The Chef: Ben Sheagren (Hopleaf)The Challenger: Ray Stanis (Nellcote)The Ingredient: Coffee
They also react differently to cooking. “Bitterness in beer tends to be accentuated,” Sheagren said. With coffee, “you’re going to have the same level of bitterness. It’s a fairly predictable ingredient.”
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Not surprisingly, Sheagren ended up using beer as well as coffee—Red Eye coffee porter from Two Brothers. It seemed like a natural pairing to him. In fact, he thinks there’s a beer appropriate for almost any dish, “whether it be the lightest, brightest vinaigrette-type application or the deepest, richest, darkest demiglace. There’s a flavor profile that’s going to work.”
Despite all the applications of coffee in the dish, the coffee flavor was relatively mild. “I’m pleasantly surprised that the bitterness of the coffee didn’t transcend every other element on the plate,” Sheagren said. “You get it a lot more from the aroma. You experience more of the scent than you do on the palate. The nose is a much more forgiving experiencer of flavor, so to speak, than the tongue.”
Bring water, salt, and molasses to a boil, add coffee, turn off heat. Let steep for five minutes, strain, cool. Put lamb in brine for 12 hours, remove, dry thoroughly.
Lamb trimmings ½ cup veal demi 1 bottle Two Brothers Red-Eye coffee porter 6 cups lamb or beef stock 1 large yellow onion 2 medium carrots 3 stalks celery 1 cup fresh cherries 2 sprigs parsley 2 bay leaves 1 cup Intelligensia Hopleaf Blend espresso beans 1 T whole black peppercorns
Braised fennel and pears
