Washington - He was a Venetian painter, but Vittore Carpaccio’s name also pops up on restaurant menus. The plates are often works of art, too.
The name is invoked because it is said that about a half-century ago, the particular hue of Carpaccio’s red temperas inspired Harry’s Bar in Venice to so label its dish of raw beef, presented translucently thin and sauced.
The concept of carpaccio now includes just about anything that can take a gentle flattening – and thanks to molecular food science, liquids and powders, can be rendered into a delicate mass that measures only a whisper above the surface.
Restaurant chefs start with a sharp knife, but they also use plastic wrap, rolling pins, ring moulds, meat pounders and the intimidating French mandoline in service of stunning carpaccio presentations, often starters.
Borrowing a few chefs’ cues, home cooks blessed with a good eye – for creating or copying – can turn out dazzling carpaccios with vegetables, fruits, seafood or the classic beef.
Here’s what you need:
The right tools: A sharp and flexible fillet knife, a rolling pin, plastic wrap are musts; a manageable mandoline and ring moulds are optional.
Foods that can be sliced thin enough to be at least a little translucent are preferable. Refrigerating and/or freezing them briefly beforehand makes for cleaner cuts.
When to slice, and when to slice, then pound? If the food will hold up as slices on the plate, knife work or a mandoline will do the trick.
If the food is fairly soft and you’d like to present it as a mass on the plate, then you’ll want to first slice it thin, then pound between sheets of plastic wrap.
Flavour affinities: Think in terms of deconstructing dishes you like. A soft base of avocado with supremes of grapefruit on top. Salmon, capers and slivers of red onion. Zucchini, tomatoes and mint.
Garnishes (not optional): They’ll make or break the presentation. Some type of sauce is required, but it can be something as light as a drizzle of lavender honey or blueberry syrup for a dessert carpaccio. Dried fruits, fresh herbs, edible flowers, sugar-coated fennel seeds and nuts provide a textural counterpoint.
Advance prep: When you start with the freshest, best-quality ingredients, even delicate seafood carpaccios can hold overnight in the refrigerator. Plastic wrap and proper storage are key. Cut/pound/ roll/wrap separate components on baking sheets and refrigerate until it’s time to assemble.
When you have a particularly delicate or soft substance, like lobster or some pounded avocado, keep it between layers of plastic wrap until you’re ready to plate. Then remove the top layer, invert carefully and peel off the remaining plastic wrap before you add the garnishes and sauce.
Leftover finesse: Be sure to keep the bits you don’t use under plastic wrap and refrigerated. A blender or food processor can turn any carpaccio’ed fare into smoothies or gazpacho-like soups.
Master inspiration: Build on the colours and patterns at the organic market. If words such as “white space” and “composition” were ever pertinent, now’s the time to make them count. Precision is attainable, with an X-Acto blade and dried fruit rolls.
Bonnie S Benwick, Washington Post