Heart of Palm Fettuccine, Popcorn Powder, Parmesan

Chef Alex Atala surprises with a unique way of serving sustainable heart of palms to his guests at D.O.M restaurant. A modernist take on fettuccini made of heart of palms paired with butter, sage, zucchini and popcorn powder...yes, popcorn powder! It’ll be a favorite no matter who’s eating it. Thank you, Chef Atala for sharing this modernist recipe with us!

Alex Atala is the chef-owner of the 6th best restaurant in the world D.O.M. and named by Times as one of the World’s Top 100 Most Influential People. You can read more about the world's most interesting chef here.

Ingredients (serves 4)

- 1 kg (35 oz) heart of palm

- 1 small zucchini

- Canola oil

- 100 g (3 ½ oz.) broken corn (quirera)

- 10 ml (2 tsp) clarified butter - to make it, melt butter in low heat for about 45 minutes, always removing the impurities. Strain twice on a clean sheet.

- 60 g (2.1 oz.) unsalted butter

- 15 sage leaves

- 50 g  (1.8 oz.) Parmesan cheese, cut in fine blades

- Salt

Preparation

Popcorn Powder

1 - Heat ½-inch of canola oil in a high sided, heavy bottomed pan until it reaches 180°C (355°F).

2 - Fry the broken corn in batches until it opens like popcorn.

3 - Remove with a slotted spoon and set it on kitchen towels to cool.

4 - Pulse in a food processor until it turns to powder.

5 - Sieve twice and season with salt.

6 - Set aside.

Fettuccine Preparation

1 - Remove the heart of palm’s bark (if any).

2 - Cut the heart of palm in fine strips using a mandoline, so that it resembles fettuccine.

3 - Blanch the fettuccine strips in boiling salted water for one minute.

Zuccini Preparation

1 - Cut the zucchini into thin rounds.

2 - Heat the clarified butter in a frying pan over high heat.

3 - Sear one side of four separate rounds of zucchini.

Tossing Fettuccine with butter and sage

1 - Carefully clean out the pan with a paper towel and then melt the unsalted butter over medium heat until it turns slightly brown and foamy (brown butter).

2 - Add the sage and then the blanched heart of palm and toss to combine.

3 - Taste for seasoning, adding salt if necessary.

Assemble and Serve

1 - Place a portion of the heart of palm fettuccine in the center of each plate.

2 - Put one seared zucchini round on one side of the fettuccine and a long shaving of Parmesan on the other.

3 - Garnish with the popcorn powder.

4 – Serve Immediately