonderfully whimsical way to serve a cheese course. This dish is especially lovely for large parties because of its unique presentation. Though we mention the cheeses we prefer at the restaurant, you can use any high quality blue, goat, and cheddar cheeses you like.
SOURDOUGH:
270 grams water, heated to 110°F
10 grams sugar
3 grams instant yeast
500 grams all-purpose flour, plus more to line the pan
5 grams salt
400 grams sourdough starter (see Note, here)
PEPPERCORN FOCACCIA:
250 grams water, heated to 110°F
10 grams sugar
2 grams instant yeast
400 grams all-purpose flour
3 grams salt
2 grams pink peppercorns, ground
2 grams green peppercorns, ground
30 grams extra virgin olive oil
WALNUT GOUGÈRE:
256 grams water
128 grams unsalted butter
20 grams sugar
10 grams salt
256 grams all-purpose flour
440 grams (8 large) eggs
60 grams black walnuts, chopped (substitute regular walnuts if needed)
113 grams (4 ounces) Brie cheese
Splash of canola oil
SMOKED PISTACHIO PESTO:
100 grams pistachios
50 grams olive oil
50 grams canola oil
50 grams parsley leaves
1 gram salt
TO FINISH:
120 grams Montenebro goat cheese, sliced into 6 portions
120 grams Billy Blue goat cheese, sliced into 6 portions
120 grams Milton Creamery Prairie Breeze aged cheddar cheese, sliced into 6 portions
SOURDOUGH:
Put the water, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl and mix to blend. Put the flour and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low to blend. Add the water mixture and the sourdough starter and mix on low until it comes together, adding more flour or water as needed to create a firm, smooth dough that cleans the sides of the mixing bowl. Switch the paddle for the dough hook attachment and knead on medium-low speed for 15 minutes. Transfer the dough to a medium bowl and cover the top with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for at least 1 hour, until doubled.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and dust it lightly with flour. Remove the dough from the bowl, put it on a clean countertop, and gently deflate it with the heels of your hands, pushing and tapping it with your palm to form a rough rectangle. Shape the dough into a long baguette by folding the rectangle in half top-to-bottom, with the seam facing up on the table. Repeat the fold, pulling the layer you’re folding in over and across the seam, and pinching to form a roughly cylindrical loaf. With the heels of both hands, roll the loaf across your work surface to stretch it until it is about 1 inch in diameter. Flip it over so that the seam is along the bottom of the log and place it on the prepared sheet pan. Gently pinch the ends to seal the edges if needed. Lay the dough on your sheet pan, brush the top lightly with water, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and set it in a warm place to proof for 30 to 45 minutes, until it has risen and looks puffy.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Bake the loaf for 15 to 20 minutes, until it is golden brown and airy. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Just before serving, slice into ½-inch-thick slices.
PEPPERCORN FOCACCIA:
Put the water in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the sugar and yeast, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the flour and salt and mix on low with the dough hook attachment until the mixture is mostly combined. Turn the mixer up to medium-low and knead for 6 minutes, until a piece of dough can be stretched into a thin layer between your fingers without breaking. Oil an 18-by-13-inch sheet pan and stretch the dough into it from edge to edge. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface of the dough, so it doesn’t dry out or form a skin. Let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Punch the dough down and cover with plastic wrap. Let it proof for 1 more hour, or until it doubles in size. Remove the plastic wrap and press your fingers gently into the surface of the dough to create small dimples across the top. Scatter the ground pink and green peppercorns over the loaf. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown, rotating once halfway through the baking time.
Remove the focaccia from the oven. Brush the olive oil all over the surface of the bread and allow it to cool completely. Just before serving, slice the focaccia into 1-inch squares.
WALNUT GOUGÈRE:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Put the water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepot set over medium heat and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the flour to the pot, stirring with a silicone spatula to form a paste. Turn the heat back on to medium. Cook the paste for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until a skin forms on the bottom of the pot.
Transfer the paste to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed. With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time, waiting until each egg is absorbed before adding the next. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Once all of the eggs have been incorporated, fold the chopped walnuts into the batter.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a large plain tip and pipe out mounds of dough approximately the size of a quarter. Bake for 30 minutes, until the gougères have puffed and turned golden brown. They should be light when you pick them up. Transfer to a rack to cool.
Put the Brie and canola oil in a food processor and pulse until creamy, adding only enough canola oil to form a smooth puree. Transfer to a squeeze bottle. Insert the tip of the squeeze bottle into the bottom of each gougère and fill with the Brie mixture. Reserve at room temperature until ready to serve.
SMOKED PISTACHIO PESTO:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pistachios out on a sheet pan and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Put the pistachios in a plastic container and cover with plastic wrap. Use a handheld smoker to insert smoke into the container, through the plastic wrap, and smoke the pistachios for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and put the pistachios in a food processor with the olive oil, canola oil, parsley leaves, and salt. Pulse to combine into a smooth paste. Reserve in an airtight container until ready to serve.
TO FINISH:
Using a wheatgrass planter as a plate, put 1 Walnut Gougère on the grass. Put 1 square of Peppercorn Focaccia on the grass and top with the Montenebro cheese. Place 1 slice of Sourdough on the grass and top with some Smoked Pistachio Pesto and a slice of Billy Blue cheese. Put 1 slice of Prairie Breeze cheddar on the grass and set a folded picnic napkin on the grass. Repeat with the 5 remaining planters and serve immediately.
