NOTMuch to the displeasure of Antoine Parmentier, Jerusalem artichokes die hard. We can no longer count the number of chefs who care about its fate and that of its peers, the “forgotten” vegetables. Cardoon, kohlrabi, parsnips… So many tubers eclipsed since the Age of Enlightenment by the all-powerful potato, and to which it is a question of restoring their letters of nobility. Starting with Jerusalem artichoke, “a versatile root” whose taste, according to chef Geoffrey Lengagne, sometimes evokes that of celery, sometimes that of artichoke.
Between the colored walls “string” of the very sober Brion, his very first restaurant located in the 9e district of Paris, the person concerned brilliantly honors it in a rounded entrance. Blanched, grilled then candied, the tender vegetable and its well-tanned skin linger on a creamy puree – Jerusalem artichoke, too – with Tomme de Savoie aged for eighteen months.
The whole thing is then crowned with a comforting Pau sauce – a sort of mint béarnaise, very rich in brown butter, but well vinegared so as not to be too heavy. “We are looking for the “big hug” effect…” explains the cook, whose objective was easily achieved.
Fourth element, and not the least, a drizzle of XO sauce comes ultimately “accentuate the nutty taste of the tuber”. For those unfamiliar with Asian cuisine, the chef specifies: “ It is a condiment of Chinese origin that I prepare in my own way, with small dried shrimp and scallops, Iberian ham, garlic, red pepper, star anise and lemon. » Reduced to crumbs, these ingredients are flooded with burning sunflower oil and it is only once the plate is prepared that its author sprinkles it with a jet of this tasty cocktail.
Common thread of a starry journey
Root vegetables, cheese, mint and dried seafood… There would undoubtedly be reason to be wary if chef Geoffrey Lengagne did not have the talent that we know him to have. And the CV that goes with it: twenty years as sous chef in several renowned establishments, including Sketch, Pierre Gagnaire’s gourmet restaurant in London, and Per Se, Thomas Keller’s on the outskirts of Central Park (both distinguished of three stars in the Michelin guide). “Besides, it was in New York that I discovered the recipe for XO sauce! “, enthuses the cook.
Immersed in his memories, he continues with the mint sauce: “I made hundreds of kilos of it when I was at Per Se…” The cheese-Jerusalem artichoke combination? A marriage which he witnessed during his apprenticeship at La Mère Brazier, in Lyon (two Michelin stars) – “braised Jerusalem artichoke, tomme fondue and foie gras”, he remembers, fifteen years later. And to conclude: “In fact, my whole journey is on this plate. »
Brion17, rue Lamartine, Paris 9e.