SPOT PRAWN CROUSTILLANT HEARTS OF PALM TANDOORI, KUMQUAT
IN THE 1970S, Chef Louis Outhier, my friend Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s mentor, whose main restaurant was L’Oasis on the French Riviera, created a dish I still remember fondly: langoustines paired with Thai curry. What struck me the most then was the perfect contrast he achieved between spicy and sweet, and this is what I have tried to reenact, but with prawns, given here the Indian spice treatment. Over a bed of fresh Hawaiian hearts of palm, the spot prawns are crisped within a nest of spring roll pastry sheets. Pickled kumquats lend their tart citrusy dab to a dish we wish to be fragrant but not spicy.
Servings
6
Servings
6
Ingredients
Pickled Kumquats
Spot Prawn Croustillant
Hearts of Palm Brunoise and Puree
To Finish
Instructions
For the Pickled Kumquats
  1. Place the kumquats in a heatproof container. In a small saucepan, combine the pickling liquid and chili flakes, bring to a boil, then pour over the kumquats. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 day or up to 2 weeks.
For the Tandoori Kumquat Sauce
  1. In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients together and season with salt. Reserve, chilled.
For the Spot Prawn Croustillant
  1. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk with the tandoori paste, piment d’Espelette, salt, and pepper. Curl each prawn into a disc shape and secure with a toothpick. Evenly coat the prawns in the egg mixture. Lay the spring roll julienne on a cutting board, place the prawns on top, and wrap the dough around to coat. Transfer to a tray, cover, and reserve, chilled.
For the Hearts of Palm Brunoise and Puree
  1. Cut 24 matchsticks from the hearts of palm and reserve for garnish. Cut 1 cup of brunoise from the remainder and set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan, combine all the remaining hearts of palm trim with ½ cup of the chicken stock, ½ cup of the cream, and ½ teaspoon salt. Simmer over medium heat until very tender, about 15 minutes. Scoop the hearts of palm into a blender and puree with enough of the cooking liquid to make a smooth, thick puree. Pass through a fine-meshed sieve and reserve, kept warm.
  3. In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, combine the coconut oil and tandoori paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the brunoised hearts of palm and sauté for 2 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Add the remaining ½ cup chicken stock and ½ cup heavy cream and simmer until reduced to a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve, kept warm.
To Finish
  1. Fill one-third of a medium saucepan with canola oil and heat to 350°F. Fry the prawns in batches until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes, then strain onto a paper towel–lined tray. Pull out the toothpicks and sprinkle with salt.
  2. For each serving, place 2 spoonfuls of brunoised hearts of palm on a warm plate and top each with a prawn. Top each prawn with 2 matchsticks of hearts of palm, 2 slices of pickled kumquat, and 2 leaves of lemon balm. Spoon dots of puree around the prawns, and drizzle tandoori kumquat sauce on the plate.