Halibut en Papillote

Recipe courtesy of Trae Shriner, Sous Chef, Houston Country Club

Procedure for Shrimp Bisque

Melt butter in stock pot, and caramelize the shrimp shells until well-browned. Add the mirepoix and cook for a few minutes. Add the tomato paste to the pot and cook until slightly browned.
Add the herbs, spices and rice to the pot and toast slightly.
Deglaze the pan with Armagnac. Let the alcohol reduce slightly; then add the stock or water and heavy cream.
Bring up to a simmer and stir as needed. Let the liquid reduce by 1/3. Transfer to blender and purée until smooth. Strain through a fine chinois and return to a pot.
Add in lemon juice and roux as needed. Simmer until the bisque has thickened.
Strain once more, and finish with seasonings and more Armagnac. Reserve for service.

Procedure for Halibut en Papillote

Cut a standard piece of parchment paper in half.
Arrange the lemon slices on the bottom of the parchment. Add halibut filet to the center of the parchment on top of the lemons.
Place herbs on top of the fish, followed by butter. Lightly season with salt.
Fold the top half of parchment over the fish. Use the edges of the parchment to fold into small pleats to seal the bag.
Bake the halibut at 350° F for 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of your filet.

Procedure for Shrimp Globes

Cut the tail off shrimp in half horizontally. Lightly season with salt.
Using plastic wrap, cut 4"x4" squares. Place the shrimp in the middle of each piece of plastic. Bring the ends of the plastic together making the shrimp into a circular shape. Twist the plastic wrap to make the shrimp globes compact. Using butcher's twine, tie a knot at the base of the globe to keep the shape intact.
Using a water bath or sous vide, heat water to 125°. Place the shrimp globes into the water bath and allow to cook for 6-8 minutes or until cooked.
Cut off the plastic and place the globes into a pan with softened butter, chopped dill and lemon juice. Season well and reserve until plating.

Procedure for Grilled Artichoke

Prepare a bowl with ice water and ascorbic acid. Juice and place lemon in bowl.
Clean the artichoke quickly, squeezing lemon juice on the artichoke as you are cleaning it. Keep them in the ice water until ready to be placed in a sous vide bag.
Add the artichokes to a bag with butter, olive oil, white wine, kosher salt, thyme and parsley sprigs. Seal the bag on a liquid setting on the vacuum machine.
Set up a sous vide water bath at 190°. Cook for 1 to 1.5 hours or until the artichokes are tender.
Remove from bag, pat dry and allow to cool slightly. Grill the artichokes lightly just enough to get nice grill marks and a light, smokey flavor.

Procedure for Asparagus

Procedure for Chive Oil

Lightly blanch and shock chives.
Carefully squeeze excess water from the chives and add to blender.
Add grapeseed oil to blender until well combined.
Line cheesecloth over a container and pour the oil over. (Chef's note: Do not push through or it will cloud the oil.)
Allow to strain completely and discard the cheesecloth. Add oil to squeeze bottle and reserve for later.

Procedure for Sliced Almonds