recipes
Sea Urchins Chinese Artichokes
Coco
serves 4
serves 4
ingredients
18 sea urchins
5 ounces Chinese artichokes
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
5 ounces butter
1 teaspoon of cream
Cut the ends off the Chinese artichokes. Clean the artichokes by placing them in a dishtowel with some coarse
gray sea salt, twisting the ends of the towel closed and
rubbing towel briskly. Wash and drain the artichokes.
Place them into a pot and add water to barely cover.
Add 1 ounce of butter and salt to taste. Bring to boil and
cook until water has evaporated. Artichokes should no
longer be crisp. Set aside and keep warm.
Open the sea urchins with scissors, reserving the coral
and water. Combine the coral from two sea urchins with
the remaining butter. Blend the mixture until it reaches a
smooth, even texture.
ingredients
perles du Japon
2 ounces of water
1 ounces perles du Japon*
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 ounce of whole milk
Cook the perles du Japon in water. Drain through
cheesecloth. Pour the milk and coconut milk into a pan
with the perles and cook for 10 minutes over a very low
flame. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
*perles du Japon is a round cereal made from cassava
flour, similar to tapioca, which can be used in its place
Tuile topping:
2 ounces confectioner’s sugar
1/2 ounce flour
1/2 ounce grated coconut
2 tablespoons coconut milk
1 ounce butter, softened
Warm the sea urchins in part of their water – just enough
to cover. Bring the remainder of the sea urchin water
to a boil along with the cream. Gradually add the butter mixture, stirring regularly with a whisk. Add the lemon
juice and season to taste with pepper.
Drain the sea urchins, place them into a dish with the
artichokes and drizzle the sauce mixture over them.
A few spinach leaves can also be added to the dish,
blanched and sautéed in butter.
Warming seafood heightens its flavor. The use of Chinese
artichokes helps neutralize saltiness, while preserving the
initial taste of the sea urchins.
Preheat oven to 320º F. Whisk the confectioner’s sugar,
flour and grated coconut together in a bowl. Whisk in
coconut milk and melted butter. Spread out the mixture into an even layer on a non-stick baking sheet and
place in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove mixture from
oven and set aside to cool. When cooled completely,
break up into serving sized pieces and store in an airtight
container.
Coconut julienne:
2 Thai coconuts
Cut the coconuts in half, reserving the water inside for
the granita (recipe below). Remove the flesh from the
coconuts and cut into a fine julienne.
Granita:
Pour the coconut water into a freezer-safe container
and place it in a freezer. Every half hour or so, scrape
the surface with a fork, gradually bringing to the consistency of a firm slush.
To serve, spoon the perles du Japon onto a plate. Then
add the tuile topping and top with the julienne and the
granita.
