portrait by Jamie Hogge
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending Nespresso‘s first ever Gastronomy Event held at their Yorkville flagship store in Toronto. The night was hosted by the talented and entertaining, Chef Cory Vitiello, of The Harbord Room and THR & Co. Vitiello shared 3 recipes with Nespresso that he created specifically for the evening – showing all the guests how to cook with Nespresso in new ways. Better yet, we all got to indulge in the 3-course meal to try it first hand! If you are looking for new ways to cook with coffee, consider trying these 3 recipes with Nespresso by Chef Cory Vitiello below:
Summer Salad with NESPRESSO Infused Chickpea Fritters
Salad Ingredients:
1 yellow zucchini, shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
1 bunch trimmed watercress
2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
6 radishes quartered
1 cup peeled and blanched fava beans
1 cup blanched green beans
2 banana peppers, roasted, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup roasted almonds
1 wedge manchego cheese, shaved into wide ribbons with a vegetable peeler
NESPRESSO Chickpea Fritter:
350g chickpea flour
850ml water
150ml Nespresso VertuoLine Voltesso
100ml olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottomed sauce pot over medium heat and stir for 7 minutes until combined and smooth. Pour out on parchment lined baking sheet about 3/4 inch thick and completely cooled. Cut into 1 inch squares and hold refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Romesco Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup almonds
2 canned tomatoes, strained
1/2 cup olive oil
Pinch of saffron
4 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup roasted red peppers
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon crushed chilli flake
Cook all ingredients except the sherry vinegar in a heavy bottomed pan, in a 350° F oven with a lid for 30 minutes. Transfer mixture to a blender with the sherry vinegar and puree until smooth.
To Plate:
Heat a shallow pot with 2 inches of canola oil to 350° F. Using a slotted spoon or mesh hand strainer, gently lower 6 fritters into the oil. Fry, turning occasionally for 4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towel and lightly salt. Toss the vegetables with a small amount of the vinaigrette and garnish with shaved Manchego Cheese and Nespresso Chickpea Fritters.
Dry Aged Strip Loin & Nespresso Braised Beef Cheek with Fresh Corn Pudding, Fava
Beans, Blistered Tomatillo & NESPRESSO Mole sauce
Braised Beef Cheeks:
1kg beef cheeks (alternatively two large Beef Cheeks)
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly crushed
1 small carrot, roughly chopped
1 rib of celery, chopped
1 fresh bay leaf or 2 dried bay leaves
200ml red wine
350ml Nespresso Diavolitto
1/4 cup tomato paste
400ml beef broth
5 tablespoon Mole base
1 piece star anise
1/2 tablespoon salt
Pinch crushed chile flake
Heat medium sized, heavy bottom pot on medium high heat; add a small amount of canola oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Lightly salt beef cheeks and add them to the pot; sear them on all sides until a dark golden brown colour is achieved. Add carrot, onion, garlic, bay leaf, celery; turn the heat to medium and cook the vegetables out until just tender. Add the tomato paste and continue cooking for 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, cover with a lid and transfer into 325° F oven. Let this cook for 1.5 hours, take the lid off and give everything a stir; the beef cheeks will still be tight at this point and the liquid should be around 3/4 of the way up the meat. Place the lid back on and return to the oven for 45 minutes. Take the lid off completely and continue cooking until the beef cheeks are completely tender and the meat begins to pull apart. Remove the beef, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and star anise. Blend the remaining ingredients until smooth and return to the pan over low heat. Using a fork, pull the meat apart and return it to the pan with the cooking liquid. Reserve for saucing the finished plate.
Vegetables:
1 cup blanched and peeled fava beans
6 peeled and halved tomatillos
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 sliced onion
1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
In a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, saute the tomatillos with the onion and olive oil. Once the tomatillos burst and begin to give off their juices, add the garlic and poblano. Once the mixture has cooked down to a slight brown and caramelized state with just a few tablespoons of remaining juices, add the fava beans, season, and reserve for service.
Fresh Corn Pudding
6 ears of fresh sweet corn, kernels removed from the cob
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
Place the raw corn kernels into a blender and puree on high speed for several minutes until you’re left with a fine, perfectly smooth puree. Transfer the corn puree to a small sauce pot and cook on low heat, stirring for several minutes until the natural starches have thickened it into pudding consistency. Stir in the butter and cheese and reserve for plating.
Dry Aged Strip Loin
4 centre cut, dry aged strip loins
Salt and pepper
Generously season your meat on both sides. Pre heat a large cast iron pan over high heat. Add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil and immediately place your steaks in the pan. Sear on both sides until desired doneness is reached.
To Plate:
Spoon the fresh corn pudding down on the base of the plate; place your sliced steak overtop, followed by a few spoonfuls of the vegetable mixture and sauce it with a good amount of the beef cheeks/mole sauce.
image via BlogTO
Caramelized Pineapple Upside Down Cake
1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch rings
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon dark rum
Heat a large 12-14 inch cast iron pan on medium/high heat. Add the butter and cook until it just begins to froth. Add the sugar, rum and cook until just dissolved. Arrange the pineapple slices so they all fit in the pan – it’s okay if they slightly overlap here. Continue cooking until the sugar is caramelized and pineapple softened. Keep everything as is in the pan, with the pineapple evenly laid out on the base – it will be used for baking the cake.
Cake:
1 egg + 1 yolk
4.5oz good olive oil
4oz milk
1oz lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornmeal
90g AP flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Whisk in the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Using a spatula fold your wet ingredients into the dry and mix until combined, being careful not to over-mix. Pour the mixture into the cast iron pan, on top of the pineapple and bake for 30-35 minutes at 370° F until the cake is cooked, but still comes out moist. Let cool for 15 minutes, and invert onto a cake. Plate and serve immediately with coconut ice cream.
Thank you Cory and Nespresso!
Enjoy!!
xo
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