Bringing Color to the Kitchen with Le Creuset

Seasonal Rice: Crab and Salmon Roe Rice by Joji Kanno

(serves 10)

Ingredients

For The Ikura

• 1 skein of salmon roe (sujiko)
• Salt
• ½ cup (120ml) cooking sake
• ½ cup (120ml) mirin
• ⅓ cup (80ml) dark soy sauce

For the dashi mixture

• 2 cups (500ml) dashi
• ¼ cup (60ml) cooking sake
• ¾ teaspoon (4g) salt
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) light soy sauce

For the rice

• 1 snow crab, or 2 large clusters
• 3 cups (585g) sushi rice
• 1 bunch of Japanese parsley (mitsuba)

Method

For the ikura: Place the skein of salmon roe (sujiko) in lukewarm water at about 105°F (40°C) with a small amount of salt. Gently remove the thin membrane to separate the individual salmon roe (ikura).

Rinse the ikura with water, changing the water several times to remove any remaining membrane, then drain. In a small saucepot, heat 1⁄2 cup (100 ml) of cooking sake and 1⁄2 cup (100 ml) of mirin over high heat and bring to a gentle boil, reducing heat as needed. Cook until the alcohol evaporates, and the liquid is reduced by about 1⁄4. Add the dark soy sauce and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat for 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Once cool, add the separated ikura to the sauce to marinate, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

For the dashi mixture: In a pan, combine the dashi, 1⁄4 cup (50 ml) cooking sake, 3⁄4 teaspoon (4 g) salt, and light soy sauce, and bring to a boil. Once it boils, remove from the heat and let it cool.

For the rice: Rinse the rice and soak it in water for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, separate the leaves from the Japanese parsley (mitsuba) and set aside. Boil the stems for 10 seconds, then cut them into 1⁄2 inch (1 cm) pieces.

Boil or steam the snow crab, then remove the meat from the shell.

Weigh the drained rice, then add to a Cocotte Every (rice pot) along with the cooled dashi mixture, using an amount of dashi equal to the weight of the rice. Add the crab meat and cooked mitsuba stems to the pot. Heat on high until it starts to boil. Then cover and reduce the heat to low, cooking for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, turn off the heat and let it steam for 10 minutes.

Once cooked, garnish the rice with the marinated ikura and mitsuba leaves, and serve.

White Bolognese Pinwheels by Vinson Petrillo

(serves 6)

Ingredients

For the filling

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1⁄2 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated on cheese grater
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound (500 g) Italian sausage removed from casings
• 1 pound (500 g) ground beef 80/20
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1⁄2 cup (43 g) bonito flakes steeped with 11⁄2 cups (375 ml) hot water
• 2 cups (500 ml) dry white wine
• 1/3 cup (70 ml) heavy cream
• 1 cup (115 g) Taleggio cheese, rind off and cubed
• 1 cup (80 g) freshly grated pecorino cheese, plus extra for garnish
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

For the Taleggio Fonduta

• 2 1⁄2 cups (625 ml) heavy cream
• 1/3 cup (70 ml) reduced dry white wine
• 4 cups (450 g) Taleggio cheese, rind removed and cut into small pieces

For the pasta

• 3 cups (350 g) “00” flour
• 1 1⁄2 cups (375 ml) egg yolks
• 1 small pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) olive oil

Method

For the filling: In a Le Creuset Dutch oven or similar pan, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic, grated carrots, and chopped celery to the pan along with a generous sprinkle of kosher salt. Place on medium heat, and stir with a wooden spoon, ensuring
no color on the vegetables.

Once the vegetables have sweated for about 5 to 6 minutes and they begin to smell aromatic, turn up the heat and add the ground meats. Grind in some black pepper, and cook the meat and the vegetables while breaking up the meat into small pieces. Strain the bonito liquid into the pan, and continue to simmer stirring every 5 minutes, until reduced by2/3.Add in the wine and
simmer, stirring until the liquid has reduced by a little more than half. Add the cream and reduce by half, then remove from the heat.

Stir in the Taleggio until the cheese is completely melted and begins to thicken a bit. Stir in the grated pecorino until completely combined. If too loose, combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl to make a slurry. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the cheese sauce to thicken. Season again with salt and pepper, and allow to cool overnight.

For the Taleggio Fonduta: Bring the heavy cream and reduced white wine to a boil. Place the Taleggio into a heatproof container, and pour the boiling liquid over the cheese. Using an immersion blender, blend untilcompletely smooth. Reserve warm while making the lasagna.

For the pasta: In a large bowl add the flour and, using your fingertips, create a “well” in the center like a volcano. Add the egg yolks, salt, and olive oil. With a fork, begin to stir the yolks, pulling in flour from the edges until you have one large mass. Put a little flour on a wooden cutting board, and begin kneading the dough for about 6 to 8 minutes, until it is completely smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and allow it to rest for at least one hour and up to overnight in the refrigerator. When your dough has rested, cut it into 6 equal pieces, and roll out evenly into sheets 4 inches (10 cm) wide, as thin as you can, until you can see the silhouette of your fingers under the dough.

To assemble: Boil the pasta sheets in nicely salted water one at a time for 2 minutes, and allow to cool at room temperature for 10 minutes. Lay out the 6 pasta sheets, and spread out the bolognese in a layer about a 1⁄4 inch (0.5 cm) thick over the pasta. Inlay some basil leaves or herbs of your choice, and roll up the sheets into pinwheels.

Evenly coat the bottom of a Le Creuset baking dish with the Taleggio sauce, reserving some to drizzle over the top after it’s baked. Place the pinwheels of pasta and bolognese over the Taleggio sauce. Bake the pasta covered with foil for 20 minutes at 350°F (175°C). Uncover and drizzle with the remaining Taleggio Fonduta and grated pecorino, and bake again for another 10 to 15 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes and serve.

Lavender-Infused Crème Brûlée by Anders Pedersen

(serves 6)

Ingredients

• 2 cups (480 ml) heavy whipping cream
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons (22 ml) vanilla extract
• 1 stick of Madagascar bourbon vanilla bean, cut open
• 3 tablespoons (18 g) of dried lavender
• 1 to 2teaspoons (5to10ml)of food-safe lavender essential oil
• 3 tablespoons (36 g) sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 4 egg yolks
• Fresh forest berries, for garnish
• Dry lavender stick, for garnish

Method

In a medium saucepan and on a medium heat, add heavy whipping cream and heat it just until it’s hot but not boiling. Remove from heat, and add vanilla extract, vanilla bean, dried lavender, and lavender essential oil.

Set aside and leave the vanilla and lavender to infuse the cream for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar.

Strain infused cream through a fine sieve, and discard the lavender and vanilla stick.

Add half the cream mixture into the eggs, and whisk until nice and smooth. Add the remaining cream, and keep whisking until you have a smooth custard.

Strain the custard into a measuring cup with a spout, placeprepared Le Creuset ramekins in a large high-sided baking pan, and divide the custard among the ramekins.

Carefully and slowly fill the pan with hot water halfway up the ramekins.

Place the pan in the oven, and cook for 50 to 60 minutes, until slightly wobbly in the center. Remove crème brûlée from the oven, let it cool completely, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

When ready to serve, sprinkle each Le Creuset ramekin with 2 to 3 tablespoons (24 to 36 g) of granulated sugar, and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until sugar caramelizes.

Decorate with fresh forest berries and a dry lavender stick.