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Meat Fruit
Creamy Chicken-Liver Parfait,
encased in a tangy jelly made from Mandarins
WHEN it comes to food, and Heston’s name is on the label, then you can guarantee that it’s going to be totally loopy.
The recipe that I’ve attempted for this copy of the Guide is Heston Blumenthal’s number one best-selling starter in his London restaurant, Dinner. It`s called "Meat Fruit ". I spoke to the chef a few days ago and he told me that they are actually making over a 1,000 every week!
Simply put the Meat Fruit is a deliciously creamy chicken-liver parfait, encased in a tangy jelly made from Mandarins.
Based on a 16th century medieval recipe it has now been re-discovered, dressed up a little for 2011, and re-launched with the Blumenthal branding... and its drawing the crowds in, no end, just to try it.
I`ve had the good fortune to try both the restaurant version and also the home made version and to be totally honest there`s very little difference. However, I`m going to really simplify it for the home cook because the proper version takes six days to make at home. The brave ones among you can attempt the real version, if you dare, the recipe step-by-step is on my Cumbriafoodie blog. (Click on Feb 2011)
You`ll need some silicone moulds to make the half dome pate shapes. These can be bought, cheaply, from www.homechocolatefactory.com
I`ve simplified the process as much as possible so let’s start with the pate. It`s a basic chicken liver pate recipe, easy to make but please try and use fresh chicken livers and keep it as smooth, fresh and creamy as possible. The recipe below is for a simple chicken liver pate, cooked for slicing.
Recipe
2lb Chicken or duck livers (trimmed of sinew)
2lb Butter
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
2 Shallots, chopped
Leaves from a good sprig of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Thinly-sliced bacon, to line a terrine or loaf tin.
Method
Melt the butter over a warm (but not hot) heat until it has all melted to liquid.
Put the livers into a liquidiser or blender, along with the melted butter, minced garlic, chopped shallots, fresh thyme and seasonings and process for five minutes, until very smooth.
Pass through a sieve to remove any sinew and put into a jug.
Line the terrine or loaf tin with cling-film and then bacon. Pour in the pate mixture and then fold over the bacon to enclose the pate.
Cover with foil and then bake in a Bain Marie (water bath) at 145 Deg, for 35 minutes.
Allow pate to cool in the water bath.
At this stage you can enjoy the pate just as it is, thinly sliced with a sharp knife, and served with toasted brioche and a fruit jelly such as redcurrant or hedgerow.
Another option would be to pipe the pate into a glass and then to top it with the Mandarin jelly.
The final option for those brave enough is to visit my food blog and attempt to do the `real deal` and try the spectacular pate encased in the Mandarin jelly. It isn’t hard to do; you just need the right moulds and plenty of time. If anyone gets stuck then simply send me an
email via my blog and ill help out where I can.
Mandarin jelly.
45g of Leaf Gelatine
500g of Mandarin puree
80g of Liquid glucose
0.4g of Mandarin oil (ebay)
1.5g of Paprika extract (or orange colouring if you can’t find the paprika extract)
I couldn’t find mandarin puree anywhere so ended up having to make my own. I simply took 5 fresh mandarins, and very gently simmered them for 2 hours in a pan of water. I drained the water off and then blitzed the mandarins with a stick blender to puree them. The liquid was then passed through a fine sieve and there I had my mandarin puree. I then weighed out the 500g that I needed.
The leaf gelatine was added to a jug of water to allow it to soften for five minutes. While the gelatine was softening I added the glucose to the hot mandarin puree and stirred it together. After five minutes I drained the gelatine and added it to the hot puree and stirred to dissolve. The Mandarin oil and paprika extract were then added to the puree. The jelly can now be stored in the fridge until the pates are ready to coat.
Baked Apple Souffle
With Iced Chocolate & Kirsch Sauce
Serves: 4
Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
Very large baking apples -
6 large granny smith (not peeled)
6 large breabuns (not peeled)
Mixture:
120g rasberry jam
15ml cornflour
8 egg whites
White Chocolate Sauce:
300g white chocolate
400 double cream
35ml kirsch
100g dark chocolate
100g butter
100g sugar
Icing Sugar
Method:
Slowly heat Jam, add splash of Kirsch. Mix the corn flour in a little cold water until dissolved. Add the jam mix and allow to cool.
