Small Artichoke-bottoms

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small sharp paring knife
• •Teaspoon or melon baller
• •Wide 3-quart saucepan
• •Parchment paper
• •Fine sieve
• •Oval hors-d’œuvre platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim the bottoms

   Combine the cold water with 2½ tablespoons (37 ml / 37 g) of the lemon juice in a large bowl before you begin. Working with one artichoke at a time, pull away every leaf, cut the stem flush with the base, and pare away the tough green exterior until only the fleshy pale bottom remains. Scoop out the hairy choke with a teaspoon or melon baller without gouging through the base, then plunge the bottom immediately into the acidulated water. If an exposed patch begins to grey, shave away the thinnest possible layer and return it to the water at once. Ça se rattrape.

   Very small artichokes may have scarcely any developed choke. Inspect the center rather than digging automatically, since unnecessary scooping weakens the cup.
2. 2

   Cook au blanc

   Bring the Special Court-bouillon, or Blanc (No. 167) to a gentle boil in a wide saucepan. Drain the artichoke bottoms and lower them into the blanc, then cover the surface directly with a round of parchment so every bottom remains submerged. Cook at a quiet simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, checking from 12 minutes onward; a small knife should enter with slight resistance, and the bottoms must still hold their shape. If one softens before the others, lift it into a small bowl with enough blanc to cover while the rest finish.

3. 3

   Cool in liquor

   Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave the bottoms to cool in their cooking liquor, still beneath the parchment. After 15 minutes, set the saucepan in a sink of cold water to bring the temperature down promptly without exposing the artichokes to air. Refrigerate them in the blanc once cool. Cooling in the liquor is not brigade ceremony; it keeps the bottoms moist, pale, and evenly seasoned.

4. 4

   Make the macédoine

   Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and season it with 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g) of the salt. Add the carrot, then add the green beans after 2 minutes and the peas 2 minutes later. Cook for 1 final minute, just until every vegetable is tender but still distinct. Drain, cool under cold water, and spread the vegetables on a clean towel until thoroughly dry. This is the macédoine, an even mixture of small vegetables. Fold in the mayonnaise by spoonfuls until the dice cohere without swimming in sauce, then season with the white pepper and enough of the remaining salt to make the cold filling taste lively. If the mixture turns loose, drain it briefly in a fine sieve, dry it again, and add fresh mayonnaise a teaspoon at a time.

5. 5

   Prepare salpicon alternative

   If you prefer the book’s salpicon, an even small dice cohered with sauce, marinate the venison steak under refrigeration in the chilled Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) for 4 to 8 hours. Drain it, discard the used marinade, and dry the meat thoroughly. Sear it in the butter over medium-high heat until browned and cooked to 145°F (63°C), then rest it for 3 minutes and chill it promptly. Cut the cold venison into ¼-inch dice and bind it with enough of the measured mayonnaise to hold together. Use this in place of the macédoine, not alongside it.

6. 6

   Marinate twenty minutes

   Lift the cold artichoke bottoms from the blanc, drain them upside down, and blot every surface dry. Arrange them cup-side up in a shallow dish. Whisk the olive oil with the remaining 1½ tablespoons (22 ml / 22 g) lemon juice and a pinch of salt, pour it over the bottoms, and turn them gently to coat. Leave them for exactly 20 minutes, turning once halfway through. Longer is not better here; too much acid softens their edges. Drain them well, and if oil collects inside a cup, touch it away with the corner of a clean towel.

7. 7

   Fill and chill

   Set the bottoms upright and spoon the macédoine, or the venison salpicon, into each one, mounding the filling generously without packing it down. Wipe the rims clean with a damp fingertip and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the filling settles. If a bottom has torn, turn the damaged edge toward the center of the platter and support it against its neighbors. Never apologize at your own table.

8. 8

   Arrange and serve

   Arrange the petits fonds d’artichauts on a chilled hors-d’œuvre dish with the parsley sprays tucked loosely between them, just as the entry directs. Let them stand outside the refrigerator for 10 minutes before serving so the artichoke and mayonnaise lose their hard chill while remaining cool. Set down the platter with a small serving fork. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose small globe artichokes that feel heavy and carry tight, crisp leaves. Large artichokes produce handsome bottoms, but they cease to be a one-bite hors d’œuvre and need longer cooking.
• •The acidulated bowl must be ready before trimming begins. Air is quicker than a distracted cook, and the blanc protects the color during cooking only after you have protected it at the cutting board.
• •Good frozen plain artichoke bottoms are the honest preserved choice when fresh ones are poor. Thaw and dry them, then warm them briefly in the Special Court-bouillon, or Blanc (No. 167) before cooling and marinating; canned bottoms are generally too acidic and soft for this treatment.
• •The macédoine should show three clean colors and three distinct textures beneath its thin coat of mayonnaise. Tiny, even cutting matters more than adding further ingredients. Cooking well is not cooking fancy.
• •Artichokes can make many wines taste oddly sweet. Serve a very dry, high-acid French white such as Muscadet, or pour dry vermouth over ice with a twist of lemon.

Advance Preparation

• •The bottoms can be cooked a day ahead and refrigerated submerged in the Special Court-bouillon, or Blanc (No. 167). Drain, dry, and give them their twenty-minute oil-and-lemon marinade on the day of serving.
• •The macédoine can be cooked a day ahead, but keep the vegetables dry and separate from the mayonnaise until a few hours before assembly.
• •The filled bottoms can be covered and chilled for up to 4 hours. Longer holding dulls the vegetables and allows the filling to weep.
• •For the venison salpicon variation, begin the Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) the day before, then marinate and cook the venison in advance so it is thoroughly cold before dicing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 145g)