Edoardo Fumagalli's Recipe: Crisp Endive Rosette, Light Cardamom Dressing, Begonia Flower Juice Sauce.

Ingredients for 2 people

For the light cardamom dressing

180g rice vinegar

100g Kishibori Shoyu

100g water

10g sugar

12 cardamom pods

1 bunch of fresh fennel

Method

In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the cardamom, bring to a slight boil, and reduce by 30%. Add the crushed cardamom pods for infusion and let it steep for 4 hours at room temperature.

For the salad

White endive tips

Fennel tips

Chinese basil leaves

Light cardamom dressing

Salt

Gomasio (sesame salt)

"Puffed" scented begonia millet

Begonia flower juice gelée

Method

From the top and center of the endive head, take out tufts for the salad. Combine fennel and Chinese basil tips. Dress lightly with extra virgin olive oil, the cardamom dressing, and gomasio. Create a round gelée and place it at the bottom of a bowl, then place the salad on top and garnish with "puffed" millet and begonia flowers.

For the fragrant "Puffed" begonia millet

30g hulled millet

100g fresh begonia flower

Water

Sunflower seed oil extract

Method

Cook the hulled millet in a pot with plenty of water for 20 minutes. Drain, cool, and soak it in slightly salted begonia flower juice.

Let it steep for 8 hours. Drain again, spread it on baking paper, and let it dry. Fry for a few moments in oil at 190 degrees Celsius.

For the begonia flower juice sauce

350g fresh red begonia flowers

20g lemon juice

Butter to taste

100g water

Salt

Method

In a saucepan, off the heat, mix warm water with cubed butter to obtain a well-emulsified sauce. Add lemon juice and begonia flower extract, then filter and cool.

For the curled endive rosette

2 heads of curly endive

Central stem of endive

50g light cardamom dressing

3g Gomasio

Salt to taste

Extra virgin olive oil from Garda

Pink begonia flowers

White begonia flowers

Red begonia flowers

Method

From the lower part of the endive heads, obtain two rosettes weighing about 50g each. Cook them in salted water for 20 seconds, drain, dry, oil them, and sear them in a pan on both sides for 20 seconds.

Deglaze with the cardamom sauce and keep in the pan until caramelized.

Plating

Place the endive rosette in the center of the plate, garnish with gomasio, blown millet, begonia flowers, and thinly sliced central stem of endive. Serve with the warm sauce and a side salad. Enjoy!