Ingredients

• 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

Directions

• 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.