Vegetables: They’re not just a side dish anymore. And we’re not even talking about at strictly vegetarian joints.
For proof, look no further than Dovetail on the Upper West Side, SD26 at Madison Square Park or every one of Mario Batali’s restaurants, all promoting Meatless Mondays.
At Tom Colicchio’s Topping Rose House, out in Bridgehampton, as well as Shaun Hergatt’s Juni, in Midtown, veggies earn prime placement on the menu — with protein listed as a mere accompaniment.
In the race to elevate produce to gourmet fare, though, no one beats chef Paul Liebrandt.
At The Elm, his French-influenced dining room within the King & Grove hotel in Williamsburg, you can order a $48 sharing entree simply called “Garden”: a mix of 30 to 50 greens, tubers, roots, legumes, bulbs, pods, herbs and fruits that changes depending on the day’s market offering.
Don’t be deceived by its elegantly simple looks. Liebrandt has been tinkering with the recipe for over a decade now, figuring out the essential way to prepare each individual ingredient.
Here’s how the city’s most over-the-top ode to vegetables came to be.
THE INSPIRATION
Michelin-starred chef Michel Bras of three-star Restaurant Bras in Laguiole, a town in the South of France, created his famous Gargouillou in the 1980s, using fresh-picked local vegetables and herbs, and citing the French landscape as his muse. Zimbabwe-born Liebrandt says this vividly beautiful dish sowed the seed for his own fragrant mix.
Funnily enough, Bras’ interpretation wasn’t exactly vegetarian-friendly. The French toque used “ham butter,” or ham warmed in salted butter, to enhance the flavor. Liebrandt varies the butter depending upon the bounty and the season.
“If I have lovely Tokyo turnips, a seaweed butter might be preferable, or in spring, a hazelnut butter is nice — and sometimes I will go with an Espelette pepper butter,’’ he explains.
Garden is also shaped by Liebrandt’s travels. “[The inclusion of] Asian pear with yuzu juice is influenced by a trip to Korea,’’ he explains. “And my PL sauce” — served on the side, along with other “condiments” such as pickled persimmon — “is a fresher take on good old British HP, using black cardamom, dates, star anise, orange and Oloroso sherry.’’
THE EVOLUTION
An early, pared-down rendition of Garden was created 13 years ago when Liebrandt was just 24, at the now-shuttered Atlas on Central Park South. He also served a version of Garden at Corton in Tribeca, but it was presented simply on a plate rather than in the substantial Le Creuset pot that Liebrandt uses at The Elm.
“Because Elm is fun and happy, I wanted to serve it in something people could share,’’ he explains.
THE FAMOUS FANS
Liebrandt has served versions of Garden to both Prince Andrew and Lord Rothschild. And while he won’t reveal who has dined at The Elm, Jay Z and Beyoncé were spotted exiting the King & Grove over the summer.
THE PREPARATION
The dish is a team effort, says Liebrandt, and when he and his staff go to the market, they have a general idea of what they want to put in the pot. “One day I might find something I’m excited by, another day someone else may find something wonderful,’’ he says.
“In the winter, the dish tends to be savory and heartier,’’ he explains. “There are more hard herbs, like thyme or rosemary blossom, and vegetables like pumpkin and rutabaga. There can also be an element of pine, like Douglas fir, or balsam finely minced and made into oil. In the fall, it might be porcini or hen of the woods and figs, while in spring and summer, we might add local white or local purple asparagus, tomatoes, corn and sugar snaps.’’
Garden is unique not only because it contains so many different ingredients, but because each element is prepared in a specific way. Pumpkin might be slowly roasted with mulling spices, parsnips prepared with hazelnut oil and lemon juice, baby fingerlings cooked with sea salt and beans lightly blanched.
“It’s basically a stew, but the nice thing is that each bite is a different flavor and texture,’’ says Liebrandt. “It’s a very playful dish. You can do anything to a vegetable!’’