Hass avocado, garden vegetables, Marcona almonds

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This avocado dish from Ben Boeynaems uses a light brine to ensure that the avocado is seasoned all the way through. The avocado is then served with an array of different summer vegetables, including ribboned courgettes and compressed baby gem lettuces, as well as nasturtium flowers and dandelion leaves.

First published in 2022

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Leek ash

Salted avocado

Almond milk

Almond purée

Barigoule Celeriac Ribbons

Lemon Vinaigrette

Blanched Vegetables

Quinoa Mix

Compressed baby gem and mustard vinaigrette

Toasted marcona almonds

Dressed leaves and vegetables

Equipment

  • Vitamix
  • Thermomix
  • Super bag
  • Mandoline
  • Vacuum bag and machine

Method

1

Preheat the oven to 250°C/gas mark 9

2

Place the leeks on a foil-lined tray and cook until blackened, about 90 minutes

3

Blend the leek ash to a fine powder, and place in a muslin bag

4

Dissolve the salt for the avocados in the water, and submerge the avocados for at least 1 hour

5

To make the almond milk, add the flaked almonds and water to a high-powered blender and blend for 2 minutes. Pass through a superbag or muslin cloth

6

Thermomix 750g of the almond milk with the salt and gellan gum F on speed 4 until it reaches 85°C

7

Add the gellan gum F, and turn off the heat. Turn to speed 8, and blend for 2 minutes

8

Chill the purée and transfer to a container to set for 30 minutes

9

Once set, blend the almond purée till smooth

10

For the celeriac ribbons, add all the ingredients except for the celeriac to a large pan and bring to the boil

11

Add the celeriac and cook for one minute, then chill

12

For the lemon vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together

13

For the blanched vegetables, bring a pot of water at 6% salinity to the boil. Blanch the fennel for 3 minutes, and the other vegetables for 1 minute

14

Refresh the vegetables in ice water at 3% salinity. Drain in a tray lined with a towel

15

Dress the blanched vegetables in lemon vinaigrette to taste

16

For the quinoa mix, add the water and salt to a pan. Boil 80g of the quinoa for 20 minutes, and then strain

17

Place the bulgur wheat in a bowl and cover in boiling water. Cover the bowl and leave to cook for 20-30 minutes

  • 20g of bulgur wheat
18

For the puffed quinoa, fry the remaining quinoa in a pan with plenty of oil until it puffs up. Strain, and then drain on kitchen towel and season with salt

19

Mix together 60g of the cooked quinoa, all the bulgur wheat, the puffed quinoa, mung bean sprouts, chopped chives and 2 tbsp lemon vinaigrette

20

For the compressed baby gem and vinaigrette, whisk together all the ingredients apart from the baby gem

21

Compress the baby gem hearts with all of the mustard vinaigrette

22

Toast the Marcona almonds in a pan with butter, and then season with salt. Cut the almonds in half

23

Dress the vegetables and leaves separately in lemon vinaigrette, drying off the radishes before dressing them

24

To serve, put the almond purée at the bottom of the plate. Cut the avocado in half, and add to the plate, and then spoon some quinoa mix into the middle. Add the baby gem, and pile up the dressed vegetables on top of it. Finish the plate with the dressed leaves, toasted almonds, and a dusting of the leek ash

First published in 2022

Ben Boeynaems began his career working for the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Eric Chavot in some of London’s most renowned kitchens. His refined yet approachable style of classical cookery has since led him to head and executive chef positions at The Goring and The Beaumont Hotel.

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