"There are no new ideas," the old saying goes. Yet every day a chef will challenge himself to disprove that statement, reimagining the experience of eating and bringing new life to the tried-and-true.
Take fish sauce, for example. The 2,000-year old staple of asian cuisine was recently upgraded to "it" condiment, but how to improve upon something with that kind of history? Enter Chef James Briscione's recipe for Fish Sauce Peanut Brittle, a creative twist on the salty, nostalgic sweet that's nothing short of surprising.
Ingredients
- 415 g sugar
- 88 g fish sauce
- 4 g chile
- 225 g peanut
Directions
- In a heavy saucepan, stir together the sugar, fish sauce and chile. Place the pot over medium heat, swirling the mixture occasionally (do not stir). If you notice crystals forming around the edge of the pan, wipe the inside of the pot with a moistened brush to wash the crystals back into the mixture.
- Continue cooking at a simmer until the mixture has a deep brown color (12-15 minutes). Carefully judge the color as the fish sauce will make the caramel look darker than it really is. When fully cooked, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the peanuts.
- Immediately pour the mixture out onto a greased sheet of wax paper. Cool completely to harden, then break into smaller portions.
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