Glamorgan sausage bonbons

MAKES 24 BONBONS

250g leeks, trimmed and dark leaves removed 45g salted butter 2tsp wholegrain mustard 150g fresh white or brown breadcrumbs, plus 85g extra for coating 165g traditional Welsh Caerphilly, such as Caws Teifi, finely grated 12g finely chopped chives 10g finely chopped parsley leaves 1tsp Halen Môn Anglesey Sea Salt ½tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 medium eggs, separated 500ml sunflower oil For the laverbread mayonnaise 8tbsp good-quality mayonnaise 2tsp Welsh laverbread 1tbsp lemon juice

Slice the leeks into quarters lengthways and finely chop. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat, add the leeks and sweat to soften for 5 minutes. Tip into a bowl and set aside to cool completely.

Mix together the mustard, 150g breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs and some salt and pepper, then mix in the egg yolks and bring the mixture together with your hands. Form into 24 bonbons, then chill on a plate for 15 minutes.

To make the laverbread mayonnaise, combine the ingredients in a bowl and chill.

Whisk the egg whites in a medium bowl until a little frothy. Put the extra breadcrumbs in a separate bowl. Heat the oil to 140C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 45 seconds) in a wok or deep-fat fryer. Dip the bonbons into the egg white, then coat in the breadcrumbs. Fluctuate the temperature to cook the bonbons on the insides and give them a golden crumb finish. Serve on cocktail sticks with the laverbread mayonnaise on the side.

To make the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Using a knife, mix in the cheese, egg yolk, seasoning and 1tbsp cold water. Bring together into a pliable dough, then wrap in cling film and chill for 25 minutes.

To make the filling, melt the butter in a small frying pan over a low heat and stand the leek pieces in it, cut side up, and gently fry for 1 minute or so on one end, then turn and fry on the other. Don’t let them colour too much. Spoon the honey into the bases of 4 x 12cm x 5cm individual boat-shaped fluted tart tins, 4 small round tins or a 15cm frying pan. Stand the leeks upright in the tins in the same way as before. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C F/Gas 4. Cut the pastry into 4 if making the individual tartlets and roll out a piece at a time large enough to fit over the leeks in their tins. Trim the pastry, leaving enough to tuck down the insides of the tins to contain the leeks. Put the tartlets on a baking sheet and cook for around 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling around the edges of the tin. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes, then invert each one onto a plate to serve. If making in advance, reheat in a hot oven for about 10 minutes. Serve hot with the leek puddings (see recipe, left).