Chef Lanny Lancarte
Lanny's Alta Cocina Mexicana | Dallas

Lanny Lancarte grew up in his parents’ casual Mexican eateries in Fortworth, prepping and doing dishes; today his self-titled Alta Cocina Mexicana is no overstatement. With a delicate hand, he layers the flavors of jalapeño with foie gras and lobster in a transparent lobster raviolo that emphasizes technical precision. The elk loin, cooked sous-vide with garlic, thyme, and pepper, is placed on a plate lacquered with mole Colorado. The control Lanny shows when saucing creates a stunning presentation but flavor always steals the show from his precise and elegant plating: the mole itself is a layered flavor experience in chili and spice.

Elk with Mole Colorado
Chef Lanny Lancarte of Lanny’s Alta Cocina Mexicana – Dallas, TX
Adapted by StarChefs.com

Yields: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

Method:

For the Spaghetti Squash:
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place spaghetti squash on a baking pan flesh side down and cook until tender, approximately 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then extract the meat of the squash with a fork, forming spaghetti-like strands. Reserve.

For the Elk:
Preheat thermal circulator to 142ºF. Season the elk with salt and pepper, place in a Cryovac bag with the rosemary, roasted garlic and olive oil, and vacuum seal. Cook in the water bath for 12 minutes, then remove the elk from water bath and Cryovac. Adjust seasoning and sear in a hot sauté pan, browning all sides of the elk.

For the Mole:
Remove seeds and stems from chiles and lightly toast in an iron skillet. Place in hot water for twenty minutes. Add about 2 cups of chicken stock to the chiles and blend to a smooth consistency. Heat the oil in a large saucepan until smoking point and strain puree through a fine strainer into the hot oil. Allow all the moisture to cook out, and continue to simmer for about 1 hour adding chicken stock in small quantities to avoid burning. While the chili puree is simmering add butter to a large pan and brown the peeled apples. Once the apples are browned, add about 2 quarts of chicken stock, piloncillo, onions, and garlic. Simmer for about 30 minutes then add apples to blender and puree. Strain this mixture into the chile puree and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Grind cinnamon, allspice and peppercorns in a spice grinder and add to sauce. Check flavor and add salt to taste.

To Assemble and Serve:
In a hot pan sauté the spaghetti squash with truffle oil. Remove from the heat and place ¼ of the squash on a plate. Top with sliced elk and drizzle apple mole on the elk and a little around the plate. Garnish with stalks of steamed brocolli.