Serves 8
Ingredients
For the squid
8 fresh baby squid
For the razor clams
8 fresh razor clams
100ml fish stock
For the cockles
32 fresh cockles, in their shells
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 stick celery, washed and roughly chopped
1 stalk chervil
1 stalk dill
1 stalk tarragon
100ml white wine
50ml fish stock
1 tbsp olive oil
200ml fish stock
250ml unsalted butter, diced and cold
1 lemon juice
Pinch salt
1 stalk chervil, finely chopped
1 stalk dill, finely chopped
Cassoulet of soya beans and Shimejis
1kg packet of soya beans
2 packets shimeji blanc
100ml chicken stock
40g unsalted butter
Poached quails egg
8 x free to fly quails eggs
16ml truffle oil
Squid ink gnocchi
200g cooked, passed potato. Red potatoes are preferable
1 egg yolk
50g ‘00’ pasta flour
10 grated parmesan
8g squid ink
Pinch of sea salt to taste
Pinch smoked paprika
Crispy squid tentacles
8 reserved squid tentacles
20g plain flour
5g salt
Clam veloute
½ shallot, sliced
50g clam cut-offs
250ml clam stock
100ml whipping cream
10ml lemon juice
Salt
5g soya lecithin
10m olive oil
Squid tapioca
25g tapioca
10g squid ink
1l water (unsalted)
500ml olive oil for deep frying
10g bonito powder
Method
For the squid
Pull body away from tentacles. Discard waste and ink sack. Rinse in ice water.Refrigerate tentacles. They will be deep fried when serving. Cut squid body along one side so it folds out flat. Peel off any sinew and slice in thin strips. Refrigerate until serving.
For razor clams
Rinse razor clams in running cold water. This will flush out any grit and ensure a healthy, clean clam.Wrap clams in a j-cloth and place into a medium size Vac Pac bag. Add 100ml fish stock to the bag and Vac.Water bath at 62°c for 4.5 minutes. Refresh in ice water and when cold remove meat from shell.Clean each clam by removing the head and the hinge, leaving a long tube of white meat.Slice this into 2mm rounds and keep refrigerated until serving.
For the cockles
Rinse cockles in running cold water. This will flush out any grit and ensure a healthy, clean cockle.Allow a large heavy based pan to become very hot on the stove. Add the olive oil and then the cockles. Quickly add the vegetables and then stock and wine. Cover and steam for 45 seconds. Drain into a colander, allow to cool. Pick the meat from the shells and then remove the beak and skirt. Keep refrigerate until serving.Reserve the beak, skirt and 250ml of the left over cooking liquor for the clam veloute.
Cassoulet of soya beans and Shimejis
Pod soya beans and remove excess skin. Using a small sharp knife, cut shimeji caps off their bunch, leaving 1cm of stalk. Keep both refrigerated in separate containers until serving.
Poached quails egg
Using 8 empty coffee cups, lay a square of cling film over the top of each so there is a small well inside the cup. Place 2ml truffle oil and the cracked egg inside the well. Carefully pull all four corners together and twist to form a small tight ball with the egg inside. Tie in a knot with a separate length of cling film. Keep refrigerated until serving.
Squid ink gnocci
Place all dry ingredients in a dry bowl. Mix the egg yolk and the squid ink together. Pour into the centre of the dry ingredients and slowly mix. Roll the dough into cigar like rolls approximately ½ inch thick, then cut 1 inch pieces.Blanch in lightly salted, simmering water for 4 minutes. Drain on kitchen towel and keep refrigerated until serving.
Crispy squid tentacles
Combine flour and salt in a bowl.When ready to serve, dust squid eggs in flour and fry at 180°c for 30 seconds or until crisp.Drain on a paper towel.
Clam veloute
Sweat shallot in olive oil for a few minutes without colour. Add clam stock, simmer for 4 minutes. Add cream, simmer for 1 minute. Pass though strainer into a liquidizer. Blend with lecithin for 1 minute. Check seasoning. Keep refrigerated.
Squid tapioca
Bring water to the boil, add tapioca and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and mix the squid ink through. Spread evenly on a silpat sheet and allow to dry for 24 hours in a warm place. On top of a low oven is perfect.
Heat oil to 210°c, break off a small piece of the dry tapioca and fry. Have a cloth ready to drain on as it cooks very quickly. Dust with bonito powder to season. Keep in an airtight container until serving.
To serve
In a medium pan bring stock to the boil. Add the soya bean, shimeji mushrooms and the gnocchi. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the butter and reduce until it emulsifies. Check seasoning then drain into a paper towel. Divide mixture into each bowl.
For the shellfish cassoulet
Bring the stock, lemon juice and salt to the boil in a small pan. Remove from the heat and incorporate the butter bit by bit using a hand blender. This will produce a thick emulsion.In a medium pan place reserved razor clams, cockles and squid. Pour over emulsion, sprinkle with herbs and bring to medium heat. Stir gently. Check seasoning then splace spoonful into each bowl.
For the other components
Cook the quail eggs in boiling water for 1 minute 20 seconds. Gently remove the cling film making sure not to burst the yolk. Add one egg to the top of each cassoulet.Dust the squid legs in flour and fry at 180°c for 30 seconds or until crisp. Drain on paper towel then place one on each dish.Heat veloute in a small pan to 62°c. Blitz with a hand blender. Take a spoonful of bubbles from the top and place over the cassoulet.Garnish with a piece of squid tapioca and serve immediately.
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Click here to visitMichael Wignall at The Latymer