Don’t be fooled! (even though yesterday was April 1st). This is actually a dessert prepared by Ernst Knam at the “Cibo a Regola d’Arte” event yesterday in Milan. The fish shape on top is actually an dessicated anchovy! And the creamy white part contains pureed topinambur and white chocolate with a dark chocolate bottom layer. Who would ever imagine combining these ingredients to create this incredible “experience” in taste. I actually tasted his recipe and it was surprisingly delicious…the flavours melded together perfectly and the anchovy was so thin and crunchy that it practically evaporated in your mouth leaving you with only a reminder of the sea. Sorry, I can’t give you the recipe…I took lots of notes but it would be too complicated to make, although I’m inspired to make something similar especially using the topanimbur (but not the anchovy!…..maybe a dash of a special sea salt who knows). Anyway I’ll post it if it turns out!
Above are the main ingredients of both the surprising desserts that we tasted. The other confection was actually an egg yolk on a spoon, which seemed raw but had been cooked for two hours at 58deg.C. Ernst Knam demonstrated how to remove part of the yolk with a syringe and replace it with a special chocolate sauce with dried anchovy powder. The eggs are organic and come from white Leghorn (Livornese) hens which are fed goat’s milk and muesli!
I have to say the flavor wasn’t very sweet, maybe for the speck of sea salt on the top even though there was a small meringue on the tip (made with sauerkraut juice and dried capers – no egg!) It was unusual but pleasant. I would suggest it more as an energetic and elegant breakfast item.
The “Agora” auditorium at the UniCredit bldg. where this event took place.
View from a window of the auditorium. You can see the beautiful “Bosco Verticale” residential tower considered the most beautiful modern building in the world.
With Ernst Knam