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A
Modern Mastery of Spice
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With
Chef Mohammad Islam of Chateau Marmont – Los Angeles,
CA
By Heather Sperling
October 2006
From pungent
black pepper seeds to aromatic strands of saffron, few foods
have as romantic and varied a history as that of spices. Throughout
the course of human existence they have found themselves the
subject of fantasy and lore, served as the impetus for exploration
and trade – even war.
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For Chef Mohammad Islam,
of Chateau Marmont in LA and the soon to open Aigredoux
in Chicago, spice is the catalyst for elevating familiar ingredients
to new levels. While there are only five essential tastes
– sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami – there
are thousands of different aromas that are the keys to transforming
taste into flavor. Spices contain a high concentration of
essential oils; when these intensely aromatic oils flood the
nose and palate, they add multi-layered undertones or overtones
to the taste on the tongue.
That said, a successful marriage
of two very different ingredients is no easy feat, and Islam
readily admits that 90% of his attempts fall flat. “Ingredients
are the car and spice is the driver,” says Islam,
adding that “not everyone can drive certain cars.”
It often takes 10-15 tries with a certain spice; case in
point is elderberry flower, an ingredient that intrigued
Islam for years. He tried it powdered and mixed with orange
dust as a coating on a fish, tied in a bouquet garni and
steamed with young asparagus, and finally steeped in an
artichoke soup. Original experiments with the artichoke
didn’t work, yielding a dull and uniform flavor. Eventually
he realized the artichoke needed to be braised, and settled
on Riesling for sweetness; the result is a balanced, multi-layered
dish that is at once creamy, earthy and acidic.
Islam's art of spicing was
honed by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, an acknowledged master
of the craft. In a trip to Chateau Marmont this
past summer, Chef Islam created a spice tasting menu of
seven dishes, each highlighting a different spice. The result
was a procession of thoughtful dishes crafted to excite
the palate and showcase the versatility of some of Islam’s
favorites: cumin, kaffir lime, elderberry flower, goji berry,
peppermint and kili pepper.
Cumin
Islam slowly toasts whole cumin seeds before adding
them to a salad of orange and lemon. Toasting spices
in a dry pan is an ancient Indian and Southeast Asian
technique that deepens the flavor of a spice by evaporating
the moisture and leaving the essential oils. Islam coarsely
grinds the hot seeds in a mortar and adds them to the
citrus to infuse the juice with a savory, smoky flavor
that both complements and cleanses the palate of the
seared tuna’s richness.
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Seared Blue Fin Tuna, Jicama, Cumin Citrus Salad
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Kaffir
Lime (Combava)
The leaves are the most known and utilized part of the
kaffir lime tree, a Southeast Asian citrus whose intensely
flavored greenery and fruit rinds are common in Thai
and Laotian cooking. The dense, tear-shaped leaves are
rich in citronellal, a relative of citronella and sister
species of lemongrass that is responsible for their
fresh, verdant flavor. Chef Islam uses the dried, grated
peel of the fruit itself, a bumpy citrus whose skin
is imbued with a milder yet equally distinctive woody,
lime citrus flavor, in a piquant gastrique paired with
kampachi carpaccio.
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Kampachi
Carpaccio, Combava Vinaigrette
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Goji
Berries
With 18 amino acids and over 20 trace minerals, goji
berries, or wolfberries, are celebrated in Central Asia
as one of nature’s most nutrient-rich foods. They
have long been valued in traditional Chinese medicine
for their benefits to the immune system. The bright
red berries can be eaten raw, though in the west they
commonly found dried, and must be soaked for the flavor
to fully develop. According to Chef Islam, goji berries
complement the tomatoes perfectly, with a hint of cumin,
a hint of clove and an earthiness that marries well
with the tomatoes’ acidity. The bold raisin flavor
of the berries pairs well with a full-flavored fish
like black bass.
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Seared Black Bass, Chinese Long Beans, Fingerling
Potatos, Goji Berry Broth
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Peppermint
In a technique he adapted from Jean-Georges Vogerichten,
Islam pairs both fresh and dried peppermint with knob
carrots, braising them in local, organic fuji apple
cider with an herbaceous bouquet garni. He uses dried
peppermint to flavor the braising liquid; it is more
flavorful than fresh, with more pronounced menthol and
less bitterness. The carrots are garnished with fresh
peppermint, adding a cooling dimension to the dish that
cuts the creamy, slow roasted wild salmon.
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Slow Baked Alaskan Salmon, Peppermint Cider-Braised
Carrots
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Elderberry
Elderberry flowers are the aromatic blossoms of the
elderberry bush. Where the berries are tart and bold,
the flowers’ aroma is earthy and sweet. Chef Islam
steeps the blossoms in a savory stock, adding a potent
floral note to the eventual base of a California artichoke
soup.
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California Artichoke Soup, Elderberry Water,
Nantucket Bay Scallops
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Kili
Pepper
The long, fleshy seed pods of the West African kili
pepper are dried whole and slightly smoked in the process;
it is the seed pod, not the seeds themselves, that contain
the smoky, biting, black pepper flavor that Islam pairs
with mustard spaetzle and lamb. The kili pepper stars
in a emulsion of green apple, curry and crème
fraiche. Its pungent, peppery flavor is the most prominent,
echoed by curry and apple at the back of the tongue.
A grapefruit salad cleanses the palate and cuts the
richness of the lamb, spaetzle and cream.
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Pan-Seared Colorado Rack of Lamb, Kili Pepper
Emulsion
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Drying
and Preserving
Aroma compounds are fleeting and volatile by nature;
the same characteristics that enable spices to quickly
and powerfully stimulate our noses and palates make
them difficult to preserve. Herbs are best dried at
room temperature, out of direct light. For faster results,
use a low-temp oven, dehydrator or a microwave, which
rapidly evaporates the herbs’ water molecules
while leaving flavor-bearing essential oils untouched.
Chefs tend to keep their flavorings in close reach,
but dried spices actually fare best in the freezer,
in air-tight containers brought to room temperature
before opening.
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