Improvisation and Experimentation in the Kitchen
Demonstration Three: Cooking with Macadamia Nuts
This is a copy of the recipes that we handed out for this demonstration. The fact that there are no quantities listed is not an error, we are trying to encourage people to think creatively and use the recipes as guidlines rather than rules. That way people can shop to their own tastes and desired portion sizes.
Garlic and Macadamia Nut Soup
Fresh garlic
Milk
Salt
Roasted Macadamia nuts
Ground nutmeg
Ground cinnamon
Ground cardamom
Ground allspice
Seedless grapes
Sliced scallions
Raisins
Bay scallops
Butter
Smoked paprika oil (pure olive oil, smoked paprika)
Clean fresh garlic cloves removing all skin and any green shoots in the center of the clove. Place in a small pot with skim milk to cover. Bring to a simmer and pour out the milk. Repeat two more time with fresh skim milk. Transfer garlic to a medium sized pot and add macadamia nuts, sweet spices, a large pinch of salt and skim milk to cover. Bring to a boil and puree in a blender. Taste and adjust additional milk or seasonings as needed and strain soup through a chinois. Chill soup covered in the refrigerator for at least three hours before serving.
Soak raisins overnight in water to cover ( a splash of brandy in the water is a nice addition if you are so inclined). Combine pure olive oil and smoked paprika in a small pot with a pinch of salt. Slowly bring to a simmer, cover and set aside to infuse. After one hour strain the oil through a fine sieve and set aside. It will keep covered in the refrigerater for a couple of weeks.
Just before serving slice the seedless grapes into quarters vertically and toss in a bowl with raisins and sliced scallions and a pinch of salt. Sear bay scallops in butter in a heavy saute pan. Remove from pan and let rest on a warm plate with a drizzle of smoked paprika oil. Place a small spoonful of the fruit in the bottom of the soup bowl. Spoon the chilled soup around the ragout and add the warm scallops on top.
Macadamia Crusted Wahoo with Mango-Arugula Pudding
Ripe mangoes
Arugula
Wahoo fillets
Lightly roasted macadamia nuts
Sea salt
Panko bread crumbs
Melted butter
Fresh cilantro
Fresh chopped parsley
Sliced green onions
sherry vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Blanched arugula in boiling, salted water and shock in ice water. Squeeze dry and set aside. Peel and roughly dice the mangoes. Place fruit in a food processor with arugula, lime juice and salt to taste. Puree until smooth and strain through a fine sieve. Let chill covered in the refrigerator for at least three hours to thicken and set.
Cut the fish into into 1/2 inch thick steaks, coat thoroughly with olive oil, sprinkly with salt on both sides and place in a shallow pan in a low (250 degrees F) for approximately ten minutes until just firm to the touch. While the fish is in the oven, make the crust by combining macadamia nuts, salt, panko bread crumbs, butter, cilantro, parsley, green onion, and a splash of sherry vinegar in a food
processor and pulsing to create fine crumbs. Pull the fish from the oven and lightly coat the tops of the steaks with the crust. Broil at a low setting until golden brown to finish. The fish is served simply with a swirl of the mango-arugula pudding and the fish offset against it on a flat plate. Grate roasted macadamia nuts over the top with a microplane to finish.
Roasted Venison with Papaya Salad, Celery-Macadamia Nut Puree and Chorizo Cracklings
Venison loin
Pure olive oil
Papaya, diced into 1/2 inch chunks
Green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
Sweet onions, finely diced
Lime juice
Celery leaves
Roasted macadamia nuts
Skim milk
Dried chorizo
Chicken skin
To make the papaya salad combine the papaya, green olives, sweet onions, lime juice, and salt to taste.
Blanch celery leaves in boiling salted water and set aside. Combine roasted macadami nuts with skim milk to cover in a small pot with a pinch of salt and bring to a simmer. Pour into a blender and add blanched celery leaves. Puree till almost smooth, if the puree is too thin it can be strained and the liquid added back to the solids until the desired consistency is reached. Chill until needed or place puree in a small pot and keep warm until ready to serve.
Dice chorizo and dehydrate in a low (250 degrees F) oven until crispy. Place chicken skin in a pot with cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook for five minute. Shock in ice water, dry thoroughly on paper towels and fry in olive oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and season lightly with salt.
Pan roasted venison, seared in pure olive oil on all sides and finished in a 350 degree F oven to the desired temperature. Let the meat rest for five minutes before serving. To serve, place macadamia nut puree on the plate with sliced venison fanned out over it. Sprinkle with cracklings and tuck some papaya salad alongside.
