Creamy Pearl Barley
Orge perlé crémeux: plump pearl barley cooked risotto-style in rich vegetable stock and Belgian blonde ale, folded with crème fraîche, sweet butter-braised leeks, and aged Passendale cheese.
Ingredients
- • 250g pearl barley (orge perlé), rinsed
- • 1 large Belgian leek, washed and finely sliced into rounds
- • 150ml Belgian blonde ale or dry white wine
- • 700ml vegetable or chicken stock, kept hot
- • 80g aged Belgian Passendale or Gouda cheese, grated
- • 3 tbsp thick crème fraîche
- • 30g salted Belgian butter
- • 2 tbsp fresh chervil (cerfeuil), chopped
- • Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
Preparation Steps
Melt half the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the sliced leek for 5 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add the rinsed pearl barley and stir for 2 minutes until glossy and coated in butter.
Pour the Belgian blonde ale into the pan, stirring vigorously while the beer foams and simmers down until almost completely absorbed by the grains.
Add the hot stock ladle by ladle, stirring regularly over medium-low heat for 25 to 30 minutes until the barley is tender with a pleasant nutty chew and a creamy starch consistency.
Remove the pan from heat. Fold in the crème fraîche, remaining butter, and grated Passendale cheese until melted into a luscious coating. Season with salt, pepper, and fresh chervil, serving immediately.