Supper Club: Aztec Fusion Sacromonte Stylee

February 8, 2006

Supper Club: Aztec Fusion Sacromonte Stylee

Menu development notes from last week’s Aztec Fusion supper club- some original recipes, some ripoffs. “Old Composition” means a flavor composition that I’ve used before, “New Composition” means it’s a new composition.. for me. Same with Techniques, Ingredients.

Aesthetic

The name Aztec Fusion comes from me and Ali’s favorite restaurant in Guadalajara: Sacromonte. An amazing menu of challenging dishes using Aztec ingredients like huitlacoche and cajeta- that restaurant alone is worth the trip to GDL. I wanted to jam with some of Sacramonte’s dishes (Rose Petal Quesadillas in Strawberry Sauce) and take advantage of as many fun rarities and staples as I could find a block away, on Mission Street. I was thinking about Mexico while making polenta earlier in the week, and decided to pair polenta against masa. As a result, the menu is pretty corn-heavy. I think our perversion of Latin America’s ubiquitous dessert Pastel de Tres Leches is as good as any of the amazing cakes that Mission Street has to offer.

Menu

• Soup: Corn Soup, Cinnamon Oil
• Salad: Mixed Greens, Guayaba, Blue Cheese, Chipotle
• Amuse: Huitlacoche Goat Cheese Polenta Cake
• Veg Main: Orange Blossom Quesadillas, Strawberry Gastrique, Grilled Nopal
• Meat Main: Agave Smoked Paprika Glazed Salmon (Portobello), Almond Cajeta Mole, Cinnamon Fondue, Cumin Candied Kumquats
• Cheese: Panela, Crystallized Picamango
• Dessert: Pastel de Tres Cafes

Corn Soup

garlic + onion + corn + corn stock + polenta + milk + sriracha
cucumber seeds + mint + cinnamon oil

Smoked Paparika Agave Caramel Syrup
agave nectar + tequila + smoked paprika

Carmelize garlic, onion. Cook down corn. Make corn stock out of corn cobs. Add polenta made with milk. Thin out with water, boil, simmer. Blend, season, add sri racha. Plate Cucumber seeds, sprig of mint in bowl. Ladle soup on top. Garnish with cinnamon oil, agave tequila smoked paprika caramel syrup.

Old Composition: Smoked Paprika Agave Caramel Syrup

I have been playing with this composition since Dorkbot- I really like how the sweetness of the agave nectar balances the smoky and spicy flavor of the picante La Chinata smoked paprika. The smokiness of the paprika hooks up the tequila, and the tequila brings out the agave flavor of the agave nectar. This caramel first made its appearance as a crispy tuile at Dorkbot. In this dish it adds its smoky and spicy support to corn- a nice Mexican flavor pairing. The basic recipe is: boil some tequila and add some agave syrup until it gets thick. Bring this to the boil and disperse some smoked paprika once it’s reached the desired consistency. You can also cut it with sugar and water to downplay the agave flavor and add some caramel structure to it (for making a crispy tuile, for example).

Old Technique: Infused Cinnamon Oil

Since my parents’ holiday gift of a Vitamax Super 5000 blender entered my kitchen, we have been taking advantage of its 210mph blade speed to infuse many oils for the past few weeks. The Cinnamon gets cooked and infused, the oil practically boils- after 30 minutes, a very flavorful oil. Make sure to use a neutral oil (not olive) for the best flavor.

Old Technique: Corn Stock

A trick I learned at Jardiniere: after carving the kernels off the corn cobs, simmer the corn cobs for 30-45 minutes and you save that nice corn flavor. I used the corn stock in the polenta course, as well as to enhance the polenta I use for thickening in this corn soup.

Old Composition: Cucumber Seeds, Mint

A few of the soups at Sacromonte have a nice sprig of mint (and cheese usually) at the bottom of the bowl. Since seeing the use of cucumber and tomato seeds in the El Bulli books and in a cocktail at Aziza, I dont throw them away anymore after prepping cucumbers. I started using cucumber seeds and mint together a few weeks ago for the Chilled Cucumber Mint Yogurt Gazpacho. The Fat Duck also hides a surprisingly pleasant brunoise of cucumbers underneath the mustard ice cream for their cabbage gazpacho amuse.

