Chilled Pea And Ham Soup With Goats Cheese Mousse
Ingredients for the crispy smoked eisbeins
- 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 leeks, roughly chopped
- 2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2 ml white peppercorns
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh sage
- 800 g Eskort Beechwood Smoked Pork Mini Eisbeins
- 700 ml chicken stock
Ingredients for the chilled pea soup
- 700 g frozen peas
- 700 ml of the eisbeins braising liquid
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Ingredients for the goats cheese mousse
- 1 (7 g) gelatine leaf
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of 1 lemon
- 100 g goats cheese (chevin)
- 250 ml fresh cream
Ingredients for the assembly
- 100 g fresh peas, blanched and split out the pods
- 100 g sugar snap peas, blanched and split open
- 20 g pea shoots
- 10 g fresh mint
Method for the crispy smoked eisbeins
- Heat the oven to 160 °C.
- Place the carrots, leeks, celery, onion, garlic cloves, white peppercorns, thyme and sage in a large cast iron pot.
- Place the mini eisbeins on top of the vegetables and add the stock. Cover the pot with foil and close with a lid.
- Place in the oven for 1 ½ – 2 hours until the meat falls off the bone.
- Take out of the oven and leave to cool.
- Pick the meat off the bones and keep to one side.
- Strain the liquid through a fine sieve.
Method for the chilled pea soup
- Pour the braising liquid into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Add the frozen peas and cook for 2 minutes.
- Place the peas and the braising liquid in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- To keep the bright green colour, cool the soup down over an ice bath.
Method for the goats cheese mousse
- Place the gelatine leaf in cold water to soften.
- Once soft, remove and squeeze out any excess water.
- Place the lemon juice in a small saucepan and warm up slightly.
- Add the gelatine leaf into the lemon juice to melt. Set aside to cool.
- Whip the goats cheese, 50 ml of the cream, lemon zest and lemon juice with gelatine until smooth and creamy.
- Whip the remaining 200 ml of cream in a separate bowl until stiff.
- Fold the whipped cream into the goats cheese mixture and refrigerate to set.
For the assembly
- Divide the pea soup between the bowls. Use a teaspoon and place 3 teaspoons of goats cheese mousse onto the soup.
- Garnish the soup by creating a little garden around the bowl with the remaining ingredients.
