MORECOOKBOOKRECIPES Salade Blanche

Roasted Walnut Crème Fraîche 250 grams (1 cup, plus 1

tablespoon) crème fraîche 5 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) walnut oil 5 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) Champagne vinegar, plus more to taste

2 grams (1 teaspoon) sugar 25 grams (3 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon) English walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

To complete

1medium parsnip, about 2 inches 1white truffle (50 to 60 grams, or

about ¼ cup), thinly sliced 4 heads white Belgian endive

1 ripe Bosc pear

Extra-virgin olive oil

Fleur de sel

6 English walnuts, toasted Instructions: For the roasted walnut crème fraîche, whisk together ingredients in a bowl. Stir in the walnuts.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel the parsnip and slice on a mandoline into 1⁄8- inch-thick rounds. Blanch in the boiling water until tender, 30-40 seconds. Transfer to an ice-water bath and chill for about 30 seconds, until cold. Drain and dry on paper towels.

Using a ½-inch plain round cutter, punch 48 rounds from the truffle slices. Mince the truffle trimmings and fold them into the walnut crème fraîche. Transfer the crème fraîche into a disposable piping bag fitted with a 3⁄16- inch plain piping tip.

Cut off the bottom of the endive to remove the leaves. Cut the base of each leaf on a bias.

The crème fraîche will anchor the endive leaves. Pipe a strip of crème fraîche just off-center on each serving plate. Using a small offset spatula, spread the crème fraîche into

1⁄8- inch-thick layer.

Peel and core the pear and cut it into brunoise ( 1⁄8- inch dice). Lightly season the endive with olive oil and fleur de sel. Beginning at the top of the plate, anchor the bottom of a leaf in the crème fraîche. Begin adding leaves, alternating sides to create a shingled effect. Garnish the endive with the parsnip slices, additional crème fraîche and the pear brunoise. Finish with the truffle rounds and shavings of roasted walnut.

Makes 6 servings

From “The French Laundry, Per Se” by Thomas Keller

Deborah Jones