Eating is part of the joy of travelling. So when we were invited to try some of the amazing recipes at the Diplomat Beach Resort we wanted to ensure we could take home some of the recipes to share with our readers and famed celebrity Chef Michael Schulson and
Executive Chef Rashaad Abdool obliged!
Chef Shulson brings his modern Japanese fare to South Florida with the opening of Monkitail, his seventh restaurant. Chef Schulson’s menu is a contemporary take on the classic Izakaya, featuring sharable small plates and sushi as well as an array of specialty cocktails and sake.
Tucked away beyond the main dining room is Nokku, a cocktail lounge offering tunes, specialty crafted cocktails and sake late into the night.
We started our culinary adventure with the signature Monkitail Cocktail. Here is how you can shake one up for yourself.
The Monkitail cocktail
ingredients
– 1 oz. Maker’s Mark Bourbon
– 1 oz. Bulleit Rye
– .5 oz. Sweet Vermouth
– .5 oz. Dry Vermouth
– 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
– 2 dashes Orange bitters
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Stir and strain into a carafe. Smoke a snifter with crushed cinnamon and clove, and pour contents from the carafe into the snifter.
While sipping on our cocktail we ordered the Toro Caviar. Delectable, delightful and tantalizing. Can we repeat this at home? Not so sure but we will try!
Appetizer – Toro Caviar (Tuna Tartare)
INGREDIENTS
– 1 lbs of sushi-grade Tuna
– 1 ea Avocado
– 1 tsp Rice pearls (or Sesame seed)
– 0.5 tsp finely sliced Scallion / Chives
– Radish Sprouts (Micro Green) to garnish
Sauce Ingredients
– Soy Sauce – 10 g
– Sesame Oil – 10 g
– Oyster Sauce – 3 g
– Tobanjan (Japanese spicy bean paste) – 1.5 g
– Sugar – 1.5 g
– Garlic (Graded) – 1.5 g
Directions
1.Start with mixing all “sauce ingredients” in a mixing bowl until sugar gets dissolved
2. Using a sharp knife, dice Tuna and Avocado ½-inch cubes.
3. Place diced Tuna (about 4 oz. per serving size) into serving bowl tap with diced avocado.
4. Gently pour 1 to 2 Tbs. of the Tartar sauce over Tuna and Avocado.
5. Sprinkle Rice pearls (or sesame seeds) garnish with finely sliced scallion/chives and Radish Sprout to serve.
We then move onto the Entrée!
Entrée – Point Royal’s Seminole Pumpkin Gnudi
INGREDIENTS
– Seminole Pumpkin Gnudi – 127 g
– Stone Crab Butter – 28 g
– Crispy Brussels – 15 g
– Caramelized Wild Leeks – 15 g
– Hacledback Caviar – 6 g
– Chopped Parsley – 3 g
– Fennel Tops – 15 g
– Stone Crab Meat – 57 g
– Lemon Juice – 14 g
Directions
Drop the gnudis into the boiling water and cook, (for 2 minutes), gently shaking the pot once (you might want to set a timer). Don’t cook too long or they’ll fall apart. Set a wide pan with the butter over high heat. Use a slotted spoon to quickly transfer the cooked gnudi to the butter, add a little of the pasta cooking water and cook at a vigorous simmer. Shaking the pan, add the stone crab meat and leeks and cook until the butter sauce thickens slightly and begins to cling to the gnudi. After about 2 minutes, add the lemon juice, Brussels and chopped parsley, fold together and serve in a pasta bowl. Add 4 extra Brussels leaves randomly around the dish, place the caviar on top of the dish and garnish with the fennel tops.
We cannot deny trying the Beet pearls with cheese mousse:
INGREDIENTS – BEETS
– 3 bunches of baby beets, tops removed
– 2 quarts vegetable oil
– 1oz thyme
– 1oz rosemary
– 1oz juniper berries
Directions
Place all ingredients in a roasting pan. Make sure the beets are fully submerged in the oil. Cover with foil tightly and place in an oven at 325 degrees. Cook for 45 minutes or until fork-tender. Remove and let cool. Once the beets are cool, discard the oil and peel the beets. The skin should come off very easily with a paper towel.
INGREDIENTS – Goat cheese mousse
– 4oz goat cheese
– Cracked black pepper as needed
– Evoo as needed
– Salt to taste
Directions
Put the goat cheese and crack pepper from a peppermill into a food processor. Run-on high and drizzle in the olive oil until the goat cheese is a smooth and velvety consistency. Add more cracked pepper if you want more of a peppery taste. Remove and scoop into a piping bag. Tie the end and allow to set in the fridge for at least an hour.
INGREDIENTS – Pistachio Pesto
– 2 cups baby watercress
– 0.5cup roasted pistachios
– 1oz manchego cheese
– Evoo as needed
Directions
Put the cheese, pistachio, and watercress into a blender and blend on high. Slowly drizzle the olive oil until all of the ingredients are well mixed together and the pesto is smooth. Season with a little salt and pepper.
INGREDIENTS – Pesto Vinaigrette
– 3oz agave
– 3oz honey
– 7oz sherry vinegar
– 7oz blended oil
– 2oz shallots, brunoised
Directions
In a mixing bowl add the agave, honey, and sherry. Slowly whisk in the oil so it emulsifies and then adds the shallots.
Chef Michael Schulson: “Nowhere is the process when I serve this dish. First, after the beets are peeled and chilled, I marinate them with the vinaigrette for about 10 minutes. I also like to add a little bit of chopped dill for some extra flavour. On the plate, I take a silicone brush and paint a line of the pesto down the middle of the plate. Then arrange the beets in a line offset from the pesto. Take the goat cheese that was in the piping bags and pipe dollops around the beets. For the garnish, I like to add little crushed toasted pistachios for some added texture and some whole dill prawns to compliment the vinaigrette.”
With our tummies full and a few more recipes tucked away to try later, we leave the Diplomat’s Monkitail Restaurant deliriously happy and a little bit concerned, how could food taste this good and would we really be able to recreate this at home?
Let us know if you try any of these recipes!
Credit: Executive Chef Rashaad Abdool
www.diplomatresort.com
FLLDH.DipInfo@DiplomatResort.com
