Once upon a time a shot was just a shot. A plain shot glass filled with straight booze and drunk without ceremony. Oh, how I loved St. Patrick’s Days in the ‘70s, when we’d slurp a shot of Jamesons along with a Coors draft at Aspen’s Little Annie’s Eating House, all the while throwing quarters across the bar, for some reason I don’t recall now and probably didn’t know then either.
But shots and shooters have evolved over the years. Today, it’s more likely to be Jagermeister, Red Bull, Absinthe, jell-o or glitzy Goldschläger in that little glass, and the concoction is more likely to be shaken, stirred, blended or layered instead of simply poured. Moreover, today’s shooter often has no booze involved at all, but rather presents us with a few morsels or sips showing off the chef’s talent and inspiration.
Recently I was blown away by chef Jason Knibb’s Mushroom Latte Shooter at Nine-Ten restaurant in La Jolla, CA. Served in a slim liqueur glass, it was no more than two tablespoons of soup but it packed huge flavor and an unforgettable come-hither aroma. Knibbs calls it a “latte” because of the pouf of creamy, truffle-scented foam on top. This isn’t a shooter to belt back in one gulp, but rather one to sip and savor and hope it will never end.
Here’s the recipe. Knibb doesn’t suggest how many servings it makes, but I’d guess it will serve 6 to 8 people as a first course; more if you’re doing elegant little shooters.
NINE-TEN'S MUSHROOM LATTE “SHOOTER” WITH TRUFFLE FROTH
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 leek, thinly sliced and washed well
3 celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds cremini mushrooms
1 pound maitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves picked from stems
½ Yukon Gold potato, peeled and diced
1 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
For the Truffle Froth
2 cups low-fat milk
1 tablespoon white truffle oil
1 pinch soy lecithin, optional (this helps ingredients bind together…Bob’s Red Mill is a good brand)
Kosher salt
Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a medium size stock pot over medium-low heat. Add onions, leeks, celery and garlic. Stir and season with a teaspoon of kosher salt. Sweat vegetables until tender, about 15 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat to low. Once vegetables are tender, add mushrooms and thyme. Sauté the mushrooms until they begin to wilt and become fragrant. Add potatoes and enough water to barely cover the ingredients.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 20 minutes over low heat. Add cream and remove from burner. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Using a blender, puree soup in batches until smooth. (Be careful when blending hot soups. If the lid is tight and there is not room for steam to escape, the lid will pop off and create a mess.) Once soup is blended, serve immediately or chill and serve later.
To make the Truffle Froth, place milk and truffle oil in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Add the milk mixture and the soy lecithin to a blender and blend for thirty seconds. Season to taste. To re-froth just before serving, use a hand-held emersion blender or blend in the blender again. Skim off the froth from the top of the milk and place on top of soup. Serve immediately.
Comments