A Top Chef Thanksgiving: Recipe du Jour

All Top Chef has gathered recipes developed by seven seasons of Top Chef and Top Chef Masters contestants in order to inspire you to try something new for your Thanksgiving feast. We'll be featuring one recipe a day up until Thanksgiving Eve. More recipes are available at Bravotv.com/foodies/recipes

Let's start with a little amuse bouche, shall we?

Top Chef Masters Finalist Hubert Keller's Fondant of Carrot Infused with Cardamom, Light Cream of Ginger (amuse)


INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh carrot juice
3 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon cracked cardamom
Sugar to taste
3 tablespoons gelatin in powder
1/4 cup whipped cream
2 ounces Osetra caviar
8 sprigs chervil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

Transfer the carrot juice into a small non-reactive saucepot, stir in the gelatin, and add the rice vinegar, the cardamom, salt and freshly ground pepper and a pinch of sugar if necessary.

Bring to a boil by stirring, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Cover and let the cardamoms infuse for another 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and the level of sweetness, add another pinch of sugar if necessary ( to work out a perfect balance between the sweetness and acidity coming from the vinegar).

Strain the carrot juice. Let cool slightly until cold but not set, I called that mixture "gelee".

Divide the carrot gelee among 8 shooter glasses. Let set in the refrigerator.

Before serving season the whipped cream with a pinch of salt and pepper. Drop a dollop of cream in each shooter glass. Top the cream with the Caviar and garnish with a sprig of chervil. Serve chilled

© 2009 HUBERT KELLER