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Words by Bertrand Grébaut and Théophile Pourriat, with Benoit Cohen. Photo by Alexandre Guirkinger.
What we call sauerkraut – a condiment made by mixing roasting and dehydrated fermented cabbage – here acts as a spicy salt. The cabbage is halved and cooked in a saute pan, then portioned when ordered.
Septime, La Cave, Clamato, D’une île is available now.
Septime's caramelized pointed cabbage with madras curry butter
Ingredients
- 3 limequats
- 120 g fromage frais, or Greek yogurt
- 6 pinches sauerkraut salt
- fine salt
- fleur de sel
For the curry butter
- 40 ml filtered water
- 2 tablespoons wild garlic, ramps vinegar
- 240 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 10 g madras curry powder
For the cabbage
- 800 g pointed cabbage
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- 40 g lightly salted butter
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 3 bay leaves
For the chive oil
- 100 ml olive oil
- 15 chives
Instructions
Curry butter
- Combine the water and wild garlic (ramps) vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and gradually add the butter, whisking continuously, as though making a mayonnaise.
- Stir in the Madras curry powder and let infuse for at least 30 minutes. Season to taste with fine salt. Keep the sauce warm, at 50°C (122°F), until ready to serve.
Cabbage
- Remove the thickest outer leaves, then cut the cabbage in half. Heat the grapeseed oil and butter in a wide sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter is foaming, place the cabbage halves, cut side down, in the pan. Add the thyme and bay leaves, reduce the heat,and leave to caramelize gently over low heat for about 45 minutes. Turn the cabbage halves over and cook on the other side for 5 minutes.
Preparation
- Cut the limequats into very thin slices. Whip the fromage frais or Greek yogurt until smooth and creamy.
Prepare the chive oil:
- put the olive oil and chives in a blender and blend at high speed until fully combined, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve (strainer).
Just before serving
- Drain the cabbage and cut each cabbage half into three equal parts. Season with fleur de sel and slide five or six limequat slices between the leaves of each piece of cabbage.
Presentation
- Place one cabbage wedge in the centre of each plate and add a spoonful of curry butter, a few drops of chive oil, a quenelle of whipped fromage frais and a good pinch of sauerkraut salt.
Reprinted from Septime, La Cave, Clamato, D’une île by Bertrand Grébaut and Théophile Pourriat, with Benoit Cohen. © 2021 Phaidon Press