Rampin Up

Photo of Spring dish one year ago taken by Josh Brusin of Chicago Foodies

Ooo how I love spring!  In this photo I have ramps in two different preparations.  One is pickled ramp bulb the other is chilled ramp top soup.
For the pickled ramps:
Clean about 1 cup ramp bulbs, cut tops and reserve.
1 cup water
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
3 finger pinch of salt
1 t coriander seeds
1 t black peppercorns
Bring water, vinegars, sugar and salt to a bowl.  In an airtight container place ramps along with coriander and peppercorns, pour hot liquid over, allow to cool to room temp, cover and store in refrigerator.  Ramps will hold for two to three weeks if not a touch more.
For the soup:
3 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
350 g heavy cream
100 g water
50 g butter
1 1/2 t salt
about 6 oz ramp tops cleaned and blanched
Cook potatoes in cream, water, butter and salt until tender.  Transfer to blender and blend with ramp tops.  Add more warm water to thin if necessary.  Adjust salt seasoning if needed.  Cool quickly by transferring warm soup into bowl within a larger bowl filled with ice.  Transfer to airtight container and chill.
Now the tricky part is getting that ramp soup in those bud vases.