Recipe Description
The Sweet Turnip and Tomato with Chocolate Dressing is a refreshing appetizer with fresh local tomato slices, crunchy sweet turnip, accompanied with Frisee lettuce, and drizzled with bitter chocolate dressings.
Chef Dennis Lai is the chef de cuisine at The Deck Kitchen, Weil Hotel in Ipoh.
Recipe Ingredient
- 200 - 300 g sweet turnip (1 turnip)
- 4 local tomatoes
- 200 g Frisee lettuce or any other lettuce
- 100 g fennel
- Roasted peanut, crushed (To be sprinkled on top)
- white chocolate (to be shaved)
- For dressings
- 30 g 50% dark chocolate
- 30 ml balsamic vinegar
- 40 g honey/molasses
- 100 ml olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Once it reaches boiling point, turn it down to a gentle simmer.
- Place dark chocolate into a stainless steel, ceramic, or heat-friendly glass mixing bowl, and place it on top of a pot of simmering water (Baine Marie).
- Stir it constantly but gently, until the chocolate is melted.
- Pour in the balsamic vinegar and honey/molasses and whisk until it is mixed well.
- Then, slowly pour the olive oil using a jug while maintaining a steady stream of flowing motion and whisk, once done, season with salt, preferably kosher, set aside.
- Wash the lettuce with cold water, and pluck out the leafy parts, discard the root and stems. Drain and set aside till needed. (If you’re unable to acquire Frisee lettuce, any other lettuce will work too.)
- Wash and slice the fennel as thinly as possible, or you can use a mandoline slicer. Then, soak it in ice cold water for 15 minutes, drain and pat dry using kitchen towel or a salad spinner.
- Slice tomato to quarter inch thickness, peel turnip clean and slice it to the size of the tomato.
- Place the lettuce and fennel slices into a mixing bowl, pour a quarter of the dressing into it and toss evenly.
- Layer the tomato and turnip on top of the mixed salad, drizzle the remaining dressings. Before serving, sprinkle some ground roasted peanut. Using a peeler, shave some white chocolate on top of the salad.
