At Miraval Austin, the chefs love to feature Texas artichokes in springtime. They are in season then, but the season is short. To make the most of them, they steam them to open like a flower on a plate. Tarragon aioli is spooned into the center and sautéed shrimp gingerly hang on the edges. The artichokes and aioli can both be made up to 1 day before serving.

INGREDIENTS:

4 large artichokes, stem end cut close to the base

Tarragon Aioli

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup expeller-pressed grapeseed oil
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 tablespoons unrefined avocado oil
• 16 jumbo (10 to 12 per pound) gulf prawns, peeled with the tails left on, and deveined
• Fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup micro greens, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

To steam the artichokes, place them, bottom sides up, in a steamer basket over 2 to 3 inches of boiling water. Cover and steam until the bottoms feel tender when pierced with a paring knife, 35 to 45 minutes. Check the water level halfway through and add water, if needed. Drain and cool. Spread open the center petals carefully so you can see into the middle of the artichoke. Using a soup spoon, gently scrape and remove the purple prickly leaves and the thistle fuzz that protects the artichoke heart. Twist if needed to remove all of the center leaf grouping, exposing the artichoke heart. Repeat with the remaining artichokes. For presentation, gently open up each artichoke so it looks like a little bowl with the surrounding leaves as the walls of the bowl. Set aside. (The artichokes can be prepared up to this point and refrigerated in a cover container until ready to serve. Remove from the refrigerator 2 hours before serving.)

While the artichokes are steaming, make the aioli. In the container of a high-speed blender, combine the garlic, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and the egg yolk. Blend to mince the garlic. Slowly add the oils and blend until the sauce is emulsified. Transfer the aioli to a small bowl and fold in the remaining 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, lemon zest, and tarragon. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Just before serving, sauté the shrimp. Warm 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and sauté, stirring frequently,
until they turn pink and are cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.

To serve, place a tablespoon of aioli into the center of each artichoke. With the prawn tails pointed downward, hang 4 prawns on each artichoke, spacing them evenly around the sides.
Garnish the center of each artichoke with a tablespoon of micro greens. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings; Serving Size: 1 artichoke

CALORIES: 260; TOTAL FAT: 18 G; CARBOHYDRATE: 18 G; DIETARY FIBER: 9 G; PROTEIN: 11 G