Recipe: Rosemary and citrus scented scallops

For the scallops

6 king scallops washed and prepared

2 slices of day old sunflower bread

Zest of one lemon

Zest of one lime

Sprig of rosemary

1 tbsp Basil torn

Butter 20g

Olive oil tsp

For the saffron reduction

Saffron 3 strands

Vanilla pod 1 seeded

White wine

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lime

25g butter

For the garnish

1 small leek finely shredded and deep fried (drain on kitchen paper)

For the reduction: preheat a sauce pan and add all of the ingredients and reduce by half, once the liquor is reduced whisk in the butter and remove from heat.

For the scallops: Blitz the bread, zest, basil and rosemary until you achieve a green crumb then roll the scallops in it till they are lightly coated, preheat a shallow pan and melt the butter and add the olive oil (this will stop the butter colouring). Season and add the scallops and fry for 1 minute then turn and fry for a further 1 minute. Remove the scallops from the pan and rest on a piece of kitchen towel.

To serve warm though the reduction and place one scallop on to a small dish then place this on to a larger plate, spoon the reduction over the single scallop and arrange the deep fried leeks on top.

Recipe: sea trout with salmon and basil crust

(serves 2)

2 fillets of sea trout

100g salmon trimmings

Double cream

Chopped basil

Fresh Bread 

Parsley

Seasoning

Cherry tomatoes

Baby leaf spinach

Balsamic reduction

Lemon

Herb oil

Method

Blitz the bread and the herbs to a smooth crumb and set to one side

Blend the salmon trimmings and add the cream till a soft mousse is achieved (do not over mix)

Spoon the mousse on to the trout flesh

Sprinkle the crumb on top of the mousse and place on a roasting dish skin side down

Roast the fish in an oven at 220c for 10 minutes

Make up a tomato and spinach salad and dress with herb oil

To serve put the salad on to the service dish and place on the fish, drizzle with balsamic reduction and serve with a slice of lemon.

Recipe: Roast peaches

The flavour of most fruit intensifies when warmed. That's one of the reasons fresh fruit tastes so good when eaten straight from a Mediterranean market.

 

To serve two

 

Four peaches

Two tablespoons demerara sugar

50g unsalted butter

One vanilla pod

Four tablespoons of double cream

Vanilla ice cream

 

Pre heat the oven to gas mark 6 (200°C). Cut a thin slice off the base of each peach so that it can stand without rolling around. Then make four cuts down to the stone in the other end of the peach to produce an asterix shape.

 

Melt the butter in a hot, oven-proof saucepan large enough to take all the peaches. Add the peaches and roll them around in the melted butter to coat. Add the vanilla pod, the sugar and the cream. Bring to the boil, thoroughly stir once more, and put into the oven for five minutes.

 

To serve, place the peaches on warmed serving plates and spoon the sauce over and around. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Recipe: Sea bass with chorizo and potato salad

This is a dramatic looking dish and very simple to cook too. But if you really can't face a whole fish on your plate, ask the fishmonger to remove the head and it will work equally well.

For two people but double up the ingredients for four

Two small sea bass, gutted and cleaned

One small red onion, peeled and sliced

125g chorizo sausage, chopped into dice

Ten small new potatoes, washed

Two small handfuls of rocket

Butter and olive oil for cooking

One small handful of basil and about half that of dill

Two dessert spoons of soft cheese (i.e. mascapone or Philadelphia)

The zest and juice of one lemon

One small glass of white wine

Basil oil (see website for recipe) or a little pesto mixed with olive oil

Preheat the oven to gas mark 5 (190 ° C).

Start by boiling the potatoes in salted water until soft, cool under running cold water and drain.

If you have a couple of skewers, metal or wooden, bend the fish into a “U” and pass a skewer through to hold in shape. Place the fish into a small roasting dish or oven-proof frying pan. Add the wine, one inch cube of butter and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover the tin or pan with foil and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the basil and dill and mix with the soft cheese along with the zest and juice of the lemon.

Heat a sauté or frying pan, add a little olive oil and butter and fry the whole potatoes. Once hot add the chorizo and rocket and heat through. Taste and add any salt if necessary.

To serve, place the bass on the plate, the potato salad in the middle of the “U” and allow the herb cheese to gently melt over the top of it.

Recipe: Seared beef with pomme Anna and creamed spring peas .

