Asparagus confit with buckwheat

Kevin Gourret, chef at Breton restaurant Sao, accompanies his asparagus confit with a smoked Espelette pepper mayonnaise and lobster carcass jus.

This recipe by Kevin Gourret, chef at Sao restaurant in Quimper, is taken from the 2024 edition ofLivre 109: Le sang neuf de la gastronomie française. Discover the ingredients and preparation steps to make it a breeze.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 40 min
Cooking time: 3 h 30

Ingredients for buckwheat asparagus confit

4 white asparagus spears
300 g buckwheat
salt and pepper

For the cream in a siphon

Asparagus trimmings
25 cl cream
10 g butter

For the mayonnaise

2 egg yolks
1 tbsp. mustard
20 cl grape seed oil
Smoked Espelette pepper powder

For the puffed buckwheat

150 g buckwheat
5 cl grapeseed oil
10 g fleur de sel

For the carcass reduction

300 g lobster carcasses (or langoustines)
1 onion
1 carrot
½ leek
Thyme
Garlic
Lemongrass
Sesame oil (ideally from Huilerie Beaujolaise )

Steps for asparagus confit with buckwheat

Asparagus: peel the asparagus and cut to a length of 7 cm. Reserve the trimmings. Cover the asparagus with buckwheat, then bake at 180°C for 30 to 40 min. The asparagus should be crisp and melting. Set aside.
Crème au siphon: mix the cream with the asparagus trimmings, blend and add butter, salt and pepper. Strain through a sieve, then place in a siphon and add 2 cartridges of gas. Keep warm in a bain-marie.
Mayonnaise: make a classic mayonnaise, then add the smoked chili pepper. Set aside in a piping bag.
Puffed buckwheat: heat the grapeseed oil and stir in the buckwheat, as if making popcorn. Once the seeds are puffed, stir in the fleur de sel, then remove in 2 batches on absorbent paper to remove as much oil as possible.
Carcass reduction: place carcasses in the oven at 200°C to roast thoroughly. Crush them with a rolling pin to extract as much flavor as possible. Peel and trim the aromatic garnish. Sauté in a saucepan until well browned, then add the carcasses. Moisten to the brim with water. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. Skim off any small impurities. Strain through a fine-mesh chinois and reduce the juice to the desired consistency. The more you reduce it, the more pronounced and salty the taste will be. Add 1 tbsp. sesame oil.
Arrange the warm asparagus, then use a piping bag to add the mayonnaise. Sprinkle with puffed buckwheat. You can add edible flower petals or baby sprouts for freshness. Pour the cream into the siphon and add the carcass reduction.

For furtherinformation, contact

Sao, 1 quai Neuf, 29000 Quimper
14.5/20 in the Livre des 109
Read Gault&Millau's review of Sao

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