Hollow out a whole apple, keep content to one side. Grease the insides with soft butter. Sprinkle with freshly grated dark chocolate.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff and peaking then gently fold into the jam mixture. Spoon inside individual apples. Place in fridge. You can keep the mixture in the fridge, but you can also bake straight away.
Once set in the fridge, score around the inside of the apple to release the mixture form the edges.
Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes at 180 degrees.
Melt the white chocolate slowly and add Alcohol and Cream together.
Make sure you have 2 stainless steel containers in fridge ready for menu.
Serve sauce & Kirsch in jug.
For Standard Perfect Souffle Mix:
Make sure apples are very large
35g meringue
30g Jam sauce
Jean Christophe Novelli
Cooking Tip
When emptying the apple with a spoon turn them over for 10mins to release out the juice.
A Challenge To Any
Hardened Dieter
Sticky Cumbrian
Gingerbread with White Chocolate Mousse
Words & Photography by Alan Spedding
Good old-fashioned Cumbrian Gingerbread, lovely and sticky and as black as treacle. It's a firm favourite in our county and everyone's got their own favourite recipe.
I got this one off my mother, who in turn got it from her mother so it's been in the family for quite a while now. As far as gingerbread goes, there's none better, it's just so rich and very moreish and definitely not good for dieters as it's simply too addictive.
The recipe is in imperial measurements as no one has ever bothered to convert it. I like it the old way best so it's not getting changed in a hurry.
Ingredients
4 ounces of butter
2 ounces of golden syrup
6 ounces of treacle
1/4 pint of milk
8 ounces of self raising flour
4 ounces of sugar
1 teaspoon of ginger
1 teaspoon of mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs, beaten
Method
Put the butter, syrup, treacle and milk into a pan and warm them through gently to melt everything together.
Put the flour, sugar, ginger, spice and soda into a bowl and mix them together.
Make a well in the centre and add the egg mixture and mix into the dry ingredients.
Now beat in the hot milk mixture and thoroughly mix everything together. Pour the mix into a lined baking tin / loaf tin and place in a moderate oven for approximately 40 - 45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean from the centre of the cake.
Allow the cake to cool on a rack and it's ready to eat. It can be wrapped in cling-film at this stage and gets even better after three or four days.
The cake was accompanied by a white chocolate mousse and a jelly made from Sea Buckthorn berries which grow wild near the north pier in Whitehaven. A sweet Rum gel made a lovely balance against the unusual tart flavour of the berries. Deadly looking caramel hazelnuts provided a dramatic finale.
Follow Alan at:
http://www.cumbriafoodie.wordpress.com/
www.flickr.com/photos/24726943@N06
http://www.theguidemediagroup.com/
Treat With A Twist
Chocolate Cream with Cumbrian Snow &
Roasted Pineapple
by Alan Spedding
The good folk of Cumbria managed to battle through a pretty white and frosty winter this year. The last thing i'm sure you'll all want to see is ‘more snow' again but i can promise that my own version of "Cumbrian snow" is much more enjoyable and sweeter, especially when it's paired up with everyone's favourite - Chocolate.
With Valentines Day just around the corner I`ve created a very romantic and pretty easy to make dessert to ease away those cold winter blues and bring about a wee "treat with a twist" for all the romantics out there... Chocolate set cream with Cumbrian snow and sweet roasted pinepple.
Chocolate Cream
300ml - Double cream
300ml - Full cream milk
Seeds from a vanilla pod
4 tbsp - Caster sugar
100g - Good milk Chocolate (chopped)
2 ½ - Leaves of gelatine.
Place vanilla pod, seeds, cream, milk and sugar into a saucepan, bring slowly to a simmer and then leave simmering for 5 minutes.
