Try this fresh hearts of palm recipe with tomato water and porcini!
Not your typical tomato salad but one definitely to remember. One of the main differences in this recipe is the use of tomato water. It only takes about 10 minutes to make and it can be a visual game changer. The only thing you need is a vegetable juicer and a pot. What you are left with is a clear water that taste like tomatoes.
Fresh Hearts of palm is a unique vegetable harvested from the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees (notably the coconut ) I received the ones for this recipe from Hawaii.
In June, was a busy time for me, with dinner parties nearly every day. That makes it a busy time for me, too, and a challenge to think of a variety of menus. It also happens to be the month of JP and Eloise’s 25th anniversary.
A few guests were invited for the evening. What to fix? JP was not eating red meat, and I had served fish many times in the week already. I didn’t want to serve chicken or run to the store for some other protein. Earlier in the week I had visited a local organic farm.
I bought all kinds of vegetables and fruit, more than I actually needed, but summertime in California means abundance of fresh produce. Depending on the weather and month, you have many wonderful varieties of vegetables and fruit, week after week: berries, stone fruit, melons, squashes, blossoms, greens, peas, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, citrus, onions, carrots, beets, salsify, corn, broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, potatoes, hearts of palm and I could go on.
With so much to choose from, sometimes the hardest thing is actually deciding what to make. So I decided not to run to the store and buy a protein for the main course. This was one of the 5 courses I served that evening for their special anniversary dinner. Here is the fresh hearts of palm recipe I hope you enjoy it!
Tomato "Salad" with Porcini, Hearts of Palm and Chrysanthemum
Tomato “salad” hearts of palm, porcini and chrysanthemum
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (roasted)
- 1 yellow heirloom tomato (sliced)
- 1 large red radish (sliced thin)
- 1/2 cucumber (shaved on mandolin)
- 1 cup sourdough croutons
- 1 porcini (shaved)
- Mint leaves, radish flowers, chive flowers
Hearts of palm
- 8 1 inch pieces of fresh hearts of palm
- 2 1/2 cup water
- 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Chrysanthemums oil
- 1 lb chrysanthemum (blanched)
- 1 1/4 cup oil
- pinch salt
Tomato Water
- 6 large tomatoes (heirloom)
How to make tomato water
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Juice tomatoes in a vegetable juicer. Then take juice and place in a pot, heat over medium high heat. Simmer for 8 minutes until solids separate from the liquid and tomato start foam at the top. You can take a perforated spoon to scoop out the foam. Then strain through a fine mesh strainer that is lined with cheesecloth or coffee filter. You should be left with a clear tomato water. Then season with salt, chill completely until needed.
For the Hearts of palm
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Place all the ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for roughly 20 minutes or until the hearts of palm are tender. (Time really depends on how thick and big the palms are). Once tender allow to cool to room temperature and you can pour all the liquid into a container to keep and preserve the hearts of palm.
For the Chrysanthemum oil
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Place blanched chrysanthemum leaves and oil together in a vitamix and puree for 45 seconds. Then pour into a chinos and let it strain without pushing the pulp through the chinos ( let it drip that way you don't get any of the pulp in your oil).
To finish
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Take a one slice of yellow heirloom tomato and place in the bottom of each bowl. Season with a pinch of salt. Add slices of hearts of palm around the bowl. Add the roasted cherry tomatoes, the sliced porcini, and radish the bowl. Ladle 2 oz of tomato water to the bowl. Finish with herbs, flowers, and croutons. Serve and enjoy!