Ingredients

One onion – finely chopped

One clove of garlic - finely chopped

Two 8oz fillets of beef

Two medium baking potatoes

Sprig of fresh thyme – de-stemmed and chopped

Sprig of fresh rosemary – de-stemmed and chopped

Four ounces of butter

Six ounces of fresh peas

One glass of white wine

¼ pint of double cream

A little fresh basil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A little more butter and some oil for frying

Method

The potato part of this dish needs to be done a little in advance – at least 45 minutes – but can be done well before the meal and then reheated. Preheat the oven to gas mark 3, 160 °C. Peel the potatoes and cut into slices no more than ¼“ thick. In a pan, gently melt the butter, add the potatoes and herbs and a little salt and pepper. Carefully mix together until the potatoes are well coated. Place two metal pastry rings on a baking tray, fill each ring to the top with the potato mixture and bake in the oven. To tell when they're cooked, test with a skewer or thin knife like you would when testing boiled potatoes but it will probably take around 45 minutes. If you do these in advance, they can be reheated in the oven, still in their rings, at the same temperature for about 15 minutes.

The rest of the dish is very quick. In a medium sized saucepan gently sweat the onion and garlic in a little butter and oil. Don't allow to colour. Once the onion is tender, add the peas and continue to sweat for another couple of minutes then add the wine, bring to the boil and reduce by half. Add the cream and again reduce by half.

Meanwhile, put a frying pan on to heat with a little oil. Cut the steaks length-ways, through the middle to make each into two thinner fillets and quickly fry, over a relatively high heat, to your liking (preferably rare).

To serve, chop the basil into the creamed peas, taste and adjust the seasoning. Place some of the creamed peas on the centre of warmed plates, pile the beef on top and, removing the potatoes from the ring, put the potatoes alongside.

* Metal pastry cutter rings are useful things to have in the kitchen – not least for cutting pastry - but also for holding food together whilst it's being cooked. If you can't get your hands on any you could consider using very well buttered ramekins and, to serve, carefully running a small knife around the potato edge, turning them out onto a plate and then carefully turning them over again to serve the right way up.

Recipe: Seared salmon with mussel and dill broth

Serves two (double the ingredients for four)

Two salmon fillets – not steaks. Make sure there are no pin bones left in the fillets by running your hand along them. If there are, remove them with either tweezers or a small pair of (clean!) pointed-nose pliers

A little seasoned flour

A little olive oil

One tablespoon of butter – preferably unsalted

One handful of mussels, washed and de-bearded*

Two carrots – peeled and sliced as thinly as possible

One small onion – peeled and finely diced

One leek – use mainly the white part, cleaned and shredded

A pinch of saffron

One bay leaf

A handful of fresh dill – finely chopped

A handful of fresh basil leaves – pulled off their stem and roughly torn

One glass of white wine

One star anise – a star shaped aniseed flavoured spice available from good supermarkets or Asian grocers

Single cream – a small tub

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 220°C.

Heat a large sauté pan (a frying pan) with a lid. Melt the butter in the oil and gently sauté the carrot, onion, leek and saffron until the vegetables are soft but don’t allow them to brown. Then add the mussels, bay leaf, star anise and wine, turn up the heat so the wine boils and put the lid on. Cook like this for about four minutes, occasionally vigorously shaking the pan, until all the mussels have opened (throwing away any that don’t). Using a slotted spoon, remove the mussels to a plate or bowl and, over a medium heat, reduce the resultant stock left in the pan by half. Add the cream and reduce by half again.

Whilst that’s reducing, dust the salmon with flour. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan until slightly smoking. Place the salmon fillets skin-side down in the pan and allow to cook for a couple of minutes so that the skin becomes crisp. Then turn them over, place them on a baking tray (or leave them in the pan if it’s oven-proof) and put in the oven for ten minutes (or less if they’re very thin).

The dish is now ready to assemble. Put the mussels back in the pan and add the fresh herbs. Allow the mussels to warm through for 30 seconds meanwhile tasting the sauce and adjusting the seasoning with salt and pepper – it shouldn’t need much salt as the mussels provide their own. Using, I suggest, pasta or large soup bowls if possible (but dinner plates will do – just make sure they’ve been warmed first), place a piece of salmon on the dish, spoon the mussels over the top finishing with the sauce over and around.

* Many people think cooking mussels is risky. If you are not sure about it, let’s put your mind at rest. They are alive when you buy them – or they’re supposed to be. First, wash them well in cold water (I use a washing up brush to scrub them) and pull off the beards. Any that are open, give them a squeeze to close them. If they continue to slowly close of their own accord they’re alive and ok. But throw away any that were open but don’t move at all. After cooking, throw away any that didn’t open because they were obviously dead before-hand. It’s as simple as that.

Recipe: Mussels with chilli and garlic

Ingredients

This recipe serves two as a light meal.

Three or four large handfuls of cleaned mussels – discarding any open ones that don’t move to close when you’re cleaning them.

