Honestly, Not as Complicated as it Looks!

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Use the best local ingredients you can find. Local pork belly and  fresh, sweet, juicy langoustines, bacon and apples. All these deliver a complex layering of flavors creating a memorable dining experience.

Seared Langoustine Tails with Caramelized Bacon, Apple, Pork Belly and a Vanilla Purée

Serves 4

Total time:  9 hours

Ingredients

Langoustines

12 langoustines, peeled and cleaned

vegetable oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

4 tbsp of butter

salt

pepper

Apple and Vanilla Puree'

2 1/4 lb of apples

1 vanilla pod

1 cup of  sugar

4 tbsp of butter

1 lemon, juiced

Pork Bacon

4  1/4 inch thick slices of pork belly (or a quality smoked bacon)

vegetable oil

2 tsp maple syrup

1 dash of sherry vinegar

Sauteed Spinach

8 oz of spinach

2 tbsp of butter

1 pinch of salt

1/2 lemon, juiced

Veal Jus

 1 cup (buy pre made)

Langoustine Jus

2 1/4 lb of langoustines  (left in the shells)

1 carrot

1 leek

1 garlic clove

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 star anise

4 oz of brandy

2 tbsp of tomato purée

2 pints of fish stock

(There will be plenty left over to freeze for other dishes requiring a seafood stock or demi glaze)

Herb Oil

1 bunch of fresh parsley

1 bunch of basil

1 bunch of fresh chervil

1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil

salt

(There will be plenty left over to freeze for other dishes requiring a herbaceous, chimichurri type mixture) 

To Plate

4 slices of Parma ham

4 pancetta slices

1 handful of baby cress

2 Brazil nuts

Apple and Vanilla Purée

Peel the apples, cut them in half and remove the core. Roughly cut them up into 1/2 in pieces and place in a heavy bottomed saucepan with the sugar and butter and sauté until soft, then add the vanilla pod and lemon juice.

Remove the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds and place them back in with the apples. Transfer to a food processor and blend until silky smooth.

Pork Belly/Bacon 

Saute' the pork belly/ bacon in a medium-hot heavy bottomed pan with a little vegetable oil until golden brown on both sides; add the maple syrup and veal jus followed by the sherry vinegar. Mix well.

Make sure the pork belly is well covered in the juice, then set to one side.

Sautéed Spinach

Wilt the spinach in a pan (preferably oven proof) with the butter, salt and lemon juice. Remove the spinach from the pan leaving the cooking liquid in the pan. Set the spinach aside until needed.

Langoustines (12 peeled and deveined)

In the same pan the spinach was sauteed in, add a few drops of vegetable oil. Place the langoustines into the pan and sauté for around 1 minute on each side until light golden brown.

Then season with salt and pepper, add the lemon juice and butter, and remove from the heat. Remove the langoustines and set aside 

Langoustine Jus

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Place the whole, in the shell, langoustines in the same pan in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. This will help develop the flavor of the jus. If you aren't using an oven proof pan, transfer the langoustines to a lipped cookie sheet or roasting pan and roast.

Using the same heavy bottomed pan you cooked the spinach and cleaned lagoustines in, add the peeled and chopped, vegetables and garlic. Add the shell on langoustines back in, thyme and star anise and fry them until the vegetables take on a bit of color.

Add the brandy followed by the purée and mix together well. Pour all of this into a stock pan and add the fish stock and the veal jus.

Bring slowly up to the boil and skim with a ladle to remove any impurities that are on top. Turn the heat down and leave to simmer for 2 hours.

Pour off the liquid and pass this through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan. Place the pan onto the heat and gently reduce the stock until it resembles the consistency of gravy.

You certainly can pick the meat left from the langoustine shells although it may be a but tough after simmering for 2 hours creating the jus.

If not using right away, pour into a sealed container and either freeze or store in the fridge. It will keep for 3 to 4 days

Herb Oil 

Blanch the herbs in a saucepan of boiling water for 10-15 seconds then remove and immediately immerse in ice-cold water. Remove and wring dry in a cloth.

Place the herbs into a blender with the vegetable oil and salt and puree for 5 minutes. Remove from the blender and pour into a cloth and allow the oil to drip through. Once all the oil has dripped through place into a container in the fridge until required. This will keep for a couple of days as well.

To Plate

Use a spoon and make a drag of the apple and vanilla purée on each serving plate and place a slice of the pork belly in the center of that. On top of the pork bacon place a little of the sautéed spinach followed by the langoustines, three on each. Lay across the langoustine a slice of Parma ham and top that with some baby cress or other colorful micro greens.

Using a truffle slicer, shave the Brazil nuts all over, drizzle a little herb oil and a few drops of the langoustine jus around the plate and serve immediately.

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