Polenta Cannellone with Its Aniseed Gelatin

By corlear

Ingredients

• For the aniseed water:
• 2 oz fresh fennel
• 2 oz fresh juniper
• 2 oz fresh chervil
• 2 oz fresh tarragon
• 1 cup water
• For the hot aniseed gelatin:
• 1/2 cup aniseed water (see previous step)
• 2 tsp powdered agar-agar
• For the polenta slices:
• 4 oz polenta
• 11/4 cup water
• salt
• For the creamed corn:
• 1 tin corn niblets (83/4 oz)
• For the meat stock:
• 2.2 lb veal knucklebone
• 2.2 lb veal blanquette
• 121/4 oz onion
• 51/4 oz carrot
• 51/4 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
• cornflour
• salt
• For the polenta and aniseed cannellone:
• 4 tbsp mascarpone
• 12 aniseed gelatin cubes (see previous step)
• polenta slices (see previous step)
• To finish:
• 1/8 cup hazelnut oil
• 11/2 tbsp butter, melted
• 12 small fresh dill leaves
• 12 small fresh fennel leaves
• 12 small fresh chervil leaves
• 12 small fresh tarragon leaves

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

For the aniseed water:
1. Remove the leave from the four types of herbs, without mixing the fennel. Keep the fennel stalks.
2. Blanche the juniper, chervil and tarragon in boiling water for 5 seconds and then plunge into iced water.
3. Blanche the fennel stalks for 2 minutes and the leaves for 30 seconds and plunge into iced water. Once drained, mix all the herbs together.
4. Blend all the herbs and the water together in a food processor.
5. Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture through a sieve and get as much liquid as possible.

For the hot aniseed gelatin:
1. Mix a quarter of the aniseed water and the powdered agar-agar together.
2. Stirring continuously, bring to the boil over a medium heat. Remove from the heat and whisk. Add the rest of the herb water, which should be warm.
3. Pour a 1/3" thick layer into a dish and leave to set for 3 hours in the fridge.
4. Cut into 2/3 x ¾" squares.

For the polenta slices:
1. Bring the water to the boil. Once it reaches boiling point, sprinkle the polenta over the water.
2. Stir and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the polenta is cooked and is no longer damp.
3. Season with salt and spread between two sheets of waxed paper and roll out as thinly as possible with a rolling pin.
4. Roll out as many slices as necessary to get 4 rectangles (3 x 5").

For the creamed corn:
1. Drain the tin of corn and liquefy 3 times to get as much purée as possible

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 355ºF.
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 300ºF.
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 thick, tasty stock. Sieve.
10. Thicken with a little cornflour. Cook for 1 minute.
11. Season with salt. Keep warm.

For the polenta and aniseed cannellone:
1. Beat the mascarpone until it is smooth.
2. Cut the polenta slices into 3 x 5" rectangles.
3. Place 3 cubes of fennel gelatin in the center and at the end of the polenta rectangles, making sure that you leave a gap between the cubes.
4. Fill the gaps in the mascarpone cheese.
5. Roll up like a cannellone.

Final Steps & Preparation:
1. Place the polenta cannellone on the right-hand side of a rectangular dish. Brush it with melted butter and heat in the salamandra for 5 seconds.
2. Place a leaf of each type of herb in the cannellone and on top of the spot for the gelatin cube.
3. Drizzle the hot creamed corn to the left of the cannellone, making sure that the sauce does not touch the cannellone.
4. Drizzle a line of the meat stock parallel to and not touching the creamed corn.
5. Dress the dish with the hazelnut oil.