Ginger ale:
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbl spoon fresh grated Ginger on a microplane
Juice of one lemon
250 ml of Sazarac Rye
750 ml filtered 190 degree water

Combine all ingredients in metal bowl and stir. Let sit for 2 hours until cool. Strain through cheescloth placed in a funnel.

Pour half the mix into a 1liter soda siphon, screw top on tight and charge with 2 co2 chargers.

Absinthe foam:
2 gelatin sheets 9×2 3/4 inches
1/2 cup 10x confectioners sugar
4oz Absinthe
2oz emulsified egg whites

Chill an empty ISA cream canister.
In a saucepan take 10oz of filtered water and place over low heat.

Bloom the gelatin sheets in ice and h2o for 5 minutes. Add to hot water. Stir.

Add sugar. Stir.

Cool.
Add absinthe, egg whites. Stir.

Strain through a chinois into metal bowl. Chill.

Pour into ISA canister screw top on and charge twice with no2 chargers.

To construct drink:
Place Ginger soda siphon in a warm water bath for 10 minutes.
Spray 2 1/2 oz of ginger mix in a polished martini glass.
Top with a thin covering of absinthe foam. About 1 1/2 ounce.

Yield: 16 drinks.

Cheers!

Neil C. Dundee

In planning the menus for VOLT, I have come to the conclusion that developing a A’la Carte menu should have more options than just your typical first course and main course headings. I also believe that dessert should be included in the presentation of the menu. Dessert is apart of the meal. Dessert sometimes is treated as an afterthought. Furthermore when I dine, I appreciate the opportunity to try many different flavors and techniques. It is not so often a Chef is on the receiving end of the dining experience, so I enjoy tasting menus, middle course options, and dessert when ever I can. So this scallop dish is an example of the planning for the menu, and it would appear in the second course portion of the A’la Carte menu. As we move forward in menu development and planning, also once our kitchen is close to completion we will post dishes that will be apart of the first menu at VOLT.

Sea Scallops with lemongrass and soy fondue, garlic root, dehydrated shiitake mushrooms 

Procedure:

For the shiitakes they can be dehydrated in a dehydrator at 95F for 12 hours or you can fry them in 280 F oil until crisp if there is not a dehydrator

Mix the toasted sesame, powdered miso, salt, and toasted seaweed with a mortar/pestle, set aside

Bloom the gelatin in ice water

Heat the coconut milk to a simmer. Season with white pepper and salt, add the agar-agar, bring to simmer again and stir for 5 minutes

Add the coconut milk to a blender and puree with the gelatin, puree smooth and pour onto a 18”X12” sheet tray and let it set under refrigeration. 

Once cold using a pickle slicer cut into long julienne to resemble vermicelli, keep cold

Combine the soy, mirin, lemongrass, scallion, ginger, lime leaf, and balsamic vinegar in a 1 qt saucepot, reduce by half

Whisk in the cold butter until incorporated one cube at a time, strain the solids and keep the sauce warm

To sear the scallops heat the coconut butter until it almost comes to the smoke point. Sear the scallops and cook on both sides until it is cooked but slightly underdone

Heat the brunoise with the butter fondue and serve over the scallop.  

Sources:

Garlic Root:The Chef’s Garden™, Inc
9009 Huron-Avery Rd.
Huron, Ohio 44839
800-289-4644

Scallops:Prawn Corp of America
700-76 Broadway - Suite 323
Westwood, NJ 07675
Tel: 201-391-9540
Fax: 201-391-9560
www.prawnco.com