My wife and I have been discussing Algerian menus from casual to fine dining for a work related project. Sometimes it's easier to first figure out what we don't want, before we have a grasp on what it is we do want.
Of course, it's always fun to make up parodies such as-
Amuse gueule
Single grain of couscous, speck of cinnamon, cilantro micro-green served in a Chinese soup spoon on a doily on a small plate stacked on an oversized plate
First course
Deconstructed merguez served in a shot glass- dehydrated lamb casing, spiced hard fat gelee, tea smoked ground lamb, ras el hanout "vitamin pill", harissa emulsion and housemade smen foam.
Second Course
Trio of Couscous or Couscous Tour de Force (!)- instant couscous, boil in bag couscous sous vide, and triple steamed couscous
$450 supplement for white truffles
$250 supplement for foie gras
$645.99 supplement for golden ossetra
Third Course
Wok cooked vegetable tagine- seasonal baby vegetables (leave the stems on) from my personal garden
$75 supplement for seasonal and spontaneous
Fourth Course
Molecular kebab quatro skewered four ways, suspended from "wire"
Dessert
Pastilla macaroons with chocolate veil, ghribia "dust" and cardamom fragrance
Another parody we came up with was "road map" dishes with suppliers and origins of ingredients noted on the menu. "Biskra Dates, Hand rolled Aures Mountain Couscous, Herbs from Khaled farms picked in the wild by Nesrine and delivered on a camel by Hamed".
In all seriousness the elements for various menus already exist in Algerian cuisine. There's no need to re-invent anything here when the food speaks for itself. No gimmicks or wordplay- simply delicious real food and real cooking.
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