Broccoli

Broccoli is the perfect training ground for mastering chlorophyll preservation. Its tree-like shape captures heat unevenly. A flash blanching in heavily salted, rolling boiling water (to deactivate the enzymes responsible for browning) followed by a brutal thermal shock in ice-cold brine is mandatory to set its fluorescent green color and crunch. Pureed into a cream, it requires rapid cold blending to prevent its vibrant color from oxidizing.