- 100g/3½oz butter
- 40g/1½oz shallots, finely chopped
- 20g/¾oz mushrooms, finely chopped
- 10g celery, finely chopped
- 10g celeriac, peeled and finely chopped
- ½ bottle champagne
- 200ml/7fl oz chicken stock
- 200ml/7fl oz cream
- 1 sprig parsley
- 1 sprig thyme
- salt and pepper
- 1 lemon, juice only
- ½ small cauliflower
- 250ml/9fl oz milk
- 75g/2½oz butter
- 75ml/2½fl oz cream
- 4 x 150g/5½oz sea trout fillets, pin-boned
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 20g/¾oz butter, plus extra for frying
- 60ml/2¼fl oz vegetable stock
- 12 asparagus spears, peeled and cut into three pieces on an angle
- 12 baby leeks, cut into 5cm/2in lengths
- 50g/1¾oz butter
- 8 grelot onions or spring onions
- 2 tsp sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 40g/1½oz broad beans, blanched and shelled
- 1 tbsp finely chopped chives
- 1 tbsp finely chopped chervil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, juice only
- For the sauce, fry the vegetables gently in a little of the butter until soft but not coloured.
- Add the champagne, and heat until reduced in volume to a syrup. Then add the chicken stock and cook until reduced to half the volume.
- Add the cream and herbs, bring to the boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Pass through a fine sieve and season with salt and pepper and finish with lemon juice.
- To make the cauliflower purée, cut the cauliflower florets into thin slices, place in a pan with the milk and 250ml/9fl oz water. Bring to the boil, and simmer until the cauliflower is tender. Drain and place in a blender with a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid, the butter and cream, and blend to a purée. Season with salt and pass through a sieve. Keep warm.
- For the trout, cut the fish into squares and season with the salts.
- Heat the olive oil and a little butter in a frying pan and cook the fish skin-side down until golden-brown and just under-cooked. Add 20g/¾oz butter and half of the vegetable stock. Braise the fish in the stock until cooked through.
- For the broadbeans, leeks and asparagus, cook the leeks and asparagus in the remaining 30ml/1fl oz of vegetable stock with the butter, onions, sugar, salt and pepper until almost cooked. Add the broad beans and cook in the glaze for a few minutes more.
- To serve, spoon the cauliflower purée onto the centre of the plates. Dress the trout on top. Place the vegetables on top. Mix the sauce with a hand blender to aerate it and spoon the resulting foam over the fish. Garnish with the fresh herbs and season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.