Pensieri di un lunatico minore

And sous it begins — shrimp sous vide

I have been fascinated by the technique of sous vide ever since I first heard about it many years ago after a dinner at the Restaurant Troisgros. The technique, pioneered there, was a revalation, however at the time, little to no information was available about it. That has changed recently, and the technique has taken on a new interest in both chefs and home cooks.

Given my travel schedule, it’s been hard to cook, so I’ve not delved into the technique until today. Since I don’t know whether I’ll follow through, investing substantial sums in an immersion circulator seemed silly. By focusing on things that are cooked in relatively short periods (under 30 minutes), I could instead wing it using a Reynolds Handi-Vac kit, a very heavy enameled iron pot and some careful attention.

First, I prepared the “packet” to go into the water. I put some huge Gulf shrimp, a few lumps of butter, crushed garlic and some rosemary into a quart vacuum bag and sealed it:

That, then went into the water at approximately 138F (59C) and was held as close to that temperature (give or take 2-3F) for 25 minutes. During that time, I carefully monitored the temperature of the water and kept it moving so that no hot spots would develop.

At the same time, I brought 2 gallons of water up to boil for pasta, and placed another clove of crushed garlic and some crushed red chilis into a 1qt sauce pan with some olive oil and put it over low heat to sit for 25 minutes. This would steep the garlic and chilis and draw out their flavor and color.

Once the shrimp were done—their color had changed to a beautiful translucent white after 15 minutes or so—and the pasta was ready, I plated:

So how was it? The shrimp were amazing, juicy and fragrant with the garlic and rosemary. The pasta had a hint of heat and matched well. Overall, a rounding success. A few more attempts, though, before I invest (or build) any contraptions.