Finely mince the shallots. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the shallots and epazote or sage and sweat really slowly on a low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent and very soft. Add the anchovies and mix well, so that they dissolve into the onions. Then add the crème fraîche and a good twist of black pepper. Heat through and stir to combine well.

Meanwhile, prepare the cauliflower. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the cauliflower florets and simmer for 10 minutes until soft, then strain. This dish is better with the cauliflower nearer collapsing than crisp.
Split the cashews, and dry-roast in a frying pan, shaking frequently, until golden. Set aside.

Pour the sauce over the drained cauliflower, mix together and transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle with the toasted cashews or flaked almonds and sage, and serve warm.

Bend the liquorice root back and forth a few times to loosen it up then put in a large pot of salted water and bring to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving some of the liquoriced pasta water.

Meanwhile cut the chorizo into thin batons. Halve or third the half-onion and slice, not too thinly. You want some correspondence between the chorizo and the onion.
Peel the garlic cloves, halve lengthwise and slice fatly.
Heat olive oil in a pan and add the chorizo, onion and garlic and fry together over a fairly high heat until on the point of colouring. Deglaze with a glass of white wine, allow to bubble, then pour in cream to cover. Warm through, loosen with some of the reserved pasta water and grate in most of the cheese, reserving a little. Remove from the heat, add the mandarin juice and season. Mix in the cooked pasta.
Ladle into serving plates and sprinkle with the reserved grated cheese and a grating of black pepper.

Slice the cauliflower thickly, as many as will lay in more-or-less a single layer in the pan. Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the mace if using, season with salt & fresh pepper, then lay in the cauliflower.
Fry gently until browned.
Add a small number of anchovy fillets and crush against the bottom of the pan, frying until they begin to dissolve.
Add tomato purée and stir through, then loosen with a little tomato juice, tomato passata or chopped tomatoes. Cook until they thicken, add frozen or fresh peas, cover and simmer until the peas are tender.

Lightly grease 4 (or 6) ramekins.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.

Place the milk, shallots, bay leaves, blade of mace and peppercorns in a pan and slowly bring to the boil, this will take about 5 minutes. Set aside for a few minutes for the milk to absorb the flavours then strain into a bowl and discard the flavourings.

Since the Smokies are hot smoked, they can be eaten without any further cooking, so all you need to do to remove the flesh from the fish is to warm it slightly either in the microwave, a steamer, or wrap it in tinfoil and place in the oven for 5 minutes. Split the fish open and remove the backbone, it comes away very easily from the tail end, and the flesh can be flaked, taking care to avoid the bones. Set this aside.

Now, gently melt the butter in a pan, do not allow it to brown or you will spoil the taste of the sauce, and then stir in the flour, stir quickly with a wooden spoon, making a paste (a roux). Cook the roux gently for a minute or so then gradually add the warm milk stirring all the time until the mixture is smooth and thick. Now turn the heat right down and allow the sauce to simmer for 3 minutes to cook out the flour, stirring or whisking occasionally. Next stir in the grated cheese and cook for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.

Now transfer the sauce to a large bowl and leave it to cool slightly. Whisk the egg whites until the form stiff peaks and set aside while you whisk the egg yolks lightly and add them to the sauce, mix until well blended and season with salt and black pepper. Add the flaked fish, taking care not to break the fish up too much; you want the flakes to stay as intact as possible.

Gradually fold the egg whites into the cheesy fish mixture, do not stir or you will lose the air from the egg whites. Check the seasoning and then divide between the ramekins and place in a roasting tin with enough hot water to come half way up the ramekins. Bake for about 35-40 minutes until well risen, firm and becoming golden brown.

Recipe Continued. On the next page!
You can now serve these soufflés immediately or you can place them in the fridge and re-bake them any time within 2 days. Allow them to cool slightly but not completely or you will have trouble getting them cleanly out of the ramekins (they will sink a bit but don't worry) and then loosen from the ramekins by running the blade of a knife around the sides, pat the bottom and give them a shake, they should come out quite cleanly. If they don't, and they are still warm leave them for another few minutes. Now turn them out upside down not sure why - I refrigerated mine right-side-up on to a cling filmed tray, easiest if you shake the soufflé out onto your hand first then gently lay on the tray. At this stage they can be covered with cling film and refrigerated. They also freeze very well and once defrosted just follow the instructions below.

When you want to serve them.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
Lightly grease a baking tray and place the souffleés on it, the right way up again. Bake for 10 minutes or until they have risen again and have become light and fluffy. They will not rise as much as originally but they will be very light. Now, you need to serve them immediately, so you need to make the Anchovy and Talisker Cream while the soufflés are in the oven.

Talisker and Anchovy Cream
Combine all the ingredients and whisk until just beginning to thicken. Taste and add more anchovy paste or whisky to your preference.
To Serve
Trickle some Talisker and Anchovy Cream across the plates and set some baby salad leaves to one side, dress the salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and at the last moment place a soufflé on each plate. Serve immediately and wait for the complaints compliments... sorry :)