José Andrés Loves This Extremely Luxurious Appetizer

Shut your eyes and picture the fanciest appetizer your thoughts can presumably conjure. Whether or not that entails costly substances, ornate presentation, difficult cooking methods, or a mixture of all three.

What did you give you? Maybe foie gras or one thing involving truffles? My thoughts additionally instantly goes to the towering, flaky vol-au-vents of the ‘70s and ‘80s, with their a whole lot of layers and wealthy fillings. Including lobster or crab to at least one would make it much more luxurious.

No less than, these are the solutions I might need give you earlier than attending the cocktail celebration of my desires only a few weeks in the past. Whereas visiting the set of Sure, Chef! — a brand new cooking competitors present from acclaimed Spanish chef José Andrés and businesswoman and entertaining professional Martha Stewart that debuts later this month — I used to be lucky sufficient to attend an intimate pleased hour hosted by these two culinary icons.

The night felt like a fever dream in one of the simplest ways, and it was a scrumptious few hours I’ll always remember. I chatted with Andrés about his ardour for culling invasive lionfish, sipped margaritas whereas sneaking glances at Martha Stewart, and loved some snacks. 

Extra particularly, I ate connoisseur bites crafted by Andrés’ culinary crew, starting from oysters adorned with an ajo blanco-inspired sauce to freshly shaved jamón Ibérico, sliced from a whole leg of ham that the chef had flown in for the event.

However out of all the things I sampled on the small cocktail celebration, one chunk left such a grand impression that I’ll always remember it: a crisp piece of nori (a dried sheet of seaweed) topped with a slice of melt-in-your-mouth jamón Ibérico, a fragile fried quail egg, a dollop of caviar, and, to complete all of it off, gold leaf.

What does this surprising mixture style like?

This meeting of substances could appear uncommon, however if you break down the textures and taste profiles, it makes excellent sense. Though Andrés offered the snack flat, it was best to fold and eat like a taco. The nori gives a crisp exterior, whereas the egg and caviar present mushy bursts within the center. Each the seaweed and ham contribute salt and umami, and though the caviar is salty as effectively, it provides a pleasant punch of brininess to create stability.

Nevertheless, what really enhances the decadence of the chunk in your mouth is the richness of the quail egg yolk and the fats from the jamón. It’s a salty, wealthy chunk, which is exactly why it’s simply that: a chunk. You wouldn’t need this in an entrée format, however as a handheld appetizer, it’s unforgettable.

How are you going to attempt it?

I’ve unbelievable information: you may attempt a rendition of this appetizer at a lot of José Andrés’ eating places. Most places of The Bazaar by José Andrés — together with one in Washington D.C., two in New York Metropolis, three in Las Vegas, and Bazaar Meat in Chicago — have a menu merchandise known as “José’s Taco.” (That is, after all, not a taco; the title refers to the way you eat it.)

Nevertheless, not all of those eating places embody a quail egg of their recipes. A few of them restrict the appetizer to simply jamón Ibérico de Bellota, Ossetra caviar, and gold leaf. Both model will likely be scrumptious, however verify the menu beforehand in the event you’re actually hoping for a wealthy, runny yolk.

How are you going to make this at dwelling?

A less complicated model of this appetizer is surprisingly straightforward to recreate at dwelling, and would undoubtedly wow anybody at your subsequent cocktail celebration — even in the event you skip the gold leaf. Right here’s all the things you’ll want: 

• Packages of roasted seaweed snacks. (Search for ones with out added flavors like wasabi or sesame.)
• A thinly sliced, cured ham. Some grocery shops can have jamón Ibérico and even jamón Ibérico de Bellota, however you would additionally use jamón serrano or prosciutto in the event you’re actually in a pinch.
• Quail or rooster eggs. Quail eggs can be found in some supermarkets, however they’re definitely not widespread. If yow will discover them, fry them such as you would a rooster egg. When you can’t, don’t fear! Fry rooster eggs as an alternative and take away many of the white with a knife or cookie cutter after cooking. (It can save you the scraps for a high-protein breakfast sandwich or wrap.)

Aside from frying the eggs and chopping the ham and nori into particular person servings if wanted, that’s actually all of the prep required to make these luxurious bites. Individuals will likely be impressed with out the caviar and gold leaf, however in the event you’re trying to splurge, we now have an entire information to caviar, and you should buy edible gold flakes on Amazon.