Photos: Ahsley Cohen, Libby Carper.
When entering a signature restaurant, there is nothing as rewarding as to notice exactly that, the signature, something different, unique and difficult to compare with other experiences. Aware of this, Liz Johnson and Will Aghajanian have turned The Catbird Seat in Nashville (Tennessee) into a place that reflects their personalities and culinary conception. The U-shaped space allows diners to practically be in direct contact with the cook while he is preparing their dishes, an intimate relationship, as it can be said, that invites one to get carried away by dishes that, in the words of the chef himself, ‘bounce around from more polarizing combinations to things that are simple ‘, with the aim of achieving a ‘fun and energetic’ experience.
Will Aghajanian acknowledges the turning point in his career as a chef to be in his experiences he had while living in Spain, more specifically working in the kitchen of Mugartiz. ‘The idea of constantly evolving and creating new techniques was a huge inspiration for me as a young cook’, he recalls from that point. The commitment to make their own way for Will and Liz is non-negotiable; in the face of possible external reactions there is no doubt ‘sometimes you have to put blinders on, and not listen to the opinions of others’. It is not easy to achieve this isolation, and more so when you are aware that your desserts have unrecognizable forms, and often play with little (or no) common flavors in the sweet scope. ‘A majority of our guests tend to be excited, but there are those few who just wish they had a large slice of cheesecake,’ confesses Will Aghajanian. And that is the path that leads to innovation, also in the field of plated desserts, as we could see in so good #23. In this sense, the chef asserts ‘if you put yourself in a bubble, and you stop looking at what others are doing, or immerse yourself in different art forms that are not cooking,’ then you leave room for something totally new to arise.
Frozen Guava, Sea Water Meringue, Black Olive
We think guava is very interesting, and we wanted to create a dessert around it – juicy, salty black olives and whipped meringue, olive oil and violet syrup sounded like a good match
Guava Sorbet
Guava Base
- 1000 g Pineapple guava, halved
- 450 g Filtered water
- 50 g Sugar
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 T. and 1 tsp. Citric acid
Cook overnight in a bag at 90 degrees F, puree and pass.
Sorbet
- 800 g Guava base
- 180 g Sugar
- 4 g Xanthan gum
- 76 g Dextrose
- To taste Salt
- To taste Citric acid
Combine all in a blender. Paddle with liquid nitrogen.
Sea Water Meringue
Bouganevilia petals
- 240 g Glucose
- 20 g Gelatin
- 5 g Salt
Ice Cream Base
- 500 g Marshmallow
- 500 g Goat yogurt
- 40 g Yuzu
- 20 g Salt
- 20 g Monterey sea water
- 400 g Isomalt
Bloom gelatin. Place in the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, with salt. Heat isomalt and glucose to 120 degrees C, pour over gelatin mixture while whisk is on low-medium speed. Whisk until stiff. Working quickly, transfer to a blender beaker and blend with yogurt, yuzu and salt, until stiff like a marshmallow. Set into paco jet containers and freeze.
Violet Syrup
- 50 g Glucose syrup
- 50 g Sugar
- 100 g Filtered water
- 3 drops Violet essence
Combine glucose, sugar and water and bring to a boil to dissolve. Cool to room temperature and add violet.
Bouganevilia Syrup
- 500 g Glucose syrup
- 50 g Sugar
- 100 g Filtered water
- Bouganevilia petals as needed
Combine glucose, sugar and water and bring to a boil to dissolve. Cool syrup to room temperature and transfer to a shallow dish. Compress bouganevilia petals in syrup until translucent. Arrange petals on magic paper and place in a dehydrator until crisp.
Montage
Scoop guava sorbet and spread onto plate. Scoop goat’s yogurt ice cream and place on top of guava. Tear shiso and place on top of sorbet. Stick in black olive pieces and ice plant. Drizzle with olive oil and violet syrup and finish with sea salt. Top of bouganviella chip.
Discover these two creations by Will Aghajanian in sogood#23
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