- 4
Ingredients
- For the fennel juice:
- 4 oz fresh fennel
- 1/2 cup water
- For the fennel gelatin:
- 1/2 cup fennel juice(see previous step)
- 3/4 sheet gelatin (previously rehydrated in cold water)
- For the pineapple slices:
- 1 pineapple (approx 2.2 lb)
- For the pineapple and fennel ravioli:
- 8 2 1/4 x 2 1/4" pineapple slices, 1/10" thick (see previous step)
- 8 fennel gelatin squares (see previous step)
- For the meat stock:
- 2.2 lb veal knucklebone
- 2.2 lb veal blanquette
- 12 1/4 oz onion
- 5 1/4 oz carrot
- 5 1/4 oz leeks
- 2 oz ripe tomato
- 4 1/2 cups red wine
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp 0.4º olive oil
- 10 cups water
- For the orange sauce:
- 1/2 tbsp muscovado sugar
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/8 cup reduced meat stock (see previous step)
- grated rind of half an orange
- cornflour
- For the crunchy eel skin:
- eel skin
- 1 cup 0.4º olive oil
- plain flour
- For the eel fillets:
- 7 oz smoked eel
- For finishing:
- star anise, powdered grated rind of one orange
- 1 oz muscovado sugar
Preparation
Step 1
For the fennel juice:
1. Remove the leaves from the stems. Cut the stems into small pieces.
2. Blanche the stems for 2 minutes and the leaves for 30 seconds. Freshen and drain
3. Blend all the fennel and the water together in a food processor. Strain and sieve.
Note: It is important not to add salt to the fennel juice, as it would loose a lot of its flavor.
For the fennel gelatin:
1. Heat a ¼ of the fennel juice and dissolve the gelatin in it. Remove from the heat and mix with the rest of the fennel juice.
2. Pour a ½" layer thick layer in a dish and leave to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
3. Once it has set, cut it into ¾ x ¾ " squares.
For the pineapple slices:
1. Peel the pineapple and cut it into 2¼ x 2¼" squares.
2. Use a meat slicer to cut 2¼ x 2¼" slices which should be 1/10" thick and not reach the heart.
3. Spread the pineapple slices over a tray and cover them with kitchen paper to absorb any excess juices from the pineapple.
For the pineapple and fennel ravioli:
1. Remove the kitchen paper and place a square of gelatin on the center of each pineapple slice.
2. Fold the ends of the pineapple slices over the gelatin and repeat the operation with the remaining two ends.
For the meat stock:
1. Add the sugar to the red wine and reduce it by half. Keep to deglaze the frying pan used to seal the blanquette.
2. Brown the veal bones in the oven at 355 ºF.
3. Cut up the veal blanquette into pieces, 4" long and 2/3" wide. Seal in a little oil over a high heat. The meat should be golden on the outside, but raw inside. Deglaze with the wine.
4. Cut the vegetables into small pieces. Brown on the oven in a little oil at 300 ºF.
5. Once they begin to brown all over, add the tomato quarters. Continue cooking until the juices have come out of the tomato and the vegetables are golden brown.
6. Put all the ingredients in a pressure cooker. Cover with cold water and cook over a medium heat. Whisk constantly.
7. Once the liquid has started to boil, lower the heat so that it simmers for 6 hours.
8. Strain and leave to cool so the fat solidifies. Scrape it off.
9. Reduce until you have a tasty, thick stock. Strain.
For the orange sauce:
1. caramelize the muscovado sugar in a little water.
2. deglaze with the orange juice and reduce by half.
3. Add the meat stock and bring to the boil.
4. Slightly thicken with the cornflour and cook for approx. 5 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and add the orange rind.
6. Keep warm.
For the eel fillets:
1. Separate the two fillets from the backbone and use twisers to remove the largest bones. Remove the skin from the eel.
2. Cut the fillets into 20-g portions, each measuring around 1¼ x 1".
3. Cut 8 eel slices, measuring ½ or ¾", from the thinnest part of the fish back.
For the crunchy eel skin:
1. Choose the thickest and most wrinkled part of the skin.
2. Chop very finely into a julienne.
3. Dip the skin in flour and fry in oil at 330 ºF, making sure that it does not burn. Drain on kitchen paper.
Finishing Touches & Presentation:
1. Sprinkle a little muscovado sugar on the portions of eel and caramelize them in a frying pan over a low heat. Turn over and remove from the heat.
2. Place 2 pineapple raviolis at the end of the plate and put a very hot piece of eel opposite each ravioli.
3. Drizzle the orange sauce over each piece of eel.
4. Sprinkle the orange rind and the star anise over the pineapple ravioli.
5. Place the slices of smoked eel on the eel and top with the crunchy skin.