This dish is a wonderful seasonal contrast of textures and flavors and includes colatura, an Italian fish sauce similar to Southeast Asian fish sauce. Colatura di alici translates to “anchovy drippings” and is a relative of the ancient Roman fish sauce called garum. The sformato recipe can be made ahead and can easily be halved as this recipe makes enough for six, 4-ounce ramekins. It can be cooked in the small molds that I use here, or in larger ramekins if you’re serving them as a lunch or main course, just adjust the cooking time.
Ingredients
- 2 shallots, sliced thinly
- ¼ cup colatura or Three Crabs fish sauce
- 2 to 3 heirloom tomatoes such as Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Beefsteak
- 2 ripe nectarines
- Extra virgin olive oil, such as Olio Verde or Laudemio
- 8 squash blossoms, cleaned
- Fritti batter, recipe follows
- Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
- Kosher salt
- 4 sformati, recipe follows
Method
- In a small bowl, combine the shallots and the colatura and let macerate for 1 hour. Once they are no longer onion-y, strain the shallots from the colatura, reserving the colatura to use as needed.
- Slice the tomatoes and nectarines into quarters or wedges of similar size and combine them in a large bowl. Add the macerated shallots and drizzle in a little of the colatura from the bowl. Pour olive oil generously over the fruit and toss gently to combine. Set aside.
- Preheat a fryer or pan with enough oil to deep fry the blossoms to 350°F. Check the blossoms for any hidden little critters, remove the tough stamen from inside the blossom and trim the stem.
- Assemble 4 shallow bowls for serving. Arrange the tomato and nectarine salad in the bowls, making sure that the shallot is evenly distributed. Taste the liquid that has pooled in the bottom of the mixing bowl and add a dash of colatura if necessary to ensure everything is well seasoned. Drizzle the collected colatura dressing over the tomatoes and nectarines. Set a sformato in the bowl next to the salad.
- To fry the blossoms, dip each blossom into the batter, turning it to make sure that all the surfaces are coated. Allow any excess batter to drip off before placing it carefully into the hot oil. Fry until lightly golden and very crisp, about 2 minutes on each side, but stay close to the fryer as the frying time will vary considerably, depending on the moisture and size of the blossom. Using a spider, remove the blossoms to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Be mindful to drain the blossoms flower-tip pointed down to remove any captured oil. Season with kosher salt.
- Place two crisp blossoms on top of the tomato and nectarine mixture and serve quickly!
For the Fritti Batter
Ingredients
- 4 ounces corn starch
- 7 ounces rice flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup filtered water or cold club soda
- 1 ½ cups vodka
Method
- In a medium bowl combine the corn starch, rice flour, salt and baking powder and whisk. Add the water and the vodka and whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into a professional whipped cream dispenser and charge it with two or three chargers. If you do not have a whipped cream dispenser, you can replace the filtered water with cold club soda and whisk the batter just until it comes together.
For the Sformato
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil spray, for preparing the molds
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (aged 24 to 30 months if possible)
- 4 whole eggs
- 4 yolks
- Kosher salt
- Cayenne pepper powder
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare 2-ounce molds or 4-ounce ramekins with a generous spray of vegetable oil and set them in a deep-sided pan or bain-marie.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat. When it is hot but not yet simmering, add the cheese and gently bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking vigorously until well combined and the cheese has melted into the cream. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool a little.
- In a medium bowl, whip the eggs and the yolks until smooth. Slowly add the eggs to the cream and cheese mixture, whisking in each addition. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Season with salt and cayenne, remembering that the cayenne is just for balance, not heat.
- Pour the custard into the prepared molds to ¾ full. Set them in the pan and carefully pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides of the molds. Set the pan in the oven, being careful not to splash the water. Cook, rotating the pan after 30 minutes, until the sformati are very gently set, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
- Allow the molds to cool to warm or room temperature. Or if making ahead, they can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator and then reheated in a 400°F oven for 7 to 8 minutes. You can also store the custard in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 36 hours.
- To unmold the sformato, run a paring knife against the inside of the mold to create a small air gap. Tilt the mold down onto your hand or plate, giving it a sharp tap. Then, carefully flip the sformato cooked-top up.
I officially met Jacques Pépin for the first time on the evening I won the James Beard award for Best Chef Northwest. We attended a crowded after-party and he graciously took a photo with me, joining my group afterward to chat about restaurants and cooking. It was the highlight of the whole night, as I grew up watching “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home” on public television, and then, as a young chef, I watched Jacques on Saturday mornings before going to work. What a gift to have a master technique class every weekend in the comfort of my own home!