Its been an extremely busy week, especially because of mothers day on Sunday which made the weekend all the busier. We got through it with not too much stress and very few raised voices :)
Went in to work yesterday to be greeted with a whole host of new seasonal ingredients and a new menu to start at lunch...time to push on then I guess.
We have new season lamb sweetbreads with lambs tongue, wild garlic, jersey royals and baby onions.
North African spiced Mackerel and baked aubergine and a slightly out there dish which I love, Parsley soup with snail tortellini and sauteed snails in garlic butter and a red wine jus.
Think of the flavours!
The north African mackerel is a take on a traditional dish called Imam baylidi, which translates as the priest feinted, this is reportedly because he feinted when he ate it because it was so good, another variation was because of the price of the ingredients and the amount of oil in it...it is a spiced onion, tomato and aubergine dish traditionally braised in olive oil and served cold as a meze. Definitely worth a try, I got to have a nibble last night and it was delicious, it could easily be altered to contain meat, like minced beef or another mullet??
Anyway I'm going to have to take some more pics of the dishes we are producing at the moment and post them on here for your perusal.
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Monday, 12 March 2012
Steamed Sea Bass with a Soy Ginger and Chilli Broth
So in keeping with my seasonality post earlier I thought I'd post this dish as we are approaching spring, and sea bass, probably my favourite fish is in season.
Ingredients:
1 Fillet of sea bass cut in half with skin on per person
2 Spring onions sliced diagonally
90ml Mirin Sweet Wine
125ml Rice Vinegar
500ml Soy Sauce
1250ml water
Sesame Oil
1/2 Garlic head peeled and thinly sliced on mandolin
4 Red Chilli's (more if you like it hotter) half de-seed and julienne width ways
2 Thumbs Ginger slice on mandolin and julienne.
1 Litre fish stock
1 Pak Choi per person
1 Cucumber
100ml White Wine Vinegar
100ml Water
100g Sugar
Chervil - Picked
Shiso Cress
To make the broth:
Sweat off the garlic, chilli's and ginger in a splash of sesame oil, be careful not to colour any of the ingredients.
Add the Mirin, Rice Vinegar, Soy Sauce and water and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat. The broth won't need seasoning as the soy sauce is extremely salty already you may need to adjust the broth by adding more water if it is still too salty.
For the Cucumber:
Mix the 100ml water, sugar and white wine vinegar in a pan and heat until combined, leave to cool.
Peel the cucumber cut into 3 and half length ways and cut into battons. Remove the seeds they are just water and will take away the pickled effect. add the cucumber to the pickling liquor and leave to pickle.
To cook the Sea Bass:
Place the Sea bass and Pak Choi into a steamer and place the steamer over the boiling fish stock.
Leave to cook for 6-7mins until just cooked.
To serve place the Pak Choi into a bowl and carefully place the bass on top. pile 4 battons of cucumber on top of the bass and spoon over the hot soy dressing, sprinkle over some of the chopped spring onion and top off with shisho cress and the picked chervil.
The resulting flavours should be a delicately cooked fish, with a flavour full broth with a spice to it. The cucumber adds a crunchy texture and an acidity to cut through the saltiness of the broth.
Ingredients:
1 Fillet of sea bass cut in half with skin on per person
2 Spring onions sliced diagonally
90ml Mirin Sweet Wine
125ml Rice Vinegar
500ml Soy Sauce
1250ml water
Sesame Oil
1/2 Garlic head peeled and thinly sliced on mandolin
4 Red Chilli's (more if you like it hotter) half de-seed and julienne width ways
2 Thumbs Ginger slice on mandolin and julienne.
1 Litre fish stock
1 Pak Choi per person
1 Cucumber
100ml White Wine Vinegar
100ml Water
100g Sugar
Chervil - Picked
Shiso Cress
To make the broth:
Sweat off the garlic, chilli's and ginger in a splash of sesame oil, be careful not to colour any of the ingredients.
