Typically, the idea of tailgate food doesn’t conjure up images of oyster mushrooms, frozen cherries, foie gras, frozen French fries, lap cheong sausage, and tofu. But that didn’t stop chef Samuel Clonts, chef-owner of NYC’s Sixty Three Clinton, from creating a delicious dish worthy of the big game.
In the newest episode of On The Fly, Clonts is quick to come up with a solution to his mystery bag of ingredients. Turning the frozen fries into oblong, football-shaped (get it?) pancakes, the chef leans into his whimsical side while cooking. “I think there’s definitely been more of a trend lately, the past 10 years, in fine dining,” says Clonts. “It’s gotten more playful…I think more people are trying to have more fun with it.”
Once the pancakes are shaped and fried, Clonts pickles the frozen cherries to give the sandwiches some refreshing acid. As the cherries pickle to the side, he makes a cilantro-tofu spread for the pancakes for flavor and color. Clonts chops and cooks the sausage and mushroom together, and then slices, scores and sears the foie gras. “Scoring helps render it as it sears, but mostly it just makes it look nice,” he jests.
Once all of the components of the of the sandwiches are ready, Clonts assembles it all together to form the perfect banh mi bite. “It’s gonna be a big bite, but it’s gonna taste great.”
Watch the latest On The Fly to follow Clonts as he creates a truly unexpected tailgate dish.
