Pastry-topped jerusalem artichoke soup with cumin

Heat the butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and cumin seeds and fry gently without colouring for 3 minutes. Mix in the pudding rice. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the artichokes and the milk in which they were soaked. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer till the artichokes are soft and pulpy, around 15 minutes.

Transfer the artichoke soup to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Strain the artichoke soup through a fine sieve into a saucepan.

Mix in the cream, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and add lemon juice to taste. Pour the soup into 6 ovenproof bowls and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4.

Roll out the puff pastry finely and cut out 6 pastry discs, slightly large than the soup bowls.

Mix together the beaten egg and milk. Brush the sides of the bowls with the egg mixture. Lay a pastry disc over each bowl and press the edges firmly to the bowl, sealing well.

Brush the pastry tops with the egg mixture. Sprinkle with sea salt and cumin seeds and ground cumin.

Place the soup bowls on baking sheets, spaced well apart.

. Bake the pastry-topped soup for 10-12 minutes, until the pastry has risen. Reduce the heat to 150ºC/gas 2 and bake for a further 8-10 minutes.

. Serve warm from the oven.