TV Chef
CHEF MARCEL BIRÓ

"For me, the ability to work with food is a privilege never to be taken for granted." — Chef Marcel Biró

Ramps are wild onions that grow abundantly in wooded areas in the spring. Resembling a scallion, it has a strong, peppery, garlicky-onion flavor and is sometimes referred to as wild leek. Though we are fortunate enough to be able to pick our own, you can usually find ramps in specialty grocery stores or at farmer's markets from about mid-March through the end of June. Based on availability, you may substitute either scallions or leeks -- or a combination of the two -- in this recipe. We serve it in a cappuccino cup for sipping, but you may wish to serve the frothy soup with a demitasse spoon.

A half hour prior to creating this dish, place 2 ramps in the heavy cream to impart their flavor in the crèma. Remove the ramps before using the heavy cream in the recipe.

Ramp Cappuccino
Free to copy for personal use.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

4 cups vegetable stock
24 ramps, white and light green parts only
3 teaspoons sherry
sea salt
freshly ground white pepper
2 cups ramp-infused heavy cream
fried leek for garnish

Preparation:

Bring the stock to a boil. Blanch the ramps until softened, about 1 minute.

Pour the blanched ramps and stock into a food processor or blender and liquefy until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a sauce pan, add the sherry, and reduce by 1/2 over medium-high heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat the heavy cream in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Place the cream in blender and liquefy until it becomes frothy, about 2 minutes. You could also use the frother on an espresso machine or a hand-held blender for this step.

Presentation:

Pour the ramp soup into cappuccino cups and spoon the crèma on top. Garnish with fried leek and serve immediately.

Quick Tip: Frying Herbs and Greens for Garnish:

Fried herbs and greens make a lovely, flavor-packed garnish. Some items, such as sage, stemmed baby spinach, micro herbs, and micro greens work well when left whole. Larger leafs such as arugula work best when cut into chiffonades before frying, and leeks work best when cut into juliennes and lightly dusted with flour prior to frying.

To fry your herbs or greens, you will need about 4 times the amount of oil than the item you're frying.  Bring vegetable, canola, or sunflower oil—which have higher burning points and do not impart too much flavor—to 375 degrees in a deep sauté pan or fryer. Fry the herbs or greens until crispy and the edges just begin to brown, less than 10 or 15 seconds depending on the item you're frying. Drain on paper towels and season to taste with sea salt or even superfine sugar, depending on the application. You can store drained fried herbs and greens in a paper towel-lined resealable container.

Wine Pairings:

2002 Cloudy Bay
Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, New Zealand

2001 Ponzi
Pinot Gris
Willamette, Oregon

Recipes by Chef Biró
These Recipes are Free to copy for personal use.

• Black Pepper Seared Salmon with Egg Pasta
  
  
• Double Mousse au Chocolat with Apricot and Raspberry Coulis
  
  
• Rich Grand Marnier-Chocolate Cake with Shiny Chocolate Icing and Vanilla Gelato
  
  
• Heirloom Tomatoes with Tomatillo Salad and International Salts
  
  
• Lemon Mint Sorbet with Red Peppercorns
  
  
• Mesclun Duck Breast Salad with Raspberry-Shallot Vinaigrette
  
  
• Ramp Cappuccino
  
  
• The Chefs

 

"...today, 15 years after reunification, I still love experimenting with a wealth of exotic ingredients."
— Chef Marcel Biró

Cookbooks Authored by Chef Biró
European-Inspired Cuisine is companion book to the nationally broadcast PBS reality cooking series "The Kitchens of Biró," the cookbook offers a candid, behind-the-camera look into the restaurant, culinary school, and home kitchens of Marcel Biró and Shannon Kring Biró	SpanAsian cuisine is where the elegant simplicity of Asian cooking meets the straightforward rusticity of Spanish fare. In SpanAsian cuisine, earthy tapas and colorful sushi take their place next to crispy tarte flambees and simply luxurious soups. It's a wonderful blend of ethnicities and flavors.

 

(Chef Marcel Biró)