They always say that Christmas holidays They are ground to tread safely. In other words: better not to risk it so as not to mess it up on the most important dates of the year… But where is the excitement? And the surprise? There is another option: practice in the days before to leave everyone with their mouths open. And nothing better than doing it from the biggest ones: the Arzakwhose restaurant Relaix & Châteux has three Michelin stars.
He menu that they propose to ‘Cata Mayor’, the gastronomic channel of Prensa Ibérica, from the legendary San Sebastian house creative, but it’s not scary. It is aesthetic as one would expect from Juan Mari and Elena’s cuisine, but also tasty. A accessible luxury that we must be encouraged to replicate with the family.
Nasturtium and muxarra leaves in salad
Ingredients for 4 people)
For the marinated ‘muxarra’
1 ‘muxarra’ (bream) of 600 g
250 ml white wine vinegar
250 ml brandy
2 dl of olive oil 0.4 degrees
1/2 tablespoon grain mustard
Salt
For the cherry mojo
1 ripe tomato
30 g fried almonds
60 g pitted cherries
30 g of soaked bread
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2 tablespoon grain mustard
Salt
ginger powder
For the sweet paprika oil
100 g olive oil
10 g sweet paprika
For the sauce
1 tablespoon passion fruit pulp
1 tablespoon mango pulp
4 tablespoons of virgin olive oil
To decorate
Elaboration
We start with the ‘muxarra’ marinade. Clean the fish and fillet it, removing all its bones. Season and put it in vinegar for 40 minutes. Drain and put it in the brandy for half an hour. Drain again and cover with olive oil for 2 hours. Cut the ‘muxarra’ into cubes and season with the mustard. Reserve.
For the sweet paprika oil, blend the two ingredients and let sit until the oil settles. Reserve.
For the cherry mojo, blanch the tomato slightly and peel. Cut into slices and pass through a hot frying pan with a tablespoon of oil, to remove the raw touch. Mix all the ingredients and blend them thoroughly. Season and give a hint of ginger. Reserve.
To make the sauce, blend all the ingredients. Reserve.
To present, place a spoonful of the cherry mojo on the base of the plate. Spread out and put the ‘muxarra’ on top. On it, place the nasturtium leaves seasoned very lightly with salt and olive oil. Put a few drops of sauce around it and finish with the paprika oil.
Hake with chickpea paints
Ingredients for 4 people)
for the mojo
50 g desalted cod
50 g toasted bread
1/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup olive oil 0.4 degrees
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
Salt
Pepper
For the hake
4 hake loins (about 125 g each)
Salt
For the green sauce
50 g of clams
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
3 tablespoons of olive oil 0.4 degrees
250 ml cold water
5 g wheat flour
Salt
For the yellow paint
30 g toasted almond praline
250 g cooked chickpeas
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 and a half grams of turmeric
Salt
Pepper
For the green paint
1.5 g guarana seeds powder
3 g ground caraway
300 g of the previously prepared green sauce
15 g chive smoothie
Salt
Pepper
powdered ginger
For the red pickles
8 pickled cucumbers
125 ml of water
0.5 g cochineal
1.8 g of ‘kappa’ (vegetable gelling agent)
0.25 g red food coloring
For the black capers
8 pickled capers (with stems)
125 ml of water
2 envelopes of squid ink
1.8 g of ‘kappa’ (vegetable gelling agent)
For the yellow cauliflower
150g cauliflower
125 ml of water
1.8 g of ‘kappa’ (vegetable gelling agent)
1 g turmeric
Elaboration
Prepare the green sauce first. Put in a saucepan with the oil, garlic and half of the chopped parsley. Before they start to brown, add the flour and sauté. Then add the clams. Then moisten with water and cook for approximately 3 minutes. Add the rest of the parsley. Remove the clams and save them for other uses. Reserve.
Prepare the mojo by mixing all the ingredients and blending them. Adjust salt and pepper if necessary. Reserve.
Spread the hake with the mojo and grill the loins without them finishing. Reserve.
Prepare the yellow paint by mixing all the ingredients and bringing them to a boil. Crush and season.
Prepare the green paint by boiling the green sauce with the guarana and caraway seeds. Blend the whole mixture, adding the chive blend at the last moment. Season with salt and pepper and add a touch of ginger. Reserve.
Prepare the red pickles by crushing all the ingredients (except the pickles) and bringing them to a boil. Dip the pickles in the red mixture. Reserve.
Prepare the black capers by grinding all the ingredients (except the capers) and bringing them to a boil. Bathe the capers in the black mixture. Reserve.
Prepare the yellow cauliflower by cutting it into eight beautiful pieces and cooking it lightly in boiling salted water. Drain and cool. Blend and boil the rest of the ingredients. Bathe the pieces in the yellow mixture. Reserve.
To present the plate, ‘paint’ strokes with the green and yellow paints. Arrange the hake on top and accompany it with the red pickles, black capers and yellow cauliflower.
Mini and ‘camu-camu’ oranges
Ingredients for 4 people)
For the orange crispbreads
200 g orange juice
40g sugar
100 g of cava
1/2 vanilla pod
0.5 g of ‘camu-camu’ powder
150 g day-old bread
For the mini oranges
12 kumquats
50 ml of water
100 ml of cava
100g sugar
For the filling of the ‘kumquats’
100 ml orange juice
100g sugar
50 g toasted almonds
25 g orange liqueur
6 yolks
For the ‘camu-camu’ sauce
150 ml liquid cream
50g sugar
1 gram of ‘camu-camu’ powder
To decorate
Diced mango
mint leaves
Elaboration
For the orange crispbreads
Cook all the ingredients except the bread. After boiling, leave to infuse until use.
Remove the crust from the bread and cut into irregular pieces of the same dimensions.
Dip the breadcrumbs into the infusion and let it dry. Store dry until use.
For the mini oranges
Cut the top of the kumquats and empty. Save the cut top part and use its interior for other preparations.
Blanch the kumquats in water three times, always discarding the water. Drain and let cool.
Make a syrup with the water, cava and sugar. Boil for 2 minutes and let cool.
Dip the kumquats in the syrup and let them drain again. Reserve.
For the filling of the ‘kumquats’
Mix and grind the ingredients.
Heat the mixture to 82º without exceeding that temperature. Let cool on ice.
Reserve
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For the ‘camu-camu’ sauce
Mix the ingredients cold and set aside.
To present
Place the pieces of bread on the base of the plate.
On them, arrange the ‘kumquats’ with their filling and covered.
Sauce the dish and finish with the mango cubes and mint leaves.