Traveling Gourmet —My Favorite Restaurants In The World's Recipes

Our Traveling Gourmet shares recipes from some of his favorite restaurants. Try them at home!

From The Artist in Bucharest, Romania

Cucumber Sorbet, Basil, Mint & Orange

200 ML Cucumber Juice
45 Gram Sugar
30 Gram Honey
1 Table Spoon Pasteurized Egg White
Fresh Basil Leaves
Fresh Mint Leaves
Zest from Orange

Cucumber Sorbet, Basil, Mint, Orange (Photo by The Artist)

Method:

Mix in a pan the honey and sugar together with a few spoons of cucumber juice and bring to a boil.

Leave to cool and mix with the remaining cucumber juice, place in the fridge for 2 hours.

Chop some basil and mint and mix together with some orange zest.

Using a whisk mix in the pasteurized egg white and turn the mixture into a creamy sorbet using an ice cream machine, once the mixture is nearly ready mix in the basil, mint and orange zest. Reserve in the freezer for minimum of 2 hours.

From Tian Bistro

Melon Salad

Melon Salad (Photo by Ingo Pertramer)

From Restlos glücklich (Brandstätter Verlag), cookbook by Chef de Cuisine Paul Ivić

Ingredients

1⁄2 watermelon
150 g small champignon mushrooms
2 spring onions
30 g lemon verbena
1 organic lime
5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
Salt
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Peel the watermelon and cut into 2 cm cubes. (Do not throw away the rind, you can use it to make melon rind kimchi, for example). Clean the mushrooms and cut them into quarters or sixes. Wash the spring onions and cut them into fine rings.

For the marinade, wash the lemon verbena, shake dry, pluck off the leaves, put some aside for decoration, finely chop the rest. Wash the lime, rub dry, finely grate the zest of the lime and squeeze out the juice.

Discover More of the Traveling Gourmet’s Favorite Restaurants Here

From Tria Restaurant

Tria Roasted Duck Salad

Serves 4-6

2ea – Moulard Duck Breast
¼ cup – kosher salt
¼ tsp – ground allspice
¼ tsp – Ground Nutmeg
¼ tsp – Ground Gloves
½ tsp – Ground Black Pepper
2oz – Dijon Mustard
4oz – Red Wine Vinegar
2tbsp – Fresh Lemon Juice
4oz – Apricot Jam
2ea – sprig of mint – picked leaves
1 cup – extra virgin olive oil
1 cup – canola or vegetable oil

5oz – Baby Spinach
3oz – Grana Padano (Shaved with a peeler)
2oz – Roasted Pistachios (rough chop)
3oz – Poached cherries (substitute fresh quartered strawberries in spring/summer)
3oz – Citrus Mint Vinaigrette

Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

Tria Duck Salad

Prepare Duck Breasts by patting dry and scoring fat. Season duck with spice blend of kosher salt and ground spices (nutmeg, cloves, allspice). Duck should be seasoned generously with approx. 1tsp per side as a good amount will render off during cooking.

Starting in a cold pan over medium heat, place the duck skin side down to begin to render fat of the duck breast. When the fat is rendered to ¼ inch flip over and transfer to a 350 degree oven and cook to an internal temp of 130 for med-rare. Allow duck to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

While the duck cooks prepare vinaigrette – In a blender or food processor, combine mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, apricot jam and picked mint leaves. While processing slowly add oils until emulsified. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine spinach, cherries, pistachios, and shaved cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the dressing and gently mix well until uniform with tongs. Arrange salad on plates. In the same mixing bowl, place the sliced duck and gently mix with tongs to absorb the excess vinaigrette. Arrange the duck on top of the salad.

Note – This recipe uses Tria’s poached cherries which are a classic tria cheese accompaniment and can be prepared before this recipe as they are best when chilled. Dried cherries or fresh cut strawberries may be substituted for the salad.
1lb – Dried Tart Cherries
12oz bottle of Allagash White Beer
¼ cup – honey
Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute and remove from heat and allow cherries to cool completely in liquid and chill.