Hapuka

Ingredients

Hapuka - your choice of size, seared.

Sousing liquid:

100mL white wine vinegar
100g caster sugar
1 star anise
1/2 cinnamon quill
2 juniper berries
4 peppercorns
2 cloves

Spiced jelly:

100mL of pear juice
150mL water
3 peppercorns
2 sprigs thyme
1 star anise
2 juniper berries
3 cloves

Shallot puree:

250g thinly sliced golden shallots
2 cloves of thinly sliced garlic
Dash white wine
1/2 cup brown chicken stock
15g butter
1/2 cup cream

Salad:

Thinly sliced fennel
Red garnet
Fennel fronds
Crispy shallots
Dehydrated lime slices
Micro parsley
Dill

**You will only need enough squid ink for a paint brush stroke across the plate and perhaps a few drops.

Method

Sousing liquid:

Put all ingredients into a heavy based pan and place on heat until all sugar has dissolved. Take off heat and place in the fridge to cool.

Spiced jelly:

Place all ingredients in a heavy based pan and bring up to 83 C. Stir continuously for 4 minutes, strain through a fine sieve and put in the fridge to set.

Shallot puree:

Place heavy based pan on the heat until nice and hot, add a little vegetable oil then add the shallots and garlic sweat them off allowing them to brown slightly to give them a lovely roasted flavour.

Deglaze your pan with wine and allow all the excess liquid to evaporate. Then add stock and cream and allow to reduce by at least half so it is quite a thick consistency.

While it is still hot, put it in a blender till silky smooth. Add your small knob of cold butter and blitz. This will give it richness and shine, season and pass through a fine sieve to be sure to get rid of any lumps.

Salad:

Souse the fennel for approximately 7 minutes, then drain off extra liquid, add a nice mix of all the other ingredients and gently toss.