Named after the number of years it takes to age Acquerello rice - a unique product in itself as freshly harvested crop is first aged, then refined and slowly re-integrated with its own germ. The Acquarello rice is cooked with shallots and fennel, then vin jaune is added along with a combination of fish and chicken stock, served with shrimp foam and baked Kinmedai.The first stage involves ageing unhusked rice for 7 years in temperature-controlled silos. This long and natural procedure improves the consistency of the grains, resulting in cooked grains that are firmer and more separated than those of traditional rice, with no stickiness to their texture.
Serves 5 portions
Prep time 1 hour
Cook time 20 minutes
Acquerello rice
• 1 fennel bulb, diced
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 1 tsp butter
• 250g Acquerello rice (available from Classic Fine Foods)
• 250ml Vin Jaune wine
• 2 litres fish stock
• 200ml brown butter
• 1 crosne, chopped
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• ½ tsp yoghurt acid
1. In a saucepan, sauté diced fennel bulb and yellow onions in butter until translucent.
2. Add Acquerello rice and Vin Jaune wine. Reduce the wine to half and slowly add the fish stock to the mixture. Stir often.
3. Once the rice is ready to be finished, add brown butter, chopped crosne and stir with a spatula to emulsify.
4. Before serving add the white wine vinegar and yoghurt acid. Do not return to heat after this step, serve immediately.
Shrimp foam
• 500ml thick shrimp stock
• 3 threads of fresh saffron
• 5g lecithin (available from Classic Fine Foods)
1. In a pot, bring all the ingredients to a boil.
2. Remove from heat and use a hand blender to create a foam.
Fish
• 5 Patagonian Toothfish fillets (80g per portion, available from The French Grocer Singapore)
• salt and pepper, to season
• fish stock
• a drizzle of olive oil
• 1 lemon
1. Preheat oven to 175°C.
2. Season Patagonian Toothfish fillets with salt and pepper. Place the fillets on a tray with fish stocl (to retain the moisture), then drizzle with olive oil.
3. Bake for three minutes.
4. As soon as it comes out of the oven, squeeze lemon on top of the fish fillets and finish with salt.
Assembly
• sweet fennel cress
1. On a plate, place the cooked Patagonian Toothfish fillet on top of the Acquerello rice and garnish with sweet fennel cress and shrimp foam.