New Composition: Corn, Polenta, Cinnamon

This is a great combination, not sure where it came from, just playing with polenta and being steeped in cinnamon for a while.

New Ingredient: Polenta

Coursely ground corn, without hull.

Guayaba Blue Cheese Salad

guayaba + blue cheese + chipotle + agave + lemon + mixed greens + pomegranate seeds

Chop guayaba, blue cheese. Make vinaigrette with blended chipotle, agave nectar, lemon. Toss greens with vinaigrette. Plate greens, then guayaba, cheese, pomegranate seeds.

Old Technique: Pomegranate Explosions

We have used this a lot lately, a cheap way to add color and surprise moments to a salad- also a great fundamental element of Persian food.

New Composition: Blue Cheese, Chipotle, Guayaba

This is a salad combination at Sacromonte. This particular blue cheese we used pairs well with pears, so we paired it wtih guyaba (yellow strawberry guava).

New Ingredient: Guayaba

Yellow Strawberry Guava, a tropical fruit.

New Ingredient: Chipotle in Adobo

Smoked jalapeno chilis in a vinegar sauce.

Huitlacoche Goat Cheese Polenta Cake

polenta + corn stock + milk + goat cheese + mint + basil + huitlacoche
cucumber + avocado + tomato + habanero + pumpkin seeds

Bring corn stock, milk, water to boil and prepare polenta. Stir 45 minutes, then pour onto sheet tray with parchment to cool, spreading evenly with offset spatula. Cut polenta sheet in half, nestle one half in buttered casserole dish. Mix goat cheese, mint, basil, s+p. Drain huitlacoche. Spread goat cheese evenly over bottom polenta, then huitlacoche. Top with second polenta sheet half and cook for 25 minutes or until brown on top. Cut with ring molds while hot, then garnish with dice of cucumber, avocado, tomato. Sprinkle very small dice of habanero and some pumpkin seeds over the plate.

Old Composition: Goat Cheese, Herbs, Polenta

Working from a recipe for Culinaria, earlier in the week I had made layered goat cheese and polenta cakes. This turned out very well, but needed salt and herbs.

New Composition: Goat Cheese, Huitlacoche, Cucumber, Avocado, Tomato, Pepitos, Habanero

These components are from a salad at Sacromonte- the salad there also contains ash, which is a truly bizarre combo with the Huitlacoche. We use the goat cheese and huitlacoche as the stuffing/layer inside the polenta, and garnish with a dice of the crisp vegetables to offset the creamy, hot, truffle-smelling center. Topping this composition with crispy pumpkin seeds and a brunoise of habanero adds texture and some blatant heat.

New Ingredient: Huitlacoche (Cuitlacoche, Mexican Truffle, Corn Smut)

This black gooey fungus that grows on maize corn is a delicacy in Mexico, a harvest blight in America.

Orange Blossom Quesadillas

orange blossom + queso fresco + crema mexicana + lemon + masa + nopal

Strawberry Gastrique
strawberry + shallot + banyuls vinegar + star anise + butter

Mix orange blossom, queso fresco, crema mexicana, lemon, s+p for quesadilla filling. Prepare masa dough, rolling into 1 inch balls. Roll out with rolling pin or tortilla press- use two discs to make a dumpling for the quesadilla, stipling the edges with a fork or fingers. Remove spines from nopal, then toss in olive oil, s+p and grill untill light green with grill marks. Blend strawberries into puree. Saute chopped shallot with star anise, deglaze with vinegar. Add strawberry puree and reduce. Remove from heat and whisk in butter, s+p. Fry quesadillas. Plate grilled nopal, some gastrique, two fried quesadillas, then some more gastrique.

Old Technique: Strawberry Gastrique

The shallot and star anise reduction serve as a nice savory and spicy base for this fruit-heavy sauce. The acid bite is kept up with some lemon.

New Composition: Cheese, Strawberry, a Flower

Sacromonte’s transcendental rose petal quesadillas with strawberry sauce is a fried, cheesy, fruity, fragrant comfort dish- I can never eat more than one. We attempted to replicate this fried quesadilla pocket with masa, queso fresco, crema mexicana and some orange flower water. You could definitely taste the fragrance, which provided a nice counterpoint to our strawberry gastrique.

