Langoustine bisque with "rouille" sauce

INGREDIENTS

For the bisque

- 500 g of shells of langoustines (you can put the tails in the soup at the end)
- 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 chopped celery stalk
- 1/4 chopped fennel
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 small tin chopped tomatoes
- 50 g of butter
- Thyme, bay leaf
- A small glass of cognac
- 250 ml of white wine
- 1 liter of shellfish broth
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon dried tomato paste
- 1 pinch of Espelette chilli pepper
- Salt

For the "rouille" sauce

- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 egg yolk
- 250 ml olive oil
- 1 medium potato with tender flesh, cooked, peeled, still warm enough
- 1 pinch saffron threads, soaked in a teaspoon of warm water
- 1 pinch of red pepper
- Salt

METHOD

 Langoustine bisque:

Heat the butter with a little oil in a deep fry-pan.

Add all the vegetables, thyme, bay leaf and cook gently until everything is softened.

Add the tomatoes into pieces and heat all together.

Put the shells of langoustines in the pan.

Cook over high heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour the brandy and flambé. Then pour the wine, bring to boil, then fill with the fish stock.

Let everything simmer for about twenty minutes. Crush the shells of prawns in the soup to extract the maximum possible flavor. 

Pour in a strainer and press the "solids" to, again, get the best flavor.

Add the cream and dried tomato paste in the soup, pepper, salt

Rouille sauce:

Put the garlic, hot potato, egg yolk in a bowl and work with a spatula to obtain a fairly smooth paste.

Whip strongly to create an emulsion with olive oil poured slowly and add the saffron and chilli.

Mix and season.