While the cream mixture is simmering, add the gelatine to 2 tbsp water and leave to soak for 5 minutes then heat gently in the microwave (do not allow it to boil).
Remove the cream from the heat and stir in the chocolate, allow it to melt gently.
Add the liquid gelatine to the cream, stir and then pass through a fine sieve.
Pour into cups or moulds and allow to set in the fridge for 2 or 3 hours.
Cumbrian Snow
7 - Gelatine leaves
120g - Caster sugar
360ml - Water
Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes.
Mix the sugar and water together, bring to the boil then remove from the heat. Add the drained gelatine to the sugar mixture and then stir to dissolve completely.
Add the sugar mixture to a food mixer with a whisk, mix for several minutes until cold. The snow will form as this is happening.
Once cold, pour into a clingfilm lined dish to a depth of around 1 ½ inches, allow the snow to set in the fridge.
Roasted Pineapple
Fresh pieces of pineapple
Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
100g caster sugar
100ml fresh orange juice
Preheat oven to 220c
Add vanilla seeds to a pan containing the sugar and orange juice. Bring to the boil then pour over the pineapple pieces in a small roasting dish.
Allow to bake in a hot oven for about 30 - 45 mins until caramelised (baste 3 - 4 times during roasting)
To Serve
Cut small rectangles of snow with a hot knife, decorate these with roasted pineapple and mint, plus the roasting syrup.
Top the chocolate creams with fresh berries or orange pieces, grated chocolate or just the roasted pineapple pieces.
Karl from Morrels Restaurant in Keswick Recipe
Braised Daube of Beef in Red Wine, Celeriac Mash and Spiced Beetroot
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Beef Brisket (4x7/8oz portions)
1 Onion, 1 Carrot, 1 small leek, 1 stick of celery, 2 bulbs of garlic, sprig of thyme, Salt and Pepper
½ Bottle of Red wine
Tbs Vegetable Oil, 25g Butter, Plain flour
Beef Stock/Cube
Celeriac Mash-I head Celeriac, 1 large Potato, 50g of Butter, 50ml of double cream, salt and pepper
Spiced Beetroot- 4 cooked beetroots, 100ml red wine, tsp mixed spice, fennel seeds, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, 1 chilli, 50g Demerara sugar.
Method:
1.Bring to the boil the red wine, mixed spice, cumin, cinnamon, fennel seed, ginger, chopped chilli and sugar. Pour over the cooked beetroot in a tub or jam jar and leave to infuse in the fridge overnight.
2. Brown off the floured and seasoned pieces of beef in a very hot pan with the oil and butter, remove and place in a casserole dish. Add to the frying pan the roughly chopped vegetables and garlic bulbs and slightly brown. Place into the casserole dish.
3.Pour in the red wine and cover with beef stock and sprig of Thyme. Place the lid on and put in the oven for 3- 3 1/2 hours @ 150c until tender.
4.For the Celeriac mash place the roughly chopped Potato and Celeriac into a pan of salted water. When cooked strain and mash, add the butter, cream and seasoning.
5.Remove the pieces of beef from the casserole pan and reduce the liquid until the right consistency and strain through a sieve
6.Warm the beetroot in a pan with a little of the spiced liquor
7.Place the beef onto a plate with a spoonful of mash and beetroot, pour over the beef sauce and reduced beetroot liquor.
Zest's Famous
Wok Chicken
Serves a Hungry 2
Splash of oil
1lb boneless and skinless chicken strips
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
4 spring onions, sliced
1 pack fresh coriander, chopped
1 dollop crème fraiche
Sauce ingredients:
Combine together in a small bowl or jug
1 tblsp soy sauce
1 tblsp lemon juice (bottled is fine)
4 tblsp sweet chilli sauce (we use and swear by Lingham's)
2 tblsp good old H20
Method:
Take a large wok or frying pan and heat it on the stove until it becomes hot but not smoking.
Add the oil and the chicken.
