LA Mag’s Island-Style Cookoff: Mark Gold

Today’s entry comes from Eva Restaurant’s Mark Gold. Visit Eva to try this intriguing dish or try your hand in the kitchen! Then don’t forget to vote to send two of these chefs to the Island-Style Cookoff next Wednesday! Tickets are still available for the big event!

Roasted Foie Gras with Sushi Rice, Tea Smoked Plum and Grated Yuzu

Sushi Rice  (almost 4 cups)

• 1 ½ cups Japanese short grain rice
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 sheet 1 ¾” kombu
• 4 tbs sushi vinegar

Wash the rice in cold water 3 times. Let the rice drain in a chinois for at least 30 min prior to cooking. Combine the rice, water and the kombu in a rice cooker and steam until the rice is cooked.

Let the rice rest for 10 minutes then transfer to a wooden Japanese rice tub, or something shallow and wide if unavailable. Spread the rice out thin, and pour the sushi vinegar over the rice, stirring with a wooden paddle, with a gentle motion. Do not over stir, or the rice will become too sticky. Cover with a wet cloth and leave at room temp.

Foie Gras  (8 portions)

• 8 oz duck foie gras (room temperature) , sliced into 1 ounce portions
• Yuzu kusho (Japanese market)
• Smoked soy sauce
• Sudachi or yuzu (Japanese citus)
• Tea smoked plum (specialty store)
• Salt and pepper

Season the foie gras with salt and pepper and sauté in a very hot, dry sauté pan for approximately 1 minute on each side. Remove and set on a c fold towel to drain excess fat.

Take a good table spoon of the sushi rice and form into the shape of a rectangle. Place a pinch of the yuzu kosho on the rice. Take the roasted foie gras and place on top of the rice and drizzle a little smoked soy over the foie gras. Proceed with placing a small amount of the tea smoked plum on the foie gras and garnish with the zest of the sudachi.

Sushi Vinegar

• 7 oz Japanese vinegar
• 2 tbs sea salt
• 1 tbs mirin
• 9 tbs of granulated sugar
• 1 ½ inch square of kombu

Combine the 5 ounces vinegar, salt, mirin and sugar in a non reactive saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from the heat and add the kombu. Once cool, add the remaining vinegar.

Mahalo!