Sunchokes with Black Garlic Romesco and Crème Fraîche

Sunchokes with Black Garlic Romesco

and Crème Fraîche

I picked up a couple of pounds of sunchokes from the grocery store last week for the sake of trying something new. Sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, are the tuber root vegetable of the sunflower plant. They can be sliced and eaten raw, bearing a flavor similar to watercress. On the other hand, sunchokes are starchy like potatoes; and they be boiled, roasted, or fried. 

At first I experimented with a sunchoke puree. I peeled and simmered the sunchokes in cream until soft, then I added a pat of butter and a splash of leek tamari and blended it all up. For a meal, I spread sunchoke puree onto the center of a plate and layered roasted squash, caramelized onions, and lemon orzo all over it. That was pretty good, but I still wanted to know what it would be like for sunchokes to take the center stage, rather than play a supporting role.

That’s how I arrived at this recipe. Boiled, smashed, and fried sunchokes tossed in a sweet and spicy black garlic romesco are drizzled with a tangy kombucha-cultured crème fraîche, before being finished with crunchy almonds, herbs, and pickled peppers. Sweet, spicy, tangy, crunchy—I love when I can have it all.

Before going any further, I have a confession to make. My romesco is not a true, purebred Spanish romesco. Although to be fair, romesco recipes vary greatly, even throughout Spain. Hailing from Catalonia, romesco sauce traditionally contains nuts, such as almonds, as well as bread for texture. And while almonds do make their way into my dish in the form of garnishment, my sauce is bread-less, alas! Purists might also scoff at my use of Mexican chiles. Humor me and give it a try—you’ll love the rich smoky and fruity flavors from the arbol, guajillo, and ancho chile peppers. The black garlic works especially well in the sauce, if I do say so myself. I make sure to add it at the end, just before blending, so that it stays uncooked. You’ll appreciate the unique sweetness it brings to the picture, helping to round out all of the flavors in the process.

This recipe also makes use of my first ever homemade batch of crème fraîche. After a five year break, I am back to regularly brewing kombucha at home. The concept of using your own kombucha to culture cream for making crème fraîche is found in The Noma Guide to Fermentation. Katie and I have been enjoying the crème fraîche on practically everything. Whether it’s mounting sauces, topping pizzas, or baking desserts, I find myself being constantly surprised by its versatility. More recipes featuring kombucha-cultured crème fraîche to come. In the meantime, I will be busy culturing cream with specially flavored kombuchas (currently fennel; next is oregano), all in hopes of churning out something worth writing about.

Lastly, this recipe features pickled orange pearl peppers, a specialty item I unexpectedly came across while shopping in a specialty market one day. I like the sweetness and acidity they bring to the dish. If you cannot find them, you may substitute any pickled pepper you like. 

For the crème fraîche:

• 800g cream
• 200g whole fat milk
• 200g unpasteurized kombucha

For the black garlic romesco:

• 2 dried arbol chiles, toasted
• 1 dried guajillo chile, toasted
• 1 ancho chile, toasted
• 1 red bell pepper, fire roasted
• 1 roma tomato
• 1 raw garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• A splash of sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt, to taste
• 2-3 tablespoon black garlic paste, or 3-4 black garlic cloves, to taste
• Olive oil, to emulsify

For everything else:

• 500g sunchokes, rinsed and scrubbed of debris
• Slivered almonds, or Marcona almonds, to garnish
• White sesame seeds, to garnish
• Parsley, to garnish
• Pickled orange pearl peppers, or any pickled pepper to garnish

To make the créme fraîche: Combine the cream, whole fat milk, and unpasteurized kombucha (I used my homemade fennel juice kombucha) in a non reactive bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen rag and leave to culture for 3 days. You may use an immersion blender or a regular blender to homogenize the thickness. Store airtight in the refrigerator.

To make the black garlic romesco: Heat a small pot over medium high heat. Add the chiles and toast on both sides until darkened and fragrant. Add the roma tomato and enough hot water to submerge the tomato (it will float). Place a lid over the pot and gently simmer the tomato and chiles, occasionally agitating the tomato in order to expose more of its flesh to the water, until the tomato skin looks ready to peel off, about 5-10 minutes. Remove the chiles and tomato from the water. Peel and discard the tomato skin and set aside.

Meanwhile, roast the pepper over a gas fire until the outside is blackened and blistered. Alternatively, you can broil the pepper on a sheet tray in the oven until blackened and blistered. Place the pepper in a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Once cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skin from the pepper. Discard the seeds and stem. Rough chop and set aside.

Use an immersion blender or a regular blender for a uniform sauce, or a mortar and pestle for a rustic, chunky sauce. Process the skinless tomato, rehydrated chiles, chopped pepper, raw garlic, black garlic, spices, salt, and sherry into a paste. Taste for seasoning. When seasoned to your liking, stream in the olive oil and process until you’re left with an emulsified sauce. Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

To prepare the sunchokes: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the sunchokes in the boiling water until tender enough to smash flat, either with the flat side of a knife or another tool of your choice, about 10 minutes. This step can be done a few days in advance if desired.

To serve the dish: Pour enough neutral oil in a frying pan so that the bottom inch is covered and heat the pan over medium-high heat. When the oil registers 350F, carefully add in the sunchokes. You will most likely need to work in batches. Fry the sunchokes, flipping them half way through, until they darken and have caramelized on both sides. Transfer the fried sunchokes to a wire rack or a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Sprinkle both sides with a touch of salt.  Continue this process until all of the sunchokes are fried. Lastly, In a mixing bowl, toss the fried sunchokes with a couple of spoonfuls of black garlic romesco and sprinkling of sesame seeds to coat.

To plate, place the sunchokes in a circle. Spoon additional romesco sauce over the sunchokes. Zig-zag a couple of spoonfuls of crème fraîche over that. Follow with almonds and parsley. Finish by placing the pickled peppers on the outside of the sunchoke circle. Serve and eat immediately.