Soy sauce is
a major part of Miles Thompson’s cooking palette. It not only provides Asian flavors but also seems
to cleverly move within European tradition in the ways that it is used at
Allumette. Actually, as Miles observes
no strict priority with regard to base flavorants, you could say that disparate
traditions are often combined in his food.
In the same way that one might use stock, wine or vinegar as a base
ingredient, various soy sauces can be used as well. There are wide-ranging flavors and textures
that fermented soy can provide. In the following,
Chef Miles expounds on several of these. The dishes that he refers to are currently on
the Allumette Menu.
KOIKUCHI or "Regular Soy Sauce" is
used in the Lime Ponzu for the Fairy Squid intermezzo (this is a baby squid
from Japan. It is offered as a
complimentary between regular courses)). It has a nice brewed flavor that
works well with the Rice Vinegar, Lime Juice, and Ginger to yield a well
seasoned but ultimately identifiable Ponzu.
USUKUCHI or "Light Flavored Soy
Sauce" is used in the Rosemary Emulsion that is on the Fried Green
Tomato
Dish. Despite the name, Usukuchi is higher in salt than standard Soy
Sauce; its bracing salinity coupled with a high proportion of Lemon Juice and
juiced Rosemary lends an assertive amount of seasoning and flavor to the
sauce. This emulsion coupled with Black Vinegar Vinaigrette heavy in
alliums and Vietnamese Spices are what season the Soft Egg whose yolk craves
highly salted/seasoned sauces to achieve balance in the dish due to its
apparent fat.
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| Usukuchi |
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| Maridaizu |
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| Yuasa Shoyu |
YUASA SHOYU is a type of Soy Sauce or Shoyu
that is barrel aged for 3 years after is has completed its fermentation.
Yuasa is a town located in the Arida District in the Wakayama Prefecture in
Japan and it is said that it is the original town in which Shoyu was
produced. We use this particular Shoyu in an equal ratio to Pumpkin Seed
Oil to make the sauce for the Flat Iron Steak dish. Both the Shoyu and Oil
have an incredibly complex viscosity that really pair well together. The
Yuasa Shoyu borders on tart while having a distinct but ultimately balanced
salinity which seasons the Pumpkin Seed Oil and as with any roasted meat dish
supplies the necessary forward level of salt; the apparent tartness also links
up well with the Aleppo Pepper, Sherry Vinegar, and Lemon Juice that the Steak
is dressed with prior to serving.
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| Andrew Jones |
Talk about wine is
inherently fraught with problems. To
those who drink it, words can be too mediating.
Even those who possess potent ablilities at expressing wines’ delights and
the potential joy that you can derive from them, can seem pedantic. One wonders why they can’t put down the pen
and get on with it?
That said, there is still
a mission for words and wine to the degree that they can aim the drinker at the
wine artist, the person that provides the pleasure. Isn’t that more to the point?
We want to share some info
on the winemakers who provide the wines at Allumette. They are like good doctors. “I’m sick, doc, fix me”. And they do.
Andrew Jones of Field
Recordings, Fiction and Wonderwall is one such.
His realm is the Central Coast and he knows his territory well. I’ve had most of his wines and they are all
expressive, original and incredibly reasonably priced.
The wine that speaks to me the most is his Field Recordings Chenin
Blanc from Santa Ynez which we have offered at Allumette since day one. It is
unfiltered and comes out a little cloudy. With this wine, it’s lack of clarity
triggers in me a Pavlovian response that this wine will be special, rather than
the opposite. It has everything that I want in a white wine. I can drink it with almost
anything and it will have something to offer. It has a mellow yet extracted
fruit character braced with acidity
and savory flavors from the barrel but none
of that pesky oak (he uses acacia barrels). Andrew’s reds are terrific and we
have sold Wonderwall Pinot Noir when we can get it but the Chenin haunts me as
it will you. Was this too much talk about wine?
Here are links to learn
more about Andrew’s wines.
http://fieldrecordingswine.com
