If You Meet the Buddha On The Road To Norway
It's a cruel irony of winter that all the best citrus comes into season in a time when we are least interested in its crisp, refreshing nature. Nevertheless, sometimes you have to tell seasonality to shove off, because Buddha's hand is only with us for a short time.If you are not familiar with it, Buddha's hand is a fragrant citrus fruit that is shaped more like a squid than a hand, but its skin is rich and oily with a flavor that is somewhere between a lime and a quince. It's pith is light enough in flavor that you could slice it thin and eat it on its own, though it is a bit chewy.
Naturally, I made it into an oleo saccharum, along with some fresh dill. My inspiration here was a tuna crudo that I ate last week, which was served with tangerine gel and fresh dill. I liked the combination so much that I decided to build a drink around it.Alas, the season for Buddha's hand is upon us, but the season of the tangerine has not quite come. I found some exceptional satsuma mandarins in their stead, and paired the drink with a duo of salmon.
If You Meet the Buddha On The Road To Norway
1.5 oz Aquavit (Linie)
.75 oz Dill + Buddha's Hand Oleo Saccharum
.5 oz Lemon Juice
.25 oz Distilled White Vinegar
Macerate the Buddha's hand with sugar and fresh dill, and allow it to sit until the sugar becomes saturated in its oil.
Shake, strain, and garnish with a sprig of fresh dill. Serve with a duality of salmon.
The drink is named after a famous Zen kõan, which says that if you meet the Buddha on the road, you should kill him. And perhaps you should. I like to imagine that in Norway, The Buddha spawns in the form of a salmon, and not only do you kill him, but you fillet him, turn his belly into gravlaks, and quick-cure his loin with salt and sugar.Moreover, you should serve said quick-cured salmon loin with dill sprigs, supremes of satsuma orange, and rock salt. This, I am sure, will bring you enlightenment.
Many thanks also to Johan for making the gravlaks using what I'm sure is an ancient Norwegian recipe, which only vikings are capable of wielding.
Speaking of enlightenment, astute drinkers will notice that I split the acid in this drink between white vinegar and lemon juice. I'm almost sorry for the way this sounds, but straight lemon or lime sours are a bit pedestrian these days. We need a bold, vivacious source of acid, and for me, the slight tang of acetic was a perfect compliment to the cured flavor of the gravlaks, the briny caraway of the aquavit, and the ascetic Buddha's hand.
Cheers.