Easter Menu - 0.0%
Oldschool starter with miso, plus rhubarb saffron with jasmine
Recipe, Food-Styling, Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald
SBR Easter
Easter is the first major celebration this year which not everyone can easily avoid. Familytime... . For those who have extended their Dry January so far, and want to remain sobercurious, the event could be challenging.I remember the opulent Easter breakfasts as a moist happy tune-up for even more moist happy holidays. Here it can be difficult to distance oneself, not to give in to the social pressure ("one for the road etc...") and still remain in a good mood. An uncomplicated and alcohol-free three-course meal could help. The fish and the ice cream require some preparation time. But you can also buy the ice cream, which will save you even more time. And if you don't have any verjus at home, you can use a thinner, mild apple cider vinegar.
PS.: If there is any rhubarb or miso left over, here are more ideas:
Fennel rhubarb syrup alcoholfree gin tonic and vegan snack
Marinated rhubarb juniper - saffron chicken and Fluère Dark Cane alcohol-free Old Fashioned.
Short smoked salmon fillet - white beans with miso - Non-alcoholic shiso five spice sprizz
Menu
The starter is a top classic, in my opinion. It does have a slightly outdated reputation, but if it is to be served, then it should at least be served at Easter. It's hard to get past the egg theme, surprise! Hard-boiled and with butter and salt, however, I find them really bulky. The mayonnaise egg, on the other hand, offers much less resistance. A traditional dish from the 70s. In France, oef mayo is still an integral part of bistro cuisine. Egg and mayo are taken so seriously that championships are even held in them. Reason enough to bring this classic onto the plate with a little more umami. In addition to egg yolk, mayonnaise and a little light miso, a Japanese spice mix is also used. For the drink, we make a rhubarb syrup with a little saffron for the spicy, tart undertone, and add a dash of rose water. This creates a floral note. And this way the drink would also be ready for use. For example, mixed with a little verjus or vinegar to make a shrub. The Asian touch, which we hint at with miso and spice mix (Shichimi Togarashi) in the starter, is taken up with jasmine tea mixed with the rhubarb syrup. Fine green tea tannins and the scent of jasmine give it a special twist, and unmistakable Asian vibes.
Rhubarb Saffron Rose and Jasmine
Recipe, Food-Styling, Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald
The main course is a salmon marinated in lapsang (smoked tea) with vegetables. Uncomplicated smoke aroma on the fish, for those who don't have a smoker. Accompanied by lots of fresh seasonal greens. As a small reference to the cherry blossom and another Asia quote, there is a drink made of cherry and sesame syrup. Depending on how tart the cherry juice is, the ratio of syrup and verjus or acid should be adjusted again. I used the Morellenfeuer juice from Van Nahmen. A fine and tart juice with a really fancy title. But the drink also works with other products, as long as it is real juice.
Salmon with smoky notes and vegetables, served with cherry with sesame.
Recipe, Food-Styling, Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald
Salmon with smoky notes and vegetables, served with cherry with sesame.
Recipe, Food-Styling, Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald
For dessert, since it always gives the kitchen such a nice summery feel, we have rhubarb again. This time as soup with tonka ice cream. I made the ice cream myself because the tonka flavour is unusual and goes very well with the rhubarb. The taste is a bit more tart than pure vanilla. It reminds me more of caramel and almond. If that's too elaborate then you can also buy ice cream. Flavours like vanilla, almond or caramel are very good.
Rhubarb soup with ice cream, served with honey verjus and orange blossom
Recipe, Food-Styling, Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald
The sweet dessert is countered by a very interesting Verjus drink, inspired by a recipe from Julia Bainbridge's excellent book Good Drinks. I increased the amount of orange blossom water and also added two dashes of orange bitters because it gives the drink more body. The drink sounds very simple and you might be put off by the combination of honey and sugar syrup, but it's worth it. The sweet dessert with a wonderfully fresh and acidic drink. A winning combination. If you want to stay completely 0.0%, leave out the bitter. This contains little alcohol for a bitter, but still 9%.
Recipe, Food-Styling, Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald
Recipes
Deviled Eggs With Miso
Ingredients for 4 servings
The eggs can be cooked in advance. However, they should be peeled and halved just before preparation.
4 medium free range eggs
50 g mayonnaise
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp white miseo
1 dash rice vinegar
Some finely chopped chives
China rose sprouts or similar For decoration.
Shichimi togarashi for sprinkling (Sichimi togarashi is a spicy Japanese seasoning made from dried chilli peppers, tangerine peel, seaweed and sesame seeds. It is excellent for sprinkling on soups and noodle dishes and is available in Asian supermarkets or online. If it is not to hand at the moment, a combination of cayenne pepper and sesame seeds , white & black, also works).
Hard boil the eggs for 12 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly under cold water and peel carefully. Cut the eggs in half with a sharp knife and gently lift out the yolks with a teaspoon. Pass the yolks through a fine sieve. Now mix the mixture with the mayonnaise, mustard, miso and rice vinegar until smooth. Season to taste. If the mixture is too firm, add a little mayonnaise. Add miso for more flavour. Transfer to a piping bag and fill the eggs. It's best to use a star nozzle to give it that oldschool touch.
Sprinkle with chives, sprouts and togarashi.
Rhubarb Jasmine Drink
Ingredients for at least 4 drinks
500 g rhubarb washed & cleaned / keep back one stalk for garnish
150 ml water
160 g sugar
½ tsp saffron
2 tsp rose water
1 pinch of salt
10 gr China Royal Jasmine Curls / Jasmine tea with stronger jasmine note.
