Serves 4
Ingredients
Sweetbreads
1kg veal sweetbread
1ltr white chicken stock
1 stick celery
2 shallots
1 stick cinnamon
1 star anis
1 sprig rosemary, thyme & bay leaf
1 carrot
1 leek, white part only
1 bulb garlic
50g butter
Pomace oil
1 garlic clove
1 sprig rosemary
Salt and pepper
Fermented black garlic
200g fermented black garlic
500ml white chicken stock
5g agar-agar
Salt and pepper
Baby Gem Lettuce
2 baby gem lettuce
25ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
2 breakfast radishes, sliced fine and placed in iced water until crisp
1 granny smith apple, sliced fine
1 lemon, juiced
Herbs & cresses: nasturtium leaves, pea shoots, viola flower, wild pansy, red veined sorrel, pak choi flower, borage flower, bronze fennel herb, French tarragon leaves, marjoram
Parsley Juice
200g curly parsley
10ml extra virgin olive oil
100ml water
10g ultratex
Method
Sweetbreads
De-gorge the veal sweetbreads under cold running water, until clear. Cover with white chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring slowly to the boil, skim, add vegetables and herbs and aromas. Poach the veal sweetbreads at a gentle simmer until firm in texture (approx. 6-8 minutes). Leave to cool in aromatic stock.Once cool, peel outer membrane and any excess fats and dry on a clean towel, and divide into four even-sized pieces.To roast, heat a heavy based sauté pan, add pomace oil and colour evenly on all sides. To finish, add fresh butter, crushed clove of garlic, salt, pepper and sprig of rosemary and bast till golden brown.
Fermented black garlic
Peel the fermented black garlic cloves and simmer in a saucepan with white chicken stock until tender. Add the agar-agar and bring to 80C. Leave to chill in the fridge.When cold, blend the mixture in a thermomix until smooth. Adjust the seasoning and consistency with a drop or two of boiling hot water.Place in a small squeeze bottle.
Baby gem lettuce
Prepare the baby gem lettuces by removing the outer leaves and splitting the heart into two, lengthways.Remove any excess core and place in sous-vide bag with olive oil, salt and pepper. Compress the baby gem on full.Remove from the bag and grill the cut face of the lettuce with a blowtorch until blackened. Season with salt and pepper, olive oil and lemon juice.Build the herbs and cresses on top of baby gem lettuce. Use the radishes and apple for height and appearance. Finish with flowers and drizzle with olive oil and a few grains of salt.
Parsley juice
Juice the curly parsley with water in a juicer and extract the green parsley juice.When cold, thicken with ultratex and let down with olive oil.
To Serve
Using a squeeze bottle, pipe a line of fermented garlic purée onto a serving plate. Carefully place the baby gem salad onto the plate.Drain the sweetbread on a clean dry cloth to remove any excess butter and place next to salad.Using as small spoon, drop some parsley oil onto the plate and serve.