Thanksgiving video: Allumette’s Miles Thompson captures holiday’s surprises

Miles Thompson’s panna cotta made with Jerusalem artichokes is a surprising combination -- and that’s one of his favorite things about Thanksgiving.

“This dish evokes a Thanksgiving feeling, but it’s more philosophical than it is a flavor,” he said. “There’s a lot of unexpected things that come around in the holidays, sometimes you get family you didn’t expect to see come in and they all come together and it makes new experiences.”

This is an elaborate plated dessert centered around a panna cotta made with cream in which roasted Jerusalem artichokes have been steeped. Those artichokes are then strained and served on the side, topped with a piped stripe of huckleberry marshmallow.

The panna cotta is topped with a slice of pound cake made with brown sugar and dulce de leche, and the whole thing is garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds, fried Jerusalem artichoke chips and fresh fennel fronds.

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“There’s cream, which I always find to be comforting, and there’s a soft, almost potato-like texture, which everyone says potatoes are a comfort food,” Thompson said. “And then there’s almost a flavor of popcorn, which is almost like a having-fun-with-your-family-watching-a-movie kind of idea.”

Allumette, 1320 Echo Park Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 935-8787, allumettela.com

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We asked Niki Nakayama from N/Naka, Eduardo Ruiz from Miel y Corazon, Kris Yenbamroong from Night + Market, Miles Thompson from Allumette, and Josiah Citrin from Melisse to let their imaginations go with the holiday flavors that meant the most to them. There are no recipes, just creative cooks thinking about food in a different way and then telling us about what’s important to them, but on the plate and in their homes.