chargrilled oyster mushrooms with smoked shallots, confit garlic & pine nut purée

Directions

Confit Garlic & Pine Nut Purée

1. Combine the olive oils and heat to 90 degrees. Place peeled garlic cloves into oil and cook at very low temperature until soft and sweet, this should take around 2 hours, stir occasionally. Meanwhile lightly toast pine nuts in the oven at 160 degrees Celsius until golden brown, around 6-8 mins.

2. Remove garlic from the oil and combine with pine nuts in a blenter. Blitz to a fine purée, then season with pink lake salt and pepper.

3. Reserve confit garlic oil for use in dressings or for finishing pasta. Allow purée to cool and then put into squeeze bottle for presentation.

Smoked Shallots

1. Gently steam the shallots in a steam basket over a pot of until just soft but still with a bit of firmness.

2. Remove from steam basket and place on wire rack above a deep cooking tray scattered with smoking chips.

3. Cover the tray with foil and place over flame on cook top until it starts to smoke. Keep over the heat for a further minute, and then turn off and allow smoke to infuse into the shallots.

4. Once sufficiently infused, remove shallots and cook shallots cut side down in very hot pan until dark brown and slightly charred.

5. King Oyster Mushrooms

6. Brush the mushrooms with olive oil, then grill on hot griddle or barbecue for around 6-8 minutes, turning them over halfway. Add a little moisture by spraying them with a little water from time to time.

7. Combine pink lake salt and porcini powder. When mushrooms are cooked, remove from the grill and season with porcini salt.

8. Arrange mushrooms and plate with smoked shallots and dots of confit garlic and pine nut purée. Garnish with chives and a drizzle some Lemon Pressed EVOO.