Improvisation and Experimentation in the Kitchen
### Demonstration Three: Cooking with Macadamia Nuts
This is a copy of the recipes that we handed out for this demonstration. The fact that there are no quantities listed is not an error; we are trying to encourage people to think creatively and use the recipes as guidelines rather than rules. That way, people can shop to their own tastes and desired portion sizes.
#### Garlic and Macadamia Nut Soup
– Fresh garlic
– Milk
– Salt
– Roasted macadamia nuts
– Ground nutmeg
– Ground cinnamon
– Ground cardamom
– Ground allspice
– Seedless grapes
– Sliced scallions
– Raisins
– Bay scallops
– Butter
– Smoked paprika oil (pure olive oil, smoked paprika)
Clean fresh garlic cloves, removing all skin and any green shoots in the center of the clove. Place in a small pot with skim milk to cover. Bring to a simmer and pour out the milk. Repeat two more times with fresh skim milk. Transfer garlic to a medium-sized pot and add macadamia nuts, sweet spices, a large pinch of salt, and skim milk to cover. Bring to a boil and purée in a blender. Taste and adjust additional milk or seasonings as needed and strain soup through a chinois. Chill soup covered in the refrigerator for at least three hours before serving.
Soak raisins overnight in water to cover (a splash of brandy in the water is a nice addition if you are so inclined). Combine pure olive oil and smoked paprika in a small pot with a pinch of salt. Slowly bring to a simmer, cover and set aside to infuse. After one hour, strain the oil through a fine sieve and set aside. It will keep covered in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
Just before serving, slice the seedless grapes into quarters vertically and toss in a bowl with raisins and sliced scallions and a pinch of salt. Sear bay scallops in butter in a heavy sauté pan. Remove from pan and let rest on a warm plate with a drizzle of smoked paprika oil. Place a small spoonful of the fruit in the bottom of the soup bowl. Spoon the chilled soup around the ragout and add the warm scallops on top.
#### Macadamia Crusted Wahoo with Mango-Arugula Pudding
– Ripe mangoes
– Arugula
– Wahoo fillets
– Lightly roasted macadamia nuts
– Sea salt
– Panko bread crumbs
– Melted butter
– Fresh cilantro
– Fresh chopped parsley
– Sliced green onions
– Sherry vinegar
– Extra virgin olive oil
Blanch arugula in boiling, salted water and shock in ice water. Squeeze dry and set aside. Peel and roughly dice the mangoes. Place fruit in a food processor with arugula, lime juice, and salt to taste. Purée until smooth and strain through a fine sieve. Let chill covered in the refrigerator for at least three hours to thicken and set.
Cut the fish into 1/2 inch thick steaks, coat thoroughly with olive oil, sprinkle with salt on both sides, and place in a shallow pan in a low (250°F) oven for approximately ten minutes until just firm to the touch. While the fish is in the oven, make the crust by combining macadamia nuts, salt, panko bread crumbs, butter, cilantro, parsley, green onion, and a splash of sherry vinegar in a food processor and pulsing to create fine crumbs. Pull the fish from the oven and lightly coat the tops of the steaks with the crust. Broil at a low setting until golden brown to finish. The fish is served simply with a swirl of the mango-arugula pudding and the fish offset against it on a flat plate. Grate roasted macadamia nuts over the top with a microplane to finish.
#### Roasted Venison with Papaya Salad, Celery-Macadamia Nut Purée, and Chorizo Cracklings
– Venison loin
– Pure olive oil
– Papaya, diced into 1/2 inch chunks
– Green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
– Sweet onions, finely diced
– Lime juice
– Celery leaves
– Roasted macadamia nuts
– Skim milk
– Dried chorizo
– Chicken skin
To make the papaya salad, combine the papaya, green olives, sweet onions, lime juice, and salt to taste.
Blanch celery leaves in boiling salted water and set aside. Combine roasted macadamia nuts with skim milk to cover in a small pot with a pinch of salt and bring to a simmer. Pour into a blender and add blanched celery leaves. Purée until almost smooth; if the purée is too thin, it can be strained, and the liquid added back to the solids until the desired consistency is reached. Chill until needed or place purée in a small pot and keep warm until ready to serve.
Dice chorizo and dehydrate in a low (250°F) oven until crispy. Place chicken skin in a pot with cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook for five minutes. Shock in ice water, dry thoroughly on paper towels and fry in olive oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and season lightly with salt.
Pan-roast venison, searing in pure olive oil on all sides and finishing in a 350°F oven to the desired temperature. Let the meat rest for five minutes before serving. To serve, place macadamia nut purée on the plate with sliced venison fanned out over it. Sprinkle with cracklings and tuck some papaya salad alongside.
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