Charred Leeks And White Asparagus, Hazelnuts And Milk Skin by Nuno Mendes

Grill the leeks until they get quite dark on the outside and vacuum pack them so that they continue to steam and cook through.

Peel the outer layers until the centres are exposed and reserve the outer layers for the ash emulsion.

Cut the leeks into 5cm rounds and season with salt and hazelnut oil.

Peel the white asparagus and trim the tails, season with salt and rosemary and wrap them in aluminium foil.

Roast them in a pan over a low to medium heat until the asparagus is cooked through and begins to char a little bit and also steam at the same time.

Cut the asparagus into 7,5 cm pieces and reserve for plating.

In a shallow non-stick pan melt the butter and gently roast the hazelnuts until they become nicely caramelized and golden brown.

Reserve for plating.

Empty the milk into a very wide, deep pot, turn the heat on the lowest setting possible and gently warm the milk up until a skin starts to form on the surface.

Once this skin has thickened slightly, detach it from the sides of the pan with a palette knife and gently lift it from the pan with the tips of your fingers to make sure it doesn't break.

Place it in between pieces of baking paper brushed with single cream.

Repeat this several times until the milk completely evaporates and the skins become too thick and yellow.

Reserve for plating.

With a hand blender, whisk all of the ingredients together except for the oils in a deep and narrow round container.

Slowly add the mixed oils until everything is smoothly emulsified into a black mayonnaise.

Adjust seasonings and reserve.

Dot some of the leek ash emulsion around a shallow plate, scatter the warm leeks and asparagus around and cover with large pieces of milk skin.

Spoon some roasted cracked hazelnuts around the plate and sprinkle with red vein sorrel.

Season with Maldon salt and drizzle with hazelnut oil.

Serve warm.