“It’s a very typical thing on the street,” he says of that area, North Rhine Westphalia.“But as a child I really didn’t like that.”
He has come to appreciate the tender texture and tangy-sweet flavor of matjes herring–so much so that it will be the first of seven courses he will serve to 25 guests at his Fork & Cork Global Street Food dinner at Chakra restaurant in Paramus on Thursday, April 25th. Coincidentally, that evening brings the first of three lunar eclipses in 2013. But the doings at Chakra will be pretty celestial themselves.
Ciszak, 42, developed the menu to celebrate the many unique finger foods he has enjoyed in his travels to over 30 countries. But inevitably he has transformed each dish into a dining experience worthy of his skills and of the elegant and intimate atmosphere of the restaurant.
Matjes herring is always made with immature fish that have not yet spawned, and is traditionally served with pickled onions. He will add beets to the course.
For the second course, Ciszak will stick with finned things as he swims the gathering to England for a variation on classic fish and chips.
As a 20-year-old culinary exchange student, Ciszak was introduced to the crispy fried fish fillets served in a cone of newspaper with fried potatoes and doused with malt vinegar. His upscale version will use fingerling potatoes and shrimp instead of fish, and will include what he calls shrimp fried mayonnaise, an unusual preparation that freezes the mayonnaise before it is breaded and flashed in hot oil.
Next on the menu: a dirty water dog salutes our own metropolitan area, but with a European twist. Instead of the classic New York vendor-style boiled hot dog, diners will be served a house-made boudin blanc white veal sausage, sliced and served in a bowl of black mushroom broth with a brioche bun on the side.
From there, the itinerary takes a long trip to India, much as Ciszak did in 2011 when he was invited to an event in New Delhi, along with other chefs from around the world, to create modern dishes with basmati rice.
“Everybody told me in India to not eat street food,” he says.
Nevertheless, on the 9th hole of a golf course he was playing, he couldn’t resist a vendor selling kati rolls. The sandwich wrap features a fried-to-order dough, cooked with a fried egg and filled with spiced meat and vegetables. Ciszak’s version will be made like a ravioli filled with chicken, cilantro and quail egg and served in a green sauce.
The last savory course, Middle Eastern lamb kofte and kebab with cucumbers, was his favorite from a trip to Turkey as a 20-year-old. “Pretty much the only thing I could afford to eat was street food,” he says. Ciszak’s kofte meatballs and lamb loin kebabs will be served with a creamy cucumber tzatziki sauce.
As a transition to dessert, he will serve his guests bubble tea, in the form of a chilled green tea soup with coconut gelee and guava sorbet. It is an upscale version of the popular Asian drink served with ‘pearls’ of tapioca sipped through an extra-wide straw.
Although he learned about the Asian fondness for jellied textures in two trips to Japan, it was in New York with his Chinese wife that he first experienced this chewy drink.
The last stop on this culinary world tour will present a Belgian waffle topped with a scoop of Vietnamese ca phe sua ice cream. The ice cream is made with Vietnamese coffee and sweetened condensed milk.
“I have not been to Vietnam, but I drink the coffee at a place in Flushing,” he explains. “Part of why I love New York so much and stay in this country is that diversity. Right outside your door you can taste all the different street foods.”
Ciszak holds a different Dining Club event every month. “I really want [them] to be a little more personal, a little bit more off the cuff,” he says of these small events. “It keeps me closer to the guests and I can show them that I don’t do just schnitzel.”
The 7-course meal is $98 per person and includes wine pairings (cognac with dessert). Click here for the menu and other information. For reservations call 201-556-1530 or email [email protected].
SUZANNE ZIMMER LOWERY is a food writer, pastry chef and culinary instructor at a number of New Jersey cooking schools. Find out more about her at suzannelowery.com.