Serves 4 1 quantity Pasta Dough recipe (see below) 24 langoustines For the court bouillon 1 bulb of fennel, sliced ½ bottle dry white wine 200ml water 1 onion, sliced 2 peppercorns 1 star anise For the sauce 20g butter 2 shallots, finely chopped ½ garlic clove 1 leek, white part only, finely chopped Sprig of thyme Stalks from a bunch of chervil, leaves reserved as garnish All the langoustine shells and 200ml of the court bouillon (see above) 2 teaspoons tomato purée 50ml Pernod 200ml double cream 50g gruyère cheese Juice of ½ a lemon Pinch of cayenne pepper 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 Make the pasta according to the instructions below. 2 Place the langoustines in a large pan and add all the court bouillon ingredients. Poach for 5–6 minutes then remove the langoustines. Allow to cool slightly then remove the heads, claws and outer shells (reserve the shells for flavouring the sauce). Set aside. 3 Melt the butter in a large pan and sweat the shallot, garlic, leek, thyme, chervil stalks and langoustine shells. When the veg starts to turn translucent, add the court bouillon, tomato purée and Pernod and allow to reduce. Add the double cream and again allow to reduce slowly for 20 minutes or so, on a low heat. Add the cheese. When it has slightly thickened, add a squeeze of lemon and the cayenne pepper. Strain through a sieve. 4 Remove the pasta from the fridge. Pass half through a pasta machine set to the second-last setting. Cut into 6cm squares and store between baking parchment while you roll out the other half in the same way. You may need to use a little flour to prevent it from sticking. 5 Assemble the dish. Prepare a pan of boiling water and cook the pasta for 3 minutes. Reheat the sauce gently, adding the langoustine meat at the last minute, along with the egg yolk. Spoon a small amount of the sauce into the base of a serving plate followed by a layer of pasta and a few langoustines. 6. Repeat so that you have three layers, finishing with a covering of sauce. Glaze under a grill for a few minutes and garnish with a sprig or two of chervil. Pasta Dough Makes 500g. Enough to make lasagne for 4 and spaghetti for 2-3 500g ‘00’ flour 4 eggs and 6 egg yolks 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons water with a pinch of saffron strands 1 Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Crack in the eggs and yolks and work into the flour with your fingertips. 2 Add the salt and the olive oil. Gradually add the water (because you may not need it all) to make a soft dough. This can all be done in a food processor if you’re feeling lazy. 3 Turn the dough out onto a surface and knead it as hard as you can until you have a smooth dough (no need to flour the surface unless you made the dough a bit too wet). 4 Wrap the dough with clingfilm and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before you use it. Recipe taken from Easy Peasy by Sophie Wright (Kyle Cathie, £14.99 with photography by Kate Whitaker)