White Asparagus and Pink Grapefruit Maki

By corlear

Ingredients

• For the white asparagus strips:
• 15 white asparagus (2.2 lb)
• For the grapefruit segments:
• 3 pink grapefruits (101/2 oz each)
• For the peppered Iberian bacon:
• 1 14-oz chunk peppered bacon
• For the ginger oil:
• 2 oz fresh ginger
• 4 tbsp sunflower oil
• For the neutral caramel:
• 4 oz fondant
• 1/4 cup Isomalt
• 3 tbsp glucose
• For the asparagus maki:
• the blanched asparagus (see previous step)
• the bacon rashers (see previous step)
• grapefruit segments (see previous step)
• Dijon mustard
• To finish:
• grated pink grapefruit rind
• 20 fresh mint leaves
• Maldon salt

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

For the white asparagus strips:
1. Peel the asparagus and break off the woody lower section.
2. Use a mandolin to cut the asparagus lengthwise into sticks (1/6 x 1/6 x 5").
3. Blanche in salted boiling water for 10 seconds and then plunge into salted iced water.
4. Drain and leave to dry on a tea towel.

For the grapefruit segments:
1. Cut off the upper and lower ends of the grapefruit until you reach the segments.
2. Peel the fruit so that you reach the flesh and there is no trace of the skin or pith, without altering the initial shape of the fruit.
3. Use a really sharp knife to separate the segments from their membranes.
4. Cut off the ends of the segment to get an even grapefruit stick.

For the peppered Iberian bacon:
1. Cut off the rind and the excess pepper and trim the chunk to 3¼" wide.
2. Wrap in clingfilm and freeze.
3. Once frozen, use a machine slicer to cut the bacon lengthwise into slices and then arrange the slices on top of waxed paper.
4. Place the slices parallel to each other and overlapping by ¼" to build up a bacon rasher that is 6" wide and 3¼" long.
5. Repeat the operation until you have built up 8 rashers to make 8 makis.

For the ginger oil:
1. Cut the fresh ginger into small uneven pieces.
2. Cover with sunflower oil and panfry at 160ºF for 3 hours.
3. Leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 12 hours and strain.

For the neutral caramel:
1. Heat the fondant and glucose in a pan. Stir until the ingredients have dissolved and add the Isomalt.
2. Cook over a medium heat until the thermometer reads 325ºF (the other 40ºF will come from the heat of the mixture).
3. Remove from the heat and spread over a piece of greaseproof paper. The mixture should be between ½ and ¾" thick.
4. When it reaches the right temperature, cut it into 2 x 2" slices and put on one side.
5. Prepare a baking tray with 2 Silplat liners and place a caramel slice in between them and place in the oven at 345ºF.
6. Leave in the oven for 5 min until the caramel has dissolved and then use a rolling pin to roll the caramel out very thinly.
7. Put the mixture on a piece of greaseproof paper on the same tray and form it into the desired shape.
8. If the caramel begins to cool, heat it in the oven for a minute and then cut it again.

For the asparagus maki:
1. Lay the 8 bacon rashers on top of the table.
2. Lay the asparagus sticks lengthwise on top (parallel to the part the measures 6") until you have a 1/3" thick layer.
3. Spread a little mustard on top of the asparagus.
4. Place the grapefruit segments side lengthwise top of the asparagus and cover them with more asparagus.
5. Use a piece of waxed paper to roll up the bacon slice.
6. The bacon slice has to be outside the asparagus. It is important that it is firmly pressed together. You will end up with a cylinder that is 1¼" in diameter.

Final Steps & Preparation:
1. Heat a frying pan and brown the maki in a little olive oil over a medium heat. The bacon should be golden brown.
2. Cut it into 1" wide cylinders.
3. Scatter the mint leaves over the plates, making sure the leaves do not touch.
4. Place a maki cylinder on top of each leaf.
5. Scatter a little grapefruit rind and Maldon salt over the maki. Add a few drops of ginger oil and a piece of neutral caramel.