Sunchokes

From: Chef Joseph Buenconsejo, Wassail, New York City. Yield: varies.

Melted Leeks:
70 g butter
100 g water
300 g sliced leeks
1 tsp. salt

Brussels Sprouts:
300 g brussels sprouts
20 g butter
100 g water
1 sprig of thyme
1 sage leaf
to taste, salt and pepper

Roasted Sunchokes:
400 g peeled sunchokes (cut into 1"x.5” pieces;  save the scraps)
150 g grapeseed oil
30 g butter
2 sprigs of thyme
2 pieces garlic
4 oz. gruyere oil (for finishing)

Gruyere Oil:
400 g gruyere scraps
400 g grapeseed oil
to taste, salt

Sunchoke Vinegar:
200 g sunchoke skin (scraps)
400 g vinegar

Crispy Sunchokes:
600 g canola oil for frying
350 g shaved sunchoke
1 g salt

Sunchoke Espuma:
5000 g Reserve Gruyere
500 g heavy cream
100 g butter
150 g  onion
60 g garlic
100 g truffle juice
100 g mushroom stock
20 g Spanish sidra (cider)

Gruyere Crumbs:
250 g reserved Gruyere
180 g panko (toasted)

For melted leeks: Place all ingredients in a sauce pan. Cook leeks on low heat until most of the liquid is gone and the leeks are tender.

For brussels sprouts: Bring butter and water to a boil. Once emulsified, add brussels sprouts and herbs. Cook until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Test for doneness. Brussels sprouts should be should be tender but not mushy.

For roasted sunchokes: Heat sauce pan with the grapeseed oil. Once it reaches 400°F, add sunchokes. Move them around every minute, making sure sunchoke roasts evenly. When sunchokes are about 80 percent done, add the herbs and cool down.

For crispy sunchokes: Slice sunchokes in a mandoline (paper thin). Fry at a temperature of 375°F for about 3 minutes. Take out when golden brown and drain excess oil.

For sunchoke espuma: Add butter, onion, garlic, olive oil in a pan. Add cider and let it burn for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the liquid and all the remaining ingredients. Puree and strain through a fine chinoise. Place liquid into a gas-charged cream whipper canister. Keep it warm and ready to serve.

For sunchoke vinegar: Pulse sunchoke skin and vinegar in a food processor for a few seconds. Place in 60°F storage, away from light.

For Gruyere oil: Mix all the Gruyere cheese scraps, grapeseed oil and salt to taste. Add ingredients to a pan and cook for 3 to 4 hours in a 250°F oven. Check every hour for taste.

For Gruyere crumbs: Preheat oven to 250°F. Place Gruyere on a baking sheet in oven and let it caramelize. Toast bread crumbs and let them cool. Combine.

To assemble: Fill one side of the bowl with melted leeks, then add brussels sprouts on top. While the roasted sunchokes are still hot, grate fresh Gruyere on sunchokes. Place it on top of the brussels sprouts and drizzle Gruyere oil all around the bowl. Add crispy sunchokes on top of the roasted ones. Cover with shaved raw sunchokes that have been dressed with the sunchoke vinegar. On the other half of the bowl, fill 3/4 of the way with sunchoke and Gruyere foam. Sprinkle Gruyere crumbs on top, and serve.