Ristorante Cracco
Milano, Italy |
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Ravioli with Baccala Oil and Cream of Garlic Sauce |
These bare minimum ravioli (trimmed of the excess dough typically circling the stuffed center) are filled with a mayonnaise-like emulsion of salt cod-infused oil, eggs, lemon, and salt. The filling is velvety soft, creamy, and has a nicely balanced cod flavor. The garlic sauce is slightly gelled with agar lending a touch of texture. Anchovies, grapes, and greens garnish the dish giving it contrasting salty, sweet, and bitter flavors.
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Chef Carlo Cracco |
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Ristorante Don Carlos
Milano, Italy |
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The Egg |
The ideal plate for this pre-dessert dish of vanilla crème and a citron “yolk.” The texture of the golden yellow centerpiece is a very soft gelee – firm enough to scoop with a spoon but instantly dissolving in your mouth. Its citrusy sweet-tart profile combined with the creamy vanilla exterior is reminiscent of a creamsicle.
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Chef Angelo Cangemi |
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Ristorante Cracco
Milano, Italy |
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Chocolate Fondant Croquettes with Chinotto and Sevruga Caviar |
An unlikely – if not totally bizarre – combination of sweet, salty, and bitter flavors, this savory dessert features fried croquettes made with sweet gianduja chocolate, cream, bread crumbs, egg, and fish paper. The sauce is made from chinotto, a type of citrus fruit also used to make Campari liqueur, that imparts a striking bitter flavor, while the caviar deal bursts of brininess.
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| Chef Carlo Cracco |
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Trussardi alla Scala
Milano, Italy |
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Grilled Scallop with Herb Risotto and Taggiasca Olive and Caper Powders |
Caper powder dusted on the plate beneath the risotto and then olive powder dusted over top gives the risotto layers of flavors that make it taste like two dishes in one. The risotto was perfectly cooked with individual grains wading in a herbaceous sauce. The scallop, sweet and fresh, was also impeccably executed.
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Chef Andrea Berton |
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Ristorante Cracco
Milano, Italy |
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Cracker Paper with Rossetti and Whole Mustard |
This dish not only tasted fantastic, it was also fun to eat! The cracker is made by soaking wafer paper (made from potato) in water and slowly frying it in oil until it’s crisp. The whole mustard seeds are cooked in clarified butter and then marinated with sugar; they take on a caviar-like character in look and texture. Rossetti are tiny transparent fish; they are mild and give the dish a briney flavor. We’d love to see this dish presented on a darker color plate for contrast.
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Chef Carlo Cracco |
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Trussardi alla Scala
Milano, Italy |
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Citron-Cocoa Turbot with Sweet and Sour Tomato “Lentils” |
Broiled turbot is topped with citron and roughly ground cocoa beans, but the real stars of the dish are the vibrantly colored button-like “lentils.” Chef Berton plays scientist using a syringe to create the buttons but made with tomato juice and agar. The texture is soft with a nearly liquid center that quickly melts in your mouth.
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Chef Andrea Berton |
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Antoinette Bruno