Ingredients

For the Mille feuille sheet

500g all butter puff pastry
100g icing sugar
20ml Lapalisse pure hazelnut oil

 
For the Vanilla poached salsify
500g salsify
400ml water
200g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod split
Juice of 4 lemons
 
For the Salsify caramel
250g Lapalisse pure hazelnut oil
300g salsify
30ml sherry vinegar
80ml maple syrup
1g salt
8ml lemon juice
1.2g xanthan gum
 
For the Hazelnut diplomat
80g Sosa 98% pure hazelnut paste
220g milk
200 double cream
200 whipping cream
120g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod split
25g corn flour
10g plain flour
3 egg yolks
50g unsalted butter
Pinch of salt

For the Caramelised hazelnuts
100g blanched hazelnuts
100g caster sugar
50ml water

To Garnish
Marigold petals
Gold leaf

Method

For the Mille feuille sheet

·       Roll out all butter puff pastry between two silicone baking mats 
·       Brush with hazelnut oil and coat with icing sugar
·       Bake between two heavyweight baking sheets for 15/20 mins till golden brown and crisp 
·       Cut 12 pieces 13x2cm rectangles and leave to cool on a cooling rack
 
For the Vanilla poached salsify

·       Peel and cut salsify batons to 13cm and no wider than 1cm wide
·       Bring all other ingredients to a simmer 
·       Poach salsify in syrup for 16 mins or till soft
 
For the Salsify caramel

·       Peel wash and slice salsify into small rounds 
·       heat hazelnut oil to 160°c and fry salsify for 15 mins till soft and caramelised
·       remove oil and add lemon juice salt and maple syrup  
·       caramelise further till reduced
·       transfer to blender and add xanthan gum
·       while blending add hot oil back in slowly creating a silky emulsion then chill and transfer to a piping bag with nozzle.
 
For the Hazelnut diplomat

·       Heat 170ml milk, 200ml double cream, salt, sugar and vanilla pod in a medium pan to a light simmer
·       Whisk cornflour, egg yolks, remaining 50 ml of milk in a large bowl
·       Slowly pour over hot mixture whilst whisking and transfer back into pan
·       Bring mixture to a boil for 30 second constantly stirring with a spatula
·       Pass mix through a sieve and fold in butter and hazelnut paste
·       Chill in blast chiller with clingfilm covering surface
·       Whisk 200ml whipping cream to medium peaks and add a 1/3 of the chilled crème patisserie mix then further whisk till almost firm
·       Fold in the remaining crème patisserie mix, chill and transfer to a piping bag with a medium size nozzle
 
For the Caramelised hazelnuts

·       Toast hazelnuts for 8 mins at 180°c 
·       Bring sugar and water to the boil
·       Brush syrup up sides of pan
·       Reduce to a dark caramel swirling pan every 30 seconds
·       Drop in hazelnuts and separate onto a non-slip mat with an oiled fork
For the Garnish
·       Pick marigold petals from flowers with tweezers
·       Place two sheets of gold leaf in a squeezy bottle and shake
 
To serve

·       Place two sticks of salsify parallel of centre of plate
·       Pipe three 13cm cylinders alongside salsify 
·       Place 5 mille feuille sheets in between making them stand
·       Pipe strokes of salsify caramel along side and on top of salsify and a few short lines directly on the plate
·       Place three caramelised hazelnuts on edge of lines
·       Angle marigold petals in the same direction 12 per plate
·       Blow gold leaf particles from squeezy bottle across garnished plate