Chef Claude's Creations Recipes Adapted from Chef Claude Troisgros (Also read about Chef Claude himself) Big Raviole Loup Cajou Light, Light Mango

Big Raviole For the Taro Root Mousseline: 1/2 pound taro root 1/4 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon white truffle oil Salt and pepper to taste Peel and chop taro root into 1/2" cubes. Boil in salted water for 40 minutes or until tender. Drain and immediately purée in a blender with 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Bring remaining cream to a boil and mix with the taro root purée. Add white truffle oil. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to use. For the Sauce: 1/2 pound fresh white mushrooms, cleaned 1 cup water 1 cup heavy cream Salt and pepper to taste Chop mushrooms in blender or food processor along with water until finely minced. Pour mixture into saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a bowl. Squeeze excess water from mushrooms into bowl. Discard mushrooms. Place mushroom water in a saucepan and reduce 80 percent. Add cream. Bring to a boil and whisk vigorously to emulsify (like cappuccino). For the Mushrooms: 1/4 pound chanterelle mushrooms 1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms 1/4 pound oyster mushrooms 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 shallots, minced Salt and pepper Stem and clean mushrooms. Place in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes in salted water. Drain. Sautée mushrooms in butter with shallots. Season to taste. To Assemble: 8 lasagna noodles (4" by 4") 1 lotus root, peeled and cut into thin slices Oil for deep-frying 4 sprigs fresh chives 16 slices black truffle Either make large lasagna noodles using favorite recipe or use freshly purchased noodles. Boil lasagna al dente in salted water. Drain and place on towel. Deep-fry lotus roots. They burn easily, so watch them carefully. Place one lasagna noodle in the middle of each of four large soup plates. Top with taro root mousseline and cover with another lasagna noodle. Place mushrooms on top and cover with the sauce. Garnish with one lotus root chip, a sprig of chives and truffle slices. Serves 4 Back to Recipe List

Loup Cajou 4 sea bass fillets (6 1/2 ounces each) Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 8 fresh hearts of palm, cut in half lengthwise (canned may be used) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped Season fish to taste. Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add olive oil and heat until hot. Add the fillets without crowding. Increase the heat to high and sauté, shaking the pan from time to time until the bottom of the fish is nicely browned, about 3 minutes. Turn and brown the other side. Remove the fillets to a plate and keep warm in the oven. Wipe out the skillet with paper towels. Heat butter in the skillet and sautée hearts of palm until tender (2 to 3 minutes on each side for fresh; 1/2 minute for canned), add garlic and cilantro and sautée a few minutes more. Set aside. For the Sauce: Juice of 2 fresh limes 2 tablespoons soy sauce 51/2 ounces cashew nuts 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons raisins 2 shallots, chopped Salt and crushed peppercorns to taste 2 sticks unsalted butter Combine lime juice, soy sauce, cashews, garlic, raisins and shallots in a bowl. Season to taste. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook slowly, shaking or stirring to ensure even browning and guard against burning. Remove from heat when butter is light brown and releases a nutty aroma. Stir in lime juice/cashew mixture. To Assemble: 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, finely minced Divide sauce between 4 large soup bowls. Place 2 hearts of palm halves 1" apart in the middle of each bowl; crisscross with 2 more hearts of palm 1" apart, to form a base. Place the fish on top. Scatter herbs over fish. Serves 4 Back to Recipe List

Light, Light Mango 1 cup mango purée (fresh or frozen) 1 package unflavored gelatin 4 egg yolks 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons flour 3/4 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar Line six 4-ounce ramekins with plastic wrap. Pour 3 tablespoons mango purée into a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over the top. In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks, granulated sugar and flour together on high speed until thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Next, combine remaining mango purée and gelatin with 6 tablespoons cream in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir for 1 minute to dissolve gelatin. Gradually whisk mango mixture into egg yolk mixture. Scrape the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat (whisking constantly and scraping the bottom and side of the pan) until the custard is thick. Set aside to cool. Beat remaining cream and sugar together until soft peaks form. Gently fold into the mango mixture. Pour into ramekins and refrigerate for 3 hours. For the Mango Salad: 2 fresh mangoes, cut into cubes 1/2 cup mango purée 1/2 cup sugar syrup (boil 1/4 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water for 5 minutes) Juice of 1 fresh lime Chopped mint 2 tablespoons rum Combine all ingredients and marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours. To Serve: Divide mango salad between 6 white salad bowls. Unmold ramekins on top of the salad. Sprinkle confectioners' sugar over the top of the mousse and caramelize with a butane torch. Dust confectioners' sugar over the salad and the plate to give a "snow effect." Serves 6 Back to Recipe List Food Editor Carole Kotkin is a Miami-based writer, cooking instructor and consultant. She recently co-authored Mmmiami – Tempting Tropical Tastes for Home Cooks Everywhere. Wine News BuyLine Panelist Fred Tasker writes a weekly syndicated wine column for The Miami Herald.

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