Allow the chicken to get a good colour on the high heat. This means that you have to resist the urge to stir it and shake it around the pan longer that you would normally. Obviously though, don't allow it to burn. Let the chicken in contact with the bottom of the pan get some colour, only then stir to let the other chicken take its turn. In our opinion, it's this browning that makes the dish. Without it, it looks insipid.
It should take around three minutes or so to brown the meat and allow it to become almost cooked through. Check by taking a piece and cutting it open to have a look.
The rest couldn't be simpler. Throw in the fresh chilli then add the wet sauce mixture to the pan. Be careful as the high heat sometimes causes this to spit a bit.
Mix around to coat all the chicken pieces. Add the spring onion and cook for a minute or so. Remove from the heat and add the fresh coriander. Dish up onto your serving plate and top with the cooling crème fraiche.
The soy should serve as salt and the chilli a pepper spice. Therefore the dish shouldn't need seasoning but do taste and adjust if necessary.
Pan-Seared Scallops with Cauliflower
NOTICES posted throughout Whitehaven, declaring "New fish shop this way," had me driving around as though I was on a treasure hunt.
A few minutes later and I had the treasure! I was in among fish and shellfish of every description, freshly caught, bright eyed and literally jumping out of the blue plastic boxes. Finally, after many years, the so-called fishing port of Whitehaven had a wet fish shop once again... fantastic and an instant recipe idea for the next Guide Magazine.
Ricky Donnan, the owner, saw my eyes light up at the size of the king scallops on the counter, he opened a shell up, cut a slice of raw scallop and thrust it into my mouth. "Just wait there one minute," he said and disappeared while I savoured the sweet morsel I`d just sampled. A minute later and Mr Donnan reappeared with a huge box of beautiful scallops straight off the trawler that had just landed outside.
They were so fresh the movement of their box had them clicking away, opening and closing their shells, thinking they were back in the sea. Unfortunately they weren`t heading seaward but were bound for my griddle pan.
Before I reached my car I had a recipe created a recipe in my head, Pan-seared Scallops with Cauliflower four ways, a couple of different sauces and a few tangy wild herbs to balance the sweetness of the scallops.
The scallops are cooked so simply, in a thin layer of oil, in a hot heavy based pan. Seasoned with pepper and seared, roughly for a minute each side, until their natural sugars form a beautiful golden caramel colour. The caramelised cauliflower to accompany the shellfish is cooked gently, flat side down, in a heavy-based, lidded pan using a little butter and rapeseed oil. DON'T move the large pieces of cauli or they won't caramelise.
The lid keeps the steam in and cooks the vegetable through perfectly, in about 10 to 15 minutes.
I served the scallops with quite a variation of accompaniments. Two different dressings of truffled lemon and a Porcini mushroom cream, thinly-sliced and blanched cauliflower root and floret (dipped in the lemon truffle dressing). There was Wild Broom (Gorse bush) flowers, and tangy wood sorrel which I found in Bluebell wood at Cleator. I finished the dish off with sweet plump sultanas.
When making this dish at home, it would be just perfect with a cauliflower puree alone and a few rocket leaves.
Now that we have a fantastic fish shop, there really isn't an excuse not to try it.
Cauliflower puree - So simple to make, take 50g of butter, place in a pan and allow it to melt over a low heat. Add 200g of roughly-chopped cauliflower florets and allow them to sweat in the butter with a lid on the pan for approximately 10 to 15 mins. When the cauliflower is soft, add 100 ml chicken stock and 100 ml of whipping cream. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan, add the cauliflower cream mixture to a blender and blitz until pureed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Zest's Boom Boom Dressing
The recipe for this issue can be used as a marinade or a dressing on meats, fish or vegetables. Therefore it's super flexible, it's easy to make and would be the perfect secret weapon to have in your repertoire (or in the fridge) for the barbecue season.
We have used a lovely piece of locally caught mullet fillet in our recipe which we are currently serving in both of our restaurants; but you could use any fish, meat or just vegetables as you prefer.
The dressing is hot, spicy, fruity and smoky -boom!-and once you taste it, you won't want to be without it - you'll be bunging it on and in everything.
