Pickled strawberry and spring pea salad

Executive Chef Dane Blom
Grange Restaurant & Bar, Sacramento

“The idea of pickled strawberries may have many people scratching their heads a little bit,” chef Dane Blom says with a laugh. “But I love pickled fruit and I think it’s a great way to showcase strawberries.”

Ingredients

Pickled strawberries
1 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 cup water
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
15 strawberries

Goat cheese mousse
10 oz. goat cheese (chevre)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 lemon, zested
1/2 bunch dill, chopped

Salad
1 cup English peas, blanched
1 cup snap peas, trimmed and blanched
1 cup snow peas, trimmed and blanched
1 shallot, fine dice
1/2 cup pancetta, rendered crispy (fat drained off)
2 tbsp. Arbequina olive oil
1 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar

Instructions

For strawberries: Add vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a pan. Bring to a boil and stir continuously until sugar is dissolved. Cool over an ice bath. Once cool, add over strawberries for a minimum of 1 hour and a maximum of 4 hours.

For mousse: Add goat cheese, buttermilk and lemon zest to a food processor. Process until smooth. Add dill and pulse until incorporated. Check for salt and adjust as necessary. Can be made 24 hours in advance.

For salad: Add peas, shallot and pancetta to a bowl. Add olive oil and vinegar. Season to taste with salt. Lay a nice layer of mousse on a plate. Place pea salad on top of that. Drain strawberries from pickling liquid and place strategically on top of salad. Feel free to garnish with pea shoots.

Serves 2