With temperatures below freezing today, my first impulse was to share the Lime and Banana Ravioli recipe from D.O.M, Rediscovering Brazilian ingredients (Phaidon Press, September 2013) by chef Alex Atala of D.O.M restaurant in Sao Paulo.
On second thoughts, I went for his recipe with Cupuacu.
Here’s Alex Atala’s introduction to Cupuacu:
“Of all the strange, characterful fruit in Brazil, the most interesting one may be cupuacu, an ancestor of cocoa. Exotic, full of character and somewhat strange, it is a hard, thick-skinned fruit with a flavor and aroma reminiscent of chemicals such as ether, but a sweetness and texture that bring it back to the edible universe.”
Oyster with cupuaçu
Serves 4
Ingredients
Cupuaçu sorbet
- 150 g caster (superfine) sugar
- 2 teaspoons liquid glucose
- 100 g cupuaçu pulp (see page 228)
- juice of 1 lime
Mango crispies
- ½ vanilla pod
- 150 g fresh mango
- 44 g glucose
Oysters
- 4 medium oysters
Preparation
Cupuaçu sorbet
- Place the sugar and glucose in a pan with 150 ml water and stir over lown heat to dissolve.
- Heat to 110°C/230°F and maintain at this temperature until a syrup is formed.
- Incorporate the Cupuaçu pulp and set aside to cool.
- Stir in the lime juice and transfer to a pacojet just before serving.
Mango crispies
- Preheat the oven to 130C/ 265F and place a Silpat on a baking sheet.
- Slit the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds
- Blend the seeds with the mango in a blender and pass the mixture through a sieve (strainer) in a clean bowl.
- Place the glucose in a pan and melt over low heat, then incorporate into the mango and vanilla mixture.
- Pour this mixture onto the Silpat in a very thin layer and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until crunchy.
- Set aside in a cool, dry place.
Oysters
- Shuck the oysters and drain the liquor.
- Return the oysters to their shells
Finish and Presentation
- 10 ml bourbon
- Black salt
- 4 clover sprouts
- Place one oyster in its shell on a plate.
- Pour 2.5 ml whiskey over the oyster.
- Place a small quenelle of the sorbet next to the oyster and decorate with a mango crispy.
- Finish with a few grains of black salt and a clover sprout.
In Shots! Oyster, cupuaçu and dried mango ( BRND.ws Immigrant Enterpreneur, Oct 20, 2013) Bernardo offers a photo of what seems like an alternate version taken at D.O.M.
(*Reproduced with permission from D.O.M, Rediscovering Brazilian ingredients by Alex Atala -Phaidon Press, September 2013- Photography by Sergio Coimbra)