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
5 blood oranges
4 Tbsp Blue Auvergne Milledôme cheese
2 Tbsp Masserie di Santeramo
olive oil
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
Method
Braised fennel
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- Arrange orange disks and fennel wedges on a plate.
- Drizzle orange syrup and olive oil.
- Crumble blue cheese and garnish with walnut glass.
Yields 4 servings