Spanish Summer Dinner

We had some foodie friends around Saturday night for a few dishes I had been dying to make for awhile. I thought all of the food came out pretty well seasoned and tasting good. There were a few presentation surprises that I thought were well-received. All in all, a highly successful evening!

AMUSE BOUCHE: Galician-Style Octopus '95 (from El Bulli)
OCTOPUS IN SAHSIMI
200 g octopus tentacle
200 g coarse salt

OLIVE OIL MASHED POTATO
375 g mashing potatoes
25 g single cream (35% fat)
water
salt
150 g virgin olive oil

OTHERS
virgin olive oil
ground paprika

OCTOPUS
1. Discard any the part of the tentacle which has a diameter of less than 3cm. Freeze to break the fibers.
2. Thaw out at room temperature and wash the tentacle in water. Dry, then cover in coarse salt for 3 hours.
3. Desalt the tentacle and wash it in plenty of cold water.
4. Blanch the tentacle for 3 mins in boiling water and drain.
5. Leave to cool down then wrap in cling film, shaping it into a cylinder. Freeze.
6. Slice the frozen tentacle, 0.2cm thick, in the slicer. Keep in parchment paper. Cut 32 slices of octopus.

MASHED POTATO
1. Peel and unevenly slice the potatoes. Put them in a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil.
2. Drain and strain through a fine mesh strainer.
3. With a beater bind the mash with the hot cream and the cooking water necessary for an acceptable texture. Finish binding with 150 g of olive oil.
4. Salt to taste.
5. Cover well with parchment paper and keep warm.

FINISHING TOUCHES AND PRESENTATION
1. Arrange 8 slices of octopus around the plate in the form of carpaccio. They should not be touching each other. Leave space on the right-hand side of the plate.
2. On the right-hand side, place a hot quenelle of olive oil-flavored mashed potato.
3. Dress each octopus slice with a little virgin olive oil.
4. Garnish the octopus with a sprinkle of paprika.

STARTER: Evolution of the Hot 'Tortilla de Patatas Marc Singla' Foam (from El Bulli)
HOT POTATO FOAM
250 g mashing potatoes
100 g water used to cook the potatoes
125 g single cream (35% fat)
35 g virgin olive oil
1 ½-l ISI foaming canister
2 N2O cartridges
salt

PAN-FRIED ONION
250 g onion
50 g 0.4º olive oil
100 g water
salt

EGG SABAYON
40 g egg yolks
30 g water
salt

YOLKS AUCE
40 g pasteurised egg yolk

FINISH
50 g virgin olive oil

HOT POTATO FOAM
1. Peel, cut and then put the potatoes in salted cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for approximately 20 minutes.
2. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain and keep the water to one side.
3. Put the cooked potatoes and 100 g of the cooking water in the Thermomix at 60 ºC. Blend and gradually add the cream. Repeat the process with the oil until you have a smooth, liquid emulsion. Season with salt.
4. Strain and fill the canister using a funnel.
5. Foam and keep in a bain marie at approx. 70 ºC.

PAN-FRIED ONION
1. Peel the onion, quarter and cut into a thin sticks ("julienne").
2. Stirring continuously, gently fry the onion in the 0.4º olive oil until it is golden brown.
3. Drain off any excess oil and deglaze with a little water. Continue cooking until the water has evaporated. Repeat the operation until the onions have the texture and colour of a caramelised conserve .
4. Season with salt and keep on one side.

EGG SABAYON
1. Put the egg yolks in a bowl, whisk using a hand whisk and drizzle in the boiling water. Beat quickly next to a heat source until it emulsifies.
2. Season with salt.

YOLK SAUCE
1. Sieve the egg yolks and keep in a baster.

FINISH
1. Fill a cocktail glass in the following order:
- a dessertspoon of pan-fried onion, which should be very hot.
- a teaspoon of yolk sauce
- two teaspoons of sabayon.
2. Make sure that the canister with the potato foam is hot. Shake and fill the top to just 1 cm below the rim. Drizzle a ring of virgin olive oil around it.

MAIN: Chicken Mar i Muntanya with Shrimp, Mussels, Green Beans, Piquillo Peppers and Chorizo (from Ad Hoc)

NOTE: This one has a few components!

