2. Fennel and Cherry Salad
Recipe courtesy of John Fraser
Dovetail, New York City
Serves 4
For the Salad:
½ large fennel, cut into 1-in. pieces
¼ large fennel, thinly sliced
5 cups water
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp. honey
pinch of salt
1 cup bulgur wheat
6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups cilantro leaves (large stems removed)
2 cups spinach (stems removed)
2 jalapenos, split in half and deseeded
10 bing cherries, pitted and halved
salt to taste
1. In 2 cups of water, simmer the 1-in. fennel pieces, lemon juice, honey, pinch of a pinch of salt until the fennel is al dente, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool in the liquid.
2. Simmer the bulgur wheat in 2 cups water until soft, approximately 15 minutes. Drain excess water and toss with 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil. Spread out on a sheet pan or cookie tray and let cool.
3. In a pot of boiling, lightly salted water, blanch the cilantro and the spinach for 1 to 2 minutes, then drain, transfer to a blender and blend on high with 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. Cool immediately in an ice bath.
4. Blanch deseeded jalapenos in boiling water for 1 minute. Mix in a blender with 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tbsp. water until smooth. Place in ice bath to cool.
5. Set thinly sliced fennel in a bowl of cold water.
For the Vinaigrette:
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup lime juice
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
salt to taste
Combine ingredients and place in a pot. Warm mixture to approximately 140 ° F.
For the Scallops:
4 large sea scallops
extra-virgin olive oil
salt to taste
Cook scallops in oil in a hot pan on one side until caramelized. Thinly slice and place in the warm vinaigrette.
While the scallops are in the vinaigrette, mix the bulgur wheat with the cilantro and spinach puree until coated. Add jalapeno puree to taste. Finish with 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.
For Plating:
Divide equally between 4 plates. On top of the bulgur wheat, place 5 pieces of cooked fennel, then 4 of the cherry halves, then 3 pieces of thinly sliced fennel. The sliced scallop goes on top.