Langoustine Soup

Photo: flickr user jenny downing

Ingredients

1 kg fresh langoustine shells

1 little oil

300 ml brandy

220 grams tomato puree

500 ml dry white wine

100 grams butter

8 carrots chopped

2 onions thinly sliced

2 fennel bulbs chopped

1 clv garlic finely chopped

2 500g can plum tomatoes

500 grams fresh tomatoes

1 small bunch fresh thyme

lt fish stock (qv)

lt water

1 lt double cream

1 squeez lemon juice

Preparation

In the oven preheated to 230 degrees C/450 degrees F/gas mark 8 roast the langoustine shells in a lirde oil in a roasting pan until golden then deglaze the pan with the brandy and tomato puree.

Cook for about 10 minutes then add the wine and reduce the liquid by half.

Keep on one side until the vegetables are ready

In a large saucepan melt the butter and saute the carrots onions fennel and garlic until lightly coloured.

Add the canned and fresh tomatoes the herbs and sar anise peppercorns and salt.

Crush the langousune shells and add them and their reduced cooking liquid to the vegetable mixture.

Cover with the stock and water and bring to the boil.

Remove any scum that may rise to the surface.

Then leave to simmer for l 1/2 hours.

Strain through a fine sieve and reduce to about 250ml.

Add the cream adjust the seasoning and add the lemon juice.

Just before serving we add a coffee spoon of truffle sabayon to each serving.

This is a mixture of hollandaise sauce and whipped cream widh a few drops of truffle essence.

Then each serving is flashed under a hot grill and glazed.

I think the taste of langoustine is far superior to that of lobster. Its flavour is sweet and the flavour its shell imparts is unmistakable. This soup which is the first course on our gastronomic menu is rich and quite delicious. We finish it off with a little truffleflavoured sabayon

Serves 4 as a starter