Steal This Recipe® Striped Bass | Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar West Village, NYC

Recipes
February 16, 2012

From Chef Brian Gruskin of Ayza Wine and Chocolate Bar West Village, NYC, this unique recipe will be a delight in your home kitchen

Stolen with permission from Chef Brian Gruskin of Ayza Wine and Chocolate Bar West Village this unique recipe will be a delight in your home kitchen.

On the heels of Midtown’s successful Ayza Wine and Chocolate bar, an oasis for dessert, chocolate, and exquisitely paired wines, comes the new West Village outpost. Owners Aytac Nural and Zafer Sevimcok’s sleek new addition to the Ayza family elevates the cocoa bean to an even higher level; incorporating chocolate into small savory dishes and Signature Chocolate Martinis.

Ayza sits at the ground level of an eye-catching modern building in the heart of the well-heeled West Village. With chocolate boxes decorating the room, the aroma of chocolate lingering gently in the background, and an eye-catching kinetic chocolate fountain flowing bar-side — you’ll never lose focus of exactly what drew you into Ayza. Small tableside fondues served from the fountain let you select, dip, and share a variety of fruits and delicacies over your own flame.

Inspired by the vitality of chocolate, Chef Gruskin has created a tasting menu infused with chocolate throughout, like Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs with Cacao Nibs and Cinnamon served with truffle-cauliflower mash and tempura mushrooms, or Foie Gras with Hibiscus Soubise and White Chocolate. The menu also features cheeses and charcuterie, and reinvented favorites like the crème brûlée inspired Twenty-Layer Crêpes Cake Brûlée. A dessert or dining experience at Ayza is a must, if you are in NYC.

About the chef: Chef Brian Gruskin is the creative drive behind the inventive cuisine at Ayza. His pedigree includes working with Tom Colicchio at Riverpark, Michael Psilakis at Mia Dona, and helping launch the restaurant at Hotel Griffou.

Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar West Village
One, 7th Avenue South
New York, NY 10011
212 365 2992

Striped Bass is served for $18 at Ayza.
This recipe makes 1 restaurant serving.

Chef’s note: recipe components: carrot ginger quinoa, striped bass, baby carrot, confit pearl onion

Striped Bass Ingredients:
1 piece striped bass
1 knob ginger (peeled)
1 large carrot, 2 baby carrots (peeled)
3 pearl onions (peeled)
1 package quinoa
1 cup champagne (or sparkling wine)
Extra virgin olive oil
Blended vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp chive
Thyme to taste
Salt to taste
Peppercorn to taste

Steal This Recipe® Step by Step Instructions:
Prepare quinoa according to package instructions, set aside.

Mince the ginger and place in sauté pan with vegetable oil on medium low heat.
Once bubbles slow and golden brown color is achieved strain and save ginger oil for later.
Place crisped ginger on paper towel and set aside.

Thinly slice large carrot.
In small sauce pot, bring 4 qt water with 1tbsp salt to a boil.
Cook carrot until soft, approximately 3 minutes.
Remove from water and place in blender with champagne (or sparkling wine) and 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil.

Bring 3 qt water, sugar and 1 tbsp salt to a boil.
Cook baby carrots until fork tender and immediately shock in ice bath.
Once cold, slice in half lengthwise.

Cover pearl onions with extra virgin olive oil.
Place thyme, peppercorn and salt in a pan with the onions and cook on low heat until tender.

Season bass to taste and sear skin side down in a hot sauté pan with blended oil.
After about 1 – 1 ½ minutes, remove from pan.
Introduce 4 tbsp carrot champagne puree to hot pan and place bass skin up in pan.
Place in a 350F oven until done (cake tester should glide through flesh without resistance, approximately 3-4 minutes).
In a small sauté pan on medium heat, pour 1 tbsp ginger oil from before and sauté the cooked baby carrot halves (they were fully cooked from before, this is mainly to achieve color and heat up the carrots. This should be quick).
Remove carrots and add ¾ cup quinoa, 1 tbsp crisped ginger from before, 1 tsp ginger oil from before, chives, and the confit pearl onion from before.

To serve, place quinoa mixture on a plate with bass on top, followed by the baby carrot.