Preparing the onion chutney

1. Prepare the onions: peel and finely chop the onions.
2. Cooking: in a saucepan, gently sweat the onions in the butter, then continue cooking over a low heat for around 30 minutes, until they have melted. Add the sprig of thyme at the end of the cooking time for flavour. Season and set aside to cool.

Potato cushion

1. Prepare the potato strips: using a vegetable strip cutter, cut thin potato leaves. Cut into strips 25 cm long and 5 cm wide.
2. Filling and folding: place a little onion chutney on one end of each strip, then fold into a samosa shape to create a potato ‘cushion’. Prepare 4 cushions per person.
3. Cooking: place the cushions in a dish and steam for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Gherkin gel and mini marbles

1. Gherkin balls: use a mini melon baller to scoop out small balls of gherkin. Set aside for garnishing.
2. Prepare the gel: blend the remaining gherkins, including the trimmings and the juice from the jar, in a blender until smooth. Strain through a sieve.
3. Gelling: heat the strained gherkin juice in a saucepan and add the agar-agar to obtain a gel consistency. Leave to cool, then blend again to obtain a smooth, creamy texture. Season to taste.

Fig confit

1. Prepare the figs: set aside two whole figs for decoration. Cut the rest into pieces.
2. Cooking: in a saucepan, stew the fig pieces in a small amount of water over a low heat for around 20 minutes, until very tender.
3. Blending and adjusting: blend until smooth. If necessary, add a little sugar to balance the acidity. Set aside.

Raclette sauce

1. To make the sauce: heat the cream until it boils, then remove from the heat.
2. Add the raclette cheese, cut into small pieces, to the hot cream and stir until the sauce is smooth and melted.

Presentation

1. Assembly: arrange four potato cushions in a circle in the centre of each plate.
2. Garnish: using a pipette, add small dots of fig gel and gherkin gel around the cushions. Arrange a few gherkin balls and fresh fig quarters.
3. Decorate: add chervil shoots for the finishing touch.
4. Finishing: just before serving, gently pour the hot raclette sauce over the centre of the dish. If you have herb oil, add a few drops for an extra visual and taste effect.

Lucrèce's gourmet tip

Serve hot, accompanied by slices of farmhouse bread to savour every last drop of the sauce!