Saint-pierre, fennel, banyuls, nantais butter

This recipe from Alexandre Juton, chef at Inspirations restaurant in Vannes, comes from the special issue of Gault&Millau magazine, in which you can discover 109 chefs' recipes. These chefs have opened their establishments in the last 18 months and shared their favorite recipes with us. Discover the ingredients and preparation steps to make it easy.

Serves 6
Preparation time: 1 h 30
Cooking time: 1 h 55
Resting time: 20 min
Maturing: 2 days

Ingredients for Alexandre Juton's St. Pierre and Fennel dish

• 1 1.5-kg scallop
• 250 g semi-salted butter for the sauce + 50 g for cooking the fish
• 5 cl single cream
• Badiane
• 1 fennel bulb
• 6 baby fennels
• 6 shallots
• 15 cl Banyuls vinegar
• 15 cl wine vinegar
• 10 cl dry white wine (Muscadet or other)
• 30 cl muscadet
• Pastis
• 5 cl oyster sauce
• Olive oil
• Sugar
• Salt

Specific equipment

• Kitchen thermometer
• Cooking flashlight

Steps for Alexandre Juton's St. Pierre and Fennel dish

1. The day before: Remove the head from the scallop, empty it and clean the inside with absorbent paper to remove all traces of blood. Place it on a hook and leave it in the ripening room for 2 days (alternatively, put it in a clean cloth for 1 day to dry). Then lift the fillets and remove the skin. Set aside.
2. Fennel confit: Set aside the stalks of the mini fennels (for step 7), and dice them finely. Sauté 1 chopped shallot in butter, then add the diced fennel, salt and a little sugar. Add the white wine, wine vinegar and 5 cl of Banyuls vinegar. Cook, covered, for 30 min until all the liquid has been absorbed. Set aside.
3. Fennel purée: Coarsely chop the fennel bulb. Keep the stalks (for step 7). Fry with a little star anise, then flambé with pastis. Add plenty of water and cook for 45 min. At the end of cooking, add the fennel sprouts from the stalks. Blend and strain. Place the purée on a cloth to dry. Set aside.
4. Shallot reduction: Chop the remaining 5 shallots and cook half of them with 10 cl of Banyuls vinegar and the muscadet. Reduce to three-quarters.
5. confit shallots: Confit the other half of the shallots in butter. When they begin to take on a beautiful blond color, remove them and place them on absorbent paper. Steam them in their own juices for crisp, candied shallots.
6. Sauce beurre nantais: Remove 25 g of shallot reduction and add the liquid cream. Heat slightly and add 250 g of cold, diced butter. Whisk constantly until the sauce is smooth and uniform (don't overheat to avoid slicing). Strain and adjust seasoning if necessary. Set aside with a lid.
7. Fennel stalks: Cut the stalks into bevels and season with a little olive oil and salt. Burn the stalks with a blowtorch or flame.
8. Cooking the St. Pierre: Cook the fillets in foaming butter with star anise. When the fish has reached a core temperature of 32°C, remove from the pan. Brush with the oyster sauce and a little pastis and leave to rest for 20 min. Brush the fillets again and place in the oven at 200°C for 3 min. Brush again and sprinkle with shallot confit.
9. Presentation: Place a fillet on the plate. Mix the fennel purée with the fennel preserved in vinegar and white wine. Form a quenelle on the plate and place the burnt fennel stalks on top. Garnish with young fennel shoots. Serve the beurre nantais on the side.
   

Has this recipe inspired you to discover Alexandre Juton's cuisine? Read the Gault&Millau review of Inspirations.

This article is taken from 109, Le Sang Neuf de la gastronomie française. Find this special issue on newsstands or in our online store.