BBQ langoustine & butternut squash dish

The seconds video of this year's Christmas special and it's a beautiful langoustine & butternut squash appetizer! We’re going to make barbecued langoustine tartare with sweet & sour butternut squash, a Vadouvan sauce, a langoustine head oil and a beautiful butternut squash & orange cream. So let’s begin!

The sweet & sour butternut squash

2	butternut squashes
130 grams	water
130 grams	white wine
130 grams	white wine vinegar
130 grams	sugar
4 grams	salt
40 grams	ginger
1	lemongrass
40 grams	galangal
5	lemon leaves

Mix the water with the white wine, the white wine vinegar, the sugar and the salt. Then cut the ginger in thin slices and do the same with a piece of lemongrass and the galangal. Add all three to the saucepan with the lemon leaves and then bring this to a boil. Once it’s boiling turn off the heat and let it cool down out of the fridge. After that pass the sweet and sour through a fine sieve and then keep it in your fridge for later. Now take the butternut squashes and cut the necks of the bottom. Keep the bottoms for the cream. Then trim the sides of the tops. Once you’ve done that slice the tops into thin slices on a sharp mandolin. Place the rounds in stacks on a cutting board and then cut them with a round cutter. These trimmings you can also keep for the cream or you can use them for any other recipe. Now cut the rounds in half. Then season some boiling water with salt and blanch the butternut squash for around 30 seconds till they feel softer, but still have a good texture. After that directly cool them down in ice water. Let them cool down for 2 minutes before letting them dry on some kitchen paper for a minute. Now place them in the sweet and sour and let it marinade for 1 hour in your fridge. Then take them out and keep it in your fridge for later.

The butternut squash cream

2	bottoms from the butternut squashes
2	shallots
30 grams	butter
4 grams	salt
200 grams	vegetable broth
100 grams	cream
1	orange
	Xanthan gum
	White wine vinegar

Take the two bottoms from the butternut squashes and trim the sides. Then cut them in half and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Now portion them into even cubes. After cut the shallots in half and clean them. Now chop them. Then melt the butter in a big frying pan and glaze the shallots with the salt. Once it starts to color add the cleaned butternut squash and pan fry it for 5 minutes on a medium heat. Now deglaze the pan with the vegetable broth and the cream. Also add the zest from the orange. Then cut the orange in half and add the juice as well. Reduce it till almost all the liquid has evaporated. After transfer it into a blender and blend it till smooth. Now add a knife tip of xanthan gum and a drizzle of white wine vinegar. Blend it for another minute. The xanthan gum will prevent the cream from leaking once plated and the vinegar will balance the heavy flavor. Keep the cream in your fridge for later.

The langoustine tartare

1500 grams	langoustine
	Butter oil
	Lemon
	Olive oil & salt

Separate the heads from the tails and keep the heads and claws in your fridge for later to make the langoustine oil. Now press the tails to break the shells and then peel the shell off. Be gentle when pressing the tail so you only break the shell and don’t damage the meat. Be sure you also remove the intestines and then keep the tails in your fridge for later. After that take a Konro grill or a barbeque and light it up. I use Binchotan. This burns longer and hotter and does not spatter or flam when any fat or moisture falls on top. Then place a rack on top and barbeque all the heads and claws on both sides till golden brown. Really make sure to toast it all the way. This will give it the deep flavor. Now keep the heads aside for later. Then take the cleaned tails and skewer them with metal or soaked wooden skewers. Now barbeque them on the highest heat so they get a nice toasted flavor, but do it fast so you keep them as raw as possible. I brushed a little butter oil on top to give them a lovely rich flavor. Now if you don’t have a barbeque you can also use a blowtorch. Then cool them down as fast as possible! Once cold remove the skewers and chop the langoustine tails into a tartare. Don’t over chop them, you want to keep a nice texture. Now season it with some lemon zest, olive oil and salt. Keep it in your fridge for later.

The langoustine head oil

	The barbequed langoustine heads & claws
500 grams	neutral oil (I use sunflower oil)

Transfer the barbequed heads one by one into a turning stand mixer that’s fitted with a flat beater and crush the heads till it’s a fine crumb. Now transfer it into a frying pan and add 500 grams of a neutral oil. I use sunflower oil. Then let it simmer for 30 minutes on a low heat. After that turn off the heat and let it cool down out of the fridge. Let this cool down for at least an hour and then let the oil drain on a sieve that’s lined with a kitchen paper. Let it drain in your fridge.

The vadouvan sauce

4	shallots
40 grams	butter
30 grams	fresh vadouvan (or 6 grams of dried vadouvan)
2 cloves	garlic
250 grams	white port
500 grams	vegetable broth
500 grams	cream

First cut the shallots in half and clean them. Now chop them. In total you’ll need 300 grams. Then melt the butter in a big frying pan and glaze the fresh vadouvan or the dried vadouvan for 5 minutes. I use fresh. Then add the shallots and pan fry them for around 5 minutes. Meanwhile clean the cloves of garlic and chop them. Add it to the pan as well, pan fry it for another two minutes and then deglaze the pan with the white port. Let this reduce till almost all liquid has evaporated. After add the vegetable broth and the cream. Let it simmer till it has reduced for around 30%. After pass the sauce though a fine sieve and then emulsify it with a hand blender.

How to finish the dish

First stack the sweet and sour butternut squash and form them into a circle. Then use a tweezer or the back  of a spoon to thighie up the shape. Now drizzle some butternut squash cream on the bottom and fill it all the way with the langoustine tartare. Then pipe a couple dots of the cream on top as well and decorate it with toasted pumpkin seeds and purple sorrel leaves. All the components are at room temperature. Only the sauce is hot. Now mix the sauce with the langoustine oil and gently mix it. Then serve the dish and finish it with a couple tablespoons of the vadouvan & langoustine oil sauce.