From Charlie Trotter's "RAW". This is rather complicated and relatively pricey dish. Fennel is hard to find this time of the year. Last I saw fennel on sale in Singapore was Culina at Dempsey road. You can find Morsels at the same store at the usual inflated Culina prices.
Morel Fennel Rolls
Serves 4
This preparation is simultaneously earthy and refined. The flavors of the morels and the fennel work together harmoniously, and both are successfully offset by the accompanying vinaigrettes. The opal basil in one provides a clean, peppery, floral flavor, while the mustard seeds and the chile vinegar in the other add a refreshing and decisive bite that nicely harnesses all the flavors on the plate.
Fennel Puree
1 cup chopped fennel
1 to 2 tablespoons filtered water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Morels
12 large dried morel mushrooms
1 1/2 cups filtered water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sliced Fennel
1/3 cup thinly sliced fennel
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Opal Basil Vinaigrette
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh opal basil
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Mustard Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chile vinegar
2 tablespoons mustard seeds, soaked for 10 to 12 hours in filtered water and drained
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper
16 fennel fronds, each 1 inch long
freshly ground pepper
METHOD
To Make the Fennel Puree: In a high-speed blender, combine the chopped fennel, 1 tablespoon water, and the olive oil and process until smooth and thick, adding more water if needed to create a thick, but not stiff, consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside about 3/4 cup to use for the layering of the morel slices. Reserve the remainder for another use.
To prepare the morels: Combine the morels, water, and olive oil in a bowl and let soak for 1 hour to rehydrate. Remove the morels from the liquid and slice each mushroom into 1/2-inch-thick rings. (Save the trimmings for another use.)
To prepare the sliced fennel: Combine the sliced fennel, olive oil, and lemon juice in a bowl and toss to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To make the Opal Basil Vinaigrette: Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and basil in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To make the Mustard Vinaigrette: Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and mustard seeds in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
ASSEMBLY - To layer the morel slices: Place a morel mushroom ring on a work surface and place a few marinated fennel slices on the ring. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the Fennel Puree over the slices and top with fennel frond. Top with a second mushroom ring, followed by a few marinated fennel slices, and 2 more teaspoons Fennel Puree. Top with a final mushroom ring and then a fennel frond. Repeat until you have 8 mushrooms stacks in all.
Place 2 mushroom stacks in the center of each plate. Spoon the Opal Basil Vinaigrette and Mustard Vinaigrette around the mushroom stacks. Top with pepper.
WINE NOTES - Morel mushrooms are a luxury food item, so why not pair them with a truly special bottle of wine? The feminine grace of Comte de Vogue's Musigny Vieilles Vignes makes it the quintessential Burgundy. The earthy, mushroomy, and anisey flavors of the dish call for a wine that has a bottle age to soften its hard edges. Lighter-bodied Pinot Noir from the village of Chambolle-Musigny, where the grand cru Musigny Vineyard is found, not only tastes like the soil in which it was grown, but also has the elegance and finesse to allow all of the flavors in the dish to be appreciated.
Charlie Trotter : Fennel Morel Roll