Two cloves of garlic – crushed

One red onion – diced

One red chilli – roughly chopped including the seeds

A handful of fresh basil leaves – torn

A handful of coriander leaves – torn

Sesame oil

Fish sauce

Lemon wedges

Butter

Method

Heat a large deep pan or wok until smoking, add the washed mussels and cover with a lid. You don’t need to add any liquid because the water they were washed in still clinging to them will steam and open them, releasing more even liquid. Steam them until they’re open - shaking the pan a few times – about four or five minutes.

Remove the mussels to a plate, discarding any that haven’t opened, and tip out and reserve the liquid. Pour in a tablespoon of sesame oil and, over a medium heat, sauté the onion, chilli and garlic until softened but don’t allow to brown. Return the mussels and their reserved liquid to the pan and stir. Finish the dish by seasoning with a few shakes of fish sauce, stirring and tasting to judge how much you need, and then add the basil, coriander and a walnut-sized knob of butter. Stir and pour into warmed bowls. Serve with a lemon wedge and fresh crusty bread.

Recipe: Roast fillet of salmon on citrus cous cous with walnut pesto

Ingredients

Serves two

Two 7oz skin-on salmon fillets

A couple of handfuls of cous cous

The juice and zest of two lemons

A handful of fresh basil

A handful of wild rocket

A handful of walnuts

Extra virgin olive oil

A handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A knob of butter

A few more leaves of fresh basil - torn

Preheat the oven to 210°C (gas mark 7)

Method

Place the cous cous in a bowl, add the lemon juice and zest and pour boiling water over, just enough to cover it all. Cover the bowl with cling film and a towel to keep it warm while the water is absorbed and put to one side.

In a little olive oil, fry the salmon fillets skin side down until it begins to colour and crispen. Turn the fish over, season and place in the oven for around 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the walnuts, basil and rocket into a food processor or blender and pulse until a rough-chopped, rustic mixture is produced. Pour into a bowl and, stirring, add the Parmesan and enough olive oil to produce a slushy pesto.

Remove the cling film from the cous cous, stir, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary and add the torn basil and the butter.

To serve, spoon the cous cous onto warmed serving plates, place the salmon on top and spoon around the walnut pesto.

Recipe: Fillet of lamb with Asian pear and mint risotto

To make a real risotto means that the rice has to be stirred continuously, adding the hot liquor bit by bit thus cooking and disturbing the starch on the outside of each grain which then thickens the dish.

As the rice cooks, the grains also absorb the flavoured liquor and swell to become soft and plump. The result is a dish from heaven and the process very therapeutic.

It takes about 30 minutes and I recommend its preparation to anyone who likes cooking - and a glass or two of wine to hand seems to help things along.

Fillet of lamb with Asian pear and mint risotto

(To serve two)

Two fillets of lamb

One medium onion - peeled and roughly chopped

One stick of celery - chopped

One handful of arborio rice

One glass of white wine

Hot vegetable stock - around a pint. But if you use it all, supplement with boiling water.

One Asian pear or, if not available, standard pear - unpeeled and chopped into chunks

One handful of mint leaves - shredded

Olive oil

Cooking oil

Butter

Pre-heat oven to 200°C (gas mark 6)

First, make the risotto. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan melt a knob of butter with a tablespoon of olive oil. Gently sauté the onion and celery until tender. Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until the rice is well coated with the oil and butter. Add the white wine and, stirring gently, bring to the boil until the liquid has almost disappeared.

Next add a small ladleful of hot stock, bring to a simmer and continue stirring until that almost disappears, then another ladleful of stock, continuously stirring, and so on. Stop adding stock when the rice is tender but still has a ‘bite’ inside. You can only gauge this by tasting as it depends on how high your heat was, how much stock you added each time and so on as to how long the process takes, but it’s generally around 25 to 30 minutes.

To finish the risotto add around 50gm of butter and stir until melted. Add the pear and the mint and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat, put on a lid and it should keep warm while you do the rest of the dish.

Heat an oven-proof frying pan and add a little cooking oil. Season the lamb, seal it on all sides and place the pan in the oven for around 15 minutes for medium pink. Remove from the oven and allow it to rest whilst warming and preparing the plates.

To serve, place the risotto in the centre of the plate, thickly slice the lamb and place it on top. Fantastic.

Recipe: Strawberry tiramisu with ginger-caramelised pears

Ingregients

 

Twelve strawberries - sliced
Two pears - quartered
One inch of root ginger – peeled and chopped

One vanilla pod – chopped small
One dessertspoon of brown sugar

Sponge pieces – enough to make 8 ½“ thick discs
One tablespoon of brandy
Two tablespoon of Mascapone cheese sweetened with a little caster sugar to taste.
Few leaves of fresh mint

Method

Pre-heat the grill. In a bowl, coat the pears with the ginger, vanilla pod and brown sugar. Grill them for around 10 minutes, turning now and again. Pour the resulting juice into a jug or bowl and reserve.

