Butter Poached Maine Lobster, Bucatini, Smoked Pork Fat, Shaved Cured Goose Breast, Sea Urchin Emulsion
I had mentioned in my last post a couple of weeks ago that I had a lot of Uni that I needed to use. I wanted to try and use it in a few different dishes because it's not everyday that one has a tray of sea urchin roe lying around. I figured that if I made some sort of sauce utilizing the Uni that it would be perfect with some bucatini pasta. Bucatini are thin hollow noodles, like what you would get if you attached a bunch of macaroni together somehow. I'd like to note that the pasta seen here unfortunately was not made from scratch. In order to make this stuff I would need a really expensive new toy called a pasta extruder. And to get one of these things I would not only be spending a good chunk of change but I would also be finding myself a new girlfriend. So I left it up to the pros and bought some really high quality stuff that's made in this little village in Italy.
I cooked the lobsters the same way I usually do, steaming them just til they're dead and red, when the meat is still raw but easily removed in one piece. Just before serving I poached the lobster chunks in butter that was held at around 160 degrees.
I cooked the bucatini in salted water til soft but still holding some texture. After straining it I threw it in a pan with hot smoked pork fat and tossed it a few times to get a nice coating on it. The fat was trimmed off of some bacon that I had smoked recently.
The sea urchin sauce started off by heating buttermilk, butter and milk in a sauce pan just until it began to steam. I removed it from the heat and grated some fresh nutmeg into it. I combined an egg yolk, salt, pepper, Uni and sherry vinegar in another container. Using a hand blender I blended this mixture together and slowly poured in the hot milk mixture to make an emulsion. The result is a silky smooth sauce with some foam that looks nice when plated.
I finished the plate by grating some cured goose breast onto the pasta. The goose was raised, killed and cured by my good friend and farmer Tom and then subsequently aged for 6 months in my basement. It was very much like bonito and served a similar purpose here adding some salt and funk to the plate.
I cooked the lobsters the same way I usually do, steaming them just til they're dead and red, when the meat is still raw but easily removed in one piece. Just before serving I poached the lobster chunks in butter that was held at around 160 degrees.
I cooked the bucatini in salted water til soft but still holding some texture. After straining it I threw it in a pan with hot smoked pork fat and tossed it a few times to get a nice coating on it. The fat was trimmed off of some bacon that I had smoked recently.
The sea urchin sauce started off by heating buttermilk, butter and milk in a sauce pan just until it began to steam. I removed it from the heat and grated some fresh nutmeg into it. I combined an egg yolk, salt, pepper, Uni and sherry vinegar in another container. Using a hand blender I blended this mixture together and slowly poured in the hot milk mixture to make an emulsion. The result is a silky smooth sauce with some foam that looks nice when plated.
I finished the plate by grating some cured goose breast onto the pasta. The goose was raised, killed and cured by my good friend and farmer Tom and then subsequently aged for 6 months in my basement. It was very much like bonito and served a similar purpose here adding some salt and funk to the plate.