Melon, chilli and kohlrabi by Matthias Marc

1/25/24, 12:43 PM

This melon-based recipe is by Matthias Marc, chef at Substance restaurant in Paris. It is taken from his book "In Situ" but reworked for Gault&Millau.

Ingredients for Matthias Marc's melon, chilli and kohlrabi dish

8 melons
4 bunches verbena
20g Espelette pepper
2 pieces kohlrabi
1 tub marigold flower
10 cl white vinegar
10 cl water
10 cl crème fraîche

Steps for Matthias Marc's melon, pepper and kohlrabi dish

Peel 2 melons and remove cylinders using a 2 cm-diameter tube.
Cut the melon and kohlrabi cylinders into slices of equal thickness. Set melon slices aside.
Peel a kohlrabi and cut out cylinders using the same cookie cutter.
Heat the sugar, water and vinegar in a saucepan, then pour into a bowl. Infuse the kohlrabi slices.
Peel the other kohlrabi and cut into cubes.
Peel the remaining 6 melons, then centrifuge them, along with the remaining seeds from the first two melons. Strain through a sieve.
Add a bunch of vervain (leaves only) and the Espelette chili pepper, centrifuge again and leave the melon stock to infuse for an hour in a cool place.
In a saucepan, heat a few spoonfuls of olive oil and lightly roast and salt the kohlrabi cubes.
Remove the leaves from the remaining three bunches of verbena and centrifuge with a little olive oil. Strain through a sieve and chill.
Juice the kohlrabi cubes, adding the crème fraîche. Set this purée aside.

Presentation

Line the bottom of a plate with the celery purée. Arrange the melon and kohlrabi slices alternately on top of the purée. Add the marigold flowers.
Pour in the melon broth, then drizzle with verbena oil.
Serve immediately.

For further information

Substance,18 rue Chaillot, Paris 16
16/20, 3 toques
Read Gault&Millau's review of Substance

These recipes might interest you

Easy

Monkfish cheek, coconut broth and vegetable spaghetti

For her recipe for baked monkfish cheek, chef Lauraine Raiteux cuts spaghetti from carrots, turnip and butternut and makes a broth with lemony coconut milk.

Read

Easy

Veal quasi, green asparagus, rösti

Chef Mickaël Braure's recipe includes asparagus, homemade rösti and a wild garlic mayonnaise.

More information

Chef Mickaël BRAURE

Restaurant Rillons
59242 TEMPLEUVE-EN-PÉVÈLE

Easy

Watermelon and rhubarb harissa

A sunny recipe combining marinated watermelon, rhubarb harissa, fromage frais and tagetes oil from Bordeaux chefs Martin Lafont and Jean-Marie Perrot.

Read

Asparagus dog

Chef Yann Leclercq (restaurant Le Lynn, Rumilly) gives us a fun recipe to eat with the whole family that will appeal to children and adults alike.

Read

Easy

Arctic char and green asparagus

This springtime fish and asparagus dish from chefs Alicia Chardon and Florian Braissand is enhanced by a verjuice and wild garlic reduced cream.

More information

Chef Alicia Chardon ET FLORIAN BRAISSAND

Restaurant La Table Floralie
73100 AIX-LES-BAINS

Easy

White asparagus, smoked tarama and asparagus-hazelnut milk

Want to cook asparagus differently? Chef Mathieu Moity proposes a recipe in which asparagus is served with fish roe, asparagus-hazelnut milk and a virgin sauce.

Read