Verjus Extra Sour
Water still or sparkling if required
Cut the rhubarb into small pieces with the sugar in a saucepan, mix and leave to infuse for 20 min. Add the water, bring to the boil and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add the rose water. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Pour through a fine sieve and chill. Add 2 tsp. jasmine to 200 ml. Water (80 °C), infuse for 2 min. and chill.
Drink
5 cl rhubarb
5 cl jasmine tea
1 dash Verjus Extra Sour
To make the drink, stir the syrup and tea with a dash of verjus over ice until cold and strain into a glass. Garnish with a slice of rhubarb.
Smoked Salmon With Vegetables
Ingredients for 4 servings
3 tbsp China Lapsang Souchong tea for the marinade
150 ml water
1 tsp Lapsang tea for sprinkling
500 g - 750 g salmon fillet
6 tbsp olive oil
piece of ginger, the size of a walnut
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
1 red carrot, raw, sliced very thinly
8 spears green asparagus, blanched
2 pak choi blanched, halved, blanched
1 handful sugar snap peas, blanched
6 broad beans, blanched
Baby spinach washed
Young green pea shoots
5 stalks mint, leaves plucked
Steep the tea in 150 ml boiling water for 3-4 min. Drain through a sieve and leave to cool. Marinate the salmon with the tea for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight). You can use a freezer bag, ziplock bag, etc. to do this.
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Remove the marinade from the salmon and pat dry. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Season with salt. Spread 3 tbsp olive oil over it. Grind 1 tsp Lapsang tea between your hands and sprinkle evenly over the salmon. Cook in the oven for 20 - 30 min until the salmon is slightly glazed inside. To test for doneness, pierce the thickest part of the fillet with a thin knife, wait briefly and pull the knife out again. For the dressing, grate the ginger finely, chop the garlic finely and mix with 3 tbsp. olive oil and 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Now blanch the vegetables until they are slightly soft but still have a good bite. Rinse in very cold water. Dry and set aside. Finely slice the carrot and wash the lettuce. Mix the carrots and lettuce with some of the dressing.Cut broad beans into strips. Heat a large frying pan with a little oil. Fry the vegetables again briefly. Place in a large bowl and mix with the rest of the dressing.Remove the salmon from the oven and arrange with the vegetables. Garnish with sprouts and plucked mint.
Cherry Drink With Sesame Syrup
Ingredients for at least 4 drinks
200 g sesame seeds
500 ml water
200 g sugar
Tart cherry juice e.g. Morellenfeuer
Mint / Garnish
Ice and water
Syrup
Preheat the oven to 250 °C Spread the sesame seeds out on a baking tray and roast until they are well toasted, about 8-10 minutes. Keep stirring so that they roast evenly. The seeds should be dark but not burnt. If the sesame seeds are too light, not enough flavour will develop in the syrup and the slightly bitter roasted aromas will be missing. Put the sesame seeds in a pot with the water and reduce by half over medium heat. Now add the sugar to the warm liquid and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bottle and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Drink
6 cl cherry juice
2 cl sesame syrup
1 cl Verjus Extra Sour
Some still water for topping upüllen
Pour all ingredients into a glass and stir. If necessary, add some ice to the glass. The drink also tastes good without ice, here the sesame flavours develop particularly well.
Rhubarb Soup With Tonka Ice Cream
Ice cream
Ingredients for 4 servings:
1/2 - 1 tonka bean
80 g sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp glucose syrup
300 ml milk
200 ml cream
1 pinch salt
Grind the tonka beans with a nutmeg grater or with a mortar and pestle to a fine powder.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks , sugar, glucose syrup and salt until the sugar is well dissolved. Gently heat the cream and milk in a saucepan (do not boil) and slowly add to the egg and sugar mixture, stirring. Now pour the cream-milk-egg mixture into a saucepan and add the grated tonka bean. Leave to simmer. Simmer until the mixture thickens. Cool down to room temperature and place in an open bowl in the freezer. After about 2 hours, stir the mixture with a whisk. If possible, repeat this process 2-3 times to ensure that the ice cream is sufficiently fluffy. However, it also works without this effort. The ice cream is then just a little firmer.
Rhubarb soup
Ingredients for 4 servings:
800 g rhubarb washed and cleaned
1 vanilla pod
500 ml water
400 g sugar
2 sprigs mint
Cut the rhubarb into small pieces and mix with the sugar and leave to stand for a while. In the meantime, scrape out the vanilla pod. Now add the vanilla and the sugared rhubarb to 500 ml of water and simmer for 20 min. Strain through a fine sieve and chill. For dessert, serve the soup with a scoop of ice cream and sprinkle with some mint.
Honey Verjus With Orange Blossom
Ingredients for at least 4 drinks
Honey syrup
Heat 250 ml water with 250 ml honey until the honey has completely dissolved. Chill.
Simple syrup
Heat 250 ml water in a pot and add 200 g sugar. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Put in a cool place.
Orange Blossom Water
Orange bitters ( Feebrothers or similar)
Drink
6 cl Verjus Extra Sour
2 cl honey syrup
1 cl sugar syrup
2 bar spoons orange blossom water
2 dashes bitters
Pour all ingredients into a bar glass and stir on ice until cold. Pour into a (chilled) glass.