Mussel tart

Instructions

1. Step 1

   For the pastry, mix together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Place in a food processor with the diced butter and pulse until the butter is evenly mixed through. Whisk the egg into the cream, then add in the cream mixture and cream cheese, and pulse again until everything is evenly mixed. Mould the pastry into a cylinder, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for about 2 hours

2. Step 2

   Once rested, cut the pastry into 6 × 3 cm wide discs. Roll each disc of pastry out on a floured surface until it’s ½ cm thick and slightly wider than your tart case. Press into your tart cases, then use a small knife to trim off any excess pastry. Place the tart cases in the fridge and chill for at least 30 minutes

3. Step 3

   Preheat the oven to 175°C

4. Step 4

   While the tart cases chill, make the filling. Cook down the fennel and onion with the oil and salt until softened but not coloured. Add the pastis, sugar and vinegar and reduce until the water and pastis have almost completely evaporated. Set aside

5. Step 5

   Blend the dill and oil together in a thermomix on high speed. Set the temperature to 85°C, reduce the speed down to 3 and bring it up to temperature. Strain through muslin into a container set over ice

6. Step 6

   For the sugar syrup, bring all the ingredients to a boil, then remove from the heat and allow to cool

7. Step 7

   Place another mould on top of each tart case, pressing down firmly. Turn the tart cases upside down, and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the tart cases the right way up, and remove the top mould. Place the tart cases back in the oven and cook for 4–6 more minutes, or until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool

8. Step 8

   For the mussels, heat up a deep pot over a high heat, and add the mussels and wine. Cover with a lid, and cook until the mussels have all opened

9. Step 9

   Pour off and reserve the cooking liquid, and discard any mussels that didn’t open. Strain the reserved cooking liquid through a muslin cloth

10. Step 10

    Pick all the mussels out of their shells, removing their beards. Roughly chop half the mussels and add them to the cooked tart cases. You should have about 200g mussels remaining – these will be used for the pickled mussels

11. Step 11

    Bring the vinegars, water and sugar to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Add all the herbs and spices and the salt, and set aside to cool

12. Step 12

    Once cool, strain through a sieve and pour over the reserved cooked mussels

13. Step 13

    For the mussel custard, add all the ingredients to a Thermomix and blend together on high speed. Reduce to speed 3, and cook until the mix reaches 72°C. Immediately pour into the tart cases

14. Step 14

    For the garnish, thinly slice the fennel on a mandolin. Thinly slice the kohlrabi by hand and cut it into small pieces. Place in a small vacuum bag with a pinch of salt and some dill oil, and compress it using a vac pack machine

15. Step 15

    Peel and segment the lemon, then dice the segments and add to the sugar syrup. Squeeze and retain any juice from the lemon flesh leftover from segmenting the whole lemon

16. Step 16

    To serve, place a tablespoon of the fennel marmalade on top of the custard tarts and add three pickled mussels to each one. Mix the sliced fennel with a splash of olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Place on top of the pickled mussels

17. Step 17

    Add a few pieces of kohlrabi and the diced lemon, and then finish each tart with a few sprigs of bronze fennel and dust with kombu powder