DECONSTRUCTED PLATTER
Difficulty
3/5
Prep time
1 hour 15 min
Total time
2 hours 15 min
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
1. First, place oil in the refrigerator to cool overnight, or, to save time, place it in the freezer for 1 hour.
2. Open up urchins on the flat side by cutting into the shell with scissors. Remove, rinse and reserve the orange parts (also called urchin's tongues). Also reserve juices. Remove the urchins’ spikes and reserve as well.
Cream Of Roasted Cauliflower
3. Preheat oven to 425 °f (220 °C). Cut cauliflower into florets and chop onion and garlic.
4. In a bowl, combine oil, cumin, paprika, sea salt and espelette pepper. Mix in cauliflower florets and transfer to a baking sheet. Cook for 25-30 minutes, tossing often. While you wait, soften the onion in butter, in a large pot, until translucent. Mix in garlic and season.
5. Mix in roasted cauliflower, thyme and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then pour in cream and urchin juices. Turn off the heat and use a hand blender to blend until homogenous and smooth.
Squid Ink Pearls
6. Bring squid ink to a boil with agar-agar, then remove from heat immediately.
7. Remove oil from the freezer or refrigerator. Using a pipette held at a 90° angle, slowly drip droplets of the agar-agar preparation in the cold oil. Pour onto a sieve and above the sink to get rid of the oil and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
Aniseed Foam
8. Pour aniseed liqueur into a rectangular, flat-bottomed bowl. Sprinkle in soy lecithin. Using a hand blender, blend for 3 to 4 minutes, then let sit for 5 minutes.
9. To serve, collect foam using a spoon. If needed and to obtain more foam, repeat step 8.
Assembly
10. Cut apple into small dice. To serve, fill sea urchin shells with hot cream of cauliflower. Top with urchin tongues, apple dice and aniseed foam. Decorate each plate as pictured with shoots, mâche and squid ink pearls. Finish with a dash of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.
