Spring garden vegetables with herb emulsion

Spring is a magical time of year, with fresh produce markets simply bursting with colour. Serve up some of the gorgeous vegetables on offer with this vibrant dish.

• serves

  2

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
• 40 g butter
• 6 white asparagus, peeled
• 6 baby carrots, quartered
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 8 small florets cauliflower
• 2 baby Gem lettuce, quartered
• 6 green asparagus tips
• 10 snow peas, trimmed
• 10 fine baby beans, trimmed
• 100 ml verjuice
• 120 ml vegetable stock
• 100 g crème fraiche
• 20 peas, podded
• 20 pieces broad beans, peeled
• ¼ cup chervil sprigs
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• To garnish: edible flowers, snow pea tendrils, bronze fennel, baby herbs

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium high heat. When foaming, add the white asparagus and carrots and cook until starting to colour. Add the tomatoes, cauliflower, green asparagus, snow peas and baby beans, swirl the pan and cook until golden brown, season with salt and pepper.
   
2. Add the verjuice and simmer until reduced by half. Add the stock and simmer for 3 minutes or until the white asparagus is just tender but still with a crunch. Carefully remove the vegetables and set aside.
   
3. Simmer the cooking liquid until reduced by half, then stir in the crème fraiche until well combined.
   
4. Add the peas and broad beans and bring to the boil. Add the chervil and season with salt and pepper.
   
5. To serve, spoon the herb emulsion on the base of 2 plates, then arrange the vegetables evenly between the plates. Garnish with flowers and baby herbs.

Photography by Blink TV. Styling by Blink TV. Food preparation by Guillaume Brahimi.

From Normandy to the Spanish border, follow Guillaume Brahimi along the French Atlantic at SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.