A combination of local asparagus, soft-boiled egg and parmesan tuile from chef Clive Joyce, of the L'Oxalis restaurant, in Collias

Ingredients for 6 people

1 kilo green asparagus, 1 carrot, 1 shallot, 6 fresh eggs, 250 g Parmesan, 10 cl olive oil, 1 lemon, white balsamic vinegar, fine salt, freshly ground pepper, flowers for decoration.

Preparation

For the asparagus tartare 

Rinse the asparagus under cold water and separate the heads from the tails. Keep the asparagus heads in the fridge. 

Using a knife, cut the asparagus stalks lengthways into thin sticks, then make a brunoise (small, even cubes).

Do exactly the same thing with the carrot and mix the two together. Add the chopped shallot.

Make a mayonnaise, add a dash of lemon juice and a drizzle of white balsamic vinegar. Adjust the seasoning and your tartare is ready!

Cooking the eggs 

Bring about 1 litre of water to the boil in a suitable saucepan.  

Once boiling, immerse the eggs in the water for 6 minutes, then cool them in an ice pack (water + ice cube) to stop the cooking process.

Cooking the asparagus heads 

Bring 1 litre of water to the boil.

Once boiling, plunge the asparagus into the water for 3 to 4 minutes, then cool them in iced water too. This stops the asparagus cooking, but also fixes the chlorophyll, so that the asparagus stays beautifully green.

Parmesan tuile

Pour the 250g of parmesan powder into a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix vigorously to obtain a semi-crumbly dough.

Spread the mixture out on greaseproof paper and bake for 8 mins at 180º.

The tiles are ready! 

Setting

Season the asparagus heads to taste, place the asparagus tail tartare in a shallow dish using a 12 cm wide circle cutter.

Top with the seasoned heads, place the soft-boiled egg in the centre and add the Parmesan cheese to finish.

And, to give a touch of extravagance... add a few flower petals and edible shoots.

Bon appétit!

Many thanks to chef Clive Joyce, for his collaboration to the recipes section of the blog.

The right address: L'Oxalis by Clive Joyce, 35 Grand Rue, Collias, Tel: 06 18 61 92 16. Open Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays for dinner, Saturdays and Sundays for lunch and dinner.

Did you know? The Oxalis (derived from the Greek oxys, "sharp, acid") is a perennial plant with trifoliate leaves, the petals of which change colour depending on the species. Its edible leaves have a pungent flavour due to the presence of oxalic acid, as it is the case with rhubarb and sorrel.