Lettuce, Smoked Almond and Olive Oil

3% Salt Brine

• Combine the water and salt in a blender and process until well combined.
• Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

For Fermented Romaine Lettuce

• Halve the lettuce heads lengthwise and wash them carefully to remove all of the sand between the layers of the leaves.
• Drain in a colander.
• Place the romaine lettuce in a glass jar or a food-grade plastic container and add the salt brine, whey and horseradish.
• Use a plate or something similar that fits inside the jar or container to weigh down the lettuce and horseradish to ensure that they are completely submerged in the liquid.
• Seal the jar or container with a lid fitted with an airlock.
• Place the jar out of direct sunlight where the ambient room temperature is 16 to 18 degrees celsius, to ferment for 5 or 6 days.
• The fermentation is complete when the structure of the lettuce breaks down, becomes soft, and tastes sour. Once fermented, you can seal the jar or container with a lid and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

For Smoked Almond Milk

• Heat a saucepan with a thin layer of smoke powder in the bottom over high heat until it starts to smoke, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Place the almonds in a sieve and then position the sieve over the saucepan and cover with a lid. Keep the saucepan on high heat for approximately 30 seconds, until the whole saucepan fills with smoke.
• Remove the covered saucepanfrom the heat and let the almonds infuse with the smoke powder for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Repeat this process two or three more times, adding more smoke powder if it burns up, until the almonds are golden and smoky.
• Allow to cool. In a large bowl, soak the smoked almonds in the water overnight, covered in the fridge.
• The following day, transfer the almonds and water to a blender and puree until smooth.
• Transfer the puree to a superbag or fine-meshed cheesecloth, and squeeze the puree into a bowl, extracting as much of the smoked almond milk as possible.

For Finishing

• Remove the fermented romaine lettuce from the brine, reserving 500 grams of the brine.
• Cut the fermented lettuce in half lengthwise and then crosswise into 2-cm thick pieces. I
• In a saucepan, warm the reserved brine and the lettuce slowly over medium heat, do not boil.
• Drain in a sieve. For each serving, place a large spoonful of the warmed fermented lettuce in the middle of the plate and spray with 2 sprays of lemon juice.
• Place 2 spoonfuls of the warmed smoked almond sauce on top followed by a neatly placed pile of fresh lettuce chiffonade.
• Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.