haute dog

Hotdogs are to food what the smiley face is to art.

Sure people gobble them both up, but is it truly an example of what our advanced civilization is capable of? Was the Renaissance simple a pit stop on the road to wearing bright yellow grinning tanktops while spilling matching mustard from our beef-tube totting buns. Would Sandro Botticelli eat street meat?

If you are an avid lover of hot dogs, you’ll find this recipe wildly pretentious. Feel free to move along to the next, less-snooty exhibit…  You may not know about food, but you know what you like.

If you are ashamed to admit you love hotdogs or enjoy them secretly when no one is judging you might want to give this recipe a try. Feel liberated knowing there is a more subtly sophisticated option.

If you are appalled by the thought of what might have fallen through the grate at the abatoire into the hotdog vat, you will be overjoyed to know that there is enlightenment at the end of the Renaissance tunnel. The only trouble is they ain’t selling these doggies at the ball game.

Without becoming too surreal or abstract we sought to distill the essence of a hot dog and replaced the lips and udders with a the subtle and sophisticated scallop mousseline. You will find a similar, but more delicate, texture and a thoughtful play of light and dark to this version of a hot dog.

Ingredients

For the scallop mousseline haute dogs

1 pound fresh scallops (any size)

1 egg white

1 cup heavy cream

good pinch of salt

good pinch of white pepper

For the haute dog

6 really good briochey hotdog buns, pan grilled in butter

good mayonnaise (kewpie brand)

cucumber, julienned

carrots, julienned

black sesame seeds

green onions finely sliced and warmed in a pan with some soy sauce

Serve some quickie pickles on the side.

Special equipment

chilled food processor

pastry bag, preferably disposable

procedure

Makes 6 hotdogs 

Get all your toppings sorted out first. 

To make the scallop mousseline. 

Get as many pieces of your food processor into the freezer to chill for an hour. 

Get a big pot of water nice and hot. Kepp the water simmering gently while you start your mousseline.

Make sure all your ingredients are nicely chilled before you make the mousseline. 

Put the egg white, salt, white pepper and scallops into the food processor and blitz while pouring the heavy cream into the top hole on the food processor. As soon as it is all blended smooth (it will be quite thick) transfer into the pastry bag using a spatula to scrape up every last bit.

Now cut the tip off the bag about the size of a nickel. Pipe out 6 hotdog-length tubes directly into the simmering water. Use a sharp knife or a pair of scissors to cut between the hot dogs. 

Let the simmer for 2 minutes, gently flip and continue cooking for 3 minutes, they will get big and inflated like an angry marshmallow. That’s cool, just do your best to keep them from sticking together. When they are done, gently remove them to a plate while you fry your buns with butter and warm the green onions in soy sauce. 

Butter the buns and fry them in a pan until golden. Drop a bit more butter in there and fry up your haute dogs for that fried doggie goodness. Top your bun with the fixins: mayo, carrots, cucumber, sesame seeds. 

Top that with a hot fried scallop mousseline haute dog and enjoy with your friends.