Green pea tartelette with wild garlic and pickled few flowered leek

We’re going to make a wild garlic tartelette that’s filled with braised kohlrabi, a leek cream, pickled few-flowered leek, green peas, some caviar and a shallot vinaigrette

The pickled few flowered leek

Few flowered leek is closely related to wild garlic and it can be used in similar ways, only without such a strong garlic flavor. Today we’re going to pickle the bulbils. Take a bowl of cold water and submerge the flowers in there. Now by moving the bulbils between your hands the little pearls come loose and sink to the bottom, the flowers will float to the top. Let it set for a minute and then use a spider strainer to remove the flowers. We’re definitely not wasting anything, so I dry the flowers at 50 degrees Celsius and then turn it into a lovely powder, great for seasoning chicken or doughs. Then drain the water and weigh the bulbils in a bowl. Now add 10% of salt, I had 120 grams, so I added 12 grams. Give it a gentle mix and then let it brine in your fridge for 7 days. Mix it every day to insure the pearls brine evenly. We brine the bulbils to lower the water content and kill any yeasts or other bacteria. After the week rinse them well to remove the salt and then let it drain for a couple of minutes.

150 grams	white wine vinegar
75 grams	water
60 grams	sugar
1	lemon
10	black pepper grains
2	cardamom pods
3 grams	salt

Meanwhile mix the white wine vinegar with the water, the sugar, the peel from the lemon, the black pepper grains, the cardamom pods and the salt. Bring this to a simmer. Once it’s simmering turn off the heat and let it cool down completely. Then drain the pickle liquid and add the few flowered leek. Give it a good mix and then let it marinade for at least 24 hours in your fridge. You can also vacuum the bulbils, this will marinade the few flowered leek bulbils in seconds. I know most restaurants will use vacuum chambers and those work great, but in my new studio I have the BORA vacuum. A small handy machine and really works wonders. Great for professional use and for home cooks. Now as you can see it took less than a minute and the bulbils are already good to go, really such a great combo of flavor and texture. If submerged in the pickle you can keep them in your fridge for many months.

The wild garlic tartelettes

20 grams	wild garlic leaves
40 grams	water
20 grams	olive oil
15 grams	egg yolk
3 grams	salt
160 grams	flour

Mix the wild garlic leaves with the water, the olive oil, the egg yolk and the salt. Then blend it till smooth. Insure it has an even color otherwise you need to blend it some more. Now transfer the flour on your worktop and use the bowl to make a well in the middle. Fill the well with the wild garlic liquid and start mixing it from the middle to the outside. Then knead it into a nice even dough. Let it rest in your fridge for at least 1 hour. After that place the dough on a floured worktop and roll it out till it’s 2 to 3 millimeters thin. Add a little bit of flour in between to prevent the dough from sticking. Then use a big round cutter to cut circles out of the dough. Place the circles on a tartelette mold and cover them with the tops. Here I use the mold from Mold Brothers, click here for more information. Now place another tray on top and then bake them at 150 degrees Celsius for around 40 minutes. Keep an eye on the color, if you overbake them the beautiful green will turn brown. Once baked shave the top with a microplane or a fine grater. Then keep them dry and covered for later.

The leek cream

2	big leeks
1	sweet onion
3 cloves	garlic
3 grams	salt
100 grams	cream
80 grams	vegetable broth
1 sprig	tarragon
2	bay leaves
	Xanthan gum

Take the leeks and trim the green part off. I’m not using it for this dish, but definitely keep it for another recipe like a green leek coulis. Now cut the leek to the centre in half and wash it well. Then cut the leeks in thin slices. Now add a drizzle of oil to a pan and start glazing the leek. Meanwhile cut the sweet onion in half and clean it. Then slice it in thin slices. Add it to the pan as well. Now just clean the garlic and slice them as well. Mix them with the leek and onion and also add the salt. Give it another couple of minutes till all the ingredients have softened. Then add the cream with the vegetable broth, the tarragon and the bay leaves. Now reduce the liquid till almost everything has evaporated. Then remove the herbs and transfer it into a blender. Blend it till smooth. Now add a knife tip of Xanthan gum and blend it for another minute. The Xanthan gum will prevent the cream from leaking any liquid once plated. Then transfer it into a piping bottle and keep it in your fridge for later.

The kohlrabi

Take one big kohlrabi and clean it. Then slice it in your slices on a mandolin. Slice those slices in thin julienne and then in small cubes also known as brunoise. Now add a drizzle of oil in a pan and glaze the brunoise with a sprinkle of salt. The kohlrabi needs to be softened and that takes around 10 minutes. Then add a good amount of the leek cream and mix it well. After that transfer it into a bowl and let it cool down in your fridge.

The shallot vinaigrette

2	shallots
3 leaves	wild garlic
50 grams	dashi vinegar
30 grams	sushi vinegar
1	lime
100 grams	olive oil

Cut the shallots in half and clean them. Then press the halves down and slice them in super thin slices. Once that’s done slice them in a very small brunoise. Transfer it into a bowl and then cut the wild garlic leaves in a thin chiffonade. That’s a technique used to finely cut herbs. Add it to the shallot together with the dashi vinegar, the sushi vinegar and the zest from the lime. Then while stirring slowly add the olive oil. I use a nice gentle one not to overpower the other flavors. Keep it in your fridge for later and give it a good mix before serving it.

The green peas

Take the green pea pods and clean them. Then season some boiling water with a generous amount of salt and blanch the green peas for 30 seconds to a minute. Directly cool them down in ice water to prevent the peas from turning brown and overcooking. After 2 minutes take them out of the water and peel them once more. Just make a thin incision in the membrane and press the green pea out. It takes some time, but it’s really worth it. Now keep it in your fridge for later. Just like the few flowered leek you can also dry the membranes and turn it into a powder. Very delicious!

How to finish the dish

First season the green peas with the shallot vinaigrette. Do this just before serving, otherwise the peas will lose their beautiful color. If necessary also add a sprinkle of salt. Then take the tartelette and fill the bottom with a tablespoon of the kohlrabi. Level it with a cocktail stamp and then add a generous tablespoon of the green peas. Level that as well and pipe some of the leek cream on top. After that take a nice caviar and use two spoons to create a beautiful quenelle. Gently place it on top of the peas and place some of the few flowered leek around it. Now decorate it with some wild garlic flowers, small savory herbs leaves and fennel tops. Then the final step is just to add some of the shallot vinaigrette.