Food & Drinks
“Albacore”, an appetizer from Eric Ripert, French chef at Le Bernardin in New York
Vivamost is very happy to publish this week an appetizer from the renown French chef, Eric Ripert.
Eric Ripert – Credit Nigel Parry
Chef Ripert is co-owner with Maguy Le Coze of the fish restaurant Le Bernardin since 1996, where he has been the head chef since 1994.
Le Bernardin, located on 155 West 51st Street in New York City, has been rated in the annual list of S. Pellegrino “The World 50 Best Restaurants” the 19th best restaurant in the world in 2013. Le Bernardin is one of the best restaurants in New York. It has 3 Michelin stars and has received 4 stars from the NY Times.
In addition to Le Bernadin Eric owns Blue a restaurant in the Cayman Islands.
Eric has published four cooking books and has been on many American TV shows. In “On the Table”, you see him cook with celebrities like Rogers Waters and Drew Barrymore. Chef Ripert has his own cooking website Avec Eric, (with Eric) with recipes and a series of videos.
The site includes videos such as how to make a great snapper in curry with fried rice or a Boeuf Bourguignon.
Seared Albacore Tuna Confit “En Salade”; Bibb Lettuce, Deviled Quail Egg, Liquid Black Olive, Preserved Tomato and Pepper (Serves 2-4)
Albacore tuna fillets, 8 ounces 1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 Cucumber Blossoms, halved
2 Bibb lettuce hearts, halved
1 Vine Ripened Tomato
1 Baby red bell pepper, sliced ¼ thick
2 Haricots Verts, split in half and blanched
5 quail eggs
1oz compressed caviar
1 Loaf sourdough bread
Dijon mustard
Crème Fraiche
1 bunch chives, thinly sliced
1000 grams water
7 grams Sodium Alginate
1 cup Nicoise olives in brine
1 g xantham gum
5 grams calcium chloride
Extra virgin olive oil
Sherry vinegar
Salt and Pepper
1 Pressure cooker
Albacore recipe from Eric Ripert restaurant Le Bernardin credit Shimon & Tammar Photography
Prepare the tuna:
Season the tuna with salt and pepper. Divide the tuna in 2 pint sized mason jars. Place 1-2 slices of shallot in each jar and cover the tuna with extra virgin olive oil and seal the jars. Turn the heat on high on the pressure cooker. Once the pressure cooker is pressurized, release some of the pressure and cook for 11 minutes. Remove the tuna from the pressure cooker and chill. Once the tuna is chilled, remove the tuna from the oil and transfer to a mixing bowl. Mix in 1 teaspoon of the extra virgin olive oil from the jar and 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard, being careful not to break up the tuna too much. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if the tuna is bland and set aside.
Prepare the garnishes:
-Score the tomato and remove the core. Blanch the tomato. Remove the skin from the tomatoes and cut into quarters. Remove the seeds of the tomatoes and place the remaining flesh of the tomatoes onto a baking tray. Liberally drizzle the tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven at 250* F for 1 ½ hours. Set the tomatoes aside.
-Take the loaf of sourdough and cut into 1 ½ inches by ¼ inch batons. Toast the batons in an oven at 200*F until they are dry, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
-Make the liquid olives. Puree the olives and the brine, and pass through a cheese cloth lined chinois. Puree 100 grams of the olive liquid with 1 gram of xantham gum and 5 grams of calcium chloride and set aside in a squirt bottle. Next puree the 1000 grams of water with the 7 grams of Sodium Alginate and set aside in a baking pan. Take the olive water and pour into the Sodium alginate bath to form little balls. Set aside.
– Make the deviled eggs. Gently boil the quail eggs for 2-3 minutes or right until the yolks are cooked. Remove the shell and cut the eggs in half. Separate the whites from the yolks. In a mixing bowl, mix ½ teaspoon of crème fraiche, ½ teaspoon of mustard, and ½ teaspoon of chives with the yolks. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the yolk mixture into a piping bag and pipe the mixture into the cavities of the halved egg whites (where the yolk used to be). Set the eggs aside.
To complete the dish: Place the tuna in a 1 ½ inch by 4 inch mold. Toss the lettuce hearts, bell peppers, cucumber blossoms, roasted tomatoes, and haricots verts with extra virgin olive oil and a few drops of sherry vinegar. Spread the compressed caviar over the sour dough batons. Arrange the deviled eggs, the vegetables, and the croutons over the top of the tuna. Lastly, gently take the liquid olives out of the alginate bath and place over the top of the vegetables. Serve immediately.
Recipe copyright Le Bernardin, New York
