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.
Roasted Shoulder of Lamb served with Garlic & Thyme Roast Potatoes
(Serves 4)
A traditional Sunday Roast, given a Greek twist with honey and oregano...
Ingredients: 1.2kg Shoulder of Lamb (Trimmed)
1 Bunch Thyme
5 Sprigs Rosemary
1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
1 Bulb of Garlic (Peeled)
1 Tablespoon Honey
125ml Water
700g Potatoes (Peeled & Quartered)
70ml Vegetable Oil
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. With the tip of a sharp knife, score the layer of skin and fat to give a cross-hatching effect on the top of the shoulder.
3. Using half of the garlic bulb, push the cloves evenly into the skin of the shoulder and make a rub using the thyme, rosemary, oregano, salt and ground black pepper.
4. Using a handful of the rub, rub over the shoulder of lamb. Place the shoulder into a casserole pan, using another handful of rub to spread over the bottom of the pan.
5. Drizzle the honey over the top of the lamb, before adding 30ml of vegetable oil. Pour the water into the casserole pan and cook in the oven for 2-3 hours until the meat pulls away easily from the bone. Check after one hour, to assure that not all the water has evaporated, if it has add a similar quantity for the remainder of cooking time.
6. For the roast potatoes, part-boil the potatoes for 15 minutes in a large saucepan. Meanwhile, pour the remaining vegetable oil into a roasting tray, before transferring to the oven. Once the oil is starting to smoke, add the potatoes, thyme and the remaining garlic cloves and roast for 35-40 minutes. Until the potatoes are golden brown on the outside and soft and fluffy in the middle.
7. Allow the lamb to rest for 5 minutes before carving and then serve immediately.
Braised Lamb Shanks served with Garlic & Thyme New Potatoes & A Pea & Bacon Ragout (Serves 4)
A wonderful family meal, full of late winter/early spring flavours...
Ingredients:
Braised Lamb Shanks
4 Lamb Shanks
1 Large Onion
4 Cloves of Garlic
4 Sprigs of Rosemary
4 Sprigs of Thyme
2 Bay Leaves
1 Teaspoon Tomato Puree
250ml Red Wine
500ml Lamb or Chicken Stock
Garlic & Thyme New Potatoes
400g New Potatoes (Washed & Halved)
6 Cloves of Garlic (Crushed)
8 Sprigs of Thyme
50g Salted Butter
50ml Olive Oil
Pea & Bacon Ragout
300g Fresh or Frozen Peas
150g Back Bacon
30g Salted Butter
Small Handful of Fresh Mint
Method:
1. In a large casserole dish sweat off the onion, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves an thyme in a tablespoon of oil on a medium to high heat for around 5-10 minutes.
2. Once softened brown off the lamb shanks evenly and then deglaze the pan with red wine, to reduce the wine by half.
3. Stir in tomato puree, cooking for a further minute before adding lamb/chicken stock. Turn the hob down to a low heat, put a lid on and leave to braise for 2-3 hours or when the lamb starts to fall of the bone.
4. For the new potatoes, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and place the new potatoes, oil, butter, garlic and thyme on a roasting tray making sure they are all mixed and incorporated together. Roast for 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes to see if they're soft in the middle, but crisp on the outside.
5. For the pea and bacon ragout, caramelise the bacon in the butter for 5-10 minutes before adding the peas. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes until the peas have cooked through before taking off the heat and adding the chopped mint.
6. Serve immediately.
