Great Chefs Cook Vegan - Linda Long [19]
1 tablespoon nama shoyu
Variety of coatings such as coconut, sesame seeds, crushed pumpkin seeds, cayenne pepper, or chopped dried fruit
In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients and process until smooth and thick. Pour into a shallow container and cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. Using a melon baller, scrape truffle base into small balls. Fill or roll chocolate truffles with spices, seeds, nuts, or dried fruits of your choice. Shape as desired (rounds, pear-shaped, nougat, or cylinders).
Dan Barber
“Cooking and eating with the seasons inspires more than it restricts—I think it might inspire because it restricts. If it’s August, I’m inspired to use spring beans and would like to see them in one form or another on every dish. On every dish! They’re perfect then, so that by the time fall squash finally comes, I want to be tired of eating beans. I want to be happy to see them go, thrilled to be done with them. I want to taste that first New York black dirt squash and smile like I just struck gold.”
Dan Barber’s “haute organic” New American cuisine features fresh ingredients in nourishing and inventive menus. He first learned to respect seasonal locally grown produce while farming and cooking for family and friends at Blue Hill Farm in the Berkshires. Barber and Blue Hill gained a national reputation with a 3-star New York Times review and Barber being named one of the best new chefs in the country in 2002 in Food & Wine magazine. He has also been featured in Gourmet, the New Yorker, Martha Stewart Living, Vanity Fair’s 2007 Green Issue and in Bon Appétit’s “The Next Generation” of Great Chefs in its tenth annual restaurant issue. His op-ed pieces addressing local food systems and other writings have garnered him numerous Best Food Writing awards.
In 2004, Blue Hill at Stone Barns and The Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture opened its doors to focus on issues of pleasure, taste, and regional bounty. Barber has been an active advocate for sustainable agriculture and guided a passionate mission to create consciousness about the effects of everyday food choices. Both Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Farms have received Best New Restaurant nominations from the James Beard Foundation, and Barber was named 2006 Best Chef: New York City. He serves on the Harvard Medical School’s Center for Health and the Global Environment Advisory Board and continues to work with the Kellogg Foundation, New York’s Green Markets, and Slow Food USA to minimize the political and intellectual rhetoric around agricultural policies and to promote the appreciation of good food.
Tomato and Melon Salad with Tomato Sorbet
Serves 4
Beefsteak Tomatoes Confit
5 pounds beefsteak tomatoes
1 sprig thyme, stemmed
1 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more
Salt and pepper to taste
To make the Beefsteak Tomatoes Confit: Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds and then immediately plunge into an ice water bath. Using a knife, remove skins when cool enough to touch and then cut tomatoes in half and remove seeds. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and sprinkle with thyme, sugar, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper. Bake at 200 degrees F for 4 hours. Remove tomatoes from oven and transfer to a covered container. Cover with more olive oil and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tomato Sorbet
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 pound powdered sugar (or to taste)
1 cup mint, fine chiffonade
2 tablespoons finely chopped lemon thyme leaves or 1 tablespoon regular thyme
1/8 teaspoon salt
To make the Tomato Sorbet: Purée the Beefsteak Tomato Confit in a blender with lemon juice, powdered sugar, mint, thyme, and salt until smooth. Place mixture in an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze until ready to serve.
Tomato Melon Salad
5 to 8 assorted and colorful heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons high-quality olive oil
1 tablespoon raspberry wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup