Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Panisse

No, not Chez Panisse, sorry Alice Waters this entry is not about you.

Google Panisse, I dare you. You'll get plenty of entries on Ms. Waters and her California restaurant but I challenge you to find out what Panisse really is.

Well, I got the pleasure of learning about Panisse from my chef Patrick Sheerin and now I'm completely enamoured with the treat.

So, what is Panisse? Its a dish that originated in the South of France. Its described by some as a pancake, a custard-like substance, even a cake. Really, it is none of those things. Panisse is simple, chickpea flour, olive oil, vegetable stock, and salt. In France it is used as a snack. Often dusted with sugar and served to children. I can't imagine it tasting great but I've never had it served this way either.

Why is Panisse great? Lots of reasons! First, the flavor is excellent. If you use finely milled chickpea flour the result will be a creamy, custardy treat on the inside of a crispy fried outside. Secondly, its a gluten free snack or side dish. At the restaurant we serve a fried bit of panisse instead of a starch with an entree. This is something to keep in mind if you have friends or family who can't eat gluten. Next, its a bit of a challenge to make and it is one of those dishes that makes you swell with a little bit of pride when you finally get it right. And finally, panisse can be manipulated and experimented with to even further enhance the flavor as you will see below.

Our first attempt at panisse was a bit of an experiment. Chef had never made one before, I had not even heard of panisse nor had our executive sous. Already we were off to great start. Pat's vision was to make a panisse that had the flavor of fennel and it was my mission to make it happen. I started by infusing the vegetable stock with lots of fennel and then went to work cooking the panisse. After a few tries we finally got the desired result. Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside.

This month Patrick presented me with a new challenge. Make a butternut squash panisse. Fennel now seemed easy... See, squash is starchy and that changes everything. So, I set off on another panisse challenge. First, I juiced the squashes (terrible yield just for the record). I let the juice sit for an hour or two and then strained it through a fine mesh chinois. I figured that would eliminate some of my unwanted starch. I cooked the panisse, fried it, and let me tell you it was awful. Starchy and heavy and coated your teeth with orange goop. Fail.

I thought about it over night and came back to work with a plan. I juiced more squash and let it sit for an hour. I strained it. Let it sit for an hour. Strained it. Let it sit once more and strained it. Then, into the cooler it went to sit over night. The result of all this sitting and waiting and straining was a much less starchy juice. The amount of starch that settled to the bottom was startling. I guess I never knew how starchy a butternut really is.

So, with my strained, and strained, and strained, and strained again juice I then cut it with 20% vegetable stock and cooked the panisse just as I had before. The result this time? Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside and just the right amount of squash flavor. Success! And a pain in my ass. But, this is really one of those dishes that gives you such a sense of pride.

So, now I'm sure everyone wants to run home and make a panisse for themselves so I'll tell you how. First and foremost, TAKE YOUR TIME. If you mess it up the first time thats okay. It will take a few tries to get it just right. Secondly, WORK QUICKLY. Yes, I completely contradicted myself but I mean it. Once you start cooking the panisse you have to work quickly. Make sure all your mise en place is ready otherwise the panisse will set up in the pan and you will be cursing my name.

For a traditional Panisse you will need:
1000 grams vegetable stock
400 grams chick pea flour
200 grams olive oil
salt to taste

Wisk this mixture together off the heat until there are no lumps. Now, you need to get your pan ready to pour the finished panisse into. Use a 1/4 sheet pan or an 8x8 pan. Spray the pan very well with cooking spray. Put a greased spatula (an offset works best but a flat metal icing spat is okay too) next to the pan and make sure it is close to where you will be cooking the panisse.

Then, over medium heat in a heavy bottomed stainless pan begin whisking. DO NOT use an aluminum pan or you turn your panisse grey. DO NOT stop whisking. At first, not much will be going on but if you quit whisking the mixture will begin to stick to the bottom of the pan and you will not be happy.

Once the mixture starts to boil it will come together quite quickly. Don't worry if it starts to appear to get lumpy again. If you continue whisking it will smooth out as it cooks. Yes, your arm will get tired. KEEP GOING. The mixture will get VERY THICK and VERY ELASTIC. This is exactly what you want. When the panisse is smooth, thick and elastic shut the heat off and immediately pour into your ready pan. Pour as quickly as you can. If the panisse is made properly it will begin setting up immediately as it cools. Use your greased spatula to force the panisse into the corners of the pan and smooth the top. If the panisse is resisting going into the corners of the pan or springing back a bit thats a good thing - you did it right. Smooth it as best as you can and lay a piece of plastic wrap against the top of the panisse so it doesn't get a crusty skin as it cools. Put the panisse straight into the cooler and let it chill.

To serve: unmold the panisse. It should hold its shape perfectly. If it is creamy or falls apart you didn't cook it long enough. Try again. Cut the panisse into your desired shape for slicing. I recommend using a hot knife to slice it. Dust the panisse with a bit of cornstarch or flour and fry them. You can pan fry the panisse but deep frying really is best.

Enjoy.

If your panisse comes out well I encourage you to experiement with adding other flavors. When we made Fennel Panisse at the restaurant we simply made a strong fennel broth and dusted the bottom of our greased pan with fennel seed.

The squash panisse is a huge pain but tastes great. You may be able to achieve similar results by adding pieces of squash to your vegetable stock and simmering to get the squash flavor. Without juicing you won't get the rich orange color.

When thinking of chickpea my mind immediately goes to Hummos. One of my favorite items to eat with hummos is red pepper. I think a red pepper panisse would be awesome. Someone should make it for me :-)

Happy cooking. I wish you all panisse success and a sense of great pride when you take your first bite!

No comments: