Gooseberry Ice Cream (Serves 8)
An in-season and British fruit transformed into a sharp, but sweet and creamy dessert...
Ingredients: 300ml Double Cream
300ml Full-Fat Milk
6 Egg Yolks
1/2 Vanilla Pod
500g Gooseberries
145g Caster Sugar
60ml Water
Method:
1. To make the gooseberry puree, in a small pan combine the gooseberries, water and 45g of caster sugar and poach on a low heat. Cook the gooseberries until they start to burst, before transferring the contents of the pan to a food processor. Blitz until a puree is formed, before passing the gooseberries through a sieve to get a smoother result. Allow to cool.
2. Heat the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan and bring up to a simmer. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks together with the remaining sugar in a bowl. Once the cream and milk has come to the boil, pour the contents on to the egg yolks/sugar mix and whisk until fully combined.
3. Place the mixture back into the pan and heat gently. Stir continuously and allow the custard to thicken. Once thickened to coat the back of spoon, strain the custard through another sieve and set aside to cool.
4. Once the custard and gooseberry puree have both cooled, fold together and churn in an ice cream maker for 25-30 minutes.
5. Store in an airtight container before placing in the freezer. Consume within 1 month.
Wild Garlic Oil (Makes 225ml)
An ingredient that is only in season for 4-6 weeks (April till Mid-May), by making it into an oil it can be preserved for 8 months when left refrigerated. A versatile oil which can be used in mashed potatoes, gnocchi, pesto, dressings and more...
Ingredients: 100g Wild Garlic
120ml Olive Oil
Method:
1. In a food processor blitz the wild garlic and 100ml of the olive oil, for 2 minutes.
2. To store the oil, boil a kettle and pour the water directly into the jar to sterilise it before tapping out the excess water. Do not try with a tea towel, as it will decrease the sterilising temperature. Repeat this process with the lid as well.
3. Pour the oil into the jar, before topping with the remaining 20ml of oil, to allow no air to get to the wild garlic oil, preserving it for longer.
4. Refrigerate, once the jar has come down to room temperature.
Penang Fish Curry (Serves 6)
A delight for the taste buds, with salty, sweet and spicy flavours...
Ingredients: 1 Stalk Lemongrass
2 Yellow Chillies
2 Shallots
1 Thumb-Sized Piece Galangal or Ginger
4 Cloves of Garlic (Peeled)
1 Teaspoon Coriander Seeds
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1 Teaspoon Turmeric
2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Shrimp Paste
2 Tablespoons Palm Sugar
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
400ml Coconut Milk
1 Red Pepper (De-Seeded & Sliced)
1 Yellow Pepper (De-Seeded & Sliced)
1kg Mixed White Fish Fillets (Skin Removed)
200g Mange Tout (Sliced)
8 Kaffir Lime Leaves
Small Handful of Fresh Coriander (Roughly Chopped)
Small Handful of Thai Basil (Roughly Chopped)
Method:
1. For the curry paste, toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a frying pan with no oil for 1 minute before grinding the seeds into a powder with a pestle and mortar.
2. In a food processor, blitz the lemongrass, chillies, shallots, galangal, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, fish sauce, shrimp paste, palm sugar and lime juice until a rough paste is formed.
3. In a large wok, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and on a high heat fry the yellow curry paste for 2 minutes. Add the kaffir lime leaves and pour in the coconut milk and 100ml of water and allow to cook to a gentle simmer by turning down the hob to a low to medium heat.
4. Add the peppers and cook for a further 15 minutes.
5. For the fish, season with ground black pepper, but no salt and cook in the sauce for 5-6 minutes with the mange tout until the fish begins to look opaque.
6. Serve immediately with rice noodles.
Apple Crumble Souffle (Serves 4)
A traditional, British dessert refined into a souffle...
Ingredients: 1/2 Vanilla Pod (Seeds Scraped Out)
200ml Full-Fat Milk
1 Egg
6 Egg Whites
95g Plain Flour
30g Butter
15g Cornflour
220g Caster Sugar
3 Cox Apples (Peeled, Cored & Diced)
1 Cinnamon Stick
Method:
1. For the crème patissière, put the milk and vanilla pod in a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil. Meanwhile, beat the egg in a large bowl and then, continuously whisking with a hand-held electric mixer, slowly add 35g caster sugar, then 20g of flour and, finally, 5g of cornflour. Once the milk has come to the boil, pour it onto the egg custard, mix and whisk. Transfer back to the pan and cook on a medium-high heat for 5-8 minutes or until thick. Pass it through a fine sieve.
2. To make the apple purée, slowly cook 2 of the apples, cinnamon and 50g of sugar together with 50ml of water in a saucepan for 5-10 minutes or until the apple turns to mush. Pass through a sieve, watering it down if it seems a little thick, and keep warm. Whisk together the apple purée and 40g of caster sugar in a saucepan and then simmer over a medium heat until reduced by half. Mix 10g of cornflour with a little water to form a paste and add to the purée. Increase the heat to high and cook the purée until it has thickened. Transfer to a food processor and blend, then strain and leave to cool.
3. For the crumble, preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Rub 75g of flour, 65g caster sugar and butter together in a bowl to form crumbs, then spread on a baking tray and cook in the oven, stirring every 5 minutes, for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven, leave to cool and then blend in a food processor. Increase the oven temperature to 180 degrees Celsius.
