Gabriel Kreuther’s Sturgeon and Sauerkraut Tart (made at home)
At a recent ethereal meal at Gabriel Kreuther, this dish appeared before me covered in a glass cloche which was removed tableside releasing applewood smoke and revealing the gorgeous little tart inside. I am delighted to be able to share with you the amazing recipe provided to us by Chef Kreuther. I have provided the Chef’s exact recipe at the bottom of this post. What immediately follows is my adaptation which is a little easier for the home cook (American measurements, a simpler sabayon) but, by all means, choose the version that suits you! The addition of the applewood smoke is a fun trick (and achieved using a Smoking Gun) but totally unnecessary if you don’t happen to have a Smoking Gun lying around.
Sturgeon and Sauerkraut Tart with American Sturgeon Caviar
2016-03-15 07:07:55
Serves 6
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
1 hr 30 min
Total Time
2 hr
FOR THE BRAISED SAUERKRAUT
- 3 cups sauerkraut
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 T butter
- 1 T grape seed oil
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 8 juniper berries*
- 1 bay leaf
- Additional water to keep moist
FOR THE TARTLETS
- six 17- by 12-inch phyllo sheets
- 8 T melted butter
- 12 tartlet molds/muffin pan (2 pans with 3" molds)
- one 4" cutting ring
FOR THE SABAYON
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ medium shallot, finely chopped
- 4 T dry white wine
- ⅛ t freshly ground black pepper
- 1 T fresh lemon juice
- ⅛ t cayenne pepper
- pinch of salt
TO FINISH
- 6 1" by 1" squares of of hot smoked sturgeon**
- 1 oz American white sturgeon caviar**
- chopped chives
- chive blossoms or edible flowers to garnish
FINAL FLOURISH - SMOKING GUN TREATMENT
- Smoking gun
- Applewood chips
- Large glasses or cloches
FOR THE BRAISED SAUERKRAUT
- Rinse the sauerkraut in cold water twice. Drain and press out any excess liquid. Melt butter and grape seed oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent. Add in the sauerkraut and toss to combine. Add in white wine, juniper berries, bay leaf and a little water if necessary. Let it cook with a lid on for about an hour, stirring and checking periodically. Continue to add water as necessary. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Remove the juniper berries and the bay leaf.
FOR THE TARTLETS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Lightly brush 1 phyllo sheet with melted butter. Cover with a second sheet and again brush with the melted butter. Repeat with the third sheet. Using the cutting ring, cut out three rounds. Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets until you have 6 rounds. Place the rounds in the individual molds and press another muffin pan on top (I really recommend using two pans as Chef Kreuther suggests - see photo below). Bake for 8 minutes and place them upside down on a cookie rack to cool.
FOR THE SABAYON
- Combine the egg yolks, shallot, white wine and black pepper in a metal bowl. Whisk over a pan of barely simmering water. As the eggs start to froth add the lemon juice. Just as the mixture begins to thicken, remove the bowl from the heat.
TO FINISH
- Warm the sturgeon in the oven for a few minutes when making the sabayon. Reheat the braised sauerkraut. Fill each tart shell with the braised sauerkraut. Top with the sturgeon and a large dollop of the sabayon. Finish with a quenelle of caviar and the chives. If desired, smoke the glasses or cloches and place on top of each tart.
