Roasted sweetbread quenelles, bacon, lemon zests and toasted almonds – by Martin Blunos
INGREDIENTS
(serves one)
100ml sweetbread jus
100ml double cream
Salt and white pepper
1 roasted sweetbread
Lemon powder (see below)
4 fine rashers streaky bacon
4 poached chicken quenelles (see below)
1tbs sautéd trompettes de mort
20g cooked haricots verts
1 large slice fondant potato (see below)
Candied lemon zests (see below)
Toasted almonds
METHOD
Boil the jus, add the cream, return to the boil and reduce to a light coating texture. Adjust the seasoning. Slice through the sweetbread and dust with a little lemon powder. Grill or roast the bacon until crisp. Arrange them on chicken quenelles around the plate.
Add the beans and wild mushrooms. Put the fondant potato in the middle of the plate and lay the sweetbread on top. Pour a cordon of sauce around it and garnish with lemon and almonds.
For the lemon powder
Scrub lemons in mild detergent to remove any traces of chemicals. Dry, pare away the zests without any pith. Dry on top of the range or in the plate warmer until hard and brittle. Blend to a powder in a coffee mill. Sprinkle on cooked food for the best results. It loses its aroma when cooked.
For the chicken quenelles
Blend 1kg of seasoned raw chicken breast to a paste. Chill and blend again with 70g egg white. Chill and blend again with a litre of double cream. Martin Blunos folds in a brunoise dice of cooked bacon collar - about 150g per kg. Each quenelle weighs 15g.
For the fondant potato "socle"
For each one cut a slice roughly 2cm thick down the length of a large kidney-shaped potato. Brush with clarified butter. Put on a baking sheet and roast until the outside is crisp. Season.
For the candied lemon zest
Boil zests in a solution of sugar and water until they start to glaze - but they should neither caramelise nor become too sticky.
Martin Blunos