Food At Faithlegg - Goats Bridge Trout with Cauliflower, Almond Puree Baby Gem Lettuce and Surf Clams

Jenny Flynn, the head chef at Faithlegg House Hotel, joins Maria McCann on The Saturday Café for Food At Faithlegg. For the September episode, Jenny offers up a dish of, goats bridge trout with cauliflower, almond puree baby gem lettuce, and surf clams.

This is a classic combination of old-school flavours working together

Cauliflower and almond puree

• 500g Cauliflower
• 150g ground almonds
• 100ml cream
• salt and lemon juice to taste
• 50g butter
• 1Tsp of honey
• 20 smoked almonds (for service )

Method: 

1. Roughly chop the cauliflower and put into a pot of boiling salted water, allow to cook until just soft,
2. While that is cooking, in another pan add the butter and honey heat and melt mix together when hot, add ground almonds
3. Cook until toasted slightly
4. Strain the cauliflower and add to almond mixture
5. Add the cream blend until smooth and pass through a sieve
6. Keep warm for service

Baby gem lettuce

• 2 heads of baby gem lettuce
• 25g butter
• 1clove garlic
• 1 diced shallot
• 1tsp white wine vinegar
• Sprinkle of castor Sugar

Method:

1. Prepare the lettuce by removing the outer leaves so you are left with the heart of the lettuce shredded finely with a sharp knife
2. In a pan add the diced shallot crushed garlic, butter and vinegar, and cook until the shallot is translucent
3. Add in sugar and allow to dissolve
4. Add in the lettuce and take off the heat, mix
5. Drain and keep to the side

Surf Clams

• 1 shallot diced
• ½ clove garlic
• 300g clams
• 100ml white wine
• 15ml honey
• Pinch fennel seeds
• Pinch-dried seaweed dillisk

Clams are like mussels if they are open knock them gently at the base and watch them close if they don’t, then discard. For the clams, I simply wash and ensure no broken shells, and they are ready to cook

Method:

1. In a pan add the shallot garlic fennel seeds and honey cook slowly on a medium heat
2. Add the clams and white wine.
3. Cover and allow the clams to cook this will take about 3mins
4. Add the cream and bring to a boil add in the dried seaweed
5. Strain and reduce sauce by half

Local Trout

• Cut in equal portion size approx. 75g each
• 50g butter
• Juice of ½ lemon

Method:

Pat dry and light season the trout all the way around, in a hot frying pan add just enough oil to create a thin film. Place the fish into the pan skin side down, and cook until golden brown.

Add a knob of butter and turn the trout over keep basting the fish until cooked, I like to serve it slightly pink. Remove from pan and drain.

Deglaze the pan with lemon juice, warm the lettuce in the pan

To Serve

Add a quenelle of cauliflower on the plate put the trout caviar on top, place the trout resting on the gem lettuce and puree. Heat the sauce with the clams and pour over the side of the fish and finally sprinkle with smoked almonds.

Enjoy

Jenny Flynn