Add the Mirin, Rice Vinegar, Soy Sauce and water and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat. The broth won't need seasoning as the soy sauce is extremely salty already you may need to adjust the broth by adding more water if it is still too salty.
For the Cucumber:
Mix the 100ml water, sugar and white wine vinegar in a pan and heat until combined, leave to cool.
Peel the cucumber cut into 3 and half length ways and cut into battons. Remove the seeds they are just water and will take away the pickled effect. add the cucumber to the pickling liquor and leave to pickle.
To cook the Sea Bass:
Place the Sea bass and Pak Choi into a steamer and place the steamer over the boiling fish stock.
Leave to cook for 6-7mins until just cooked.
To serve place the Pak Choi into a bowl and carefully place the bass on top. pile 4 battons of cucumber on top of the bass and spoon over the hot soy dressing, sprinkle over some of the chopped spring onion and top off with shisho cress and the picked chervil.
The resulting flavours should be a delicately cooked fish, with a flavour full broth with a spice to it. The cucumber adds a crunchy texture and an acidity to cut through the saltiness of the broth.
Seasonality
This wasn't something I had ever thought about until about 2years ago when I started working in top kitchens and the dishes changed monthly, weekly and more recently even daily! I was fascinated at the different seasons and the glorious food that appeared during that time, I soon found myself trying different fruit and veg that I had previously not liked purely because it was a different time of year, take asparagus for example, I couldn't stand it, and knew it made you smell funny after!! now however having tried English asparagus at the time its meant to be eaten around April I cant get enough!
I urge everyone to find out what is in season and to try something new or even something old just at a different time and I can assure you, you may find a new favourite just like I did.
Here is a simple chart that I was given at college that could really get you on the path to finding something new.
I urge everyone to find out what is in season and to try something new or even something old just at a different time and I can assure you, you may find a new favourite just like I did.
Here is a simple chart that I was given at college that could really get you on the path to finding something new.
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Salted Caramel and White Chocolate Fondant
I've noticed a distinct lack of sweet dishes on here so thought I'd post this recipe, that we used at a hotel that I used to work at, we served it as a petit four but the size could easily be increased to be served as a main dessert.
You will need:
352g Butter
325g Caster Sugar
350g Eggs
225g T55 Flour
15g Salt
1 1/2 Vanilla pods
360g White chocolate
Make a dry caramel with 175g of the sugar take the caramel really dark, verging on burnt to 216degrees.
Whilst this is cooking make a sabayon by whisking the remaining 150g Sugar with the eggs. Melt the butter and Vanilla in a pan.
Use the melted butter to deglaze the caramel, be careful this may splash and is extremely hot!! Add the salt and chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is fully incorporated in the caramel butter mixture.
Add the hot mixture to the sabayon and whisk well.
Finally whisk in the flour.
Pipe the mixture into moulds, or tart cases and cook in the oven at 185degrees. Cook until the mixture becomes just sponge like on top and serve immediately, this should take 10-15mins for a 70g portion, the result should be a delicious oozing centre.
Like I said we served this as a petit four but I think it would be delicious served as a main dessert, maybe with a white chocolate Ice-cream, and some caramel popcorn.
You will need:
352g Butter
325g Caster Sugar
350g Eggs
225g T55 Flour
15g Salt
1 1/2 Vanilla pods
360g White chocolate
Make a dry caramel with 175g of the sugar take the caramel really dark, verging on burnt to 216degrees.
Whilst this is cooking make a sabayon by whisking the remaining 150g Sugar with the eggs. Melt the butter and Vanilla in a pan.
Use the melted butter to deglaze the caramel, be careful this may splash and is extremely hot!! Add the salt and chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is fully incorporated in the caramel butter mixture.
Add the hot mixture to the sabayon and whisk well.
Finally whisk in the flour.
Pipe the mixture into moulds, or tart cases and cook in the oven at 185degrees. Cook until the mixture becomes just sponge like on top and serve immediately, this should take 10-15mins for a 70g portion, the result should be a delicious oozing centre.
