This absolutely delightful recipe is the outcome of my curiosity over what a vegetarian version of a steak tartare would taste like, and so I decided to marry the idea of Chef Daniel Humm’s carrot tartare, a signature of 11 Madison Park Restaurant in NYC, with the steak tartare dressing recipe of the late Chef Anthony Bourdain …
… a few additions and subtractions later was born this delicious salad that will seduce even the most staunch carnivore!
Ingredients
YIELD: 4 to 6 starter portions (depending on number of courses being served)
- 280 gms grated carrot
- 28 gms capers, rinsed
- 28 gms finely chopped gherkins
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 2 egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 teaspoons ketchup
- tabasco to taste
- ½ cup sunflower oil
Method
And it’s all so very simple; first and foremost, wash & peel your carrots (STEPS 1 & 2), and then grate them using the largest teeth of your grater (STEPS 3 & 4). Then weigh out to exactly 280 grams (STEP 5). Next, finely chop your parsley, onions and gherkins and rinse your capers, and then simply mix into the carrot (STEPS 6 TO 9).
Refrigerate the carrot mix, and then move on to your dressing for which you will need two egg yolks (I am simply showing you half a dressing recipe since I used only half of the mixture i.e. 175g of the carrot mix), 4 tablespoons of dijon mustard, 4 teaspoons of ketchup, tabasco according to your taste for spice, 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce and ½ cup sunflower oil. In the image (IMAGE 1) you will see a bottle of cognac but I have eliminated that from the recipe.
The first step is to whisk together the egg yolks and mustard, (STEP 1) then add the ketchup, tabasco and Worcestershire sauce and whisk again (STEPS 2 & 3). Then gradually add the oil, whisking continuously (STEP 4). Once completed (STEP 5), add the carrot mix (STEP 6), mix in thoroughly with a fork and refrigerate until use (STEP 7).
And now your last step is the absolutely fabulous chive emulsion, which you can use to embellish other recipes, since it is more decorative than anything else.
YIELD: 4 to 6 starter portions
- ¼ cup finely chopped chives
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ice cube
And literally all you have to do is top and tail your bunch of chives, wash in cold water diluted with apple cider vinegar (1 part vinegar to 4 parts water to), dry the chives & finely chop them. Then place the chives, olive oil and ice cube in your blender and whizz … and voila, there you have a beautiful lime green chive emulsion. Reserve at room temperature until use. (STEPS 1 TO 10)
And now at last on to the final leg, which is the presentation of the dish.
Take your serving plate and place an open ring mould of 4 inch diameter in the centre (STEP 1) … it doesn’t matter what the height is, as you will be filling ¼ inch height only. Fill the mould up to a ¼ inch height using a fork and press down to ensure a tight fit (STEPS 2, 3 & 4). Then lift off the mould (STEPS 5 & 6). Using a teaspoon, drop little droplets of the chive oil around the carrot tartare (STEPS 7, 8 & 9), sprinkle with micro-greens (STEP 10 – as you know by now, I buy my micro-greens from Nature’s Soul store, 27, Defence Colony Market, New Delhi), then top the tartare with a single whole walnut, garnish the top with a few more micro greens (STEP 11), and there you have an unexpectedly delicious dish, Carrot tartare, Chive emulsion (FINAL IMAGE).
Above: Final Image