Notes
- *If you cannot find juniper berries, add 4 T of gin to the sauerkraut while braising
- **You can substitute smoked trout (or smoked salmon in a pinch) for the sturgeon and a number of different types of caviar for the American sturgeon caviar
PEARLS and OYSTERS https://www.pearlsandoysters.com/
Using two mini muffins pans as instructed by Chef Kreuther makes a big difference
My homemade tart getting the smoking gun treatment
The real deal! Photo Credit: Gabriel Kreuther
THE ORIGINAL RECIPE: STURGEON AND SAUERKRAUT TART TOPPED WITH AMERICAN STURGEON CAVIAR
2016-03-15 09:12:40
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Sauerkraut
- 300 gr Sauerkraut
- 20 gr chopped onion
- 1/2 garlic clove smashed and chopped
- 15 gr butter
- 1 Ts Grape Seed oil
- 15 cl dry white wine
- 8 juniper berries
- 1 bay leaf
- some water if needed
Phyllo Dough Tartlets
- 1 package of phyllo dough
- 125 gr clarified butter
- 12 tartlet molds of 6 to 8 cm in diameter
- 1 cutting ring of 12 cm in diameter
Sabayon
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 medium shallot, chopped
- 25 cl of dry white wine
- 100 gr clarified butter
- 50 gr grape seed oil
- salt
- black whole peppercorn (12 kernels cracked)
- cayenne pepper
- the juice of 1/2 a lemon
Garnish
- 200 gr of hot smoked sturgeon filet, nicely cleaned and skin removed
- 50 gr of white sturgeon caviar
- chopped chives
- chive blossoms or red veined sorrel or other edible flowers of your liking
Smoking
- Smoking gun
- Applewood chips
- Large Wine Glasses or Cloche
Instructions
- Rinse the sauerkraut in cold water twice. Drain it in a colander and then press out the excess water between your hands and loosen it up afterwards. Sweat the onions and garlic in a saucepan with the butter and grape seed oil on medium high heat until translucent; add in the sauerkraut. Mix it well and toss a couple of times and then add in the white wine, the juniper berries, the bay leaf and a little water if necessary. Let it cook with a lid on for about an hour or an hour and 15minutes, checking periodically. Add a little water if necessary during this cooking time. Take it out and season to taste with salt & pepper. Remove the juniper berries and the bay leaf. Reserve until further use.
- Butter each phyllo leaf with the melted clarified butter. Then stack three leaves on top of each other and press them together. With the 12 cm ring mold, cut out 6 round discs of dough. Place the phyllo dough into the tartlet mold and cover and press with another tartlet mold on top of it. Bake the tartlets in a 180 degree Celsius oven for 8 to 10 minutes until they are nicely golden brown and crispy. When cooked, take them out of the molds and place them upside down on a cookie rack to cool.
- Mix the chopped shallots with the wine and black peppercorn and reduce by 1/2 in a saucepan. Put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl and add in the strained hot wine (not higher than 50-60 degrees Celsius). Then whisk on a double boilers “bain-marie” until very frothy. Little by little, add in the 65 degree Celsius clarified butter and grape seed oil. Season to taste and finish with the lemon juice. Pass through a fine sieve “chinois” and then fill it into an Isi canister and charge with two charges of N2O. Keep warm in a bain-marie between 60 – 65 degrees Celsius until needed.
- Clean up the sturgeon filet and cut into 4 mm thick slices and 4 cm in length or appropriate size that fits into the tart shells (about 3 per tartlet). Place them on a sizzler platter, cover with a humid paper towel, and heat up “a la minute” in a hot oven for a very short time.
- In a saucepan, heat up the sauerkraut and dry it in on a chinois or a paper towel. Put it into the tart shells and, pressing it slightly, place 3 slices of the sturgeon on top of it. Flash in a hot oven for about 1 to 1 and a 1/2 minutes. Take out the Isi canister from the Bain Marie, shake it, and expel about 20 gr of sabayon on top of each tart. Finish with a nice quenelle of caviar, chopped chives, chive blossoms. Arrange the tartlets on their respective serving plates and then smoke the wine glasses and place them on top of each tart. Take off the glass in front of the guest.
PEARLS and OYSTERS https://www.pearlsandoysters.com/
Kara,
Thank you for sharing this wonderful adaptation. Your tart is beautiful.
-GK
Thank you Chef!!! It was a pleasure and an honor to work with your wonderful recipe. Thanks so much for sharing.
30 minute prep? Really? How about all day shopping? LOL
Shopping is not prep 🙂 but hit up a Whole Foods and you are in and out in no time. The recipe is so interesting. The end result is stunning but the pieces are not that hard. Caramelize onions and sauerkraut (prep easy – just do a day ahead of time). Make tartlets. Whip up a sabayon. Put it all together. It’s a great dinner party dish. Or a great Saturday lunch dish. Or go to Gabriel Kreuther and they will do it for you in an amazing setting with great service. Such a fun recipe to work with!