After Salad of Curried Lamb Prosciutto and Kentucky Fried Quail here comes third (last ?) helping from Smoke and Pickles, Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen (Artisan Books, Spring 2013) by Brooklyn born, Louisville based chef Edward Lee of 610 Magnolia …
Kimchi
Poutine
This recipe falls under the
category of “everything tastes better with kimchi.” I first had poutine at
Martin Picard’s restaurant Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal, and it has haunted me
ever since. Poutine is a perverse homage to all things fatty and oozy: it is a
plate of french fries topped with melted cheese curds and gravy. Recently
poutine has made its mark stateside in various incarnations. Chef Picard tops
his with foie gras; I timidly drape mine with kimchi.
Serve the poutine with one of
those big bottles of Delirium Tremens by Brouwerij Huyghe.
Feeds 2 or 1 very hungry person
as a snack
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground black
pepper to taste
As many freshly made Crispy
French Fries (page 241) as will fit in a 6-inch cast-iron skillet in a single
layer
½ cup cheese curds (see note)
¼ cup chopped Red Cabbage–Bacon
Kimchi (page 166)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh
flat-leaf parsley
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2.Melt the butter in a 6-inch
skillet. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, over low heat for 3 minutes to
make a roux. Gradually add the cream, chicken stock, and soy sauce, stirring
until smooth. Season the gravy with the cayenne and salt and pepper to taste.
Keep warm until ready to serve.
3. Place the french fries in the
bottom of a 6-inch cast-iron skillet. Sprinkle the cheese curds and kimchi over
them. Heat the skillet in the oven until the cheese is warm and melty, about 5
minutes.
4. Remove the skillet from the
oven and pour the gravy over the fries. Top with the chopped parsley and serve
right away, in the skillet.
NOTE: Cheese curds are the milk
solids from soured milk traditionally used in poutine. They’re hard to find
fresh, so a good melty Havarti or Jack cheese, grated, works just fine.
( Excerpted from Smoke and Pickles by Edward Lee (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2013. Photographs by Grant Cornett.)