Yield: 2 Servings
Prep time: 25 mins | Cook: 15 mins | Artistic Assembly: 10 mins
Ingredients
The Landscape
200g Heirloom Baby Carrots (with tops)
100g Purple Radishes (sliced into ultra-thin rounds)
50g Pumpernickel Bread (toasted and crumbled into "dirt")
1 tbsp Black Sesame Seeds (to mix with the crumbs)
The Flora
100g Snap Peas (blanched and split to reveal seeds)
1 bunch Micro-greens (pea shoots or watercress)
4 Edible Violas or Nasturtiums
The Medium
150g Green Pea Puree (blitzed with mint and lemon)
100g Beetroot Reduction (strained and thickened)
50g Whipped Chèvre (Goat Cheese) with a hint of honey
Preparation
1. Constructing the "Soil"
Toast the pumpernickel bread until completely dry and brittle.
Pulse in a food processor with black sesame seeds and a pinch of salt until it resembles dark, rich topsoil.
2. Preparing the Elements
Carrots: Lightly steam the baby carrots so they remain snappy. Keep the green tops on; they act as the "trees" of your landscape.
Beetroot Paint: Simmer beetroot juice until reduced to a syrupy consistency. Pour into a squeeze bottle for precision.
Pea Puree: Blanch peas for 2 minutes, then shock in ice water. Blend with fresh mint leaves and a squeeze of lemon until perfectly smooth.
The Assembly
The Canvas: Use a large, flat white ceramic plate (your tableau).
Painting: Using a brush or a small offset spatula, "paint" a wide stroke of Green Pea Puree across the bottom third of the plate. Squeeze several "drops" of Beetroot Reduction and Whipped Chèvre in various sizes.
Grounding: Sprinkle a jagged line of the Pumpernickel Soil along the pea puree stroke.
Planting: Vertically nestle the Baby Carrots and Radish rounds into the soil so they appear to be growing out of the plate.
Detailing: Use tweezers to place Snap Peas and Micro-greens around the carrots. Finish by placing the Edible Flowers as if they have just bloomed on the farm.
Chef’s Note: This dish is a "Tableau"—it should look like a miniature garden captured in a frame. The contrast between the dark, crunchy bread crumbs and the vibrant, smooth vegetable purees provides both a visual and textural story of the farm.