Related Recipe
Michelin Techniques for Purees | Eleven Madison Park***
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Puree
- 210 g Butter
- 200 g Sweet potato, 1 inch dice
- 8 g Salt
- 475 ml Half-n-half
Potato Mousseline
- 680 g La Ratte fingerling potatoes
- 250 ml Cream
- 62 g Butter, browned
- 5 g Salt
Cauliflower Puree
- 350 g Cauliflower, 1/4 inch dice
- 475 ml Half-n-half
- 35 g Butter, browned
- 5 g Salt
Orange Puree
- 725 g Cara Cara Oranges ends removed, 3/4 inch pieces
- 1 g Coriander seeds
- 1 g Fennel seeds
- 130 g Sugar
- 15 g Curry oil
- 2 g Salt
Spinach Puree
- 900 g Spinach
- 4 ea Ice cubes
- 5 g Salt
Instructions
Sweet Potato Puree
- Begin by peeling the sweet potatoes and cutting them into 1-inch cubes; you will need 200 grams.
- Heat a pan with 210 g of butter.
- Sweat the sweet potatoes until they are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Season with 8 grams of salt.
- Cover with 475 ml of half-n-half and cook at a light simmer for 10 minutes. We don’t want to reduce this too much.
- To finish the puree, blend until completely smooth, then pass it through a fine-mesh sieve and chill over ice. This will help prevent skin from forming.
Potato Mousseline
- Peel 680 grams of fingerling potatoes and place them in a pot covered with cold water.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until they are tender about 25- 30 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes, then pass them through a potato ricer or food mill into a large bowl.
- Add 62 g butter to a small pot and brown.
- Add 250 ml of cream to the brown butter and heat up just before a simmer.
- Fold the cream mixture into the potatoes just until combined; the potatoes should look a little loose.
- Pass the potatoes while they are still warm.If the potatoes are passed while they are cold, they will become gummy.
- Season with 5 grams of salt and store in a warm place.
Cauliflower Puree
- Start by cutting 350 grams of cauliflower into ¼-inch dice.
- Place the cauliflower in a large pan, cover with 240 ml of half-and-half, and bring to a boil. Then, reduce to a low simmer and cook until tender, about 25 minutes.
- Once the cauliflower is tender, separate the cauliflower from the cooking liquid.
- Add the cauliflower to the blender, and while blending, add the cooking liquid a little at a time until the puree is smooth but not loose.You should use around 60 ml of the cooking liquid.
- Brown 35 grams of butter, then pour into a bowl to stop the cooking process.
- Add the brown butter and 5 grams of salt to the puree while blending.
- Pass the puree into a bowl, then place it over ice while stirring to cool quickly.
- This will prevent a film from forming.
Orange Puree
- Remove the tops and bottoms from the Cara Cara oranges, then cut them into ¾ inch pieces.
- In total, you will need 725 grams of cut oranges.
- Make a sachet with 1 gram each of coriander and fennel seeds, then tie with butcher’s twine.
- Place the oranges, the sachet, 130g sugar, and 60 ml water into a pan and bring to a simmer over low heat.
- Cook until the liquid has reduced and the oranges are tender about 30- 40 minutes. The more tender the orange peels, the easier it is to blend.
- Remove the sachet and blend the oranges until smooth.
- Add 15 grams of curry oil once the puree is smooth with 2 grams of salt.
- To finish the puree, pass it into a small bowl, then place it over an ice bath while stirring to prevent a film.
Spinach Puree
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add the spinach in batches, which helps to prevent a drop in the temperature of the water, then shock in an ice bath.
- Once the spinach is cooled, drain it.
- Place into a blender with a couple of cubes of ice, which will help prevent overheating the puree while blending, and add 5 grams of salt, then pass.
- With green purees, I like to blend in two batches, making the blending process shorter and helping prevent unnecessary friction.
