I first began making coursed after a couple events doing gigantic dishes for large groups of friends. Giant burritos, sundaes, nachos, sushirittos, fries. You name it and I did it (because who doesn’t love ridiculously sized food). But I wouldn’t be cooking if I was doing the same type of thing over and over again, so eventually it came time for a change.
I had grown enamored with the idea of doing a multi-coursed meal after seeing them in videos. Making small, detailed creations that culminate in an overarching dining experience spanning several courses just looks and feels like the apex of culinary creativity. So I embarked on this journey with a group of friends that helped me organize the aforementioned gigantic food meals. A group we endearingly called “staff”, thus giving rise to our first “staff dinner.”
My decisions for the courses were relatively straightforward. The basic thought process was to create dishes by combining ideas, processes, and ingredients I enjoyed across prior meals. All this would result in innovations on known mediums that were relatively familiar, yet distinct. Much of these early creations were also highly Asian in influence, so akin to a unique Asian fusion. Be warned that these pictures were from much more inexperienced times in late 2013 so they don’t look anywhere near the quality of something you’d see ten iterations in.
Up first was my take on the seafood shot. A staple in omakase dinners I had at the time. Oyster, salmon roe, sea urchin, and lemon rind in a glass rounded up by lightly diluted soy with a touch of sugar. The idea was to emulate each component being lightly seasoned with soy, eaten at the same time, and having all those strong sea flavors be tempered by a touch of sweetness coupled with citric bitterness coming from the rind.
Next was a salad appetizer. Given the smaller nature of these dishes, I chose the most commonly used salad type appetizer, caprese. The dish needed a unique spin on it, so I blended some hoisin with some balsamic to create a sweeter sauce that accented the tomatoes while still complementing the basil and mozzarella. All this resulted in a familiar take on the classic Italian combination, but with a strong tug of Chinese flair.
The third course would be the most memorable creation of the night. I had loved the curry creamed corn I had multiple times at Tokyo Fried Chicken Co and knew I wanted to take that dish further. Packaging all of it in a crispy layer seemed like the best way to bring a nice textural contrast, so I decided on filling a fried wonton with the mixture. In my mind, I felt like sauce was necessary to tie the whole thing together. Being that it reminded me of takoyaki, it was only natural that I topped with takoyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, and green onion. Reaching beyond its components, the overall package was compact and pleasing as the toppings would bring to mind takoyaki, while the filling would bring to mind a Japanese Southern experience. With each bite, strong notes of creamy curry would come bursting out of the crunchy wonton as granules of corn burst with sweetness.
Following the wontons was the main course, the salmon patty sliders. Burgers are an iconic staple of heartiness and filled with so much possibilities given their versatility. A slider was the smaller version of burgers that would fit more neatly into this coursed format. I settled on salmon skin being the centerpiece as it was a tasty, cheap part of the fish that I had been enjoying throughout my college days. To amplify the richness of the fish, I formed a patty that combined the fish with crispy bacon using egg. Completing the slider was provolone cheese to bring the creaminess, seaweed salad representing the greens, and a touch of sriracha to add some heat as the sauce of the dish. All this was contained by a sweet Hawaiian roll. With each bite, the crunchy multi-meat patty would be accented with the salt of seaweed , balanced by creamy cheese, spiced by the sriracha, and finished with the starchy, sweetness of the roll.
Ending the meal was a combination of things I loved the most. Brownies, ice cream, and fried things. In typical fashion, I had decided I wanted it all. So I got vanilla ice cream, wrapped it in a rich, dark chocolate brownie, and fried it in tempura batter (sometimes simplicity really is the answer). Given my inexperience with frying ice cream and making tempura, the result was the monstrosity you see here. Airy tempura meets dense brownie with a cold creamy filling. A bit crude, but you can’t go wrong with this.
And that concluded the first chapter on my journey of making coursed meals. I had completed the challenge I set for myself, and looked forward to improving on my ability to deliver within the format. It was rough around the edges, but true to my desire to make new things I wanted to eat based on dishes I have enjoyed. Next up was to create a multi-coursed meal that would be unified under a theme.
Epicurean Experience 