Chef Jason Licker’s ‘Strawberry Consommé with Vanilla Udon’ Recipe from ‘Lickerland’
Chef Jason Licker has an impressive resume. He’s worked at Nobu in Miami, Union Square Cafe in New York City, and has helped opened Ce La Vie locations across Asia. He took home first place in Iron Chef Thailand and now – he’s self-published his cookbook of Asian-inspired, modern desserts, ‘Lickerland‘.
‘Lickerland‘ is a collection of delicate but bold dishes that emphasize balanced flavours and incorporate a unique Asian flair. Think recipes like ‘Grapefruit, Black Sesame, Shiso’, or ‘Lemongrass-Marinated Pineapple Gyoza’.
Producing a cookbook has always been a goal of Chef Jason’s and he was determined to ensure he shared his knowledge and experience with a cookbook. When he couldn’t find a publisher, undeterred, Chef Jason decided to self-publish. Though he admits, sheepishly and laughing, that he did “everything wrong”, he worked with a team of like-minded designers, photographer, and editor to deliver a finished product that was nominated for a James Beard Award.
We asked Chef Jason to share one of his prized recipes that exemplifies his passion for creating innovative and exciting dishes that utilize his background in Asian cuisine. Here’s his recipe for Strawberry Consomme with Vanilla Udon.
Strawberry Consommé with Vanilla Udon Recipe
Strawberry Consommé
Ingredients
300 grams strawberries, quartered and leaves cut off
50 grams raspberries
Lemon juice, to taste
Sugar, to taste
100 grams water
Instructions
Place all ingredients in a pot and bring everything to a boil, let simmer for five minutes.
Taste the consommé to determine how much sugar and lemon juice to add.
Strain well and place consommé in the refrigerator. It should be ice cold when poured over the noodles.
You may need to add more water, sugar or lemon juice. You want to have a nice deep red liquid with tremendous berry flavor.
Vanilla Udon
Ingredients
125 grams milk
125 grams heavy cream
4 grams agar powder
14 grams gelatin, softened in cold water, excess water squeezed out
1 gram vanilla bean, split lengthwise with seeds scraped out
Instructions
Have a half sheet pan lined with a silicon mat set aside.
In a small pot, slowly bring the vanilla seeds, milk cream and sugar to a boil.
After the mixture has boiled for a minute, add the gelatin and stir well.
Let this cool down until it is warm to the touch and mix well. Vanilla beans should be well dispersed when it is cooled.
Pour the liquid slowly in the frame and let it set on the counter. When set, place in the refrigerator. Chill and cut in strips to resemble udon noodles.
Shiso Gelee
Ingredients
150 grams simple syrup (1:1 water and sugar)
3 shiso leaves
5 grams gelatin, softened in cold water, excess water squeezed out
Instructions
Blend the simple syrup and shiso leaves together; the shiso-simple syrup blend should be speckled with green, be careful not to overblend.
Warm up a small portion of the shiso-simple syrup and add softened gelatin, set aside and chill. While the shiso gelee is chilling, stir it every now and then (you want the gelee to look like the shiso is suspended).
Freeze in a mini dome mold. Pop out, cut into four and reserve in the fridge.
To plate, first place the udon noodles in a bowl, along with the shiso gelee. On top, opt to use dehydrated raspberries, dehydrated yogurt, almond crumble, or any other crispy texture that you desire. Slowly pour in the consomme around the noodles.
Photos by Tom Collins of Chef’s Roll Test Kitchen
