Chef Art Smith was asked to pack his knives presumably because he made a dish with store-bought rice milk-based ice cream. But how did he make the almond brittle that accompanied his dessert? According to the recipe found on Bravotv.com, he used...
butter!
ALMOND BRITTLE (recipe courtesy of Bravotv.com)
2-1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup Agave syrup
1 Cup toasted almonds
1 tablespoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoons vanilla extract
Semi sweet chocolate, melted, for garnish
Bring ingredients to a boil, cook to hard boil state, till syrup makes a hard ball and is amber. Stir in toasted almonds and the remainder of the ingredients. Pour on well oiled sheet pan, and carefully with forks pull till thin but being VERY CAREFUL not to burn yourself. Cool, till crispy. Once cool break into pieces. Drizzle with melted semi sweet chocolate and allow to dry.
He could just as easily have used margarine (as long as it was not a soy-based product; guest Zooey Deschanel specifically mentioned that she could not eat gluten or soy), and maybe he did. What do you think? Did Art Smith feed butter to a room full of vegans? Wouldn't that be far more egregious a crime than store-bought ice cream?
