Editor's Note: Cool Plates is a new feature that showcases dishes from across the country to help inspire chefs’ creativity.
Executive chef Tony Conte cures Japanese kampachi for 24 hours in a mixture of shallot, cilantro, parsley, cracked pepper, lemon juice and raw sugar.
He prepares a spice mix of coriander, paprika, black pepper, caraway and cayenne which he passes through a fine strainer to make a fine dust.
After 24 hours he wipes off the kampachi, rinses it, dries it, tosses it in the spice mixture and a little molasses, and stores it in his walk-in.
At service he slices the kampachi and garnishes it with toasted pumpernickel croutons, romaine lettuce, sea salt, olive oil, micro red mustard greens and a house-made tomato jam.
He finishes it with a savory ice cream made from cream cheese, salt, Dijon mustard, Chinese mustard powder, half-and-half and glucose syrup.
Since the human tongue only tastes the sweetness of fructose, not glucose, the ice cream is not sweet at all.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected].
