A Taste of Greater Palm Springs: Citrus and Palm Grain Bowl

From the beautiful Miramonte Resort in Greater Palm Springs.

Ingredients

2 oz red quinoa
Kosher salt or sea
salt
2 oz 
buckwheat
1/2 oz wild rice
4 oz garbanzo beans
1 oz currants
3 oz broccoli
2 oz mushroom conserva
1 oz kale
1 portion roasted carrot and
 ginger dressing
.1 oz watercress
1.14 oz avocado

For one grain bowl please follow these portions, you can adjust as you like also. Simply cook each grain individually. Here at Citrus & Palm, we cook quinoa like rice, apply one part grain to two parts salted water under a lid for steam and low heat for about 20 minutes or until cooked.

• All other ingredients should be the freshest as possible.
• Cooks tip—take a 1⁄2 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and massage the kale by hand gently and it will soften the kale so it is easier on the palate.
• Blanch the broccoli in salted boiling water, then strain and toss into a bowl of ice water to chill.
• Drain thoroughly.

To cook the wild rice:

1. For the wild rice, use 2 cups of grapeseed oil and heat till 380 degrees F.
2. Prepare a pan with layered paper towels to drain the oil. Have a spider scoop available or a skimmer.
3. Add two tablespoons of wild rice into the hot oil very cautiously.
4. Within 4 to 5 seconds it should puff to the top of the oil. If not, discard as your oil is not hot enough.
5. If it does float to the top, working very quickly while it turns golden brown scoop out while draining and lay over the paper towels on your baking pan, spread evenly as possible as it continues to cook.
6. Sprinkle with Kosher salt.
7. We serve all ingredients sectioned off and top with toasted wild rice that provides crunch like a crouton. Drizzle with carrot ginger dressing (see recipe below) and enjoy!

Mushroom Conserva Recipe

2 lbs mushrooms (button/trumpet/crimini)
1 tsp espelette
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp sherry wine vinegar
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Fresh cracked black pepper
1 sprigs rosemary, 6 inch

To cook: 

1. Just before cooking, rinse the mushrooms to remove any dirt.
2. Leave small mushrooms whole. Cut larger mushrooms into pieces or into slices; or slice mushrooms with meaty stems, such as porcini or trumpet mushrooms, lengthwise in half, then use the tip of a paring knife to score the inside of the stem in a crosshatch pattern.
3. The pieces of mushroom will shrink as they cook, but the finished pieces should not be larger than one bite. You should have about 10 cups of trimmed mushrooms.
4. Combine the olive oil, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, rosemary and Espelette in a large, wide pot.
5. Put a deep-frying thermometer in the pot, and heat over medium to medium-high heat until the oil reaches 170 degrees (it may be necessary to tilt the pot and pool the oil to get a correct reading on the thermometer).
6. Add the mushrooms to the pot and gently stir them in the oil. When the oil reaches 170 degrees again, adjust the heat as necessary to maintain this temperature and cook for 5 minutes, gently turning the mushrooms from time to time.
7. The mushrooms will not initially be sub-merged in the oil, but will wilt as they steep.
8. Remove from the heat, stir in the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste, and let the mushrooms steep in the oil for 45 minutes.
9. Transfer the mushrooms, oil and herbs to a covered storage container; the mushrooms should be covered by the oil.
10. Label and date.

Carrot Ginger Dressing

4 orange carrots, trimmed, washed
2 oz ginger, peeled
1 cup honey
1⁄2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tsp red miso
1 qt oil blended
1 qt cold water
1⁄2 tsp xanthan gum

To assemble: 

1. Cut the carrots down to the same size as the ginger.
2. Toss carrots and ginger in
 EVOO and roast at 350° until soft.
3. Put carrots and ginger into the walk-in to cool down.
4. Once
 cool, split the recipe in half and blend separately; place all ingredients except for xanthan gum into the vitamix.
5. Turn vitamix on and blend on high speed until completely smooth.
6. Add the xanthan gum and blend on high for 30 seconds.
7. Combine the two batches and season with
 kosher salt.
8. Place dressing in an appropriately sized container, cover and label. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.