The idea for this particular slider all started while thinking about one of my favorite winter time dishes. I've had all kinds of different versions of shepherd’s pie made with venison, bison, or any other variety of meat topped with cauliflower puree, parsnip mash, or any other kind of root vegetable. I had never realized shepherds corralled so many other species of animals besides lamb:) For our slider we decided to go the more traditional route. Now you may be reading this and thinking to yourself, did this guy just call a shepherd’s pie with aerated potato puree traditional? Well, you didn't let me finish. I'm talking traditional only in the sense that we are using lamb, carrots, peas, and potatoes. We started off with our meat layer by picking up some incredible looking lamb shanks at Central Market. We grabbed some red wine, onion, carrots, celery, thyme, bay leaves, stock, and a can of tomatoes to use in our braising liquid. 60 minutes on high pressure and we were shredding amazingly tender and flavor packed lamb. In our vegetable layer we decided on using dehydrated peas and carrots to add a bit of texture as well as add layers of concentrated flavor. Once we decided to use dehydrated peas, wasabi peas seemed like a logical yet more interesting choice allowing us to not only add a slightly spicy horseradish note, but to do so in a way where the horseradish flavor isn't released until you eat a bite that contains one of the peas. In lieu of the standard potato topping we modernized this version of shepherd’s pie by pressure cooking some potatoes, and then processing milk, butter, and a parmesan rind. The potatoes get riced and the strained parmesan milk gets added along with enough water to reach the correct consistency. This mixture gets funneled into an ISI gourmet whip and pressurized with a couple nitrous cartridges. We hope everyone will enjoy this special cold weather addition to the menu while it lasts.
This slider's inspiration came in the form of an ingredient at its seasonal peak. This abundance of winter squashes paired with our revived love for fritters based upon the recent success with our clam fritter special from the previous post, we started picking flavors. For the fritter we start by simmering small diced butternut squash in milk and then quickly chilling as soon as the butternut squash has become tender. To this mixture we add a beaten egg, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. It's a basic fritter base whose milk has been infused with butternut squash. The planks you see pictured below the fritter are planks of pickled butternut squash. We pickled it in apple cider vinegar to re-enforce the second flavor we picked for this special. The julienne of dried apple is also added to reinforce the fine flavor affinity of butternut squash and apples. Now that we have some a variety of flavor and texture what can we add to highlight it? We chose pumpkin pie spice and Greek yogurt. Although the name doesn’t necessarily imply, this mixture of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger (a.k.a. pumpkin pie spice), pairs wonderfully with both butternut squash and apples. But what is a pumpkin really? A winter squash of course. We went with Greek yogurt for its slight tanginess and lightness to keep this fritter from weighing you down. This seasonal slider is definitely a fun way to eat your fruit and veggies.
The Jalapeno Relleno slider actually conspired while watching a special on how cans of cranberry sauce were made and processed. Now our cranberry gastrique is definitely a far cry from what plops out of the can and onto your Christmas table often being carried into the dining room with ridges still intact. The decision of using cranberries led to the decision that some local goat cheese was what was called for to compliment. We also wanted to add some spice. This came in the form of our delivery vehicle for the cheese. A jalapeno. We wanted to be able to combat some of the heat of the jalapeno so we chose to mix a little organic cream cheese in with the TX goat cheese. In order to add a little more depth of flavor we went with another of our guilty pleasures during winter. Dark Beer. Since we are in Texas Shiner Bock seemed the most logical choice. The bed of fresh cut cool iceberg is there to provide a little more crunch and cooling effect. Come on down to sixth street and try a taste of Texas while this gourmet slider remains on the menu.