4. Make the meringue by whisking together the egg whites and 30g of caster sugar in a bowl to stiff peaks.
5. To make the soufflés, butter four 275ml moulds then quickly swirl sugar around the moulds so that it adheres to the butter. Mix 240g of the fruit reduction with 320g of the crème patissière. Then gently fold in half of the meringue mix, followed by the rest of the meringue. Add 1 tablespoon of the crumble and 1 tablespoon of the diced cox apples.
6. Spoon the mix into the moulds, sprinkle more crumble on top and cook in the oven for about 10 minutes or so until risen and golden. Serve the soufflés immediately, scattered with some more of the crumble.
Roasted Pork Belly served with Apple Sauce (Serves 4)
A classic Sunday lunch, given a wow factor with the herbs and spices used in the pork belly rub...
Ingredients: 1kg Pork Belly (Fat Scored with a Knife)
6 Sprigs of Thyme
8 Sage Leaves
1 Teaspoon Fennel Seeds
2 Tablespoons Sea Salt
2 Bramley Apples (Cored, Peeled & Diced)
1 Tablespoon Water
25g Butter
2 Tablespoons Caster Sugar
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
2. For the pork belly, pour boiling water over the top of the meat, discarding the water afterwards.
3. Pat the pork belly dry, using a kitchen towel. In a pestle and mortar create a rub with the thyme, sea salt, sage leaves and fennel seeds. Grind down until a coarse powder is formed and press the rub into the scores in the fat.
4. Transfer the pork belly to a roasting tray and cook for 3 hours. To create crackling, transfer the pork belly after cooking for 3 hours to the grill and crisp up the belly for 10-15 minutes.
5. To make the apple sauce, in a small pan place the apples and water and cook for 5 minutes wit the lid on until the apples cook down to a purée. Stir in butter and sugar at the end of the cooking process, adding more sugar if needs be, to taste.
6. Serve immediately.
Dark Chocolate Fondants (Serves 4-6)
A perfect dessert for entertaining, impressive, simple to prepare and serve...
Ingredients: 100g Dark Chocolate
130g Unsalted Butter (Cubed)
120g Caster Sugar
100g Flour
4 Eggs (2 Whole, 2 Yolks)
Cocoa Powder (To Dust)
Method:
1. Firstly, butter the moulds. Soften 30g of the butter and brush the moulds with upwards strokes to encourage the fondants to rise when baked later. Once covered, refrigerate for 10 minutes for the butter to chill and repeat the process again. Roll in cocoa powder until the entire mould is lightly coated, tap out any excess powder.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
3. Place a bowl over simmering water to create a bain marie. Place the dark chocolate and remaining butter in the bowl to melt.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and caster sugar in a stand mixer on a medium to high speed until the mixture is pale and thickened to form a sabayon.
5. Once the chocolate and butter is melted, add to the sabayon whilst the stand mixer is still in operation. When fully incorporated, take the bowl out of the stand mixer and fold in the flour.
6. Pour the mixture into a piping bag, before filling the moulds two-thirds of the way up on the mould.
7. Place in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes until the tops have formed a crust and they are starting to come away from the side of their moulds. Leave to cool for 30 seconds before turning out carefully onto a plate to serve.
8. Serve with vanilla ice cream or any variants. Salted caramel ice cream would be a perfect partner for this dessert...
Garlic & Fresh Herb Roasted Chicken, Pomme Puree & Mushroom Sauce (Serves 4)
A versatile, but classic dish which can be used to impress family or friends...
Ingredients: 1 Medium-Sized Chicken (Whole)
1 Bay Leaf
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Sprigs of Rosemary
4 Sprigs of Thyme
1/2 Lemon (Juice Only)
6 Cloves of Garlic (5 Crushed, 1 Peeled & Sliced)
3 Onions (2 Peeled & Quartered, 1 Finely Diced)
4 Carrots (Roughly Chopped)
4 Sticks of Celery (Roughly Chopped)
600g Potatoes (Peeled & Quartered)
100ml Full-Fat Milk
150ml Double Cream
75g Salted Butter (Cubed)
225g Button Mushrooms (Sliced)
100ml White Wine
200ml Chicken Stock
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley (Finely Chopped)
Method:
1. For the roast chicken, make a herb rub out of 3 cloves of garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. By crushing together in a pestle and mortar, until a paste is formed. Rub thoroughly and evenly over the chicken, before covering and placing in the fridge to marinate for 2-3 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, before placing the celery, 2 cloves of garlic, carrot, bay leaf and onion on a roasting tray creating a trivet. Spread another tablespoon of vegetable oil amongst the vegetables before topping with the chicken. Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes, but after 45, scrape off any charred remains off the rub if starting to blacken.
3. Meanwhile, for the pomme puree, cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling water for 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Pass the potatoes through a moulis or potato ricer. At this stage add the butter and fold in until the butter has melted and the puree starts to look shiny.
4. Heat 75ml of the cream and all the milk in a small pan up to a simmer before gradually adding to the puree. Season to taste before leaving on the side.
5. For the mushroom sauce- in a frying pan, fry the onion, remaining garlic and mushrooms for 15 minutes until softened. Add the white wine before reducing by half, add the chicken stock and reduce by half again on a high heat. Pour in any extra juice left by the resting chicken or any juice left at the bottom of the roasting tin. Once the sauce is thickening, pour in the cream to cook for a further 2 minutes. Take off the heat before stirring in the parsley and seasoning to taste.
6. Serve immediately with seasonal vegetables.
