Jerusalem artichokes with pickled pears and yeast

Scrub the artichokes to remove any dirt, but leave the skins on. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan large enough to accommodate the artichokes in a single layer. Add the bay leaves, garlic and thyme, then add the artichokes. Cook them slowly, being careful not to burn the butter. Keep moving the pan and basting the artichokes until nice and soft in the centre and caramelised on the exterior – this will take about 30–40 minutes

Meanwhile, make the yeast purée. Melt the butter in a pan until just starting to toast and turn brown. Add the sliced garlic and bay leaf and cook for 1 minute. Add the fresh yeast and stir continuously until it starts to toast, which will take about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and transfer the contents of the pan to a blender. Blitz, slowly adding the cream as you do so to create a smooth purée (you may not need all the cream). Season and keep warm

For the pears, combine the water, sugar and vinegar in a pan and bring to the boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Peel and quarter the pears, then remove the core and slice each quarter lengthwise into roughly 3 wedges. Once the pickling liquor has cooled to room temperature, pour it over the pear slices and cover with cling film. Leave to pickle for 15 minutes

When the Jerusalem artichokes have finished cooking and are tender, you are ready to serve. Dress the chicory leaves in a little olive oil and lemon juice. Spoon the warm purée into the centre of each plate, then drain and slice the artichokes in half lengthways, serving two halves per plate. Season the artichokes with salt, then top with slices of drained pickled pear and finish with the dressed chicory leaves and a final drizzle of olive oil