soaking tripe for dessert

The Deception Exception

I love to play with the eye. It can most often be our biggest deceiver in expectations. We have also trained ourselves to rely on it way too much. The dining experience would be a lot different if the diner were blindfolded, or even had their dinner presented to them with no menu and no description as to what they are eating. Being comfortable with familiarity only makes sense, but why not trust a chef? Omakase in Japanese restaurants translates to "it's up to you" (the "you" referring to the chef). Most likely, we wouldn't be able to understand the chef composing on the spot, so we just accept and hopefully enjoy.

The dish above is a very simple setting of watermelon radish with arugula tossed in olive oil and fig white balsamic. I love how the radish, thinly sliced, resembles a well-marbled piece of high quality beef. It'd be great to make a carpaccio of said radish with kobe or wagyu looking identical and never being sure of which you're going to bite in to. Surprise is an element of progression in contemporary cuisine. Let us never be prepared.

Chorizo Stock

This should bode well in cooking mollusks, poaching fish and adding to a basic pomodoro (which is currently simmering). I love extracting those spicy, smoky, meaty flavors to enhance seafood and vegetables that can handle it. Just thinking about the way clams pair greatly with bacon and how lovely this would bring familiar flavors in toying with paella. I hope to use it a lot very soon!