He has made a roulade of rabbit leg with a piece of micro sorrel
and;fennel;sauce;in;a;tasting;course.;“One;or;two;pieces;of
microgreen;are;enough,”;he;says.;For;an;ocean;trout;raw;course,
he serves a small rectangle of high-quality ocean trout topped with
local;freshwater;trout;cured;and;finished;with;trout;roe;for;a;raw
and;rich,;salty;and;cured;flavor;finished;with;radish;microgreens.
Trout and micro dill go well together, says Halliday with The
Greenbrier.;In;one;dish;he;combines;glazed;micro;radishes;with;the
tops still on them with smoked trout and some micro dill on top.
TRENDING NOW
Jones;with;The;Chef’s;Garden;notices;that;the;current;earth-to-table movement leads some chefs to leave the roots on the micros
and others to include various forms of the plant in a single dish,
as;in;a;fava;bean,;puree;of;fava,;fava;shoots;and;fava;flowers.
He;also;sees;more;micro;use;in;desserts;and;in;other;relaxed
ways. At one dinner held at The Chef’s Garden, a chef incorporated
micro cinnamon basil, opal basil and genovese basil in cotton
candy attached to a tree branch. “The servers presented the tree
branch;to;each;table,;and;the;guests;picked;it;off;the;tree.;We
heard;people;laughing,;having;flashbacks;of;amusement;parks,”
Jones;says.
For;a;creative;edible;centerpiece;he;made;for;a;dinner;at;The
Chef’s Garden, Halliday mimicked a potted plant by taking such
microvegetables as radishes, carrots, scallions, onions, fennel and
cucumber;blossoms;and;“planting”;them;in;a;flowerpot;in;a;layer
of ranch aioli. Then he made an edible crumble to look like soil
on;top;of;the;ranch;by;combining;ground;pretzels,;Worcestershire
sauce, garlic powder and cocoa butter all toasted with brown
butter and raisin bran. The centerpiece served as a fun crudité.
Givens;is;a;chef;who;decided;to;start;her;own;Portland,;Ore.,
urban;farm;called;The;Side;Yard;to;serve;area;chefs.;She;started
growing micro radishes and discovered they looked especially
Micro carrots from The Chef’s Garden are the foundation
for;the;carrot;cake;made;by;Jimmy;MacMillan,;Chicago;pastry
chef;and;owner;of;JMPurePastry,;which;helps;with;menu;design,
recipe development, special equipment acquisition and designing
pastry kitchens. He makes white chocolate gelato and carrot sorbet
terrine, which he places on top of fresh passion fruit seeds, carrot
ginger;confit;ribbons;and;carrot;cake;puree.
“The;carrot;cake;dessert;was;inspired;by;the;ingredient—
the natural sweetness of the micro carrots. Acidic passion fruit
and;buttery,;sweet;white;chocolate;were;good;complements,”;he
says.;“We;added;the;carrot;cake;puree;to;ground;the;dish;to;its
classic;counterpart.”
Micro;flavor;and;novelty;combined;can;help;a;chef;build
a;signature;style.;For;one;supper;she;prepared,;Stacey;Givens
presented a starter salami plate with an edible garnish of tiny
cucumbers;with;the;blossoms;still;attached;as;an;unusual;“pickle.”
She dressed them with a bit of vinegar for pickle sourness.
Top: In this trout dish, Kevin Sousa of Salt of the Earth combines trout, roe and
radish greens.
Bottom: Tony Dee, executive chef for Eddie Merlot’s, imagined and created cotton
candy with micro basil.
