Lord Stanley’s Artichokes With Poached Eggs, Almond Puree & Beurre Blanc
Serves 4
At Lord Stanley in Russian Hill, Rupert and Carrie Blease use duck eggs for this recipe. If you can’t find duck eggs, chicken eggs also work well. The almond puree and artichokes can be made several hours ahead and rewarmed prior to serving.
Almond puree
1 cup blanched slivered
almonds Canola oil as needed Freshly squeezed lemon as
needed Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper as needed
Artichokes
8 medium artichokes, cleaned and ends trimmed Olive oil as needed
Beurre blanc
1½ tablespoons
diced shallots ½ cup dry white
wine ½ cup cream ½ cup (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces Cayenne pepper to taste
To finish
4 large eggs 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar 6 ounces fava leaves, thick stems removed 6 ounces watercress, cleaned and trimmed
To make the almond puree: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the almonds on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown, about 10 minutes. While still hot, place the almonds in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of canola oil, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Puree until smooth, adding more oil if needed to make a puree. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper and lemon juice.
To make the artichokes: Use a pair of kitchen shears to remove the sharp tips of the artichokes. Fill a large pot, fitted with a steamer basket, with 4 cups of water. Place the artichokes in the steamer basket and steam until tender, about 12 minutes. (You might need to do this in two batches.)
When the artichokes are cool enough to handle, peel off the tough outer layers of leaves, leaving just the tender inner leaves. Split the artichokes down the middle lengthwise and use a spoon to remove the choke. Toss the artichoke halves with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
To make the beurre blanc: In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, simmer the shallots and white wine until the liquid is almost completely evaporated, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cream and reduce by half, about 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and slowly whisk in the cold butter a piece at a time. Season with salt, cayenne and lemon juice to taste.
To finish: Bring a large pot of water to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Crack the eggs into four small ramekins and add a ½ teaspoon of white wine vinegar to each ramekin. Use a wooden spoon to create a whirlpool in the barely simmering water, then gently drop each egg into the water. Reduce the heat to low and poach the eggs until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft, about 2 minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate lined.
Heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Cook the fava leaves and watercress until wilted. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
To serve: Place a generous dollop of the almond puree in the center of four plates. Top each dollop of puree with a poached egg. Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Divide the artichokes (four to a plate), along with the wilted fava leaves and watercress, to form a nest around the almond puree and poached eggs. Drizzle the eggs and vegetables with beurre blanc and serve immediately.