Spring Radish Crudite with Fine Herb Aioli and Beurre de Citron

By Greg Lloyd, Executive Chef, Le Diplomate
Serves 4

The Crudite
3 Icicle radishes, cleaned and halved, tops trimmed to 1 inch
5 or 6 Easter Egg radishes, cleaned and halved, tops trimmed to 1 inch
4 French Breakfast radishes, cleaned, tops trimmed to 1 inch

The Pickle
1 cup water
½ cup distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted

The Butter
½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon Tabasco

The Aioli Fines Herbs
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup parsley
½ cup chervil
½ cup chives
¼ cup tarragon, picked and blanched
1 clove roasted garlic (optional)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons kosher salt (2 teaspoons for blanching, 2 teaspoons for aioli)

Clean and prep the radishes, hold them in cold water until pickled. Next, make the pickling liquid by combining all ingredients and bringing to boil. Drain the radishes and pour pickling liquid over radishes. Allow to cool in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Place the cubed butter in a food processor; mix until smooth, then add the remaining ingredients. Set aside.

To make the aioli: In a medium saucepan, bring salted water to boil, and also prepare an ice water bath. Blanch all of the herbs together for 30 seconds (the salt will preserve the bright green color), drain the herbs and then transfer the herbs to the ice water bath to shock the blanched herbs, setting the color and stopping the cooking process.

In a food processor or blender, add the herbs and blend until fine. (You may need to add a few small ice cubes to get the mixture going. This will also keep the mixture cool while processing.) Add mayonnaise and lemon juice until smooth and green. Adjust the seasoning and plate.

Muhamara

By Maydan DC

Photo by Jennifer Chase

Serves 6.

• 1 pound red bell peppers
• 4 tablespoons chili paste
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 clove garlic 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses 
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil plus 1 teaspoon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and put the whole bell peppers in the oven tossed with 1 teaspoon olive oil and roast until slightly blackened. Let the peppers cool, then rub the outer peels off or use a paring knife. Core, seed and quarter the roasted peppers.

Add the roast peppers and all the other ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the desired consistency has been reached, which should be smooth, but with a little texture. Season with salt. To plate, spoon the Muhamara onto a platter or large shallow bowl and drizzle with olive oil and garnish with pomegranate seeds. Serve with fresh bread or pita. 

Watermelon Rind Pickles

Summer Melon With a Delightfully Fall Twist

By Cathy Barrow, Photography by Space Division Photography
 

Admittedly, the prep work takes both effort and dedication, but this crisp, sweet, tart, unusual pickle is worth it. For best results, use an old-fashioned watermelon with thick outer shell and seeds.  
 

Special equipment: 

1½-inch star cutter (optional) 

Four 12-ounce mason jars

Ingredients:

• 1 large watermelon
• ¾ cup kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon alum* (optional, see note) 
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed
• 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks  
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 1 star anise
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 4¼ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup cider vinegar
• ¾ cup white vinegar 

Directions:

To prepare the rind, cut the watermelon in half and scoop out all the flesh down to the white part of the rind. Reserve the flesh for another use. 

Use a large sturdy metal spoon to scrape the rind to remove all traces of the pink fruit. Cut the rind into strips 2 inches wide. Remove the green outer rind with a vegetable peeler until all that remains is a pristine white rind about ¼ inch thick.  

Cut the rind into 2-inch by 1-inch squares or have fun and stamp out stars or fluted circles. After all the prep expect to have about 4 cups of rind. 

In a 5-quart or larger pot, bring 3 quarts nonchlorinated water and the salt to a boil. Stir to dissolve the salt. Remove the pot from the heat. Add 8 cups of ice cubes to cool off the brine. Add the rind and let it sit in the brine for 3 hours or as long as overnight. 

Rinse the rind well. In a large nonreactive bowl add the alum and 4 quarts of nonchlorinated cool water (if not using alum, skip this step and proceed to the next step). Stir until alum is dissolved. Add the rind and soak for 2 hours. Be gentle with your future pickles from this time forward; they will be crispy, delicate and can shatter.  

Bring 3 quarts nonchlorinated water to a boil. Rinse the rind pieces well. Add the rind to water and blanch. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until rind is tender. 

While the rind is cooking, make the pickling syrup: Tie up the cinnamon, cloves, star anise and peppercorns in a cheesecloth bag. In a heavy nonreactive 3-quart or larger pot, add the lemon, sugar, vinegars, water and spice bag and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. 

Gently drain the rind pieces using a spider strainer or skimmer, and place them in the simmering pickling syrup. Simmer the rind for 30 to 45 minutes, until the pieces are translucent and suspended throughout the syrup. Remove from the heat and leave the rinds in the syrup, uncovered, overnight. 

Bring the pickling syrup and rinds back up to a boil. Spoon the rinds into the jars then pour additional pickling syrup over the rinds, leaving a ½ -inch headspace. Clean the jar rims, place the lids and rings and process in a water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from the water bath; let the jars cool completely before testing the seals.  

Canned, the pickles are shelf stable for 1 year. Let the pickles mellow for at least a week before serving. Best when eaten ice cold with cheese, cured meats and spiced nuts. 

*Alum (potassium aluminum sulfate) can be found at most grocers in the spice and seasoning section. It is a crystalline powder and is commonly used as a firming agent, especially for pickles made of vegetables and watermelon rind. It can be omitted, but the resulting pickles will be mushy.