Quick Fry

Fill a small pot with about 2 cups of canola oil or a blend of canola and olive oil. (Do not use a deep fryer because it will impart off-flavors from previously fried foods.) Heat the oil between 360 and 375 degrees. Drop 6 to 8 leaves at a time in the hot oil or place the leaves in a fryer skimmer basket, and set the basket in the oil. (Careful! The moisture from the leaves will cause the oil to splatter.) Let the herbs crisp briefly, about 10 seconds. They will turn bright green. Lift out; drain on paper towels. Season with salt if desired.


Tips for flash-fried success

• Big leaves work best for frying.
• Select leaves and blossoms free of blemishes, a couple of leaves per plate will suffice. Wash and dry thoroughly before frying.
• When frying clusters of leaves such as basil, select clusters with an odd number of leaves to give it balance.
• If desired, the leaves can be tossed in cornstarch or flour before frying. This works well for basil, mint and nasturtium.
• For batter-fried leaves, use thinned crêpe batter or a light tempura batter.


Limoncello and Mint Ceviche
Courtesy of An American Place’s Joshua Galliano

4 servings
²∕³ English cucumber, divided (half whole, half thinly sliced)
4 sprigs mint
4 sprigs cilantro
1 cup limoncello
1 orange, juiced
3 limes, juiced
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups blended olive oil (80 percent canola oil, 20 percent olive oil)
8 mint leaves
½ lb. fish fillet*
¼ red bell pepper, julienned
4 breakfast radishes, very thinly sliced**
¼ red onion, julienned
Sea salt
Extra-virgin olive oil

• Place in a blender the whole half of the English cucumber, the mint sprigs, cilantro sprigs, limoncello, orange juice and lime juice. Purée until smooth. Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil.
• Heat the blended oil to 300 degrees in a pot large enough to hold the oil without being too close to the top of the pot. Prepare a baking tray with paper towels to catch the fried mint leaves, and have a small slotted strainer to lift the mint out of the pot. When the oil is hot enough, place 3 to 4 mint leaves in the oil. Retrieve the leaves from the oil when the oil has stopped spattering. Repeat with the remaining leaves.
• Cut the fish into thin strips across the fillet. If necessary, lightly pound the fish strips to a thinner width. Place the fish in a mixing bowl and pour the limoncello mixture over the fish. Toss gently, and allow the fish to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes.
• When you are ready to serve the ceviche, add the thinly sliced cucumber, red bell pepper, radishes and red onion to the mixing bowl with the fish. Mix everything together, and portion the mixture onto four plates. Divide the remaining ceviche marinade over the fish, and then season each plate with sea salt and extra-virgin olive oil. Garnish the ceviche on each plate with 2 of the fried mint leaves.
* Many kinds of fish can be used for this type of ceviche. Salmon and trout work well. Ask your fishmonger for suggestions and be sure to explain how you will be using the fish.
** Breakfast radishes have an elongated shape with a bright red outer skin that is white at the root base. If unavailable, substitute a traditional globe radish variety.

Smoked Tomato Bisque
Courtesy of An American Place’s Joshua Galliano

4 to 6 servings

2 lbs. tomatoes, halved
2 cups heavy cream
3 cloves garlic, divided (1 whole, 2 minced)
1 sprig of thyme
1 large white onion, diced
Bouquet garni (basil sprig, thyme sprig, oregano sprig, bay leaf)
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. good-quality Worcestershire, plus more for seasoning and garnish
Vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Crystal Hot Sauce or other Louisiana-style hot sauce, to taste
2 cups blended olive oil (80 percent canola oil, 20 percent olive oil)
12 basil leaves

• Set up your smoker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Smoke the tomato halves until the skins take on a dark brown color.
• While the tomatoes are smoking, place the heavy cream in a pot over low heat. Add the whole garlic clove and the sprig of thyme; allow the cream to reduce by two-thirds. Strain the cream reserving it for later use, and discard the garlic clove and the sprig of thyme.
• Sweat the onion, minced garlic and bouquet garni with olive oil in a large pot. When the vegetables are tender, add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the honey, Worcestershire and tomato halves. Fill the pot with vegetable stock just to cover the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
• When the cooking time has elapsed, strain out the solids and reserve the cooking juice in case you need to thin the soup later. Discard the bouquet garni. Using a blender, puree the tomato mixture with the reduced heavy cream. (You may need to puree this mixture in batches depending on the size of the blender.) Once pureed, pass the soup through a chinois or other mesh strainer. Adjust the seasoning of the soup with salt, pepper, Crystal hot sauce, and Worcestershire.
• Heat the blended oil to 300 degrees in a pot large enough to hold the oil without being too close to the edges of the pot. Prepare a baking tray with paper towels to catch the fried basil leaves, and have a small slotted strainer to lift the basil out of the pot. When the oil is hot enough, place 3 to 4 basil leaves in the oil. Retrieve the leaves from the oil when the oil has stopped spattering.
• Garnish each bowl of soup with a drizzle of the Worcestershire and 2 basil leaves, serve with goat cheese crostini on the side.