Crisp Fried Artichoke and Lemon Wheels with Spiced Fennel salt
Serves 4-6
24 baby artichokes, trimmed
3 Meyer lemons, sliced into thin rounds, seeds removed
1 cup all purpose flour
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
Salt and Red Pepper flakes
Chopped Parsley
Grated parmesan (optional)
Fennel salt
Pour the oil in to a heavy pot and place over high heat. When the oil reaches 250 degrees, lower the heat.
Fry the artichokes in batches for 3-4 minutes until they soften, remove one and cool briefly, then see if the leaves will separate easily.
Drain the artichokes and cool. Gently spread the leaves from each artichoke to form a flower.
Raise the temp and bring the oil to 360 degrees.
Fry the artichoke flowers in batches 2-3 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain and sprinkle with fennel salt, chili flakes and parmesan if desired.
Dredge the lemon slices in flower and fry until golden and crisp.
Fennel Salt
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
2 teaspoons fennel seed, lightly toasted and coarsely ground
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns, lightly toasted and coarsely ground
In a bowl, stir together the salt, fennel seed, and pepper.
Our last supper was a vegetarian feast by Peter Berley. We were truly honored and thrilled to have Peter in our kitchen! Peter is the former executive chef at the renowned Angelica Kitchen, here in New York. He has gone on to teach at numerous schools such as ICE and Natural Gourmet institute. His acclaimed books include “ The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen, “ “ Fresh Food Fast, “ and most recently “ The Flexitarian : Inspired Flexible Meals for Vegetarians, Meat Lovers and Everyone In Between. “ He has also contributed to Edible Brooklyn, Food and Wine, Bon Apetit and many more.
The Menu:
Crisp Fried Artichoke and Lemon Wheels with Spiced Fennel salt
Salad of Celery, Green Apple, Young Pecorino, and Walnuts
Mustard Vinaigrette
“Risotto” of Spelt and Lentil with Roasted Cauliflower
Brown Butter
Bittersweet Chocolate Bread Pudding with Cognac and Dried Cherries
Whipped Creme Fraiche
Decor : In honor of Earth Day we opted for a greener approach to the usual tabletop. We decorated with an array of succulents from our flower market, added bright green + white striped napkins and a beautifully designed menu from Eve Legris (stay tuned for more about her and her beautiful creations later).
To wrap up our last dinner with Marcey Brownstein and One Girl Cookies, we were honored to incorporate the work of the tremendously talented Viola from Chewing the Cud. Viola created beautiful menus for the table, as well as the small signs you may have spotted in the other posts. Viola also created all the gorgeous favors for this event. We never let our guest go home empty-handed, and this class was no exception. Guests received these adorable sachets that read snuggle with cocoa, in a lilac color, to match our decor. Viola sells the cuddle with cider version in her shop, along with a lovely array of wedding invitations, cards and gifts. We also created packets of olive oil grissinis by One Girl Cookies and a parchment packet of recipes from the class. Check out the details and awesome little drawings that Viola incorporated into each recipe card. Working with Viola was an easy and truly enjoyable experience, she just gets it- and it was so exciting to get our beautiful bundle in the mail- so check out her website and store for more wonderful work !
In Viola’s Words: Taking the cue from karen’s inspiration boards, I wanted to create pieces that were feminine and sophisticated, but had a rustic/homespun feel to them. Feminine colors and typography were juxtaposed with whimsical illustrations and hand-stamped tags. The phrases “eat”, “bake” etc were a playful touch that echoed the instructions on the recipe cards. I also thought it appropriate to make the recipe cards envelope out of something from the kitchen: baking parchment sheets.
Crisp Fried Artichoke and Lemon Wheels with Spiced Fennel salt
Serves 4-6
24 baby artichokes, trimmed
3 Meyer lemons, sliced into thin rounds, seeds removed
1 cup all purpose flour
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
Salt and Red Pepper flakes
Chopped Parsley
Grated parmesan (optional)
Fennel salt
Pour the oil in to a heavy pot and place over high heat. When the oil reaches 250 degrees, lower the heat.
Fry the artichokes in batches for 3-4 minutes until they soften, remove one and cool briefly, then see if the leaves will separate easily.
Drain the artichokes and cool. Gently spread the leaves from each artichoke to form a flower.
Raise the temp and bring the oil to 360 degrees.
Fry the artichoke flowers in batches 2-3 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain and sprinkle with fennel salt, chili flakes and parmesan if desired.
Dredge the lemon slices in flower and fry until golden and crisp.
Fennel Salt
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
2 teaspoons fennel seed, lightly toasted and coarsely ground
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns, lightly toasted and coarsely ground
In a bowl, stir together the salt, fennel seed, and pepper.
Our last supper was a vegetarian feast by Peter Berley. We were truly honored and thrilled to have Peter in our kitchen! Peter is the former executive chef at the renowned Angelica Kitchen, here in New York. He has gone on to teach at numerous schools such as ICE and Natural Gourmet institute. His acclaimed [...]
To wrap up our last dinner with Marcey Brownstein and One Girl Cookies, we were honored to incorporate the work of the tremendously talented Viola from Chewing the Cud. Viola created beautiful menus for the table, as well as the small signs you may have spotted in the other posts. Viola also created all the [...]
