Veal tartar, egg yolk confit, potato fondant & tapenade

serves 6

Preparation time: 1 h

Cooking time: 5 h

Rest : 1 h

Veal tartar with knife

• 300 g Label Rouge veal from Aveyron and Ségala regions
• Lucca olive oil
• 30 g pine nuts
• 2 small shallots
• 30 g cantal PDO
• Fresh basil
• Fleur de sel de Camargue
• Freshly ground pepper

Confit of free-range egg yolk

• 6 free-range eggs
• Olive or grape seed oil

Potato fondant

• 500 g Agatha potatoes
• 115 g melted butter
• 65 g potato starch
• Salt

Tapenade

• 60 g Lucques black olives
• 4 marinated anchovy fillets
• ½ clove garlic
• Lucca olive oil
• 2 limes

Onion cream

• 6 Cévennes sweet onions 40 g soft butter
• 40 g mascarpone cheese Salt

Seasonal Verdurette

• 12 local green asparagus spears
• 120 g fresh shelled peas
• Baby greens from the market
• Lucca olive oil
• Fleur de sel de Camargue
• Freshly ground pepper

1 - The day before, make the potato fondant: peel the potatoes, then cut them into thin strips using a mandolin. At the same time, melt the butter, add the potato starch and whisk to combine. Pour this mixture over the sliced potatoes and season with salt. Line an ovenproof dish (approx. 10 x 20 cm), then arrange the slices on top of each other in a tangled pattern. Cover with greaseproof paper, and place a weight on top. Place in a 140°C (th. 4-5) oven for 3 h 30. Leave to cool at room temperature for around 1 h. Chill overnight, placing a weight on top to compact the potatoes. The next day, remove from the molds and trim. Just before serving, brown them in a frying pan with a little fat.

2 - Prepare the veal tartar with a knife: cut the veal into 3 mm cubes with a knife. Roast the pine nuts in the oven at 160°C (th. 5-6) for 8 min. Finely chop the shallots, then the basil. Chop the cantal cheese with a vegetable peeler. In a salad bowl, combine the ingredients in the following order: diced veal, fleur de sel and pepper, olive oil, shallots, pine nuts, basil and cantal.

3 - Confit farmhouse egg yolks: arrange the yolks in individual containers, keeping the whites for later use. Cover the yolks with olive or grapeseed oil to immerse them completely. Place in a 165°C (th. 5-6) oven for 1 h 10. Remove to paper towels for a few moments, then to lightly oiled parchment paper.

4 - Lucca black olive tapenade: blend all ingredients except limes. Adjust the seasoning, then zest the limes into the mixture.

5 - Cévennes sweet onion cremeux: chop the onions and sweat them with the soft butter in a large saucepan over low heat until the juice has evaporated, then salt the surface. Blend with the mascarpone. Set aside in a cool place.

6 - Seasonal Verdurette: cook the various greens in English style, draining them carefully in iced water. Drain on paper towels. Lightly grill the asparagus in a frying pan, then season the peas with a drizzle of olive oil and a few zests of lime. Pick out a few basil, coriander or other young shoots to garnish.