Crêpes with Coupole, Shaved Radish Salad, and Orange–Mustard Seed Marmalade
We recommend this unusual mix of components as a salad course. It’s an elegant winner, especially for a brunch menu accompanied by a sparkling rosé or crisp white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc. Coupole is a rich and delicate bloomy-rind goat cheese from Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery; if unavailable in your market, you can substitute a creamy, dense chévre. Use your own recipe for crêpes or find Seidel's verison made with crème fraîche.
Ingredients
ORANGE-MUSTARD SEED MARMALADE
- 10 oranges
- 2 cups fresh-squeezed orange juice
- ¼ cup good-quality white wine vinegar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
RED WINE REDUCTION
- 3 cups red wine avoid anything too tannic; a fruity or spicy red is best
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 10 sprigs thyme
RED WINE VINAIGRETTE
- 1 shallot minced
- ¼ cup good-quality red wine vinegar cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
SALAD
- 1 piece 8 ounces Coupole (from Vermont Butter & Cheese), or other mild, creamy soft-ripened cow or goat’s milk cheese
- 8 crepes store-bought or homemade
- 1 bunch mixed radishes Seidel likes to use pastel-hued Easter Egg radishes from his farm, trimmed and scrubbed
- 1 bunch mache rinsed, drained, and patted dry
Instructions
- MARMALADE: Peel and segment all the oranges, working over a bowl. Combine the oranges, juice, wine, sugar, and vinegar in a heavy bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat, allowing the liquid to reduce while stirring occasionally. When the mixture is reduced by threequarters, turn heat to low and add the mustard seeds. Reduce until the mixture is of a jam consistency. Cool, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Set aside.
- RED WINE REDUCTION: Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan, and simmer over low heat until the liquid becomes syrupy. Cool to room temperature.
- RED WINE VINAIGRETTE: In a small bowl, combine the shallot and vinegar. Whisk in the oil, salt, and pepper and adjust seasoning if necessary. Set aside.
- SALAD: Half an hour before serving, remove the cheese from the refrigerator and portion into 8 slices. Warm the crêpes on a baking sheet in the oven. Meanwhile, thinly slice the radishes. Combine the mâche and radishes in a large bowl and lightly dress with vinaigrette (rewhisk before using).
- TO PLATE: Using 2 crêpes per plate, fold them into a triangle shape (in half, and then again). Place a slice of cheese next to the crêpes, and add a mound of mâche and radish salad on top of the crêpes. Spoon some of the marmalade beside the crêpes. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of red wine reduction. Serve immediately.
Notes
Both the marmalade and red wine reduction can be made 1 week in advance if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container; they’ll keep for a couple of weeks.
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Chef Alex Seidel
Alex Seidel never imagined that one day he would be raising sheep and producing Coloradoʼs first artisanal Sheepʼs Milk Cheeses. Itʼs his passion for food that has allowed him to travel the country to experience his first love, cooking. A couple years after opening his first restaurant Fruition, Alex purchased a ten-acre farm. This fueled his desire to learn more about food, how it is produced, and from where it is sourced.
