Fennel Puree

Name: Fennel Puree
Yield: Makes 1 cup
Ingredients: 2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed (reserve fronds for garnish, if desired) and chopped into 1-inch pieces; 3 cups whole milk, or enough to just cover fennel; Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)

January 26, 2012

This recipe produces a puree that is smooth and creamy without adding any heavy cream. Instead, the vegetables are boiled in milk and then pureed with some of the reserved cooking liquid, resulting in a side dish with a pure vegetable taste. When pureeing in a blender, add only enough liquid to keep the blade spinning freely. The fennel puree is delicious with the seared scallops on page 260. It can also be thinned with some of the strained cooking liquid to form a soup.

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