New Technique: Grilled Nopal as Platter

Another trick from Sacromonte.

New Technique: Fried Masa Quesadillas

This was straightforward enough, but we really should have used a tortilla press- would have been much easier. We found a standard recipe online and MASECA instant masa.

New Ingredient: Masa (Instant Masa, MASECA)

Corn cooked in slake lime, ground fine- an ancient method of preparing corn which eases digestion. Used for tamales.

New Ingredient: Nopal Cactus

Green cactus leaf, sometimes sold chopped up or with barbs removed.

New Ingredient: Crema Mexicana

Mexican creme fraiche, but less sour or salty. Very buttery!

New Ingredient: Queso Fresco

Fresh Mexican cheese, crumbly yet melts smoothly.

Smoked Paprika Agave Caramel Glazed Salmon

salmon or portobello + cumin + agave nectar + tequila + smoked paprika

Almond Cajeta Mole, Cinnamon Butter, Roast Red Pepper, Cumin Candied Kumquats

garlic + onion + star anise + almond + cacao + cajeta + cinnamon + butter + cumin + caramel + kumquats

Rub salmon or portobello with s+p, toasted ground cumin. For glazing syrup, simmer tequila, agave nectar and smoked paprika until incorporated and tasty (sweet, smoky, agave flavor). . For mole, blend raw almonds and cacao nibs with enough water to make them all float in the blender- resulting mix should be thick and syrupy. Saute garlic, onions, star anise in olive oil. Deglaze with vinegar, add almond cacao and cajeta. Simmer for 15 minutes, then blend. Slice kumquats into rounds and simmer with water, sugar, and toasted cumin to candy consistency- strain and keep warm, separate. Incorporate butter and cinnamon oil in a warm pan. Sear salmon or portobello, then add glaze to pan. Finish glazing and cooking in the oven. Add remaining agave glaze to mole sauce. Plate mole first, drizzle the cinnamon butter, then the salmon or portobello. Garnish with kumquats and roast red pepper petals.

Old Technique: Candied Kumquats

This has been a seafood garnish I’ve liked to use for a few months now, when I can find the kumquats. Spiking the caramel with toasted cumin was a great combination of citrus and savory/musty. This also paired well with the cumin-rubbed salmon.

New Technique: Cacao Mole

Since our new blender works with cacao so well, this is the first time we’ve been able to make a frehs nut mole base using cacao and almonds. This allows for a different range of infusion opportunities.

New Composition: Almond, Cacao, Cajeta, Cinnamon, Agave, Smoked Paprika

These flavors worked so well together- the candyish cajeta lending the cacao the sweetness it needs to offset its bitterness, the cinnamon oil giving a mexican hot chocolate twist to the whole dish. The smoked paprika lends a nice spicy/smoky counterpoint to the chocolate mess- the agavea nectar playing the same part it did in the soup.

New Ingredient: Cajeta

Goat milk caramel. We found this all the time on the side of the road, often bruleed in little wooden cigar-shaped boxes.

Panela Cheese with Crystallized Picamango

panela + mango + lime + salt + chili pepper + sugar

New Composition: Cheese and Picamango

Continuing our trend to use dried fruits with a cheese course, this spicy mango provided a sort of “spicy pre-dessert”, continuing the meal’s theme. The panela’s creaminess acted as a switch, turning on and off the mango’s spiciness.

New Ingredient: Panela

Fresh, mild peasant cheese.

New Ingredient: Crystallized Picamango

Mango cured in chili-lime salt, dried, coated in sugar.

Pastel de Tres Cafes

cake + cream + evaporated milk + condense milk + kahlua + espresso
espresso chocolate + whipped cream + bananas

Make a cake. Incorporate cream, milks, kahlua, espresso. Pour half of mixture over cake, then top with whipped cream. Pour remaining half over whipped cream. Garnish with banana slices, espresso chocolate buttons.

New Composition: Tres Cafes

This classic Latin American cake bleeds sweet milky goodness everywhere- switching this up with some coffee, and garnishing with chocolate and bananas was perhaps a bad idea considering how late it was by the time we got to dessert. Some opted to get this massive caffeine fix as a take-home package for the next morning. Very delicious, and I am not a fan of coffee.

New Ingredient: Espresso

Finely ground coffee, brewed under pressure with very little contact time.

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