 

Sprinkle all the brandy over the sponge discs and then build your desserts by building layers of sponge, mascapone and strawberries ending up with four layers. Using a pastry cutter ring might help but this dish looks great presented as high as possible. 

Garnish each dish with the pears and fresh mint and pour the reserved juice over and around

Recipe:Swordfish on basil mashed potato with lemon and tomato salsa

Ingredients

To serve two

Two swordfish steaks

Three large potatoes - peeled and cut into chunks

A knob of butter

Some double cream for the mashed potato

A handful of fresh basil – torn

Ten cherry tomatoes - halved

One red onion – finely diced

One red or green chilli – finely sliced

The juice and zest of two lemons

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Place the potatoes in a pan of salted cold water, bring to boil and cook until they fall of a knife.

 

Whilst they're cooking, place the red onion, cherry tomatoes and chilli in a bowl. Add the lemon zest and juice, pour in a little olive oil and season to taste.

 

Once cooked, drain the potatoes, return to the pan and leave on a low heat for a minute or so to drive off any excess liquid. Mash, add butter and cream to taste, add the basil, cover and set to one side.

 

Heat a frying pan, coat the swordfish steaks with oil and cook for two to three minutes each side. To serve, spoon the basil mash onto a plat, top with the fish and serve the salsa alongside. A green salad would be a perfect accompaniment

Recipe:Tian of beef and sweet potato

Ingredients

Two 8 oz fillet steaks – cut into three slices each.

Two large sweet potatoes – peeled and cut into three slices each.

Selection of vegetables - enough for two - such as carrot, asparagus, spring onions, green beans – all prepared to approximately the same size, say, the size of your thumb.

A wine glass of red wine

A similar amount of good beef stock – preferably not made from just the standard salty cube.

A couple of ounces of chilled butter - diced

Olive oil

Method

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the sweet potatoes until al dente. Remove from the water and place in a covered dish in a warm oven. Repeat with all the other vegetables, only cooking those together that take the same time to cook. For instance the carrots will take five minutes or so but the green beans will take only a minute or two. Add these to the dish in the oven.

 

To cook the steaks, heat a frying pan, add a little olive oil and fry the slices a minute or so each side depending on how pink you like your meat.

 

To serve, place one circle of sweet potato in the middle of each dish, place a slice of fillet steak on top and repeat twice. Butter the remaining vegetables if wished and arrange them around the meat. Return the frying pan to the heat, add the red wine and quickly reduce by two thirds. Add the stock and reduce again by two thirds. Whilst still boiling, add the butter – shaking the pan or whisking with a fork until incorporated. This will result in a shiny, slightly thickened red wine reduction or “jus” as us poncey restaurateurs tend to call it. Taste, adjust the seasoning if necessary, pour over the beef and serve.

Recipe: Tournado of Duke of northumberland venison & pigeon Heritage potato & organic beetroot rosti With cherry reduction

INGREDIENTS

                                                           

2 8oz venison sirloins                         

4        pigeon breasts                                      

1kg    heritage potatoes                                  

2       organic beetroot                                    

100g fresh cherries                                         

200ml veal stock                                            

12 shallots                                                      

100g carrots                                                   

3 sprigs thyme                                                

200ml red wine                                              

Salt & pepper

250g Butter                                                    

Olive oil for cooking                                      

METHOD

Flatten venison steaks

Seal pigeon breasts

Place pigeons on top of venison

Roll in cling film set aside in fridge

Grate potatoes & beetroot season

Heat pan add little oil the add potatoes & beetroot mix place 50g knob of butter on top & turn down heat and cook slowly till butter has melted then turn over & finish

Peel shallots and carrots

Heat pan & fry shallots, carrots, thyme & cherries add red wine reduce by half

Heat pan add little oil & 25g of butter once foaming add tournado and cook to medium rare allow to rest

Once wine has reduced by half add veal stock & reduce till correct consistency is achieved then season to taste

  

PRESENTATION

Place rosti in middle of the plate

Slice tornado in half & place on top

Drizzle cherry reduction around plate

Scallops, Mango and chilli salsa

Ingredients
Two scallops Halved
1/2 mango diced
1/2 red onion diced
1 red chilli
1tsp chopped ginger
2 cloves garlic crushed
Pinch chopped coriander
Pinch chopped mint
Pinch chopped basil
Olive oil to combine salad
1/2 baby gem lettuce
1 fresh lemon

Method
Combine the chilli, garlic, onion, mango, and chopped herbs with a drizzle of olive oil, season, this is your dressing complete
Pan fry the scallops and season, just before removing from the pan add fresh lemon juice
Slice the baby gem and add to your service dish
Top with the scallops and drizzle over the dressing.