Ice Filtered Consomme of Pork with Shrimp

This crystal clear consomme has a really intense flavour as a result of ice filtration. It is an amazing technique discovered by German scientist Gerd Kloeck. I learn about the process from Blumenthal's In Search of Perfection cookbook. Several steps are crucial to success. There must be enough gelatin in the stock to make it gel, and it should be frozen only after it has gelled. The stock is then thawed very slowly in the refrigerator over a filter paper or cheesecloth. The thawing may takes up to 36 hours. If it thaws too quickly at warmer temperature, the fat will melt back into oil droplets and fall into the consomme, making it cloudy.

The consomme is served hot, with buna shimeji mushrooms, wolfberries and a poached jumbo shrimp.

Cream of Black Mussel Soup

It is not common to find black mussels in my country. When I came across imported live ones from Australia, I was all to happy to get it. The presentation for this recipe came from one of Alain Ducasse's cookbook. Personally, I do not like too much cream in my soup. I use lima beans (aka butter beans) and soy beans to give it a milky texture, and reduce the usual amount of heavy cream by seventy five percent. The fish stock and juices from the mussles make this soup extra ordinarily flavorful.

Lima Beans and Watercress Soup

For this soup, I do away with cream altogether, making it a lot healthier. In its place, I use lima beans to give it the added density. Chicken or fish stock provides the soup base, and shreds of crispy hickory smoked bacon provide the garnishing. A few drops of truffle oil and a pinch of paprika complete the presentation.

Zarzuela de Mariscos

This is a Spanish seafood stew and is very much like the French bouillabaisse. I prepare the soup base with a generous amount of sofrito, stock fishes, celery, carrot, bay leaves, garlic, saffron and white cooking wine. The Spanish tends to use at least two kinds of fishes, a firm fish such rape (monk fish), and a delicate fish such as merluza (eel). The more variety of seafood added to the stew, the better the taste. I use red snapper, squid, mussels, prawn and sleeper lobster. You get an explosion of flavour from these ingredients. Muy delicioso!