White onion velouté with crisp garlic and tapenade

1.For tapenade, process ingredients in a small food processor until smooth, season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and set aside.

2.Melt butter in a saucepan over low-medium heat until foaming, add onion and leek and cook, covered with a lid and stirring occasionally, until soft and tender but not coloured (20-30 minutes).

3.Meanwhile, combine potato and stock in a saucepan, bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low-medium and simmer until potato is very tender and falling apart (15-20 minutes).

4.Add onion mixture to potato mixture, season to taste and blend with a hand-held blender until smooth. Keep warm. Froth soup with a hand-held blender just before serving.

5.Meanwhile, for crisp garlic, blanch garlic (30 seconds). Drain, then repeat process 3 to 6 times until garlic is tender. Refresh garlic, dry on absorbent paper. Place flour, egg and breadcrumbs in separate bowls, roll garlic first in flour, then in egg, then in breadcrumbs, shaking off excess in between. Meanwhile, preheat oil in a deep saucepan or deep-fryer to 180C. Deep-fry garlic, in batches, until golden and crisp (1-2 minutes; be careful as hot oil may spit). Drain on absorbent paper, then divide among serving bowls.

6.Divide soup among bowls, drizzle with a few drops of olive oil and serve hot with chives and quenelles of tapenade.