West coast langoustine croustade, plum, nori

For the croustade butter, blend everything except the melted butter together

Stream in the melted butter while whisking to emulsify, then set aside to rest for 2 hours

For the crème pâtissière, first lightly toast the nori sheet with a blow torch or over a gas burner

Blend the nori to a fine powder

Add the milk, cream and lemon zest to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer

In a separate bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar and cornflour

Pour the hot milk mixture over the egg yolks while whisking

Pour the mixture back into a clean saucepan and cook to 90ºC, stirring constantly with a spatula

Remove from the heat and add the butter and nori powder. Whisk to combine

Pour onto a tray to chill. Once cool, transfer to a piping bag

For the plum jelly, bring all the ingredients except for the agar agar to the boil in a round bottomed saucepan

Add the agar agar, then whisk for 30 seconds whilst boiling

Pour onto a flat metal tray keeping it as level and even as possible until it sets. It should be around 1 mm thick

Chill in the fridge, then cut out into rounds with a metal cutter that’s slightly narrower than the opening of the croustade

For the plum gel, season the plum juice with the salt, sugar and vinegar

Use a hand blender to blend the ultratex into the mixture to thicken, adding it a teaspoon at a time

Once it is just a little looser than desired, leave the mix for 5 minutes to allow the ultratex to bloom further

Hand blend again so that it is smooth and shiny, but not so thick that it feels claggy when tasted

Transfer to a piping bag

Combine the langoustine and fresh plum. Season with salt and rice wine vinegar to taste

Heat enough oil to deep fry the croustades in a high-sided, heavy-bottomed pot to 150ºC 

Heat up the croustade iron in the oil, dip the hot iron into the croustade batter twice, then place it back into the oil to cook for 3 minutes

Remove the iron from the oil. Slide off the croustade cup to drain on a paper towel

Pipe the nori crème pâte into the croustade cup until it’s halfway full. Fill the rest with the langoustine mix

Top off with the plum jelly and a dot of the plum gel

Garnish with a slice of fresh plum and serve quickly to avoid the croustade going soft