Bryan Voltaggio’s Farmed California White Sturgeon with Cauliflower, Truffle, Romanesco and Yukon Gold Potato Broth

Serves four

Ingredients:

For the Sturgeon

• 4 ea. 4 oz portions of white sturgeon
• (see source)
• 4 tblsp. olive oil
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup salt
• 1.75 oz. sugar
• 1 lemon zested
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 5 black peppercorns
• ½ bay leaf
• ½ garlic clove smashed

Make a brine for the fish with the water, salt, sugar, lemon zest, herbs, and garlic. Bring to a simmer and strain.

Cool the brine then pour over the fish for 10 minutes. Remove the fish and vacuum pack with the olive oil. Preheat an immersion circulator to 57C. Cook the fish for about 12 minutes in the circulator, this depends on the thickness of the fillets.

For the Potatoes

• 24 parisienne cut Yukon Gold
• potatoes (thin slices then cut into pieces)
• ¼ cup clarified butter
• 4 tblsp. whole butter
• ¼ cup vegetable stock

Vacuum pack the potatoes with the clarified butter after seasoning with salt and pepper, Cook in a combi oven set to steam and 190F for twenty minutes or until done. Cool quickly in an ice-water bath.

* Combi oven is a steaming oven. 

For the Potato Broth

• 1 qt remaining potato trim from parisienne cut potatoes
• ¼ cup diced proscuitto
• ½ onion diced
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 qt fish fumet

Add the diced proscuitto to a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Lightly brown the proscuitto add the onion, sweat until translucent. Add the aromatics and the stock. Stew the broth until all flavors have incorporated, strain the stock and reserve. Once it has started to cool, the fat should separate to the top of the broth. Using a spoon or ladle remove that fat and discard.

For the Potato Glass

• 1 peeled Idaho potato cut thin on slicer
• ¼ cup clarified butter

Cut eight potato slices into rectangles 4”X1½”. Season with salt and pepper, brush on clarified butter and place between two layers of parchment paper. Bake at 300F until crisp. Reserve in an airtight container or a dehydrator until ready to plate.

For the Truffle Puree

• 7 oz. vegetable stock
• 7 oz. truffles small diced
• 1.75 oz. minced shallot
• 1 tblsp. canola oil

Sweat the shallots in the oil, add the truffle, sweat for 5 minutes, add the stock, bring to a simmer. Puree and pass through a fine sieve. Reserve seven ounces for the truffle gel.

For the Truffle Gel

• 7 oz. truffle puree (see previous recipe)
• ½ tsp. gellan gum

For the Cauliflower Florets

• 16 purple cauliflower florets, blanched
• 16 white cauliflower florets, blanched
• 16 yellow cauliflower florets, blanched
• 1/4 cup butter fondue

Warm blanched cauliflower in the butter fondue, season with salt and pepper.

For the Cauliflower Puree

• 1 cup diced cauliflower florets
• 1 cup heavy cream
• .5 gr xanthan gum

Heat the cauliflower with the cream. Stew until the cauliflower is tender enough to puree. Place the cauliflower and cream in a high-speed blender, puree with the xanthan gum and pass through a fine sieve, season with salt and pepper.

For the Garnish

• 16 battons of truffle to taste zhatar (combination of thyme, sesame and ground sumac)
• 8 plushes emerald crystal lettuce

Heat the cauliflower with the cream. Stew until the cauliflower is tender enough to puree. Place the cauliflower and cream in a high-speed blender, puree with the xanthan gum and pass through a fine sieve, season with salt and pepper.

For the Sauce

• ¼ cup minced truffle
• 2 tblsp. minced shallot
• 1 sprig thyme
• ¼ bay leaf
• 6 toasted peppercorns
• ¼ cup banyuls vinegar
• ½ cup veal demi glace

Reduce the shallots and truffle with the banyuls by on third. Warm the demi glace and evaporate for 30 minutes, add the aromatics. Skim the sauce while cooking. Strain the sauce and add the banyuls truffle reduction to taste. Add whole butter to the sauce as needed.

Presentation:

Remove the sturgeon from the vacuum bag, place a spoon full of the cauliflower puree on the plate. Scatter the diced truffle gel, cauliflower in butter fondue and romanesco. Place the crystal lettuce and battons of truffle, season the white cauliflower florets with the zhatar. Place the potatoes and the potato glass, spoon the truffle reduction around.