This wintery dish from Gabriel Waterhouse pairs a rich Lincolnshire Poacher fondue with charred and roasted leeks and hispi cabbage. The charred vegetables become deliciously crispy and sweet, and are balanced with a fresh parsley sauce and tart apple juice reduction.
For the fondue, measure the cheese, cream, cider and cornflour into a pan. Set over a low heat and carefully bring the ingredients together to a simmer using a whisk
Once all the ingredients are combined, season with salt and pass through a fine sieve
Store in a container and cover the surface with clingfilm to prevent a skin from forming. Keep in the fridge until needed
To make the apple cider reduction, heat the apple juice in a wide saucepan over a high heat until reduced to roughly 100ml
For the apple cider vinegar gel, mix the water, apple cider vinegar, sugar and agar agar in a pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for two minutes then pour into a container to cool and leave in the fridge to set for 1 hour
Once set, transfer to a blender and blend to a smooth puree. Set aside
For the chive oil, place the chives and oil into a jug blender with a lid fitted loosely to allow any steam to escape
Blend the chives and oil on high speed for several minutes. The herb oil might warm up slightly and produce some steam and the chives should begin to split from the oil
Set a piece of muslin cloth or a fine tea towel over a sieve and pass the mixture, collecting the oil in a receptacle below. Discard the pulp and store the oil in the fridge until needed
For the parsley puree, begin by placing a tray in the freezer which will be used to cool down the puree. Cooling the puree quickly is the key to retaining its vibrant colour
Blanch the parsley leaves in heavily salted boiling water for 40 seconds until tender
Transfer to a jug blender and blend on full speed for 2 minutes until smooth. If the puree is struggling to blend or is too dry, you can add a small amount of the hot blanching water to achieve the correct consistency
Pour the puree onto your frozen tray and spread around the tray to form a thin layer allowing it to cool quickly. Transfer back to the freezer if needed until cold
Store in a container in the fridge until needed
Next, make the charred hispi cabbage and baby leeks. First, remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and cut into quarters, keeping the stem intact so that the leaves stay together
Cut each quarter in half again to get 8 wedges. Season with salt
Steam the wedges for 20 minutes until tender. Leave to cool at room temperature
Brush the cabbage with oil and season with fine sea salt. Use a blowtorch to char the outer leaves. Alternatively char these over a barbecue or on a grill
Once charred, set aside to cool
Slice the cooled cabbage into 1cm slices and dress in the apple juice reduction. Leave to macerate
Blanch the leeks for two minutes in heavily salted boiling water, then drain well
Toss the leeks with a dash of olive oil and season with fine sea salt
Lightly char the leeks using a blowtorch until blackened and crisp, then cut them into 1 inch sections
To serve, first preheat the oven to 165°C/gas mark 3
Gently warm the cabbage and leek pieces on a tray in the oven for 10 minutes
Take your plates and place a full spoonful of the parsley puree into the bottom of each one
Remove the cabbage and leeks from the oven and place them onto the puree. Dress the cabbage and leeks with a little more apple reduction. Place a few drops of the apple cider vinegar gel around and onto the vegetables and finish with the chive oil and nasturtium leaves
Warm the fondue sauce in a pan and season with salt and a glug of cider right at the end. Serve this on the side in jugs ready to pour over at the table
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