Ingredients
4 red beetroots
4 yellow beetroots
4 white beetroots
4 long beetroots
1 piece of cauliflower floret
4 Swiss chards
4 small onions
4 young leeks
4 mini fennels
4 mini orange carrots
4 mini blue carrots
4 pieces of Romanesco broccoli
4 pieces of blue cauliflower
4 stems of broccoli
4 mini round black radishes
100g salted butter
sea salt
To Finish
4 branches of bronze fennel
4 branches of Roman chervil
4 red sorrel leaves
4 arrow sorrel leaves
4 purple radishes
4 red radishes
4 red marigold flowers
4 yellow marigold flowers
4 orange marigold flowers
4 asparagus flowers
4 white borage flowers
4 blue borage flowers
4 capuchin flowers
4 tuberous capuchin leaves
4 fennel flowers
4 bergamot flowers
4 apricot mint flowers
1 calendula flower
100ml olive oil
50ml Chardonnay vinegar
sea salt
Method
This dish is a true tour of all the flavours our farm offers. I wanted this dish to contain the same complexity of sensations that can be experienced when walking in the open air. For once, it’s important to taste each ingredient separately in this dish. This means that the finer and lighter ingredients will all be at the top while the more complex, stronger ingredients will be at the bottom of the plate.
Is an ingredient crunchy, chewy or soft?
I steam, I simmer, I express the juice or I make a creamy sauce so that the ingredient finds its place in the constellation of flavours on the plate. Depending on the crop, the “ready-to-eat” ingredients include Romanesco broccoli, red and yellow beetroot, Swiss chard, small onions, broccoli, celery, rutabaga, red cauliflower, yellow and blue carrots, turnips, red radishes, black radishes and mini leeks. The raw ingredients include chervil, bronze fennel, the leaves and flowers of the African lemon tree and Indian cherry, white and blue borage, apricot mint, pineapple sage and winter purslane. I use the sauteed onions and celeriac to bind the dish together. This abundance of raw materials is such a joy and every time it’s an exciting challenge to put this dish together – it never looks the same twice. The dish should be tasted from top to bottom, ingredient by ingredient, without mixing. It’s the complex sequence of flavours that creates the taste sensation.