As pea season draws to a close in much of the country, Sprout chef de cuisine Jeff Sills pays unusually rich tribute to the springtime vegetable.
He purées blanched pea shoots, pea tendrils, basil and mint with grapeseed oil, emulsifying the mixture, and adds some citric acid to maintain the green color. He mixes in a generous amount of half and half; seasons it with sugar, salt and pepper; and chills the mixture.
He then puts two tablespoons of lemon curd in the bottom of a bowl, adds about the same amount of cooked English peas, two slices of speck, two tablespoons each of crème fraîche and goat cheese, three pea tendrils, four radish slices and two mint leaves. He pours the soup over the items in the bowl and serves it.
The dish is $8.
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