Latino Torre Magnifica

Sheri' and Mark DuMond have been experimenting with stacked food for years. This is one of their creations. During the research for this post, Mark came into direct contact with Deborah Fabricant, the creator of the original "stack kit" and the author of the cookbook mentioned here. Deborah has transitioned into a new career as a home staging designer and the book has long since gone out of print. But the stack kits are still in limited availability. If you are interested in obtaining any of the stacking tools, email Mark at cafedumond@comcast.net.

********

If you ever want to totally impress someone with your culinary prowess, or if you desire to take latino food to new "heights," try this recipe. It's not easy, but it will blow your guests away with its sheer size, scope, array of colors and tastes, and audacity.

You'll need a "stacking" tool for this one. You can get by with an empty aluminum can with both ends removed, although we utilize a "stack kit" which has round, square and triangular shapes. There is an accompanying book about stacked food called "Stacks: The Art of Vertical Food" by Deborah Fabricant, which has all sorts of cool stack recipes. But this one is truly a DuMond original.

We approach this layer by layer, starting at the bottom.

Makes four towers.

Layer 1 - Potato-Veggie Cake

1/2 small red onion, peeled and finely diced
1 Yukon gold potato, peeled, shredded, rinsed and drained
1 small carrot, trimmed, peeled and shredded
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely diced
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Melt the butter over medium heat in a saute pan. Add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the potatoes, carrot and bell pepper, stir to combine, cover and allow to saute and steam for about four minutes. Remove cover and stir the veggies around. Form into four round patties (try to make them approximately the same size as the mold you're using) and fry until the bottoms are crisp and golden brown. Flip each patty and fry until the other side is crisp.

Drain the patties on paper towels, then transfer to a baking sheet or plate and place in a 250 degree oven to keep warm.

Layer 2 - Roasted Beets

1 medium red beet
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. chipotle Tabasco sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the beet on a baking sheet, cover with foil, and put in the oven. Roast the beet for 30 to 45 minutes, testing doneness by sticking a sharp knife into the center of the beet. It should slide in easily if the beet is done.

Allow the beet to cool slightly, then peel and slice very thinly. Put the slices in a bowl and toss gently with the olive oil and chipotle Tabasco sauce. Set aside.

Layer 3 - Wilted Mustard Greens with Garlic & Olives

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
2 cups mustard greens, washed, patted dry and coarsely chopped
8 kalamata olives, pitted and minced

Heat the butter in a wok or skillet. Add the garlic and cook for just a minute, until fragrant. Add the mustard greens and stir-fry until completely wilted. Add the olives and stir in to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.

Layer 4 - Grilled Tequila/Habanero Marinated Halibut

2 oz. tequila
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. prepared habanero hot sauce
1 habanero pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely minced

3/4 lb. fresh halibut fillets, skinned

In a sealable plastic baggie place, place the four marinade ingredients. Seal the bag and shake to mix well. Place the halibut in the bag, seal it, and put in the fridge to marinate for up to two hours.

When the time for finishing the tower nears, heat up a grill and place the halibut directly over the heat. Grill on one side for several minutes, then flip the fish and grill the other side for several minutes more, until opaque in the center.

Remove the halibut from the grill and transfer to a plate. Tent with foil to keep warm and set aside.

Layer 5 - Avocado with Lime

1 small ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. lime zest

Put the avocado slices on a small plate. Sprinkle with lime juice and zest. Set aside.

Layer 6 - Mango-Serrano Salsa

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. minced red onion
2 Tbsp. finely sliced green onions

2 Tbsp. finely diced red bell pepper
2 serrano chiles, seeded and finely minced
1/2 mango, diced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
Salt & pepper

Heat the oil in a small skillet until hot. Add the red and green onion and saute for a couple of minutes, until slightly cooked but not browned. Allow the cool slightly.

Put the onions in a bowl with the other ingredients. Stir to mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Layer 7 - Grilled Prawn

1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup white wine
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 giant prawns, peeled but with tails left on

Put the marinade ingredients in a bowl and stir together. Place the prawns in the marinade and let sit in the refrigerator for an hour or so.

Heat the grill and put the prawns directly over the flames. Grill for a minute, then flip and grill the other side for another minute. When the prawns are cooked through, remove from the heat and set aside.

Layer 8 - Fried Tortilla Tangle

2 cups canola oil

2 corn tortillas, cut into very thin strips
Salt
Smoked paprika

Heat the oil in a small saucepan until very hot. Divide the tortilla strips into four groups. Put a mound of strips into a small strainer and lower it into the hot oil. Fry until very crispy. Put the tangle of fried tortilla strips on paper towels to drain. Repeat with the other three piles of strips.

Dust the frazzled tortilla nests with a little salt and smoked paprika and set aside.

******

OK, now it's time for the fun part. Now that you've prepared and "set aside" all the layers, it's time to assemble.

Take a white serving plate and put a mold in the center.

Place a potato-veggie patty at the bottom of the mold and press down gently. Place a very thin layer of sliced beets on top of the potato cake. Put a small amount of mustard greens on top of the beets and press down gently.

Cut the grilled halibut into four pieces, with the objective to make each piece approximately the size of the mold. Place the piece of halibut on top of the greens and press down gently.

Place a few avocado slices on top of the halibut, spreading evenly to make a thin layer.

Now would be a good time to unmold the dish, as the last layers can be added without the mold. Pressing down gently on the top of the tower, carefully slide the mold upward and off the tower.

Spoon a little of the mango-serrano salso on top of the avocado layer. Place a grilled prawn on its side on top of the salsa. Put a tangle of fried tortilla strips on top of the prawn. (If a few stray pieces of tortilla fall off and land on the plate, no problem. They just became "garnish" on the plate.)

Repeat the process with the other three towers.

Garnish the plate with random drops, swirls and squirts (using squirt bottles for this makes it easy and fun) of:

Spicy red wine reduction
Garlic chile oil
Yellow bell pepper puree
Finely minced red jalapeno pepper

Enjoy! Oh ... and if one of the towers makes it through to the table intact and in relatively perfect presentation, take a picture. Why? Because you may never feel like doing this again, and you won't want to forget what it looks like.