Smoked Prawns with Heirloom Tomato and Pancetta Vinaigrette Demonstrated by Mark Young of Bijoux
Dallas' Bijoux is a restaurant hidden away at Inwood Village located at Lovers Lane and Inwood Road. No, seriously, it's really hidden away. On our first visit there, we walked right past it a few times before realizing it was behind Café Istanbul.Thank goodness for their menu being displayed in a glass casing by the main entrance or we would have ended up eating Turkish cuisine.
Chef Scott Gottlich and his wife Gina opened the restaurant in September of 2006, and ever since it has been a popular one with Dallas residents. Bijoux has been featured in Bon Appetit Magazine as one of the hottest 10 new restaurants in 2007, as well as Texas Monthly's Ten Best New Restaurants of the Year. Not too shabby.
For today's Appetite for Instruction, we recruited chef Mark Young of Bijoux to cook up something in the Bijoux kitchen. He decided to demonstrate smoked prawns with heirloom tomato and pancetta vinaigrette for our City of Aters. As always, the recipe with photos is after the jump.
For Vinaigrette:
1 T Dijon Mustard
½ T Honey
½ T Fresh Thyme (chopped)
½ T Garlic
½ T Shallot
½ T Spanish Paprika
¾ C Pancetta (small dice)
½ C Sherry Vinegar
1 ½ C Salad Oil a
¼ C Olive Oil
For Pickled Red Onions:
1 ea. Red Onion
1 C Rice Wine Vinegar
For Smoked Prawns:
1 ea. Onion
1 ea. Carrot
2 ea Celery Stalks
1 ea. Bay leaf
1 T Whole peppercorns
1 ea. Lemon
1 C White wine
12 ea. U-10 Prawns (shell on)
For Plate:
2 ea. Prawns
1 ea. Heirloom tomato
4 pcs. Pickled onion
4 pcs. watercress
1 ½ oz. Pancetta vinaigrette
Step 1: In a medium pan, cook pancetta over medium heat for approx 5 minutes to brown slightly and render out a small amount of fat. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Step 2: In medium bowl, add honey, Dijon, garlic, shallot, thyme, paprika and whisk together. Slowly drizzle in all of the salad oil while whisking to keep emulsified. As mixture begins to thicken, add small amounts of the sherry vinegar.
Step 3: After salad oil and vinegar have been added, add the pancetta with a small amount of the rendered fat and whisk thoroughly. Finish by whisking in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes approximately ten servings and can be stored in the fridge for about 12 days.
Step 4: Fill a large pot ¾ with cold water. Cut all vegetable into large chunks and place in pot over medium heat. Add bay leaf, peppercorns, wine and lemon (cut in half and squeeze juice).
Step 5: Let come to a simmer and add prawns. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes, or until prawns are almost fully cooked. Remove prawns from liquid and place in an ice bath. Discard cooking liquid.
Step 6: After prawns have cooled, place in smoker and smoke for about 2 minutes. Remove from the smoker, then clean prawns and slice in half lengthwise. Can be kept refrigerated for two days.
Step 7: Slice heirloom tomato to about ¼ in. slices and lightly season with salt and pepper. Place 4 pieces on plate in a line.
Step 8: Put piece of pickled onions down on each tomato, and then a piece of prawn. Top with a sprig of watercress and drizzle vinaigrette around each prawn.
Side note: For the pickled red onions, peel onion and slice into very thin rings. Place in a small bowl and toss with vinegar and a pinch of salt. Let sit for approximately three hours before using. Can be stored in fridge for one week.
