Mushrooms, poached egg and asparagus

12:00 pm on 26 September 2018
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Pickled enoki mushrooms

300g white wine vinegar

50g sherry vinegar

150g water

150g sugar

2tbsp of Earl Grey tea

Bring all the ingredients to the boil except the tea. Pour over the tea and cover with clingfilm. Let infuse for 10 minutes, strain, warm up again and pour over the enoki mushrooms. Leave on the side until needed.

Confit swiss brown mushrooms

Olive oil

Garlic cloves

Rosemary

Thyme

Lemon peel

Swiss brown mushrooms

Cut the mushrooms in slices of 3mm and put them in a pan. Put some thyme, rosemary, garlic cloves and lemon peel into a muslin cloth, add it to the pan and cover the mushrooms with olive oil. Simmer on the stove for few hours, do not boil.

Asparagus

Wash the asparagus and trim or snap the woody ends off the base of. The point to trim or snap can be found by carefully bending the spears - there is a natural point on the stem where it will easily break. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the outer layer of the stem, from the base to about halfway up the spear. Blanch the asparagus in salted boiling water for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Shock into iced water for few minutes. Dry them well and keep them aside.

Poached egg

Crack the eggs into a bowl and leave them aside. Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add a splash of white wine vinegar and turn off the heat. Stir the water to create a gentle whirlpool and slowly tip the egg into the centre. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the white is set. Lift the egg out with a slotted spoon and drain it on kitchen paper.

Finishing the dish

Heat a pan and when really hot add a bit of oil. Add the mixed wild mushrooms (we use honeycomb, oyster, shiitake and Swiss brown mushrooms) and a pinch of salt and pepper. Meanwhile heat another pan and when hot add some butter, add the asparagus and glaze them. Place the mushroom on the plate, make a well and place the poached egg on top and the asparagus on the side. Finish with pickled enoki and confit mushrooms and some wild garlic flower.