Cardons au Parmesan

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large nonreactive pot
• •Vegetable peeler and small paring knife
• •Baking paper for a cartouche
• •Large colander and clean kitchen towel
• •Small saucepan
• •2-quart shallow ovenproof gratin dish
• •Broiler

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim the cardoons

   Fill a large bowl with 4 cups of the cold water and squeeze in one lemon. Separate the cardoon stalks, discard the leaves and hollow or badly bruised ribs, then pare away the prickly edges. Peel off the coarse strings as you would from celery, cut the stalks into even 3-inch (7.5 cm) sections, and drop each piece immediately into the lemon water. Cardoon darkens quickly, but the acid keeps it pale while you work.

   Pull the strings from both the rounded back and the deeply grooved face. A neglected fibre remains tough even after the flesh turns tender.
2. 2

   Cook in blanc

   Whisk the flour into the remaining 8 cups cold water in a wide nonreactive pot, working out every lump before the heat goes on. Add the salt and juice of the second lemon, then bring the blanc to a gentle simmer. Drain the cardoons from their holding water and add them to the pot. Lay a cartouche, a round of baking paper, directly on the surface to keep every piece submerged. Simmer gently for 35 to 45 minutes, until a small knife enters the thickest section without resistance but the stalk still holds its shape.

3. 3

   Drain them hard

   Heat the oven to 250°F (120°C). Lift the cardoons into a colander and leave them for 10 minutes, turning them once. Spread them over a clean towel, blot every groove, then transfer them to a bare baking sheet and dry them in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes without letting them colour. Press one piece with the towel: no milky blanc should appear. If it still weeps, return the pieces to the oven for another 5 minutes. Ça se rattrape. This drying is the step that decides whether the demi-glace clings or collapses into broth.

4. 4

   Ready the demi-glace

   Warm the demi-glace in a small saucepan until it reaches nappé, the consistency that coats the back of a spoon and holds a clean line when you draw a finger through it. If it runs like stock, reduce it briskly for a few minutes. If it is as stiff as paste, whisk in hot water one teaspoon at a time. The sauce must be fluid enough to fall in drops yet concentrated enough to stay on the stalks.

5. 5

   Build the pyramid

   Heat the broiler and place a rack 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 cm) below it. Arrange one-third of the cardoon sections parallel to one another in a shallow ovenproof gratin dish. Wet the row sparingly with demi-glace and scatter it with Parmesan. Lay the next row crosswise, then repeat the sauce and cheese; finish with the remaining cardoons as a low, stable pyramid. Cover the whole with the remaining demi-glace and Parmesan. If pale liquid gathers around the base, pour it into the saucepan, reduce it back to nappé, and spoon it over again. Never apologize at your own table. Fix the sauce and carry on.

6. 6

   Glaze and serve

   Set the dish beneath the broiler and glaze it quickly for 2 to 4 minutes, rotating once if your broiler colours unevenly. The Parmesan should melt into bronze patches while the demi-glace bubbles thickly around the edges. Don't walk away. If the cheese colours before the sauce bubbles, lower the dish by one rack and give it another minute. Bring the gratin straight to the table in its dish. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose cardoons with firm, heavy stalks and little blackening at the cut ends. The paler inner ribs are tenderest, but the greener outer stalks are excellent once their fibres are stripped thoroughly.
• •If fresh cardoons cannot be had, use plain jarred cardoons from the classical pantry. Drain and rinse them, skip the blanc, then begin with the oven-drying step. Buy them unseasoned so vinegar or herbs don't compete with the demi-glace.
• •Use a veal demi-glace with a clean roasted flavour and moderate salt. Commercial preparations vary wildly, so taste after reducing and before adding the Parmesan, which brings its own seasoning.
• •Serve this beside roast veal, beef, or a Christmas capon. A cru Beaujolais has enough freshness for the cardoon's gentle bitterness and enough fruit for the demi-glace.

Advance Preparation

• •The cardoons may be trimmed and cooked in blanc one day ahead. Drain them, cool them completely, and refrigerate them covered; blot and dry them in the low oven shortly before assembly.
• •The demi-glace can be brought to nappé earlier in the day and reheated gently. Assemble and glaze the pyramid just before serving, because a long wait lets moisture seep from the stalks and soften the Parmesan finish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 230g)