Featuring Chef Richard Blais
Bravo! 'Top Chef' Contestant / Chef / Culinary Designer
Richard Blais, one of Atlanta’s more creative culinary wizards provided us with a night of molecular gastronomy! His cooking was innovative with a personal take on classical cuisine, incorporating global ingredients, modern cooking methods, and his sense of humor. Richard kicked off the evening with his Fried Abalone with Smoked Mayonnaise and Sprite® then moved to Lamb Ribs cooked in Barq's® Root Beer. He finished the evening with Coca-Cola® Parmesan Pudding.
Check out the recipes for each of his featured menu items from the event:
Equipment needed:
- Low pressure 140 liter liquid nitrogen tank with a hose. This is easily available and inexpensive. Its presence will create a better show, however it is possible to bring a small container which is not as theatrical.
- A Vita-Mix® or other high powered blender
- Portable induction cook top with 3 2 quart sauce pots
- KitchenAid® mixer with a whisk attachment
- iSi thermo whip (as used in Starbucks®)
- Spoons, tongs, and assorted glass bowls to hold ingredients
- Paper and cloth towels
- Goggles and cryogenic gloves (available at The Home Depot or similar store)
- A few stainless steel mixing bowls, cutting board, and knife
Fried Abalone with Smoked Mayonnaise and Sprite
- 1 abalone and shell
- 3 cans Sprite GreenTM (reduced to 1 can)
- A good dash of Krystal Hot Sauce
- 1 cup crème fraîche
- 2 teaspoons silver leaf
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon smoked mayonnaise
- 1 quart liquid nitrogen
- 1 cup Sprite tempura batter
- 1 tablespoon rice flour
- 2 tiny leaves micro purslane
Trim the black of the abalone. Dredge in flour and dip in Sprite tempura. Fry at 350 degrees until crisp. Salt immediately out of the frier.
For the Sprite pearls, mix the creme fraiche, silver leaf, hot sauce and reduced Sprite to a heavy cream consistency. Drip with a squeeze bottle the silver Sprite cream into the nitrogen to form pearls.
To assemble the dish, place a spoon of the smoked mayo in the shell. Then top with fried abalone and top with the pearls and purslane leaves.
Lamb Ribs cooked in Barq's Root Beer
- 1 rack Denver lamb ribs
- 3 pack Barq's Root Beer
- 1 quart lamb stock
- 1 cup soy light sodium
- 1 cup agave nectar
- 2 chipotle
- ¼ cup sesame seed, toasted white
- 2 tablespoons scallion, sliced
- Generous sprinkle of salt and pepper
Dry the ribs and season with salt and pepper. Place them on a rack in a roasting pan with all the other ingredients except the scallions.
Cover the entire pan in aluminum and slow roast at 300 degrees for 3-4 hours until extremely tender.
Slice the ribs into individual pieces, glaze with the reduced cooking liquid and sprinkle with scallions to serve.
Vintage Coca-Cola with parmesan pudding, cornbread, and Vanilla Coke® salt
• Parmesan pudding
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup 2% milk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2½ gelatin sheets
- 1 cup parmesan rinds, chopped
- ½ cup agave nectar
- 1 pod vanilla bean, no seeds
- 2 nitrous charges
Warm the cream with the parmesan and agave nectar on low heat for up to an hour until the cream is infused with parmesan flavor. Bloom the gelatin in cool water.
Strain the cream and discard the parmesan rinds. Gently whisk the bloomed gelatin into the warm cream. When dissolved, mix in the sour cream, then the 2% milk.
Chill slowly in a fridge and charge with 2 nitrous charges, shaking vigorously.
• Coca-Cola rocks, with liquid Vanilla Coke filling
- 1 liter Coca-Cola, reduced to ½ cup
- ½ cup milk chocolate, melted
- 1 cup Cherry Coke®
- 1 cup cherry puree
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ cup Pop Rocks® packet
- 1 quart liquid nitrogen
Reduce the Coca-Cola to a syrup and reserve it to cool. Melt the milk chocolate in a microwave and reserve it warm. Mix the cherry puree, xanthan gum, and Cherry Coke smooth.
Fold the pop rocks into the milk chocolate.
Dip the cherry mixture in nitrogen until firm. Then, using a tweezer, dip the frozen cherry mixture in the milk chocolate pop rock mixture.
Put the Coca-Cola rocks in the fridge.
• Vanilla Coke salt
- ¼ cup Maldon sea salt
- ¼ cup Vanilla Coke, syrup
- 2 cups liquid nitrogen
Place the Vanilla Coke syrup in a blender with the nitrogen and buzz until a frozen dried powder results.
Remove and mix with the salt.
