BLACK TRUMPET: A Chef’s Journey Through Eight New England Seasons
Evan Mallett
Chelsea Green Publishing
October 12, 2016
$40/Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-1603586504
Chef Evan Mallett’s path to professional cooking was a sinuous one, winding its way from Washington, D.C. up the coast to Boston, and ultimately to the small seaport city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In 2007 Evan and his wife Denise bought what would become the Black Trumpet, becoming stewards of an historic restaurant location—an old ship’s chandlery that in 1970 first opened as the legendary Blue Strawbery, a pioneer of New American cuisine. Evan is a three-time James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef, Northeast. He is actively involved and sits on the boards of Chef’s Collaborative, Slow Food Seacoast, and the Heirloom Harvest Project, an initiative that brings together farmers, chefs, and educators to identify and restore a food system native to the greater New England Seacoast region.
At the renowned Black Trumpet restaurant, located in the historic old seacoast city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Chef Evan Mallett and his staff reflect New England’s many seasons, celebrating the unique flavors of each one through the fished, farmed, and foraged foods on a menu that continually changes throughout the year.
From deep winter’s comforting stews and savory roasts to the first flush of greens in early spring, to high summer’s bounty and fall’s final harvest, BLACK TRUMPET revives and redefines New England cuisine, offering more than 250 creative recipes that blend regional ingredients with a modern sensibility and a global spice palette—drawn from the author’s personal experiences with Mediterranean, Mexican, and other classic world cuisines. Recipes include inspired and delicious dishes such as:
- Quail Adobado with Quince Hash
- Scallops with Couscous and Cider Cream
- Lobster and Kelp Tamales
- Chanterelle Corn Bisque
- Delicata Squash Terrine
- Peach Brioche Bread Pudding
Included are a wide range of creative soups, salads, small plates, main dishes, desserts, sauces, and condiments—even cocktails.
BLACK TRUMPET is more than just a celebration of great seasonal foods. Mallett urges a new generation of adventurous home cooks to rethink local ingredients and flavors, while at the same time rekindling interest in the kind of local food production that existed before the modern commodification of our food system. The book serves as a model for community food activists: supporting local farmers and producers, preserving heritage foods, and advocating for a sustainable, fair, and delicious food ethic.
Brown Butter Chocolate Bites with Chile Marshmallow
Makes 48 small bites
I don’t attend a lot of potluck events, not because I don’t support them 100 percent, but because I tend not to have time to cook something in my home kitchen and then attend an event the same day. If the stars line up and I can pull it off, maybe in retirement, I will someday bring these infectious treats to a potluck. They are the perfect two-bite morsels of party food, somewhere between a s’more and a s’gone.
For the cookie layer
- 1 cup (120 g) flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (85 g) brown butter (page 18), in solid form but softened
- ¼ cup (55 g) brown sugar
- ¼ cup (55 g) sugar
- 1 egg (50 g liquid egg)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the chocolate layer
- 12 ounces (340 g) chocolate (I prefer the producers El Rey and Tcho, but they are pricey and hard to find)
- 2 tablespoons brown butter (page 18)
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk
- 4 egg yolks (72 g)
- 1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
- For the chile marshmallow
- 4 egg whites (120 g)
- 1 cup (225 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder (or other medium-hot chili powder)
- ¼ cup (28 g) powdered sugar
Make the cookie layer:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 or 5 minutes. Stop to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula and add the egg and vanilla extract, whisking until fully incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.
Spread the batter evenly in the bottom of a sprayed 13 × 9 inch (33 × 23 cm) pan (it should be about ¼ inch [0.5 cm] thick) and bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until just golden and set.
Let cool completely before proceeding to the next step.
Make the chocolate layer:
Pour 2 inches of water into a 4-quart (4 L) pot and bring up to a high simmer. Combine the chocolate, brown butter, syrup, and salt in a medium bowl and set over the simmering pot of water. Melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula to incorporate the ingredients. Set aside.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the milk and egg yolks. Place over the double boiler, stirring often with a rubber spatula until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 8 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to get the mixture too hot or the eggs will curdle. If this happens, strain the egg mixture.
Slowly drizzle the eggs and milk into the chocolate mixture, folding gently but constantly with a spatula until well incorporated. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mixture until it’s fully incorporated. The mixture should be smooth and fluffy.
Spread evenly over the cooled cookie base and chill until set, at least 4 hours and up to a day. When set, trim the edges (if desired) and slice into forty-eight small squares.
Make the chile marshmallow: Hand-whisk the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer for about 1 minute. Place the bowl over the existing simmering water bath and hand-whisk continually, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture warms slightly, about 2 minutes. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whip on high speed for 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick and light. Fold in the chile powder. Spread the marshmallow evenly about a half inch thick on a piece of oil-sprayed parchment. Dust the top of the marshmallow with powdered sugar and let cool.
Serve the marshmallow alongside the Brown Butter Chocolate Bites.
These recipes may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipes from BLACK TRUMPET: A Chef’s Journey Through Eight New England Seasons by Evan Mallett. (Chelsea Green Publishing; October 12, 2016; $40/hardcover; ISBN: 978-1603586504). www.chelseagreen.com