flame roasted leek with aniseed blossom and spicy truffle chutney

Thick straight leeks
Truffle cream
Truffle
Fennel blossom 

This is really one of my favourite dishes. Roasted leeks are often served with mustard or chutney. The rich flesh really works well with a spicy accompaniment. The twist here is making the truffle illusion with an explosive spicy taste whilst still keeping the truffle flavour dominant.

The leeks.
Cut the leeks into short sticks. Set the BBQ to medium flame. Cook the leeks for 30 mins on each side until they are black all round. The leeks will have a rich smokey taste and be beautifully tender.

The spicy truffle. 
You will need sweet Tamarin fruit, balsamic vinegar from Modena and grated truffle.
For each spicy truffle, you will need ; the flesh from 10 Tamarin fruits, 2.5 teaspoons of Balsamic vinegar, 1.5 table spoons of water.
Scrape the flesh off of the Tamarin pips with a small spoon. put in a saucepan and add the Balsamic vinegar and water. Heat gently and using a flexible plastic spatula press down on the Tamarin pulp to turn it into a liquid. When it is in liquid form, reduce just a little until the liquid thickens (the mixture needs to be sufficiently thick to bind the grated truffles together.
To make the truffle illusion, take 5 tea spoons of the Tamarin mixture and mix well with 10 teaspoons of grated truffle. Then form the truffle shape and refrigerate until serving. 
  
Serving.
Cut a straight line down the centre of the leek without cutting right through. The leek will stay shut, keeping the flesh warm. Open up one of the leeks for a colourful presentation. Place the truffle illusion and the fennel blossom on the plate (the flower is concentrated in taste giving a strong liquorice flavour to the dish). 

Serve extra sauce in a separate bowl if needed (same Tamarin and truffle mixture but without shaping the ball).