Chef Makoto Ono,
Gluttons Bistro
Bright and festive, a well balanced dish. The rich blue cheese is cut by the sour juice of the orange. Fennel adds its licorice note, while the crisp walnut glass lends gentle sweetness.
Ingredients
Braised Fennel
2 fennel bulbs, cut into wedges
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups vegetable stock
Walnut Glass
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts
Assembly
5 blood oranges
4 Tbsp Blue Auvergne Milledôme cheese
2 Tbsp Masserie di Santeramo
olive oil
Method
Braised fennel
1. In a frying pan over med-high heat, heat oil. Sear fennel on all sides. Add butter. Cook until butter browns. Add stock. Simmer until fork tender.
Walnut Glass
1. Using a candy thermometer, cook sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan to 150˚C. Pour sugar onto a silpat mat and sprinkle with walnuts. Cool. Break into shards.
Assembly
1. With a sharp knife, remove rind and pith from 2 blood oranges. Cut into 1/4” rounds. Squeeze juice from remaining 3 oranges into a saucepan. Reduce juice over medium high heat until syrupy. Cool over ice bath. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Arrange orange disks and fennel wedges on a plate. Drizzle orange syrup and olive oil. Crumble blue cheese and garnish with walnut glass.
Yield 4 servings