Langoustine risotto with roast fennel, avogolemono sauce and gold salt

Heat the vegetable stock in a saucepan over a medium heat. Heat 1 T butter and the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and leek and sauté until soft. 

Add the rice to the the butter and olive oil and stir, making sure each grain is well coated. Toast the rice slightly in the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 1 minute. 

Pour in the wine and continue stirring until the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid. Add a ladleful of the warm vegetable stock and stir in until it has been absorbed before adding the next ladleful. Continue this process until all the stock has been added. The rice should be cooked, but still have a bit of a bite. If necessary, add more stock or water. Grate in the Parmesan and add the remaining butter. Season to taste. 

Poach the langoustines in boiling, salted water for 3 minutes, or until the meat is opaque and cooked. Plunge into iced water to stop them overcooking. When cool enough to handle, shell the langoustines and set aside. 

To assemble the dish, spoon the risotto onto a serving dish and add the roast fennel. Top with the langoustine meat and drizzle over the avogolemono sauce. Season with the gold salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving. 

To make the roast fennel, preheat the oven’s grill to 180°C. Using a mandolin slicer or sharp knife, slice thinly along the length of the fennel bulb and place on a baking tray. Brush with olive oil and season with salt, then grill until the fennel is cooked and slightly charred. 

To make the avogolemono sauce, heat the chicken stock in a saucepan over a medium heat. Beat the egg whites until stiff using an electric hand-mixer. While beating, add the egg yolks and lemon juice and mix until combined. Slowly pour in the hot stock while whisking at a high speed. Once all the stock has been added, season to taste with salt. 

To make the gold salt, dust the salt flakes with the edible gold dust using a fine paintbrush.