Soak the figs in water for 12 hours.
Cold almond soup
Place all the ingredients in a food blender and blend until you reach a thin consistency. Pass through a cloth sieve and allow to cool.
Ibérico ham consommé
Bake the bone in the oven for 20 minutes at 150ºC / 302ºF. Remove the fatty parts and place the bone in 5 litros / 21 cup of cold water. Allow to cook for 2 hours. Once cooked, allow to cool and degrease. Take the cold stock, clarify it then mix with the 3 beaten egg whites and brunoise-cut vegetables. Slowly bring to the boil and sieve through a cloth. Once sieved, add 25 ml / 2 tbsp liquid saffron per litre of stock.
Heat 200 ml / 3/4 cups of stock and add 1 gelatine leaf, previously soaked in cold water.
Cut the figs in slices, four per serving, discarding the stalks, and place them in the deepest part of the plate. Cover with the cold Ibérico ham consommé. Place 4 slices of Ibérico ham per plate on top of the Ibérico ham gelée and, at the table, cover with the well-cold almond soup.
Chef's Remark:
"The traditional elements involved in this dish and the exceedingly high quality of each make it a sure hit when sampled at the table. One of its key ingredients is extra virgin olive oil. I use a magnificent monovarietal olive oil of the hojiblanca variety, which comes from Priego de Córdoba PDO, to make this Andalusian culinary classic: a cold almond soup. To this I add ham stock, which makes the soup considerably lighter, and dried figs to provide a sweet note that contrasts to the delicious flavour of our Ibérico ham. A really simple, nutritious and healthy dish."
Preparation by: Maria José San Román
We will accompany this with a 100% Palomino white wine, Oloroso Seco (DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry), from Bodegas El Maestro Sierra. This is a wine the colour of old gold, with an amber border and a powerful, spacious aroma of toasted almonds, which is tasty, bitter and balanced in mouth – the perfect harmony to this dish.
