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Stacks
The Art of Vertical Food
by Deborah Fabricant (Ten Speed Press)
The
odds may have seemed stacked against Deborah Fabricant's cookbook
Stacks: The Art of Vertical Food. After all, how many people
really care about how tall their food is—or want to make much
of it within a cylinder that looks like an empty soup can? But,
as many upscale restaurant chefs have proved in recent years, some
people really do like tall food and, therefore, probably would like
to give some of their home cooking a growth spurt. Sure, Chocolate
Bread Pudding itself is enticing enough, but Chocolate Bread Pudding
Stacks that warrant extra layers of shaved chocolate, toasted hazelnuts,
and dried cherries are even better. Shrimp with rice and asparagus
on the side is nice, but the same foods stacked to resemble an Egyptian
pyramid create a real attention grabber.
Make
no bones about it, a need for attention is at the heart of this
book. Fabricant, a caterer and former model, describes how her towers
draw oohs and ahhs long before a single bite is taken. Even in the
environs surrounding her towers, no presentation stone is left unturned.
Her Chinese vegetables with sesame vinaigrette stack is a sight
to behold, but then Fabricant goes on to adorn it with ahi tuna,
diced tomatoes, sesame seeds, wasabi and pickled ginger.
Clearly,
though, looks aren't everything. Fabricant's upscale presentation
gives her the opportunity to present sophisticated, gourmet recipes
(don't expect quick, easy varieties here, although at times shortcuts
are included). Although they would certainly taste the same if they
were served simply as mishmashes, stacking inspired Fabricant to
come up with tasty tempters such as Grilled Lamb, Caramelized Onion,
and Spinach Stacks With Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Stilton; Duck
With Cannellini Beans, Tomato, Pancetta, and Mediterranean Compote;
Asparagus, Risotto, and Blood Oranges; and even hamburgers piled
high with roasted tomatoes, sautéed portobello mushrooms, sweet
potato chips, and spicy fried onions.
So,
just how do you go about making these masterpieces? Well, some recipes
like the Beef Burger Stacks are simply free form. Just prepare all
the ingredients and stack them carefully like you're building a
house of cards. Other recipes utilize molds Fabricant tells you
how to make yourself. Simply carefully remove both ends of empty
cans that have been washed out and had labels removed. Different
cans result in different effects. Fabricant suggests keeping on
hand molds made from 10-ounce, 14-ounce, and 15-ounce soup cans
and 6-ounce tomato paste and tuna cans. After thoroughly washing
the cans, spray the insides of cans with nonstick vegetable oil
spray before each use. If you're preparing servings for, say, six,
you'll need six molds.
Stack
cylinders from gourmet shops or cookware stores provide a bit more
ease. If you decide to purchase, Fabricant suggests buying small
(2 inches in diameter by 3 inches high) for appetizers and tiny
tea sandwiches; medium (3 inches in diameter by 3 inches high) for
salads and sweets; large (3 inches in diameter by 4 inches high)
for entrées, large salads, sandwiches, and large desserts; and other
shapes such as pyramids, squares, and ovals to add variety. Once
you've got your mold, the "art" involved is simply placing layers
snugly in it and pressing down gently, but firmly, to compress the
layers so that they'll stay together when unmolded. You'll then
bake, refrigerate, or freeze right in the mold and eventually transfer
it to a plate with a wide spatula before removing the mold with
one hand and steadying the stack with the other (using oven mitts
if hot). To get you into the stacking mood without having to purchase
or make a mold, following is the Gourmet Beef Burger free-form stack
recipe. If you're game to make (from 15-ounce soup or broth cans)
or buy (3 inches in diameter by 4 inches high) six molds, the Zucchini
and Bulgur Stacks with Grilled Chicken that also follows will be
sure to send some of Fabricant's oohs and ahhs your way.
RECIPES
—Gourmet
Beef Burger Stacks
—Zucchini and
Bulgur Stacks with Grilled Chicken
(Updated:
12/30/08 SB) |
