Ravioli of oyster with ceviche scallops, etuvee of leeks and smoked bacon foam – By Eyck Zimmer
Ingredients (Serves four)
For the ceviche 3 scallops
1/2 lemon (zest, finely grated, and juice)
80ml extra virgin olive oil
100g carrot, very finely diced
1tbs chives, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
For the oyster ravioli (enough for 10 ravioli) 180g 00 pasta flour
2 egg yolks
40g super-fine semolina
2g salt
20ml olive oil
1 scallop, puréed
40ml double cream
4 oysters (reserve juice for bacon foam)
Water, as required
For the étuvée of leeks 200g leeks, white or pale-green part only
40g smoked bacon
20g butter
Salt and pepper
For the smoked bacon foam 10g butter
100g smoked bacon, chopped
30g white onion, finely chopped
100ml white wine (optional)
100ml cream
1 gelatine leaf
100ml water
Salt and pepper
Juice from the oysters to finish the sauce
Method To make the ceviche, slice the scallops very thinly and lay them out flat in a tray. Mix the juice and grated zest of lemon with olive oil, finely diced carrots and chopped chives and season with salt and pepper. Pour this over the sliced scallops and marinate for about two minutes.
To prepare the oyster ravioli, make a paste with the flour, egg yolks, semolina, salt, olive oil and water and wrap in clingfilm. Rest for one hour. Push the scallop through a very fine sieve and blend with cream and seasoning to make a light mousseline. Open the oysters and clean them, reserving the juice to finish off the smoked bacon sauce. Roll out the ravioli paste as thinly as possible. Cut out four 6cm discs, place a little of the scallop mousseline in the centre and place the oyster on top. Pipe a little more of the scallop mousse on top of the oyster and brush the corners with a bit of water. Cover the top with four more discs (about 7cm) and make ravioli in the traditional manner. The paste should be almost transparent. Cook for 1-2 minutes in rapidly boiling salted water.
To make the étuvée of leeks, using the white only, cut the leeks into flat 1cm squares. Finely dice the bacon into cubes. In a hot pan with a little butter, sweat down the bacon and leeks rapidly without colour (if necessary, add a little water so it doesn't fry) until they are just tender.
For the smoked bacon foam, put a little butter in a pan and sweat off the smoked bacon and onions. Deglaze with white wine (optional) and reduce completely. Add the cream and water and simmer gently for 10 minutes so that the cream is infused with the smoked bacon flavour. Dissolve the soaked gelatine leaf in the bacon cream (this will stabilise the light foamy consistency when foaming). Whisk in the butter and oyster juice then foam with a Bamix. Place a little of the leek and bacon étuvée in the centre of a bowl, sit the ravioli on top and garnish with the ceviche of scallops. Spoon the foamed bacon around the plate.
By Eyck Zimmer, executive head chef, the Lowery hotel, Manchester
