• The difference between good and bad tempura is the batter—the goal is a light, crisp coating that doesn't absorb oil when fried. There are several important steps for achieving this texture: 1). Don't overmix the batter. When you stir in the water, mix very gently just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Don't attempt to work out the lumps, or the batter will become heavy. 2). Be sure the water you mix in is very cold. This will make a cold batter that will remain light when fried. 3). Mix the batter just before frying. Making it ahead will produce a heavy coating. 4). Dry the shrimp and veggies well before dipping them in the batter. This will help the batter adhere. 5). Be sure the oil is the proper temperature. If it's not hot enough, the batter will absorb oil before it cooks and the result will be greasy tempura. Tempura is traditionally served with boiled soba noodles and shredded carrots or daikon radish. Mix the ingredients just before baking. The batter should be lumpy. The oil in which you bake must be about 180ºC.

Preparations

• Wash and cut the vegetables in mirepoix. Tomatoes do not have to peeled.

Cooking

• A veal stock can be made in 2 ways, light or dark coloured. If you want to make a light coloured stock, you start with blanching the bones. Bring a pot with water to the boil, add the bones and cook for 5 minutes. Take the bones out and rince them under cold water. Take new water and cook the bones together with the vegetables. When you want a dark stock, you first brown the bones in the oven on 250ºC. When brown, add the carrots and onions, mix all and brown for another 5 minutes. Pour the grease out and deglace with white wine while scraping all brown and tasteful parts on the bottom of the pan. Place the pan on the stove and reduce until half. Add all vegetables and herbs, add water and bring to the boil. Turn the fire low and shimmer until all foam has disappeared. Let it go for at least 8 hrs. After this time, you seave the liquid and reduce until one third. Now you have got a demi glace. When you reduce until half, you have got a glace.

Puff pastry

• Roll out the puff pastry to a slab which is approximately 3 mm thick. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the puff pastry on the baking tray. Cover this also with baking paper. Place aside and chill in the refrigerator.

Filling

• Cut the fennel, peeled celery and leek in fine julliene. Add butter in a pan as well as the vegetables. Allow them to sweat by adding a bit of water. Cover the pan with a lid or baking paper. Turn the heat low and check if it is not burning. Stir once in a while. When cooked, season with salt and pepper and allow to cool down. When cooled down, mix in fresh cheese as well as the egg white.

Tomatoes

• Peel and remove the seeds of the tomatoes. Cut in brunoise. Cut scallion in brunoise. Sweat the onions in a pan with olive oil. Add tomatoes. Turn the heat low and cover with a lid. Later, remove the lid to allow evaporation.
• Blend the basil leaves and oil in a blender until a paste is formed. Add this to the tomato sauce together with tomato paste for the taste. Keep warm.

Fish

• Fillet the fish. Remove the fish bones. Place one half on plastic foil and spread the cooled vegetables. Turn the second half upside down and place on top. Make sure the thickness is the same over the whole fish.Press the sides firmly against each other. Roll the plastic foil tightly around the fish and cool.

Finish

• Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
• yolTake the puff pastry out of the refrigerator and place on baking paper. Coat the edges with the egg yolk . Place the fish slightly above the bottom edge. Use the parchment paper to raise the bottom edge and coat the outside of the dough with egg.Then fold the other side of the puff pastry around the fish with the aid of the paper, so that the ends of the dough just overlap. Place the seam underneath. Press the ends firmly and cut off well, fold the rest under the roll.Cut a line in the middle in the longitudinal direction and diagonally to it. Make sure not to go completely through the dough.With a large fish, make three holes in the longitudinal direction to allow the moisture to evaporate during baking.
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the core temperature is approximately 45-50˚C.
• Brush the puff pastry with clarified butter. Serve in slices with tomato sauce.

Base dough

• Melt 1/5 part of the butter and cool down. Sieve flour and salt above a bowl. Make a small pit in the middle of the bowl and pour in the water and melted butter. Start to mix this with the tips of the fingers.
• Use a plastic dough scraper or the tips of the fingers (the dough should be touched as little as possible with warm hands) to mix the ingredients together. If the dough is too dry, sprinkle with some water.
• Knead the dough to a ball. Place it on baking paper sprinkled with flour and cut in crosswise. Fold the baking paper and ball and place aside in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• Do not try to speed up the preparation by shortening the rest times. If the dough does not have time to cool, the butter will melt away. Roll the butter into a square of 2 cm thick and let it cool. The amount of butter is important: too little makes the dough heavy, too much makes it fat.

Adding butter

• Sprinkle the working place with a bit of flour. Roll out the dough into a cross-shaped form with an elevation in the middle.
• Place the butter in the middle and cover it completely with the pieces of dough sticking out. If necessary, stretch the butter over the dough.
• Sprinkle the dough and dough roller lightly with flour. Press down the edges of the butter. Roll the dough into a square and place aside for 30 minutes.
• The correct way of rolling out and folding the dough is by keeping the edges straight and alike. Fold the dough the same way as folding a letter. This allows the dough to rise equally at all parts. Also, all the layers will be equally as thick.
• Roll out the dough to a long rectangle. Fold the dough into three. The bottom layer should fold over the middle layer.
• Then, fold the top (third) layer over the other two layers.
• The result is a square slab of dough of three layers. All the edges are precisely over each other.

Turning and resting

• After each time, roll out the dough, fold and turn in plastic foil or pack in with baking paper sprinkled with flour. Place aside in a cool place for 30 minutes. This must be repeated 6 times so that the layers become airy and crumbly when baking.
• Turn the dough a quarter of a circle so that the top fold is now on the left side and the first straight edge of the square is at the top.
• Press down the edges and roll out the dough again to form a square.
• Fold the dough again in the same way. Mark with the tip of the finger how many times it has been rolled, folded and turned. Place aside in a cold place.