Course Four: Twenty-Four Hours for One Dish?!
The fourth course featured beef cheek that had been slowly roasted for an incredible 24 hours. Yes, you read that correctly. Twenty-four hours!
Beef cheek comes from a muscle that does a lot of work when a cow chews. That means it contains connective tissue, which can become wonderfully tender through long, slow cooking.
The beef was finished with black pepper and black garlic glaze. Black garlic is regular garlic that has been transformed through controlled heat and humidity, developing a darker color and a sweeter, deeper flavor.
And instead of ordinary mashed potatoes, the chef served wasabi potato purée. Wasabi brings a sharp, nose-tingling flavor often associated with Japanese cuisine. Add roasted shallots, marinated mustard seeds and buttery corn, and suddenly you've got a dish combining deep, rich flavors with sharp, sweet and tangy accents.
One plate, so many different ideas. And after 24 hours of cooking? Y'all, somebody in that kitchen was locked in!
Course Five: When Dessert Meets FIRE!
Just when I thought the meal couldn't get any more interesting, dessert arrived.
It was crème brûlée, a French-style custard dessert famous for its silky center and thin, crunchy layer of caramelized sugar. But this version was made with browned butter and tonka beans.
First, browned butter. When butter is gently heated, its milk solids begin turning golden brown, developing a wonderful toasted, nutty aroma. Chefs use it to add extra depth to both sweet and savory dishes.
