Cardons à la Moelle

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large bowl for acidulated water
• •Vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife
• •Wide 4-quart saucepan
• •Parchment paper
• •2-inch and 1-inch round pastry cutters
• •Rimmed baking sheet
• •Wide sauté pan
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Small slotted spoon or wire skimmer
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •12-inch round serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim the cardoons

   Fill a wide bowl with 2 quarts of the cold water and half the lemon juice. Separate the cardoon stalks, discard the leaves and dry or hollow pieces, then pare away the prickly edges and pull off the coarse strings with a vegetable peeler. Cut the cleaned stalks into pieces about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide, dropping each immediately into the acidulated water. Work carefully but without fuss. Any pale inner stalks that need little peeling are a gift.

2. 2

   Cook in a blanc

   Whisk the flour into the remaining 2 quarts cold water in a wide saucepan, then add the remaining lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Bring this cuisson au blanc, the pale acidulated poaching liquid, to a gentle simmer. Drain the cardoons, add them, and press a round of parchment directly onto the surface so every piece stays submerged. Cook for 35 to 50 minutes, until a knife passes through the thickest stalk with almost no resistance. Cardoon served al dente is simply undercooked; if the fibers still resist, give it another ten minutes. Drain well and let the surface moisture evaporate.

3. 3

   Bake the patties

   While the cardoons cook, heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut sixteen 2-inch rounds from the cold puff pastry. Cut a 1-inch center from eight rounds to make rings. Beat the egg with the tablespoon of cold water, brush the whole rounds very lightly, and place a ring on each. Brush only the tops, keeping egg from the cut edges because it seals the layers. Chill for 15 minutes, then bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until high, crisp, and deep butter-gold. If a center balloons and leaves no hollow, press it down gently with the handle of a wooden spoon while the pastry is warm. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Gloss the cardoons

   Melt the butter in a wide sauté pan over medium heat. Add the drained cardoons, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the white pepper. Turn them gently for 6 to 8 minutes, until hot throughout and coated with butter but not browned hard. The brief sauté drives off the last water from the poach; wet cardoons would thin the sauce and leave it sliding around the platter.

5. 5

   Warm the sauce

   Warm the Marrow Sauce (No. 45) over low heat until it flows heavily from a spoon and coats its back. Do not let it boil. If reheating has made it too tight, lift out any visible marrow dice with a slotted spoon, whisk in hot water one teaspoon at a time, then return the dice. Keep the sauce just warm while you poach the additional marrow for the patties.

6. 6

   Poach the marrow

   Cut the cold marrow into neat 1/4-inch dice and hold one quarter of them in reserve. Heat the remaining 2 cups water with the final 1/2 teaspoon salt to 165 to 175°F (74 to 79°C), below a simmer, with no rolling movement. Lower in the first batch of marrow for 30 to 45 seconds, just until the outside turns opaque and the cubes soften while keeping their shape, then lift them onto a clean towel with a small slotted spoon. If their corners begin to feather, the water is too hot. Lift them immediately onto a chilled plate, lower the heat, and poach the reserved dice in the corrected water. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Build the pyramid

   Arrange the hot cardoons in a compact pyramid on a warmed 12-inch round serving platter. Spoon the Marrow Sauce (No. 45) over them generously, letting it follow the shape without flooding the rim. Set the eight puff-paste patties in a close ring around the cardoons and divide the poached marrow dice among their hollows. Carry the platter straight to the table while the pastry is crisp and the marrow still holds its pearly shape. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose cardoons with firm, pale inner ribs and no blackened ends. They lose much of their apparent bulk during trimming, so two generous heads are not excessive for four people.
• •Jarred cardoons are the classical pantry's honest answer when fresh ones cannot be found. Buy about 2 pounds (900 g) drained weight, rinse them gently, skip the cuisson au blanc, and begin with the butter sauté. They will be softer, but the dish remains itself.
• •Ask the butcher for clean beef marrow bones, split lengthwise or cut into short sections. Remove the marrow while it is cold, then chill it for 20 minutes before dicing. Warm marrow smears; cold marrow cuts.
• •The preparation time assumes the Marrow Sauce (No. 45) is already finished according to its own entry, exactly as the source intends. This recipe warms and uses that component but does not rebuild it inline.
• •Serve Cardons à la Moelle beside roast beef or a plainly roasted capon. A structured cru Beaujolais, such as Morgon, has enough fruit and freshness for both the faintly bitter cardoon and the marrow-rich sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •Trim and cook the cardoons up to one day ahead. Cool them in their cuisson au blanc to protect their color, refrigerate them in the liquid, then drain and dry them thoroughly before the butter sauté.
• •Bake the puff-paste patties up to four hours ahead. Keep them uncovered at room temperature and refresh them for 4 minutes in a 375°F (190°C) oven before filling.
• •Have the Marrow Sauce (No. 45) prepared before beginning the final assembly. Warm it very gently near serving time, because hard heat can melt the marrow already held in the sauce.
• •Dice the raw marrow up to two hours ahead and keep it tightly covered in the cold. Poach it only after the cardoons, sauce, platter, and patties are ready; the finished dish waits for nothing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)