Two weeks ago I went to Paris and I returned with only a few pictures, almost none of food and just one Instagram photo of Amy who I spent most weekend with. I feel like I returned with one of those stupid t-shirts for you instead of a great souvenir. I am sorry for that, but I do bring back a recipe for the best endives you'll ever have. At least that was our verdict after having a plate of Endives au Tamarin en salad, échalotes, menthe, coriandre at Le Mary Celeste. The Chou Grillé (more on that one at some later point I hope, still trying to figure how to replicate this at home) and the deviled eggs were amazing too, I'd consider our dinner there one of the most memorable meals ever.
We visited the Le Mary Celeste after reading a post by David Lebovitz (there are some great pictures over on his blog, it was way too dark to take pictures when we were there) and originally only wanted to drop in after eating at Candelaria but ended up ordering quite a bit of food, wine and a couple of drinks. We were the first to turn up after they opened the Restaurant/Bar but all regular tables were reservées so we were sat at the bar, which turned out to be great spot. A French hipster with a very nice moustache spent the whole evening shucking oysters right in front of us and answered all of our questions regarding the dishes we had ordered.
I tried making the endives first on the Friday after returning home, and today I want to share a somewhat improved version. You should give this salad a try, these really were the best endives we ever had.
Endives au Tamarin
Note: Until now I did not find a subtle way to add shallot. Next time I'll try a quick-pickled version and might update this recipe then if it turns out well. Adding it straight to the dressing gave off a too strong flavor after marinating and frying the shallots (as seen in the pictures on this post) is way to strong, too. The salad is fantastic as is, though.
3 endives (about 500g), leaves separated
2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp mint leaves
1 tbsp cilantro leaves
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
In a small bowl mix together the tamarind paste, the sugar and the sesame oil. Layer one third of the endive leaves in a bowl, drizzle on one third of the tamarind dressing and massage in gently with your hands. You want all the leaves to be dressed lightly. Repeat for the other two thirds. Add the mint and cilantro leaves, toss gently and let the salad marinate for at least an hour. Sprinkle on the sesame seeds right before serving.
Serves 1-4, depending on how willing to share you are.
Wow! I've never heard of treating salad greens quite like this before. Adding tamarind and fresh herbs sounds really intriguing. Definitely a must-try!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen. If you do give this a try, please let me know what you think!
DeleteSo cool!! That WAS an extremely memorable meal... I hope you are successful with recreating the cabbage because that truly was amazing, too. What a fun night, and a fun weekend in general - I loved having you visit. x
ReplyDeleteHaha and I laughed at "A French hipster with a very nice moustache" -- very, very well put. It was hipster but I liked it and I'm so glad we went there. And the drinks!! Those deviled eggs! So good.
There's a bag of endives in the fridge at the moment, though unsurprisingly my host parents have none of the other ingredients, haha. I've made that caramelized endive salad that you posted a while ago before, and I really liked it - I might do that again with the ones in the fridge for lunch tomorrow.
Also, thanks again for the gifts - I've enjoyed looking through the cookbook, and I shared the chocolate with my friends. We all agreed Swiss chocolate really is the best.
Have you looked at the picture on David Lebovitz's blog? There is one of the hipster and I just love it.
DeleteAs for the cabbage recipe, I need to buy more chili bean paste before trying again. I think the whole thing was grilled though, so I am still trying to figure how how to best replicate the charred flavor in my kitchen. Any ideas?
I am glad you liked the other endive recipe, I really like that one too. If you do come to Switzerland next year, though, we'll have to make these endives in my kitchen. (Hint, do come for a visit!)
Hi! Nicole here, great job of re-creating the salad! If I remember correctly, weren't the shallots deep fried?
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! I actually tried adding deep fried shallots, in rings and found them too strong. Maybe diced shallot would work better?
DeleteHello! mmm, that's strange, perhaps you had an unusually strong shallot! I think your idea of a quick pickling might do the trick. Do you think you could send me a photo of the menu? Thanks! Also do you have a good Zimtsterne recipe you could send me?
ReplyDeleteI always follow the recipe for Zimtsterne from Betty Bossi (Do you know these cookbooks? They are Swiss classic) I quickly translated the version I have at home, you'll find the recipe here:
Deletehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1WB-gBS2Aa2YFSzoJuMRBuAhxOR-6FesVMchCrRIQ_UQ/edit?usp=sharing
And I don't know if I am just ignorant, but I cant seem to see your email adress on blogger. And I actually don't know if I should? Could you send me your email adress to lena.mumen (at) gmail.com? I still need to scan the menu, if I don't have your email when I got that done, I'll find a way to upload it somewhere
It sounds like I ordered exactly the same dishes when I visited Mary Celeste and I, too, was most smitten with these endives dressed up in tamarind. Looking forward to trying your re-creation!
ReplyDeletePlease give them a try and let me know what you think! Also, any ideas on how to incorporate the shallots into the salad would be appreciated. They were a lot less strong at Le Mary Celeste.
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