Taste, Issue 33

• 2 cups walnuts
• 1 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• ½ cup neutral oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• salt and ground black pepper
• 18 fat spears asparagus, ends trimmed
• a little olive oil to fry or roast
• Garnish: about 50g parmesan or pecorino, shaved with a vegetable peeler

Make the walnut crema. Place 1 cup of the walnuts in a pot with the water and garlic. Boil for 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a food processor, add oil and lemon juice and purée until smooth, adding another ¼-½ cup water to achieve a thick, creamy texture. Season to taste. Place in a small bowl and put to one side.

Roast the remaining walnuts on an oven tray at 180?C for 10 minutes. Boil trimmed asparagus in lightly salted water for 3 minutes, drain and cool in cold water. Drain. Either pan-fry asparagus in a little olive oil or roast at 220?C for 8-10 minutes until just starting to brown.
Spoon a little walnut crema on to 6 serving plates. Divide asparagus among plates, sprinkle with roasted walnuts and shavings of parmesan or pecorino. Serves 6

• 4 rashers streaky bacon, very finely diced
• a little oil for frying
• 2 dozen oysters on the half-shell
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon very finely chopped parsley
• pinch of salt and sprinkle of ground black pepper

Fry bacon until very crispy, drain and discard fat. Place oysters in a shallow baking dish and arrange bacon over the top. Mix together all other ingredients. Spoon about half a teaspoon of mixture over each oyster and place under a preheated grill for 2-3 minutes to just warm through.
Serves 4 as a starter and 6-8 as a pre-dinner nibble

Roasted hazelnuts and crispy bacon make the most wonderful garnish for this soup. You could use just hazelnuts but the combination of both makes this soup really special.

• 1 whole cauliflower, trimmed, outside leaves removed
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• salt and fine white pepper
• 6 cups vegetable stock or water
• 100g blue cheese, crumbled
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 cups milk
• ½ cup cream
• Garnish: ½ cup roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• Optional: 4 rashers streaky bacon, diced and cooked in a little oil until crispy

Cut cauliflower into small florets and place in a roasting dish. Drizzle over butter and toss to lightly coat. Spread out in a single layer, season with salt and pepper and pour 1 cup of stock or water into the base of the dish.
Roast at 180?C for about 40 minutes until tender and just starting to caramelize around the edges.

Purée cauliflower with its cooking juices until smooth then transfer to a pot; add the rest of the stock or water, blue cheese, parsley, milk and cream. Bring to a simmer; adjust seasonings to taste. Divide among serving bowls and garnish with crispy bacon and hazelnuts. Serves 6