DISH COMPONENTS
- Pea velouté
- Fresh peas
- Goats cheese fritters
- Yoghurt & cardamom gel
- Lemongrass gel
- Caramelised pecans
- Mint jelly
- Pea shoots
INGREDIENTS
For the mint jelly:
- 250g white balsamic vinegar
- 100g clear apple juice (organic)
- 20g of mint leaves
- 50g caster sugar (plus a few pinches more to adjust the acidity)
- Kappa carageen 1g per 100g liquid
For the goats cheese fritters:
- 500g goats cheese
- 60g pine nuts
- 1 lemon zest
- Salt & black pepper for seasoning
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Egg wash
- Flour for dusting
- Oil for frying
For the pea velouté:
- 1kg fresh green peas
- 100g banana shallots, peeled and sliced
- 1kg hot water (if you wish to bolster the protein content then use white chicken stock but if not then the dish will not be vegetarian)
- 200g green baby spinach leaves
- 100g olive oil (can use butter if preferred)
- Ice cubes
For the caramelised pecans:
- 200g pecan nuts
- 300g sugar
- 300g water
- Oil for frying
METHOD
Make the mint jelly:
Add, vinegar, apple juice, sugar and mint leaves to a medium size pan. Whisk well. Bring to boil. Hold the boil for 30 seconds, remove and taste for the balance of sweetness with the acidity of the vinegar. If necessary, add more sugar.
Leave to infuse covered in a fridge for 24hrs. Then drain through a muslin and into a container. Take weight. For every 100gms of liquid, weigh 1gm of Kappa. Mix the kappa in the cold liquid. Bring to boil whisking, then remove from the heat and set in prepared tray lined either with cling film or sprayed with a grease proof spray. Once set, cut into cubes of 0.5mmx0.5mm.
Reserve until you are ready to prepare the dish.
Make the goats cheese fritters:
Toast the pine nuts in the oven or in a pan until golden brown in colour and nutty in flavour. Allow to cool properly.
In a mixing bowl, crumble the goats cheese (skin removed), add the toasted pinenuts, lemon zest, salt, black pepper & lemon juice.
Mix well. Form into 6-8g balls and leave in the fridge to settle. Once the rolled goats cheese balls are hard in the fridge, re-roll them to ensure perfect round shape.
Take three trays, add flour to one, egg wash to another and panko breadcrumb to the last tray. Roll the goats cheese balls in flour first, dust the excess off, then in the egg wash. Remove the balls from the egg wash using a slotted spoon, allow excess egg to fall off and then roll them in panko breadcrumbs. Do this twice.
Heat oil in a fryer to 180°C and fry the balls just before serving.
Prepare the pea velouté:
In a wide base bottom pan, add olive oil and place over a medium high heat. Add banana shallots, a pinch of salt and a clove of garlic and fry until soft but with no colour. Adjust the heat to medium if necessary.
Then add the peas and fry until the skin colour is vibrant. Add the hot boiling water/chicken stock and bring to boil. Cook vigorously so the peas don't loose colour and the skin is perfectly cooked through. You will have to taste a pea to check this. There should be no raw skin.
Once this is achieved, season the veloute with salt and sugar to taste and when satisfied, take it off the heat. Add spinach leaves and allow to wilt.
Work fast now! Drain the soup in a colander, reserve all the liquid. Put the peas and spinach mix in a very high-speed blender, add half of the retained liquid. Start on slow speed and gradually increase the speed until a smooth veloute is obtained. You may have to do this in 2 stages.
Ensure all the liquid is used. Then pass the soup through a fine mesh strainer times to get a silky smooth veloute texture. Season and keep warm.
Caramelise the pecans:
Toast the pecans in the oven at 180°C until nutty. Remove and allow to cool. Make stock syrup by boiling sugar and water. Then add the toasted pecans and reduce. Drain and allow to cool, ensure the pecans are separate. Fry in hot oil at 180°C for extra crunch. Leave to cool. Use as a garnish for the soup or just on its own.
To finish the dish:
Heat soup and froth with a hand blender. Fry the goats cheese balls. In a soup plate or a bowl add the veloute and then place the fried goats cheese balls. Sprinkle some cubes of the mint jelly & toasted pecans. Serve hot garnished with some chopped pea shoots.
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