Dishes, fresh herbs and flowers

This recipe from Louis Vatelier, chef at La Source restaurant in Veules-les-Roses, is taken from the special issue of Gault&Millau magazine, in which you can discover 109 chefs' recipes. These chefs have opened their own establishments over the past 18 months, and have shared their favorite recipes with us. Discover the ingredients and preparation steps to make it easy.

• Serves 4
• Preparation time: 15 min
• Cooking time: 5 min

Ingredients for Louis Vatelier faisselle and fresh herbs

For the goat's cheese faisselle whipped cream

• 500 g freshly curdled goat's cheese faisselle (here, from the Saint Cosme goat farm)
• 25 cl liquid cream 35% MG
• 1 tsp wild rose vinegar (from Noma Projects, for example)
• 1 small bunch thyme-lemon flowers
• ¼ of the zest of a lemon
• 1 tsp. fleur de sel

For the bread crumbs

• 2 slices bread crumbs
• Clarified butter (or ghee)
• 1 clove new garlic

For the fresh herb oil

• Grape seed oil
• Fresh herbs of your choice (basil, rosemary...)

For the fresh herb and flower salad

• Lovage
• Copper fennel
• Water mint
• Dill flowers
• Sage flowers
• Rosemary flowers
• Purple Oxalys
• Chives flowers
• Olive oil
• Fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper

Specific equipment

• Siphon or food processor

Steps for Louis Vatelier faisselle and fresh herbs

1. goat's faisselle whipped cream: Separate the curds from the whey using a skimmer (you can save the whey for later use). Blend all ingredients with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Check and adjust the seasoning if necessary, then strain through cheesecloth to obtain a smooth cream. Pour three-quarters of the mixture into a gas siphon, adding 2 cartridges of gas to incorporate air. if you don't have a siphon, pour the mixture, just out of the fridge, into the chilled bowl of a food processor. the cream will gradually lighten until it has an airy texture similar to whipped cream.
2. Bread crumbs: Remove the crust and cut out the crumbs with a knife. Cook in clarified butter (butter melted over a very low heat, from which only the fat remains after decanting), infused with a clove of new garlic, until the crumbs are golden and crisp.
3. Fresh herb oil: In a blender, pour in grapeseed oil and all the herbs you wish to flavor your oil with. Blend for 15 minutes at high speed, then filter through a coffee filter.
4. Fresh herb and flower salad: Separate the leaves from the stems, keeping only the finest. Season the leaves with olive oil, then sprinkle over the goat's cheese faisselle whipped cream. Drizzle the flowers over the cream. Add a touch of fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper.
5. Chef's tip: Serve with "Les Calètes" elderflower cider from Normandy.
   

Has this recipe inspired you to discover Louis Vatelier's cuisine? Read the Gault&Millau review of La Source.

This article is taken from 109, Le Sang Neuf de la gastronomie française. Find this special issue on newsstands or in our online store.