It's October 8th so happy Octopus Day! I would like to thank the nearly one thousand people that have enjoyed our Octopus since we put it on NYE 2019. A lot went in to getting it to the point we could put it on the menu. Let me show you why our method and execution make it one of the best Octopus dishes you'll have. If you have doubts about finding world class Octopus in the Rocky Mountains, get in here and experience what others have been raving about. Early last December we decided to find out for ourselves which of the three main ways of preparing Octopus: blanch, slow and low, and hot and quick, was the best. We found that all three together with a couple extra steps was the key to success. We start by blanching them whole, cut out the beaks, hoods, and portion out the legs. Salt massaging produces a mildly less rubbery texture, but was not necessary as we found out later. Flavor at this point wasn't what we were looking for either, so we moved on. The first step to the perfect Octo was the 24 hour slow and low in sous vide. To find out what worked best we cooked over 20 portions of blanched Octo with various combinations of: oils, vinegars, liquid smoke, fuit, spices, salt, and even nothing at all. A handful of winners came out of the mix, from which we tried straight out of the water bath, and cooked on a hot cast iron. Though both tasted good, the texture was much better from the cast iron, with the added bonus of the light char finish rounding out the flavor. We had found the second step to perfect Octo: hot and quick in the cast iron. The third and final step might surprise you as much as it did us. It made the texture perfectly steaky, not rubbery at all. When you are looking for a perfect Octo, It's all about the freezer tenderizing between the slow and low and the high and quick steps. It seems counterintuitive to freeze seafood, but in this situation it works by improving the texture drastically. During a blind tasting it was the clear winner and heads above the rest. Here is the 3 day process we follow to get the best flavored and textured Octo: Blanch Octo and portion Bag Octo with a blend of Orange and Harissa Chile EVOO (no salt, or other secret ingredients I promise) Cook 24 hours slow and low in sous vide Ice and freeze overnight Quick thaw in a hot water bath Sear on a very hot cast iron quickly to get a light char After a week of this testing, and a few more of dialing in the right portion size, we knew we had a winner. Throughout the seasons in 2019, these are some of the notable highlights from the rest of the plate: Risotto cakes made with green curry, black garlic, and our current favorite squid ink. Various purees and gels have come and gone but the two that stand out most have been the tomatillo and the gooseberry gels. The citrus foam hasn't changed, as it adds the perfect amount of bright flavor without any texture. Samphire, a salty succulent plant garnish is out of season and will be sorely missed till Spring next year. The tuile is sweet and crunchy balancing out the dish with blueberry being the current flavor. Thanks again from all of us at Hearth for making our Octopus one of the best dishes of 2019! Fall Menu is here, we look forward to seeing you in soon!
