Spring Vegetable Salad

Spring Vegetable Salad
Recipe courtesy of Mark Dommen, Chef/Partner of One Market Restaurant

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
12 jumbo asparagus
12 baby carrots, (4 red, 4 yellow, 4 orange)
4 spring onions
4 baby leeks
8 baby turnips
1/2 pound fava beans
4 radishes
1 cup vegetable stock or broth
1/2 bunch chives
1/2 bunch chervil
1 shallot
1/4 cup Banyuls wine vinegar
1/2 to 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
fleur de sel

Preparation:
1. Trim the tough part off the bottom of the asparagus, you may also peel them if so desired but this step is not necessary. Blanch the asparagus in salted boiling water until desired doneness and then cool in ice water.
2. Peel the baby carrots; cook them in boiling salted water until the desired doneness and cool in ice water.
3. Trim the spring onion at about the point where it starts to turn green. If the bulb is large, cut it in half, but keep it intact by the stem. Braise the spring onion in the vegetable stock until soft. Lay the onions out onto a plate and allow to cool.
4. Proceed to reduce the vegetable stock until it’s about a quarter of a cup and set aside for the vinaigrette later.
5. Trim the leeks and wash them well, cook in boiling water until desired doneness and shock in ice water.
6. If the turnips are large or vary in size, split the large ones so that they are all about the same size and cook evenly.
7. Shell the fava beans, blanch them in salted boiling water and then peel the outer membrane off the beans.
8. Slice the radishes very thinly with a knife or use a mandoline, set aside.

For the Vinaigrette
1. Finely dice the shallots and allow to macerate in the Banyuls vinegar for about 15 minutes. Then add the reduced vegetable stock, season to taste with sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and a pinch of sugar. While whisking slowly add the olive oil. This vinaigrette is meant to break, so do not be alarmed if it doesn’t hold together. Double check the seasoning and adjust accordingly.
2. Pick 8 to 12 nice sprigs of chervil, pick 8 nice parsley leaves, and cut 1/2 the chives into 1/2 inch batons, set these aside to garnish the salads. Chop the rest of the herbs and set them aside also.

Assembly
1. To finish the plate, add all the cooked vegetables into a bowl with half the dressing, mix well, and check the seasoning. Arrange the vegetables by dividing them evenly among the four plates. Add the chopped herbs to the other half of the vinaigrette and drizzle around the plates. Top the vegetables with the herbs that where prepared for the garnish. Finish the dish by sprinkling some fleur de sel over the vegetables.
2. Feel free to substitute whatever vegetables and herbs you have or whatever is available at the farmer’s market.