LIVE FEEDS
The building – tucked away behind the busy streets of High Street Kensington - is steeped in history and dates back to 1839.Tristan Welch’s Modern British restaurant not only takes British classics and revamps them with a modern elegance but has also been awarded the award by Tatler Restaurant Guide and given the Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator Magazine – for the second year in a row.
Tristan shares one of his great British summer recipes with us, a gourmet twist that elevates a classic sandwich to an elegant summer lunch.
Asparagus, Egg and Cress Sandwich
Ingredients
· 4 x 5 asparagus spears trimmed and vacuumed packed with salted butter in 4 individual packs
· 60g cured smoked ham
· 8 thin croutons cut to large rectangles
· 12 free range organic eggs to make 4 rectangles of egg yolk confit (recipe below)
Asparagus Puree
· 260g green asparagus
· 50g butter
· Water
· Salt
Watercress Jelly
· 180g fresh watercress
· 200ml water
· Salt to taste
· 2 leaves gelatine soaked in cold water
Mayonnaise (substitute for ready-made if time is short)
· 1 large egg
· 2g English mustard powder
· 6g sherry vinegar
· 3g salt
· 1 dessert spoon warm water
· 200ml vegetable oil
Method
1. Take the vacuumed packed asparagus and cook in boiling water for 3 1/2 minutes.
2. In the meantime warm the asparagus puree and make the egg and cress sandwich by taking one crouton and placing the egg yolk confit on top along with seasoning, then take one more crouton and sandwich it on top of the yolk. Now arrange little cubes of the watercress jelly along with dots of the mayonnaise on the top crouton.
3. Take four warmed plates and spread a little of the puree in the middle of each plate. Place the asparagus on top and the sandwich on top of that. Now scatter a few pieces of the ham and baby watercress on and around the plate and serve.
Asparagus Puree
1. Finely slice the asparagus as thinly as possible
2. Take a large frying pan, place it on a high heat and add the butter. When butter is foaming add the sliced asparagus. Season with salt and keep the asparagus moving. Do not allow the asparagus to colour. If you think the asparagus is starting to fry and brown too much, add a dessert spoon of water to the pan to reduce the heat and create a little steam so that the asparagus cooks evenly. Do not turn down the heat.
3. When the asparagus is tender and well cooked, pour the contents of the pan into a blender and blend until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve and keep to one side until required.
Mayonaise
1. Place the whole egg in rapidly boiling water for 5 minutes then let the cooked egg chill in ice water.
2. When the egg has chilled thoroughly, crack it and discard the shell. Place in a small bowl with all the other ingredients except the oil and blend with hand blender; make sure the ingredients are very well blended. Now, while blending, slowly add the oil by drizzling it down one side of the bowl making sure each drip is well blended in. When all the oil has been added, check for seasoning, adjust accordingly then place in squeeze bottle and keep refrigerated.
Watercress Jelly
1. Roughly chop the watercress, add it to a blender with the water and a pinch of salt. Blend well until you are left with a green liquid.
2. Let the green liquid gently drip through a very fine sieve. Take 175ml of the watercress water, check the seasoning and adjust accordingly.
3. Now take 40ml of the liquid, warm it gently and dissolve the gelatine.
4. Now be quick – add the rest of the watercress water then pass through a fine sieve in to small bowl. Then place in the fridge to set.
Egg Yolk Confit
1. Take the eggs and place them in a water bath set to 66°C. allow them to cook for 1 hour 10 minutes.
2. Now place them in ice water and keep the ice water in the fridge so that the eggs chill down properly.
3. After the eggs have chilled down totally, remove them from the water, crack them individually. Remove the yolks and any egg white around them.
4. When all the yolks have been cleaned, place them in a vacuum bag and seal it removing all the air out the bag.
5. Roll the yolks 4 mm thick, place in the fridge to chill. When well chilled, cut in to 2×6 cm rectangles and keep chilled until needed.
