A love letter...to my kitchen!!

Everyone has some form of passion or the other. Passion for cooking for example, or passion to serve people. Passion to write, passion in their own world/profession. Again, in culinary, some people have passion for contemporary cooking, whilst someone will have interest in classics.My learning in culinary or kitchen basics had been all around french classics--poulet saute chasseur, poisson duglere or tournedos ala portugaise--these are all french classics, few from Escoffier itself.
However, coming to Dubai changed my thought process in kitchen--plating, menus etc. And there is this menu, which I would love to cook. Yes, it is a love letter to my lost love, which I never had.It is a blend of classics[in my way] & my best contemporary menu.

Tartare de Coquilles St.Jacques

Mango et Avocat

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Raviole de Mozzarella

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Saumon ala moutarde

Pommes Maxim, Fenouil ala orange

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Boeuf Braise

Sauce port, foie gras poele, pomme puree

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Cafe et chocolat

Cafe parfait, sauce chocolate

Recipes:

Tartare de Coquilles St.Jacques

Mango et Avocat

Concept: Whenever, I create a menu or a dish for example, there is a motive[as if a killer, who always has a motive]. Scallops, were actually frozen ones, which I bought a couple of months before. For some, May is the last month for eating Scallops. And for some, the season for shellfishes are those months containing "R" i.e. September through April. I paired Scallops with soft & creamy avocado with mango. All have been seasoned with fleur de sel. The mango was seasoned additionally with cayenne pepper, to give a little kick. The scallops, chopped raw has been seasoned with some lime oil & some lime juice as well, which actually cooks up the protein a bit.

I garnished with two slices of green apple, which is again wonderful with scallops & topped with some caviar.

Ingredients:

Scallops,chopped-100 gm

Ripe Mango, chopped- 50 gm

Avocado,chopped-50 gm

Fleur de sel- to taste

Lime juice-1 lime

Lime oil- 1 tsp

Cayenne Pepper- 2 pinches

Green Apple- 2 thin slices

Caviar-1/2 tsp

Method:

Season the avocado with fleur de sel, mango with fleur de sel & cayenne pepper and scallops with fleur de sel, lime juice & lime oil. On a plate, place a mold in the center & first make a layer of avocado, followed by mango & then top it scallops. Put a quenelle of caviar & arrange the apple slices vertically.

Raviole de Mozzarella

Concept: Buffalo Mozzarella, Basil & tomatoes--It is Italy in one plate. It is also flavours of summer put together in one plate.This ravioli also reminds me of the ravioli I had in my first employment overseas.Dont forget except a vegan, any vegetarian can eat this one!!
Ingredients:

Buffalo Mozzarella-100 gm
Pasta sheet- 4 nos, 6" square
Olive Oil-50 ml
Onion-20 gm
Garlic-10 gm
Canned tomatoes-400 gm
Seasoning-to taste
Fresh basil, chopped-1 tsp
Method:
Drain the mozzarella, cut into half if it is in one whole piece & season. Keep aside. Roll out the sheet & put it in the centre of the sheet. Put one sheet of pasta on top & press tightly to remove any air gap. Keep it chilled
Prepare the tomato sauce in the meanwhile. Saute garlic, onion in 15 ml of olive oil until lightly colored. Add in the canned tomatoes, season & cook slowly until well reduced.
Once reduced, blend it with the remaining olive oil & finish it with fresh basil.
When ready to serve, blanch the raviolis in boiling water for about 1 minute & toss in the sauce. Serve immediately.

Saumon ala moutarde

Pommes Maxim, Fenouil ala orange

Concept: Any (fish loving) Bengali can always swear by his shorshe maach/ilish[fish in mustard sauce]. Generally a bengali prefers a sweetwater/river fish than seafish, but what to do in Dubai, where getting fresh riverwater fish is pretty challenging. So my retake on a bong's favorite is with salmon. Paired with fennel braised in orange juice[and you know why fennel is so good with salmon] & a layer of crispy potatoes, known as pommes maxim otherwise

[No recipes for this one]

Boeuf Braise

Sauce port, foie gras poele, pomme puree

If anyone asks me, if I have any classic, I will always say, "Braised beef short ribs" as one of my many. Texturewise, mostly all are soft-the braised beef, the pan fried foie gras, the creamy mashed potato. To give a bite & change in colour, I added a baby carrot. The sauce is too rich, extravagant but pairs well with the beef & foie gras. 

[No recipes for this one]

Cafe et chocolat

Cafe parfait, sauce chocolate

Concept: It is just thinking over & over again for the dessert. Coffee & chocolates go so well with each other. You can even substitute parfait with pannacotta as well. Equally good.