METHOD
Make sure the leeks have been thoroughly rinsed of any sand or debris and rub liberally with grape seed oil.
The leeks either need to be charred over a fire, or if making at home then they can be grilled in a very hot griddle pan.
Heat pan to smoking point and place leeks inside without a lid. The idea is to char the leeks until completely blacked on all sides.
This should take about ten minutes.
Take pan off the heat and cover with lid or tinfoil and set aside until cooled. This allows the leeks to finish steaming in their own skins.
Once the leeks have cooled, peel off the outer layers, down to the hearts of the leeks and trim the roots as well as the fibrous green tops.
Set aside until needed.
For the brown butter béarnaise, place butter into a heavy based saucepan on a medium heat. The butter will melt and eventually begin to foam.
Once the butter foams, begin to whisk to avoid the milk solids burning. Continue whisking until the butter begins to turn a dark brown colour and there is a nutty aroma.
Set brown butter aside to cool slightly. This should take about fifteen minutes.
In the meantime, whisk 125g of unsalted butter, 2 egg yolks, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, dried tarragon and salt together in a another small, heavy based
saucepan.
After the butter has cooled slightly, but is still warm, begin to whisk into the egg mix. Make sure to
do this in a steady stream, whisking continuously to avoid the sauce splitting.
Once all the butter has been incorporated, place the saucepan back onto a very low heat and whisk
until the béarnaise has thickened to coating consistency.
Keep warm until needed.
For the hazelnut crumb, preheat an oven to 150°C.
Place hazelnuts in one roasting tray and breadcrumbs in another.
Once the oven has heated sufficiently, place trays inside and roasted until golden brown. This
should take about half an hour.
Once the breadcrumbs have roasted, add the hazelnut oil and salt to taste.
Crush or chop the hazelnuts slightly to break them up and toss together with the breadcrumbs.
Set aside until needed.
For the pickled lemon, add vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a heavy based saucepan and place on a medium heat.
Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Try and avoid boiling the pickle liquid. It will burn off the acidity of the vinegar and yield a sweeter end product.
Once the salt and sugar has dissolved, add the sliced lemon to the pickle and allow to cool.
Once cooled, remove sliced from the pickle and dice finely. Add the pickled lemon back into the pickle liquor and set aside until needed.
