3 Courses Recipe

Make Tomato Confit

Preheat oven to 275°F (135°C). Halve the cherry tomatoes and place in a baking dish. Add 2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, sliced garlic, thyme, 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper. Toss and roast for 35–45 minutes until tomatoes are soft and slightly jammy. Let cool slightly.

Prepare Bread and Burrata

Toast the rustic bread slices until golden. Place burrata on plates. Spoon warm tomato confit alongside and drizzle with remaining 1 tbs olive oil, lemon zest (zest the lemon), torn basil leaves, and 2 tbs balsamic glaze. Season burrata with a pinch of salt and cracked black pepper. Serve with toasted bread.

Warm Stock

Bring the chicken or vegetable stock to a gentle simmer in a saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

Start Risotto

In a heavy saucepan, melt 1 tbs butter with 1 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped shallot and cook until translucent, about 2–3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the arborio rice and stir 1–2 minutes until edges are translucent.

Deglaze and Cook Rice

Pour in the white wine and cook, stirring, until mostly absorbed. Add warm stock, one ladle (about ½ cup) at a time, stirring frequently and allowing liquid to be absorbed before adding more. Continue for 18–20 minutes until rice is creamy and al dente.

Finish Risotto

Off the heat, stir in 1 tbs butter, grated parmesan, heavy cream, chopped parsley, chives, lemon zest, and season with remaining salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.

Cook Salmon

Pat salmon fillets dry and season both sides with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper (distributed evenly). Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs butter. Place salmon skin-side down and press gently for 10 seconds to avoid curling. Cook 4–5 minutes skin-side until crisp; flip and cook 2–4 minutes more until just cooked through (internal temp ~125–130°F / 52–54°C for medium). Remove and rest 2 minutes.

Plate

Spoon a generous bed of risotto on each plate, place a salmon fillet on top, drizzle any resting juices or a little olive oil, and sprinkle extra chives and a turn of black pepper.

Preheat and Prepare Ramekins

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Arrange four 6-oz (180 ml) ramekins in a deep baking dish.

Heat Cream and Chocolate

Combine heavy cream and milk in a saucepan and warm until just simmering. Remove from heat and stir in chopped chocolate until glossy and fully melted.

Temper Yolks and Bake

In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until pale. Slowly whisk about 1/4 cup of the warm chocolate mixture into the yolks to temper, then whisk the yolk mixture back into the chocolate pot. Stir in vanilla and fine sea salt. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins. Pour hot water into the baking dish to reach halfway up the ramekins. Bake 25–30 minutes until edges are set but centers still slightly wobbly. Remove ramekins from water bath and cool to room temperature, then chill at least 2 hours.

Serve

Before serving, let pots sit at room temperature 10 minutes. Sprinkle each with flaky sea salt. Optionally serve with a small cookie or whipped cream.