This is a riff on a recipe from NoMAd by Daniel Humm and Will Guidara. I like how the dish explores the different textures of broccoli and different flavors based on temperature. The recipe takes a little bit of work, but no more than most people lavish on a meat course for a weekend dinner. So why not spend that attention on vegetables? Much of this work can be done ahead of time, with the cutting and fricco being done the day before, along with the steaming of the florets. You want broccoli with long stems for this recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
3 heads broccoli, with long stems-around 2-3 pounds
2½ tablespoons lemon flavored olive oil
Grapeseed, avocado, or light flavored olive oil, as needed
½ cup, or as needed, Simple White Balsamic Vinaigrette (made without the shallot)-See website
1 tablespoon lemon juice, Meyer preferred
Sel de Guerande, Maldon, or other crunchy salt, and pepper to taste
8 rounds Fricco-lacey cheese crackers/tuiles, (parallelograms are a shape the would work well here also), about tuna can sized-See recipe on website
METHOD:
Remove stems all the way up to where they start to branch into florets. Remove and reserve all leaves, and set aside. Cut off the bottom ¼-inch of the stem, and discard. Peel the stems using a sharp paring knife to bite under the skin at the stem base, and pull the skin up and away from the stem. Remove the trimmings and save in a separate pile, discarding the lower woody stem trim. Cut the stems into as many ½-inch thick lengthwise slabs as you can from each stalk. Each side of the slab should be flat, so trim them up and place trimmings with the other stem trimmings. You will need 4 slabs, so plan accordingly.
Take 16+1(for testing) nicely shaped decent sized florets and reserve. Use a scissors or sharp knife to pare the buds from the remaining florets into a bowl, and set aside. Put the shaved florets with the stem trimmings.
Bring a 3 quart pot of well salted water to a boil, and prepare an ice bath close to hand. Heat the oven to 350°F. Heat a large (12-14-inch) sauté pan over medium-high heat. Put a half sheet-pan covered with foil and sprayed with avocado or grapeseed oil on the shelf in the middle of the oven. Have 4 plates out and ready to go.
Blanch the florets until just tender, around 3-5 minutes, using the +1 floret as the taste-tester. As soon as they are just tender, use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer the florets to the ice bath to arrest the cooking. When the florets are cool, remove from the bath and drain well, then place in a small non-reactive bowl and keep cool.
Around 10 minutes before plating the dish, dress with enough Simple White Vinaigrette to lightly coat, and toss to ensure full coverage. Add the reserved broccoli leaves and fold into the florets gently. Leave out at room temperature.
After blanching the florets, refresh the ice-bath, and put the stem and floret trim into the boiling water used to blanch the florets, and cook 6-7 minutes until the trim is tender all the way through. Remove the trim to the ice-bath. When chilled, add 1½ cups of trim and a couple tablespoons of ice water to a blender. Pureé on high until quite smooth. Lower speed to low, remove the top and drizzle in the lemon oil and pureé until emulsified. Pureé should be velvety. Transfer to a non-reactive bowl, and cover with a sheet of plastic right on it to prevent discoloration, and if not using right away, refrigerate, being sure to pull it a half-hour before service.
Once the florets are blanched and the pureé is made, trim the stems into 3½ to 4 inch slabs, trimming the ends into 45° angles. Toss into a bowl and spray with oil all over. Give the hot pan a light coating of oil, then add the slabs in a single layer without crowding. Sauté until the slabs are nicely caramelized, 3-4 minutes, then flip and caramelize the other side. Transfer the slabs to the sheet-pan in the oven, and cook 4-5 minutes until tender all the way through. Remove when done and set aside.
When the slabs go in the oven, turn the heat under the pan to high and film with a little oil. When just about smoking, put the floret buds in the pan and toss to sear and crisp up a little. As soon as they are hot, season with a little salt and pepper and the lemon juice. Set aside.
Using a serving spoon, place a big dollop of broccoli pureé just right of center, and smear to the left and up. Place 1 or 2 stalk slabs along the vertical mid-line of the plate on the smear. The idea is to end with what appears to be a broccoli floret in the middle of the plate. Place 4 dressed florets at the top of the slabs with the floret tops going upwards. If there are leaves in the bottom of the bowl, place on the stem slabs. Use a spoon to lay out the fried bud “soil” along the bottom of the stem, and then arrange two fricco per plate, perhaps one between slabs at an angle, and one in the florets? Sprinkle with salt and a touch of pepper, and serve.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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