Zest's Boom Boom Dressing (makes approximately a jam jar full)
4 tblsp sweet chilli sauce (we use Lingham's, Zest's favourite- the same as in our wok chicken recipe, and we sell it at Zest Harbourside if you need a bottle)
2 tblsp olive oil
2 tblsp water
1 tblsp smoked paprika
Juice and pared (use a vegetable peeler to take thin strips of peel, but not pith from the orange) rind of 1 orange
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 star anise (or a pinch of Chinese 5 spice will do the job if you can't get star anise)
Put everything into a jam jar, screw the lid on (securely or you may be marinating your kitchen!) and give everything a good shake.
You can make this today and keep it in the fridge for a couple of weeks. You will find the flavour intensifies as it will infuse with time.
Top tip - add extra dried or fresh chilli to the marinade if you like an extra kick.
We marinated a piece of fresh mullet in 2-3 tablespoons of the marinade mixture for around half an hour before we started the vegetables below.
We took a load of evenly cut vegetables (courgettes, aubergine, sweet potato, red pepper, asparagus, red onion and cherry tomatoes) and bunged them into a roasting tray with a tiny amount of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. We put this in a pre heated oven on full whack (220 C) for around 15 minutes.
Then we topped the vegetables with the fish and poured the excess marinade over the vegetables.
We cooked this for a further 10 minutes (until the fish was just cooked)in the oven.
This is equally good for a meal for one or could easily be scaled up and done for a large crowd.
Gluten free Lemon Drizzle Cake
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
200g butter, softened
200g Castor Sugar
4 eggs
175g Ground almonds
250g mashed potato
50g gluten free flour
2 tsp gluten free Baking Powder
3 Lemons Zest and Juice separate
For the Drizzle
4 tbsp Icing sugar
juice from the lemons
Method
1. Heat oven 180 c / Gas 4
2. Butter and line a 20cm round cake tin
3. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
4. Gradually add eggs beating well after each addition
5. fold in almonds, Cold mashed potato, lemon zest and Baking powder
6. spoon into your prepared tin
7. Bake for 40-45 mins or until cake is light and springy
8. cool
9. Mix the icing sugar with a little of the juice from the lemons until a drizzle consistency and drizzle over your cake Put your feet up and enjoy a slice
Recipe supplied by Denver from The Wellington Bistro.
Aubergine Stuffed tomato
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
4-6 Large tomatoes on the vine
Olive or rapeseed oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 sprigs thyme
Sprigs of basil
Drizzle honey
2 bay leaves
1 vanilla pod, cut in half lengthways
4 shallots, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp smoked ground paprika
100g canned chick peas, drained
2 aubergines, trimmed
2 - 4 tbsp cooked long grain rice
50-60g Cumbrian Cheddar cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch fennel seeds
Chervil
Method
Quickly bake the tomatoes in a little oil until soft with cumin, thyme, bay leaves, vanilla pod, split in half lengthways in a preheated oven at 200C / Gas 6, cover. Cook for 10-12 minutes. Leave to rest to create a lot of juices, covered.
Dry fry some shallots, garlic, smoked paprika, fennel seeds, honey and star anise, and chick peas and aubergines. Using the tomato juices and pour into, heavy based pan, add basil and rice.
Put in the bottom of dish add tomato. Remaking juice, bring to the boil add cheese and reduce. Pour over tomato mixture. Garnish with chervil.
Jean-Christophe Novelli's Tips
Bake the tomatoes on the vine. Saute the aubergine till soft. Use canned chick peas. Keep the tomatoes in the fridge just before roasting to make sure they do not split or burn.
OVEN CARAMELISED PEACH WITH LEMONGRASS
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 apricots poached in stock syrup
4 Peaches poached in stock syrup
200g punnet raspberries poached in stock syrup
½ Cinnamon
1 vanilla pod split
2 Star anise
Drizzle of local runny honey
Drizzle fresh lemon juice
Shake of sifted icing sugar
Freshly grated nutmeg
Double cream from Mawsons of Bailey Ground, Seascale. Clotted cream
To Decorate: Sprig mint
Method
1. Poach the peaches and apricots in the stock syrup with vanilla pod star anise and cinnamon, boil for 5 minutes, cover and cool. Remove from stock.
