“Pastiche” Salad of Shaved Winter Vegetables, Roots, Stems, and Foraged Greens

Adapted by StarChefs.com
March 2011
Yield: 5 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

Pickled Vegetables
300 grams white wine vinegar
200 grams water
100 grams granulated sugar
3 florets cauliflower broken into smaller florets
1 cauliflower stem, sliced thin on a mandolin
Various roots, stems, and leaves of seasonal foraged vegetables
Garlic Crumble
100 grams buttermilk biscuits (can be flavored, in this case, with garlic confit), crumbled and dried overnight in low oven
80 grams almond flour, toasted
10 grams malted milk powder
30 grams brown butter
Cilantro Pistou
2 bunches cilantro leaves, blanched, shocked, and drained
30 grams dashi
2 grams xanthan gum
120 grams olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
vinegar
Ham Foam
480 grams ham
960 grams water
25 grams granulated lecithin
“Pastiche” Salad
2 stalks celery, sliced in thin, lengthwise strips with peeler
2 carrots, sliced in thin, lengthwise strips with peeler
3 mixed beets, sliced thin on mandolin
3 mixed radishes, sliced thin on mandolin
3 turnips, sliced thin on mandolin
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
maldon salt

METHOD:

For the Pickled Vegetables:

A day in advance, combine the vinegar, water, and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour the liquid over the cauliflower, cauliflower stem, roots, stems, and leaves until they are completely submerged. Pickle overnight.

For the Garlic Crumble:

Preheat the oven to 200ºF. Combine the biscuits, almond flour, milk powder, and brown butter in a food processor and pulse 3 or 4 times. Transfer the mixture to a tray and toast in the oven until the crumble has completely dried out.

For the Cilantro Pistou:

Blend the cilantro, dashi, and xanthan gum in a food processor until smooth. Emulsify with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Pass the mixture through a chinois.

For the Ham Foam:

Submerge the cured meat in the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes. Cool the liquid completely then strain through a chinois. Reheat the stock and add the granulated lecithin. Emulsify the mixture with a hand blender and pass through a chinois. When ready to serve, buzz with a stick blender until a froth forms.

For the “Pastiche” Salad:

Put the celery, carrots, beets, radishes, and turnips into a mixing bowl. Toss with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and Maldon salt.

To Assemble and Serve:

Sprinkle the Garlic Crumble along one side of each plate. Dollop a spoonful of the Cilantro Pistou onto the plate and top with the “Pastiche” Salad and Ham Foam.