Ramp "Cappuccino"
Ramps are wild onions that grow abundantly in wooded areas
in the spring. Resembling a scallion, it has a strong, peppery, garlicky-onion
flavor and is sometimes referred to as wild leek. Though we are fortunate
enough to be able to pick our own, you can usually find ramps in specialty
grocery stores or at farmer's markets from about mid-March through the end of
June. Based on availability, you may substitute either scallions or leeks—or a
combination of the two—in this recipe. We serve it in a cappuccino cup for
sipping, but you may wish to serve the frothy soup with a demitasse spoon.
A half hour prior to creating this dish, place 2 ramps in the heavy cream to
impart their flavor in the crèma. Remove the ramps before using the heavy
cream in the recipe.
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 cups vegetable stock
24 ramps, white and light green parts only
3 teaspoons sherry
sea salt
freshly ground white pepper
2 cups ramp-infused heavy cream
fried leek for garnish
Preparation:
Bring the stock to a boil. Blanch the ramps until
softened, about 1 minute.
Pour the blanched ramps and stock into a food processor or blender and
liquefy until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a sauce
pan, add the sherry, and reduce by 1/2 over medium-high heat. Season to
taste with salt and pepper.
Heat the heavy cream in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a
boil. Place the cream in blender and liquefy until it becomes frothy, about
2 minutes. You could also use the frother on an espresso machine or a
hand-held blender for this step.
Presentation:
Pour the ramp soup into cappuccino cups and spoon the
crèma on top. Garnish with fried leek and serve immediately.
Quick Tip: Frying Herbs and Greens for Garnish:
Fried herbs and greens make a lovely, flavor-packed
garnish. Some items, such as sage, stemmed baby spinach, micro herbs, and
micro greens work well when left whole. Larger leafs such as arugula work
best when cut into chiffonades before frying, and leeks work best when cut
into juliennes and lightly dusted with flour prior to frying.
To fry your herbs or greens, you will need about 4 times the amount of oil
than the item you're frying. Bring vegetable, canola, or sunflower
oil—which have higher burning points and do not impart too much flavor—to
375 degrees in a deep sauté pan or fryer. Fry the herbs or greens until
crispy and the edges just begin to brown, less than 10 or 15 seconds
depending on the item you're frying. Drain on paper towels and season to
taste with sea salt or even superfine sugar, depending on the application.
You can store drained fried herbs and greens in a paper towel-lined
resealable container.
Wine Pairings:
2002 Cloudy Bay
Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, New Zealand
2001 Ponzi
Pinot Gris
Willamette, Oregon
© 2005 Marcel Biró and Shannon Kring Biró, from Biró—European-Inspired Cuisine
