Langoustine Tempura with Mashed Potatoes and Quick-Sautéed Vegetable Slivers

Pour the rice flour into a bowl, and make a well. Add the egg and some ice water, and stir until the batter is smooth and even.

Separate the heads of the langoustines from the tails, and shell the latter leaving the last two rings of shell attached.

Toss the langoustines in the tempura batter and plunge in 355°F (180°C) hot oil. Cook until just lightly golden, and season with fleur de sel.

Remove the outer skin from the fennel, and cut into thin shavings.

Peel the asparagus, and wash in cold water.

Cut the asparagus 2 1/4 inches (6 cm) from the tips, then finely slice them lengthwise to obtain ribbons. Julienne the rest.

Peel the baby broad beans. Peel and slice the artichokes.

Peel the carrots and turnips. Finely julienne the carrots, and slice the turnips.

Sauté all the vegetables in olive oil in a hot frying pan, without browning, and season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Wash the potatoes, and cook them unpeeled in boiling water.

When cooked, peel and mash with a fork over a double-boiler.

Stir 2 3/4 fluid ounces (8 cl) olive oil into the mashed potatoes, followed by the light chicken stock, to get a smooth mixture with a strong olive oil flavor.

Add the chopped chives, the stalked chervil, the chopped flat-leaf parsley, and the green basil, cut into chiffonade.

Sauté the shrimp in a drizzle of oil in a very hot pan. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to a boil, then add the extra-virgin olive oil, a dash of lemon juice, and the coarsely ground Sarawak pepper.

Blend in a high speed blender to get a smooth mixture without any lumps, and filter through a fine-meshed chinois.

Peel the lemon, finely mince the rind, and dry in a drying oven. Crush the pepper and the cardamom, and mix all three ingredients together.

Place the mashed potatoes in the center of the plates, and top with the vegetables and the langoustines. Season with the spice mix, and drizzle with the shrimp jus. Serve immediately.