Alain Ducasse’s “Vegetarian Roast” Made Entirely of Fruits and Vegetables: Recipe and the Chef’s Secrets

When the “roast” is all green: In this fall recipe, Ducasse uses the first harvest of the season as if they were pieces of an edible mosaic. One more reason to fire up the oven and stock up on vitamins as early as September.

Long before vegetables became a trend, Alain Ducasse had the insight to place vegetables, root vegetables, and fruit at the center of haute cuisine, making them the stars—rather than supporting players—of his recipes. In this case, the autumn roast becomes a “botanical exhibition” capable of engaging all the senses, from the aromas of roasted beets to the crunch of carrots on the tongue.

The Art of the Cookpot: When Cooking Makes All the Difference

Designed by the chef himself in collaboration with designer Pierre Tachon, the Cookpot is both a cooking tool and the name of the dish, now served in numerous Maison restaurants. At its core is a porcelain vessel designed to enhance slow steaming and baking. The uniqueness lies, then, in the delicate balance between the texture of the vegetables and the richness of the matignon at the bottom (a delicate purée of root vegetables, fruit, and porcini mushrooms flavored with warm spices like curry and fennel, ed.). What catches the eye is the resulting geometric mosaic: arm yourself with the right amount of patience to recreate it at home!

The tip

Except for the butter, this recipe is 100% vegan. To completely omit animal-based proteins, you can use a plant-based substitute and make the base with vegetable broth (the chef already lists this as an option, instead of meat broth).

Vegetable and Fruit Cookpot

Recipe from *Best of Alain Ducasse* - Éditions Alain Ducasse

General Information

• Prep time: 35 minutes
• Cook time: 45 minutes
• Serves 6 (as a side dish) or 1–2 people as a main course
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Ingredients

For the garnish and raw vegetable mosaic:

• Chioggia yellow beet: 80 g
• Chioggia red beet: 80 g
• Carrots (with tops): 120 g
• Celeriac: 80 g
• Squash: 80 g
• Black radish: 80 g
• Mature extra virgin olive oil: 5 cl (2 cl for dressing and 3 cl for the emulsion)
• White stock (meat/poultry broth or vegetable broth for the vegan version): 10 cl (5 cl for cooking, 5 cl for the emulsion)
• Fior di sale and freshly ground black pepper: to taste
• Butter: 20 g
• Porcini mushroom (cap): to grate at the end

For the fruit, vegetable, and porcini matignon:

• White onion: 150 g
• Red apple: 50 g
• Dried Martin pear: 50 g
• Fennel bulb: 50 g
• Cooked chestnuts: 50 g
• Porcini mushroom stems: 150 g (alternatively: chanterelles or button mushrooms)
• Olive oil: 5 g
• Fennel seeds: 3 g
• Yellow curry powder: 5 g
• Gray salt: 4 g

Method

1. Preparing the raw vegetables

1. Washing and trimming: Wash all the vegetables thoroughly. Peel the carrot and cut it in half lengthwise. Peel the beets, celeriac, and squash. Trim the ends off the black radish and scrub the skin thoroughly under lukewarm water.
2. Mandoline slicing: Slice all the vegetables into thin slices about 2 mm thick using a mandoline. As you go, store them under a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out.
3. Shaping: Using a round cookie cutter, cut out discs from the carrot, beet, celeriac, and squash slices, then cut each disc in half to form semicircles. Also cut the black radish slices into half-moons.
4. Storage and Reuse: Keep all the vegetable semicircles covered with the damp cloth. Tip: Use the trimmings to make a vegetable stock.

2. Preparing the Fruit and Vegetable Matignon

Note: The fruit and vegetables for the matignon must be cut into small, uniform cubes (brunoise) to ensure even cooking.

1. Preparing the ingredients: Clean the porcini mushrooms by removing the earthy parts. Separate the caps and set them aside. Dice the stems into small cubes (brunoise). Peel and finely chop the white onion. Wash and dice the apple, pear, and fennel bulb into uniform cubes. Lightly mash the cooked chestnuts.
2. Initial Sauté: Heat a saucepan with 5 g of olive oil and sauté the chopped onion over moderate heat until softened.
3. First Browning: Add the fennel and diced chestnuts. Sauté until lightly browned. Add a pat of butter, salt, pepper, and curry powder. Cook for 2–3 minutes.
4. Cooking the matignon: Add the apple, pear, and brunoise of porcini stems. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to reduce excess moisture as much as possible. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the fennel seeds, remove the saucepan from the heat, and let cool to room temperature.

3. Assembly and Cooking in the Cookpot

1. Preheating: Preheat the conventional oven to 160 °C.
2. Arrangement: Place the now lukewarm fruit and vegetable medley on the bottom of the pot/Cookpot. Arrange the raw vegetable half-circles on top, alternating colors and overlapping them by two-thirds until the entire surface is covered.
3. Seasoning: Drizzle the surface with 2 cl of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of fleur de sel, and a grinding of fresh black pepper.
4. Cooking: Pour 5 cl of white stock into the bottom of the pot, cover the pot with its lid, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking uncovered for another 10 minutes.
5. Resting: Remove the Cookpot from the oven and let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

4. Plating and Serving

1. Finishing: Grate the raw porcini caps set aside earlier directly over the hot vegetables.
2. Accompanying sauce: Emulsify (vigorously whisk) the remaining 5 cl of hot white stock with 3 cl of olive oil and the remaining butter. Serve the emulsion on the side in a sauceboat.

Chef’s Notes and Tips

• Serving: The Cookpot can be served as a complete main course for one person or as an elegant side dish for two people.
• Preparation in Advance: This dish can also be prepared the day before and briefly reheated in a hot oven before serving.