Potato and Ramp Green Soup with Candied Pine Nuts and Creme Fraiche
Ingredients:
- 6 cups potato soup (recipe to follow)
- 6 tablespoons ramp green puree (recipe to follow)
- 3 tablespoons pickled ramps, thinly sliced (recipe to follow)
- 6 tablespoons smoked kombu jelly (recipe to follow)
- 4 tablespoons candied pine nuts (recipe to follow)
Potato Soup (Yield 12 cups):
- 1 pound leeks, white part only, cleaned and diced
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 14 ounces Idaho® russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 quart stock, chicken or vegetable
- 2 quarts half-and-half
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, freshly ground
- Salt, as needed
Ramp Green Puree (Yield 1 pound):
- 1 pound ramp greens, cleaned
- Salt, as needed
- Pinch Xanthan gum
Pickled Ramps (Yield 2 1/2 pounds):
- 1 1/4 cup Cava vinegar
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/4 teaspoons mustard seed
- 1 1/4 teaspoons coriander seed
- 1 1/4 teaspoons fennel seed
- 1 1/4 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 1/2 pounds ramps, blanched
Candied Pine Nuts (Yield 1/2 pound):
- 3 cups simple syrup
- 1/2 pound pine nuts
- Vegetable oil for frying, as needed
- Salt, as needed
Smoked Kombu Jelly (Yield 600 grams):
- 1 quart water
- 60 grams kombu pieces
- 3/4 teaspoon mace, toasted
- 25 grams sugar
- 25 grams rice wine vinegar
- 7 1/2 each gelatin sheets, bloomed in ice water
Directions:
- In a pot over medium-high heat, warm soup until hot. Whisk in ramp green puree.
- Place 1/2 tablespoon pickled ramps in soup bowl with 1 tablespoon kombu jelly and 2 teaspoons candied pine nuts. Pour 1 cup soup into bowl tableside.
Potato Soup:
- In a large pot over low heat, sweat leeks in butter until tender. Add potatoes and broth and simmer until potatoes are tender. Add half-and-half and white pepper. Transfer soup to a blender and puree in batches, then pass through fine mesh strainer. Adjust the seasoning and reserve.
Ramp Green Puree:
- In a large pot of heavily salted water, blanch ramp greens for 1 minute, then shock in ice water. Drain well, roughly chop then puree in blender until smooth. With blender running add Xanthan gum and shear into puree. Season with salt, pass through chinois and reserve.
Pickled Ramps:
- In a small pot, bring vinegar, sugar and water to boil. Stir in spices. Pour over ramps into a clean, airtight container. Cover and refrigerate for 3 days. Reserve.
Candied Pine Nuts:
- In a small pot, bring simple syrup to a boil. Add pine nuts; simmer for 10 minutes, pour into colander to drain. Deep-fry nuts in 350°F oil until light golden brown, approximately 45 seconds. Drain on paper towels, season with salt and reserve.
Smoked Kombu Jelly:
- Steep kombu and mace in water at constant 180°F for 45 minutes. Strain. Transfer to smoker for 1 medium cycle, about 30 minutes. Transfer to shallow baking pan and add sugar and rice wine vinegar. Wring out gelatin and add. Refrigerate until set, approximately 2 hours. Scrape and chop to look like crushed ice. Reserve.