Chicken Brine (makes enough for 10 pounds of chicken)

5 lemons, halved
24 bay leaf
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch thyme
½ cup clover honey
1 head garlic, halved through the equator
¼ cup black peppercorns
2 cups kosher salt
2 gallons water

Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot, cover and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and cool completely, then chill before using. The brine can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Saffron Rice
¼ cup canola oil
¾ cup onion, finely chopped (cut just smaller than a grain of rice)
kosher salt
1 teaspoon saffron
2 cups Calasparra or other short-grain rice
2 ¾-3 ½ cups CHICKEN STOCK or VEGETABLE STOCK

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and season with a sprinkling of salt. Reduce the heat and cook gently for 3 minutes. Add the saffron. Reduce the heat to very low, and cook for another 2 minutes; do not brown the onions and saffron. Add the rice and cook over medium heat, stirring often, to toast the rice for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add 2 1/2 cups of the stock, stir once, scraping the sides of the pan if necessary, and cover with a parchment lid (see page 120). Bring the stock to a simmer and simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary, for about 8 minutes, until most of the stock has been absorbed. The rice will still be firm. Gently stir the rice, scraping it up from the bottom, and reduce the heat to very low. Add an additional 1/4 cup of stock, cover with the lid, increase the heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 3 minutes, until the stock is absorbed. Taste the rice and, if necessary, continue cooking, adding up to 3/4 cup more stock 1/4 cup at a time, as necessary, until the rice is almost tender and the final addition of liquid is almost absorbed. Turn the heat to low to allow the rice to absorb the remaining liquid, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and keep warm.

Chicken Mar i Muntanya with Shrimp, Mussels, Green Beans, Piquillo Peppers and Chorizo

4 pound chicken
½ recipe CHICKEN BRINE
12 extra-large shrimp, shells on
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
piment d'esplette
canola oil
SAFFRON RICE, warm
3 piquillo peppers, cut lengthwise in 1/4"-wide strips
1 cup thin green beans, blanched
½ cup CHICKEN STOCK, warm
1 Spanish chorizo, cut in 1/4" slices
¼ cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
18 small mussels
parsley leaves
fleur de sel

Cut the chicken into 10 pieces.

Pour the brine into a container large enough to hold the chicken, add the chicken, and refrigerate for about 12 hours (no longer or the chicken may become too salty).

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse under cold water, removing any herbs or spices sticking to the skin. Pat dry with paper towels, or let air-dry. Set aside.

Without removing the shells, using a small pair of scissors or a paring knife, make a shallow cut down the back of each shrimp from head to tail. Gently open up the shrimp and, with your fingers or the paring knife, remove the vein. Rinse the shrimp under cold water.

Combine 4 cups of water and 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons salt in a medium bowl and stir to dissolve the salt. Add the shrimp to the brine and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Remove from the brine, rinse and drain on paper towels.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and a sprinkling of Espelette. Heat some canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the dark meat skin-side-down, lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the skin is a rich golden brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. (If you turn the chicken too early, more moisture will be released from the meat and you will not get the crisp caramelized surface you are looking for.) Turn the pieces and brown for another 6 minutes, or until golden brown on the second side. Remove from the heat, transfer the dark meat to a plate, and set aside.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and add more oil as needed. Add the breasts skin-side-down and cook until the skin is crisp and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, until almost cooked through. Remove from the heat.

Spread the rice in the bottom of a large heatproof serving dish or baking dish. Arrange half of the piquillo peppers and half the green beans over the rice. Tuck the dark meat and the breasts into the rice, pour the stock over the ingredients, and put the dish into the oven.

Heat some oil over medium heat in a frying pan large enough to hold the mussels in one layer. Add the chorizo and cook until browned and crisp on the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the chorizo to a plate and pour off the excess fat, leaving just a coating in the pan. Ad the shrimp to the pan and saute until just cooked through, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the shrimp to a plate.

Add the wine to the pan, bring to a boil, and boil for 30 seconds. Add the mussels, cove the pan and cook until the mussels have opened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Arrange the chorizo, shrimp and mussels in the baking dish; set aside in a warm spot.

Return the frying pan to the heat, add the remaining peppers and green beans, and heat through. Arrange them over the chicken and shellfish, garnish with parsley leaves and sprinkle with fleur de sel.

DESSERT: Crema Catalana (from Mediterranean Escapes)

300 ml single cream
300 ml full-cream milk
Finely grated zest 1/2 orange
Finely grated zest 1/2 large lemon
7.S-em piece cinnamon stick, broken in half
4 large egg yolks
75 g caster sugar, plus 4 tablespoons
2 tablespoons cornflour

Bring the cream, milk, orange zest, lemon zest and the cinnamon stick halves to the boil in a non-stick pan. Set aside for 1 hour for the milk to become infused with the flavorings.

Put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the 75 g sugar and beat with a hand-held electric mixer until pale and creamy. Beat in the cornflour.

Bring the milk back to the boil and strain into a jug. Mix a few tablespoons into the egg yolk mixture to loosen it slightly, then stir in the remainder.

Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over a low heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring all the time, until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of the wooden spoon. But don't let the mixture boil.

Pour the mixture into 4 wide shallow dishes (terracotta if possible), measuring about 12 cm across. Leave to cool, then chill for 4-6 hours, or overnight. Shortly before serving, sprinkle the surface of each custard with 1 tablespoon of the remaining sugar and caramelize under a hot grill or with a blowtorch. Serve immediately - the sugar will only stay hard for about 30 minutes.