| More

Friday, October 29, 2010

Charred Citrus

A blowtorch is, ironically, a delicate way to sear and caramelize citrus and fruits without it turning to mush. Cooked fruits could be easily horrible, but cooking with fruits is truly an amazing way to add freshness to any dish. I usually don't do much to the fruit. Imagine watermelons, mangos, blueberries, cantaloupe and the perfect orange or apple. Notice how distinct and different they are from each other. How indescribable and uniquely delicious their flavor is. No need to tamper with too often.Texture is a fun way to tamper, if you must. Juice selected fruit and set to a gel, make alginate spheres, foam it up. Staying true to its raw flavor while giving it a surprising new mouthfeel and appearance.

Here, I've torched some raw grapefruit segments and paired it with a fennel salad (thinly sliced and dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper). Tarragon would be a nice addition, though I didn't have any at the moment.