English asparagus, tomato concasse, breaded duck egg, hollandaise

By Lee Bennett, executive chef, Crafthouse, Leeds

SERVES FOUR

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch of English asparagus 2 plum tomatoes 1 small shallot finely diced 1 clove of garlic – crushed 4 duck eggs 20gms. breadcrumbs 1 egg 2 tbsp plain flour Handful of washed salad leaves

For the hollandaise sauce

4 egg yolks 20ml tarragon vinegar 200g butter Take the asparagus and look where it turns from white to green then proceed to cut off the white part – it is tough and not nice to eat. In boiling, salted water cook the asparagus for 2 minutes then drop into ice water. Once cold, take out and leave for later. In the same water you cooked the asparagus, boil the duck eggs for 5 minutes then again dip into ice water. Remove the shells from the duck eggs. Take your hen’s egg, crack into a bowl and whisk that together. Grab an additional two bowls and put flour in one, and breadcrumbs in the other. Take the boiled duck eggs and one by one dip into the flour followed by the egg followed by the breadcrumbs. When done, place into the fridge.

Cut the tomatoes into quarters and de-seed. Dice them finely and mix with the chopped shallots, garlic and a splash of olive oil. Place the asparagus under the grill to warm slightly. Spoon the tomato on to the plate and lay the asparagus beside. Deep fry the eggs until the crumbs are golden brown. Place a little salad onto the tomato then egg on top of that. Finally spoon over the desired amount of hollandaise.

For the hollandaise: Take a small pan of simmering water. Place the egg yolks and vinegar into a curved metal bowl and start to whisk this over the boiling water. The steam will start to cook the eggs through gently. Keep whisking until the yolks are fluffy and then remove from the heat Microwave the butter until hot. Now start to very slowly pour into the egg mix, whisking continuously. It is always best to do this with help. Keep pouring until all the butter is incorporated.