2. In a hot pan add honey, lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla and reduce. Add raspberries, peaches and apricots stir.
3. Sprinkle with icing sugar and nutmeg.
4. Serve with clotted cream or ice cream.
To Serve Dust with icing sugar and nutmeg and a spoon of double cream.
Jean-Christophe Novelli's Tips
You can add tea into the stock syrup if you wish. You can use a variety of seasonal fruits. Use lemongrass instead of cinnamon. Instead of honey you can use grenadine syrup.
Acidic raspberries are added to balance the sweetness. Prick the raspberries with a fork to allow the juices to mingle.
Inspiration from the food
perspiration at the bill...
EVERY now and again I enjoy an inspirational foodie trip down to London for a little revitalisation and the perfect excuse to try out a couple of England’s top-ranked Michelin restaurants, to see what they`re doing, and to load up on creative cooking ideas for my own kitchen dabbling, at home.
It really is so easy to get there these days, three hours from Penrith to Euston by train for £15 one-way can be nabbed if booked in advance and a decent hotel on laterooms.com from £30-£70 a night.
I left work at Sellafield at 11.30am and by 4.30pm I was sitting, relaxed, in a Covent Garden bar, with a lovely cold beer, marvellous!
I had booked my hotel for two nights and had also managed to squeeze in four restaurant visits, two lunches and two dinners comprising approximately 10 courses, with wine in each restaurant. It would definitely be a big positive on inspiration but a huge negative on the old waistline... “calorie overload” at tip-top levels.
The first meal, on the Friday night, was an eight course (not including my five desserts) at French master chef Pierre Gagnaire’s Sketch restaurant, near Oxford Street.
Gagnaire’s food was “up there,” but unfortunately not the best. Mind-blowing prices outshone the food and with starters averaging £35, fish £40, mains £44 and dessert £25. I opted for the 10-course “tasting menu,” priced at £95 and being the half sensible way forward... scary stuff, and that was without wine and service charge.... and my score? Enjoyable food = five out of 10; horrendous service = two out of 10.
Next day was lunch at Roganic. I had the first table on opening day at Simon Rogan’s (Lenclume, at Cartmel) new Marylebone restaurant. Here Simon was introducing Londoners to “Roots, shoots and Cumbrian cuisine “from nature to plate” at its very best, 10 courses were priced at £80 and I was blown away with the quality of food. Don’t ask me how they managed to pick hedgerow herbs in Cartmel and get them down to London in pristine condition, a mystery. My score? Nine out of 10, an amazing experience.
The same night I visited the Connaught Hotel, in Mayfair, for dinner at Parisienne chef Helene Darroze, a Michelin two-star celeb, cooking at the highest levels -- £115 for her ‘inspiration’ menu and a culinary journey through her Native France.
Tip from the top here... when in a restaurant always make sure that wine prices are defined before the meal. Don`t ask a sommelier to “pair the food up with good wines” without checking how much it’s going to cost. I didn’t ask and the result was a jaw-dropping bill of £600 for two. My dining partner’s only word when he opened the bill was one of between three and five letters... enough said. My score for Helene Darroze was an enjoyable seven out of 10.
The last meal of the weekend was lunch at Pierre Koffmann, in the Berkeley Hotel, Mayfair, and it was my chance to try his legendary stuffed pig’s trotter with chicken mousse, caramelised sweetbreads and wild mushrooms.
It had a reasonably priced menu for top London fine dining, (three courses £50), totally classic French, snails, lots of offal, garlic and rich, wonderful flavours. A totally amazing meal, and I can`t wait to return. There was fantastic service and a tour of the kitchens to meet the team. My score eight out of 10... WOW!
So although it was a very expensive two days I returned very happy, full of enthusiasm and it was great for the mind and soul but not the waistline. I’ll return for another “What the Doc prescribed” in a couple of months’ time.
