Great British Menu ™
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Jerusalem Artichoke Three Ways
A plant-based starter built on Jerusalem artichokes prepared three ways: crushed and roasted as a base, thinly sliced and deep-fried as crisps, and pickled.
Abbie: 'I'm just cutting up the Jerusalem artichokes, which is the main base of the dip.'
Abbie: 'going to be crushed Jerusalem artichokes as the base... cracked hazelnut and yeast pesto. And then I'm going to do a vegan field mushroom puree. Some pickled Jerusalem artichokes as well. And then there's also going to be some crispy [artichoke] crisps.'
A portobello mushroom puree (sauteed with shallot and garlic then blended), nasturtiums, allium flowers and finely shaved truffle finish the original plate.
Finals day adjustments, made on Aktar's advice: less crushed artichoke on the plate, substituted with toasted cracked hazelnuts on top; three whole Jerusalem artichokes per plate, oven-roasted and basted with vegan butter and herbs rather than steamed or boiled; a new vegan demi-glace (a reduced-stock glossy sauce); and a new herb oil drizzle.
Episode tasting (Aktar Islam, veteran): felt the dish was safe and he was not excited by it. At the tasting he noted there was too much crushed artichoke and not enough mushroom puree, which he found silky and smooth. He asked which ingredient was intended to be the star.
Peer chefs said all they could taste was the crushed artichoke and agreed there was too much of it; Dana suggested more pickles would intensify flavour. Score: 6.
Finals judging (Tom Kerridge, Lorna McNee, Phil Wang, guest Simon Callow): Lorna liked the flavours but wanted more acidity, and particularly loved the roasted whole artichokes and the hazelnuts. Phil thought it was delicious and devoured the whole thing. Simon called it a magical journey in itself where the elements cohered and blended. Tom found the new sauce intense and amazing, saying its deep rich flavour cut through and made the dish come to life; he sided slightly with Lorna in wanting a touch more to cut through, and suggested that extra could come from crisper roasted artichokes. In the judges' chamber Simon gave this dish 10 out of 10.
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