Small spelt risotto, green asparagus from Saint-Siffret and juniper sabayon cade de garrigue

Ingredients for 4 people

The asparagus: 8 large asparagus spears, 4 small slices of bacon.

For the risotto: 200g small spelt, 50g onions, 0.1l dry white wine, 2l vegetable stock, 10g parsley, 50g butter.

For the sabayon: 150g butter, 2 egg yolks, 1 juniper branch, 5cl sherry vinegar, 3cl lemon juice, 3cl gin.

Preparation

Peel and break off the stems of the green asparagus. Cook in boiling salted water for around 3 minutes, keeping them firm. Stop cooking by plunging them into iced water.

Trim the heads to 10 cm and cut the rest into small cubes.
 

Soak the spelt in cold water for 12 hours. Finely chop the onion and sweat in half the butter without browning. Add the drained spelt and sweat. Deglaze with the white wine and allow to evaporate. Ladle in the stock as you would a risotto.

After about 30 mins, check that the spelt is cooked through, add salt, the remaining butter, chopped parsley and the diced asparagus tips. Serve immediately.

The day before, melt the butter and add the juniper branches cut into small pieces. Leave to infuse for 24 hours and strain through a sieve.

Place the 2 egg yolks, a tablespoon of water and salt in a frying pan. Whisk the eggs over a low heat until they become frothy and you can see the marks of the whisk on the bottom of the pan.

Remove from the heat, add the melted but not too hot juniper butter and whisk the eggs like mayonnaise. Add the vinegar, lemon juice and gin. Adjust the seasoning and serve immediately or keep at 50°C.

Presentation

Grill the asparagus in a hot pan.

Pour a generous spoonful of risotto into a deep dish, place your grilled asparagus and a piece of bacon on top. Spoon the sauce generously around the asparagus. And... let your imagination run wild!

Chef's tip: To prevent the spelt from becoming tough, it should only be salted at the end of cooking. I like to add a few pieces of candied orange and wild asparagus as a finishing touch, on top of the asparagus when it's ready to serve.

Many thanks to Enzo Savournin for sharing his recipe.

The right address :  @Restaurant Ode des sens, Place de l'école, Saint-Siffret. Open Wednesday to Sunday, lunch and dinner. Bookings on 04 66 68 05 89 or via the restaurant website.