VICHYSSOISE

by chef Gregory Czarnecki of The Restaurant at Waterkloof

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

Potato soufflé

2 large potatoes

2 egg whites

2T cornflour

1L frying oil

Leek espuma

20g butter

500g white leeks, finely chopped

3g salt

300ml water

170g cream

50g egg yolks

20g green leek, finely chopped

Watercress jelly

250g watercress

100g water

1.3g agar agar

4g gelatine leaves

pinch of salt

Garnish

caviar

gold leaf

fresh coriander seeds

fresh coriander and coriander flowers

METHOD

Potato soufflé

1. Start by peeling the potatoes. Thinly slice them with a mandoline (about 1mm thick).
2. Round cut the slice of potatoes with a size-4 round cutter.
3. Spread half the round-cut potato slices on a cutting board and brush the extremities with some egg white. Sprinkle some cornflour on the strip of egg white.
4. Place another round cut slice of potato on top of each slice and gently press the ‘extremities’ to ‘glue’ them together.
5. Warm up the frying oil in a shallow pot at 180°C.
6. Cook 1 potato at a time by placing the sliced sandwiched potato in the frying oil and keep basting the emerged side of the potato with warm frying oil.
7. Once cooked on both sides, place the potato on a tray and wipe with absorbing paper towel. Once cooled down perforate a small hole on one of the sides.

Leek espuma

1. Start by melting the butter in a pot. Add the finely-chopped white leeks, add the salt and cook thoroughly.
2. Add the water and cream and cook until completely reduced.
3. Blend the mixture in a food processor until smooth.
4. Add the egg yolks and raw green leeks and blend again until a smooth texture is obtained.
5. Place the mix in a cream gun and fill with two cartridges. Keep warm.

Watercress jelly

1. Blend the watercress with 90g water.
2. Strain through a chinois. Keep 240g of the liquid.
3. Take the remaining 10g of water to activate agar agar and gelatine. Once activated add to 240g of watercress mixture, add salt and set jelly onto a tray lined with cling wrap paper, to obtain a thickness of between 1 and 2mm
4. Once set cut jelly with a round cutter.

PLATING

1. Take the potato soufflé and shoot some of the leek espuma into it, filling it halfway.
2. Top it with a round of watercress jelly, some caviar and a touch of gold leaf.