Like I said we served this as a petit four but I think it would be delicious served as a main dessert, maybe with a white chocolate Ice-cream, and some caramel popcorn.
Monday, 5 March 2012
Braised Shoulder of Lamb
Sorry for the lack of activity, work has been unbelievably busy, who says there's a recession?!
On a rare day off I decided to cook at home for the family, and opted for braised lamb shoulder, so off to the butchers I trotted and got a beautiful on the bone, huge shoulder of lamb, 2.2kg for just £13.
I paired it with a garlic puree, spinach, roasted garlic butter crouton and Roosevelt potatoes.
Pre-heat the oven to 160degrees.
For the lamb brown off 20 shallots and 20 garlic cloves in a roasting dish big enough to fit the shoulder in place a bundle of aromatic herbs (rosemary and thyme) on to the shallots and place the shoulder on top of that season the lamb liberally as it is a huge piece of meat so will take a lot of seasoning. Cover the lamb with 1/2 bottle of wine and a litre of chicken stock. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 3hrs 30 check regularly turning the meet occasionally. Its cooked when the meat is falling off the bone.
For the croutons slice the white bread into batons about 1inch wide and the length of the slice with no crusts. fry until golden brown in duck fat.
For the roast garlic butter peel two heads of garlic and place in tin foil with butter, a sprig of thyme, salt and pepper and roast in the oven until the garlic softens and browns, mash the garlic and butter with a fork and mix through chopped parsley.
The garlic puree is really easy and delicious. cover a pan with peeled garlic and cover with water bring to the boil and drain. whilst the garlic is boiling sweat off 1/2 an onion in butter and salt and add the drained garlic, sweat until soft on a low heat add a splash of cream and blitz until smooth.
The spinach is simple and delicious, it takes about 40seconds, melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and add the spinach, it may look like too much for the pan but it soon wilts to about half the size so fill the pan full, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with the boiled new potatoes, the warm crouton with melted butter, plenty of the moreish garlic puree and the meat that should be so tender it can be cut with a spoon.
Give it a try and let me know your results.
On a rare day off I decided to cook at home for the family, and opted for braised lamb shoulder, so off to the butchers I trotted and got a beautiful on the bone, huge shoulder of lamb, 2.2kg for just £13.
I paired it with a garlic puree, spinach, roasted garlic butter crouton and Roosevelt potatoes.
Pre-heat the oven to 160degrees.
For the lamb brown off 20 shallots and 20 garlic cloves in a roasting dish big enough to fit the shoulder in place a bundle of aromatic herbs (rosemary and thyme) on to the shallots and place the shoulder on top of that season the lamb liberally as it is a huge piece of meat so will take a lot of seasoning. Cover the lamb with 1/2 bottle of wine and a litre of chicken stock. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 3hrs 30 check regularly turning the meet occasionally. Its cooked when the meat is falling off the bone.
For the croutons slice the white bread into batons about 1inch wide and the length of the slice with no crusts. fry until golden brown in duck fat.
For the roast garlic butter peel two heads of garlic and place in tin foil with butter, a sprig of thyme, salt and pepper and roast in the oven until the garlic softens and browns, mash the garlic and butter with a fork and mix through chopped parsley.
The garlic puree is really easy and delicious. cover a pan with peeled garlic and cover with water bring to the boil and drain. whilst the garlic is boiling sweat off 1/2 an onion in butter and salt and add the drained garlic, sweat until soft on a low heat add a splash of cream and blitz until smooth.
The spinach is simple and delicious, it takes about 40seconds, melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and add the spinach, it may look like too much for the pan but it soon wilts to about half the size so fill the pan full, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with the boiled new potatoes, the warm crouton with melted butter, plenty of the moreish garlic puree and the meat that should be so tender it can be cut with a spoon.
Give it a try and let me know your results.
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