Recipe: Cherry apple tart

For the Pastry
100g butter
Two eggs
175g sifted flour
Two drops of vanilla essence

For the filling
200g unsalted butter
200g sugar
Four eggs
100g ground almonds
50g plain flour
Three medium cooking apples
150g cherries- halved and stoned

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 150c

First cook the pastry base
In a bowl,cream the butter with the eggs until smooth
Gently fold in the flour and the vanilla extract and bring together in a ball.
Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for 45 minutes.
Roll out and line an eight-inch pastry ring of flan dish.
To bake blind, cover the pastry with foil and weigh it down with dried beans and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven, lift off the foil and allow to cool.

pre-heat the oven to 180c
To make the filling, in a mixing bowl, cream together the butter with the sugar, then , adding them individually, beat the eggs.
Using a metal spoon, gently fold in the ground almonds followed by the flour.

Peel and slice the apples. Half fill the pastry case with almond mix and fan the apples on top.
Then fill the case with the remaining mix and arrange the halved cherries on top.
Place in the oven and bake until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean-about 20-25 minutes.
Serve warm, possibly with mascarpone, creme fraiche or fresh cream.

Recipe: creamed leek and potato broth

For the broth

Two leeks cleaned plus one more for finishing the soup
Two medium potatoes peeled and chopped small
One onion
Three carrots peeled
Three sticks of celery
Two rashes smoked bacon
125g butter
Two litres of homemade vegetable stock
500ml double cream
Salt, pepper

Method

Chop the leeks, potatoes, celery, onion, carrot and bacon into 1cm cubes.
Melt the butter in a large pan
Add the leeks, potatoes, celery, onion, carrot and bacon
Cook slowly, stir until the potatoes are nearly cooked, be careful not to burn at this stage
Add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes
Blend the soup until rustic and return to the heat
Add the last leek, ensure this is chopped small, simmer for a further 5 minutes
Add the cream, season and bring back to the boil.
Serve and enjoy with a farmhouse bread, gnocchi or suet dumplings.

Recipe: Chorizo sausage and sweet pepper soup

For the soup
200g Chorizo sausage chopped
Four red peppers chopped
Two cloves of garlic chopped
Two plum tomatoes chopped
One pint of chicken stock
One handful of chopped coriander
Creme fraiche
Seasoning if required

Method
Heat a large pan and dry-fry the chorizo sausage until it begins to release its oil, remove from the pan.
In the resulting oil, gently fry the peppers, garlic and tomatoes until tender. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for ten minutes.
Add the chorizo and coriander and blitz in a food processor, if the mixture is to thick add more stock.
Taste the soup and if required season, the seasoning will depend on the sausage being used.
Pour into soup bowls and finish with the creme fraiche, enjoy with crusty bread.

Recipe: Plum soup

For the plum soup
100g caster sugar
One vanilla pod
10 ripe plums stoned
Icing sugar
One tablespoon honey
Zest and juice of one orange

Method

First make a vanilla syrup by putting the caster sugar in a saucepan with just enough water to cover it. Add the vanilla pod. Bring to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes, remove from the heat.

Using half the plums, place them in a saucepan, coat them in icing sugar, over a gentle heat allow them to caramelise. Add the honey, orange zest and juice and allow them to caramelise for a couple more minutes.

Remove the vanilla pod from the syrup and add to the plums, bring the whole mix to the boil and remove from heat, blend the mix until smooth then chill.

Dice the left over plums and place in the serving bowls, pour over the chilled soup and serve.
This chilled soup is fantastic with vanilla pod ice cream or vanilla mascarpone.

Recipe: My beef stock

For the stock
Two carrots chopped
Two sticks of celery chopped
Two cloves of garlic peeled
Two onions chopped
One leek washed and chopped
100g parsley
25g thyme
25g rosemary
1.5kg beef bones
3 tablespoons of tomato purée
300ml red wine
Cold water
25g pancetta rind chopped
Vegetable oil

Method
Place the bones into a roasting tin and brown in a preheated oven at 250c until coloured but not burnt. Meanwhile, in a large pan, colour the vegetables, herbs and pancetta in a little oil. When the bones are ready, remove them from the roasting tin, shake off any excess oil and add them to the vegetables.
Stir in the tomato purée , add the red wine and water, use enough to cover the bones. Bring to the boil, turn down to a rolling boil and reduce by two- thirds, skim the stock every 20 minutes. Once reduced pass the stock through a fine sieve, allow to cool and store in a fridge until required.
The stock can be kept for up to five days, you can freeze the stock if you wish to keep it longer, freeze it in ice-cube trays for easy portion control.

Recipe: Rich hot chocolate fondant

Serves six
For the fondant
250g of plain chocolate
250g of unsalted butter
Two eggs
200g of caster sugar
135g of plain flour
30g of cocoa powder

Method

Grease six ramekins with butter, dust them with some of the cocoa powder and chill them in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. Break the chocolate into pieces and put in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water in a pan . Once it's all melted, gently mix in the butter.

Sieve the flour and remaining cocoa powder into a bowl. Whisk the eggs and sugar in another bowl until pale and fluffy. Then, using a metal spoon, rather than stir gently fold in the butter/cocoa powder mix. Spoon the mixture into the ramikns until each is 3/4 filled. Tap each to remove air bubbles, cover with cling film and chill for at least a couple of hours.

This can be done well in advance, as you can do the final cooking after you've finished your main course. Heat the oven to 200c, bake the ramekins for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow them to cool for a couple of minutes and then turn them out onto the serving plates. You could serve them with a chocolate sauce, cream or ice cream.

Recipe: Mille-Feuille of Iced Pear Parfait, Warm Poached Pear, Liquorice and Caramel Shot

For the parfait
300g caster sugar
63ml cold water
300g whole eggs
3 egg yolks
1 ltr whipping cream
500g pear puree

Method
Mix the water and sugar together and boil. heat to 120c.
Mix the egg yolksand eggs together and whip.
Whisk the sugar in to the egg to make a sabayon.
Allow to cool.
Whip the cream.
Fold the egg, puree and cream together.
Freeze in moulds until required

For the pears
4 pears
1 ltr water
375g sugar
2 lemons

Method
Put the water, sugar and lemons in to a pan and bring to the boil
Peel the pears and add to the poaching liquid
Poach the pears until they are just cooked, remove from stock and allow to cool

For the filo
4 sheets of filo pastry
2 egg yolks

Method
Cut out 24 discs,
Coat 12 of the the discs with egg and top with the other discs, bake until golden brown

For the latte
200g sugar
200ml double cream
100ml water
2 leaves gelatine
4 liquorice straws

Method
put the sugar in the pan with 20ml water
Cook until golden
Remove from the heat and add the rest of the water
Add the gelatine, pour into a shot glass and chill

To serve
Layer the parfait and pastry to build the mille feuille. Put the poached pear and the latte onto the service dish. Pour the cream on top of the latte and add the liquorice straws

Recipe: Mulled Wine Poached Pear

Recipe

250ml mulled wine
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp orange zest
Juice of 1 orange
4 peeled pears

Method

Pour all of the ingredients into a pan and stir, bring to the boil
Add the pears to the stock and poach them for 25 minutes
Remove the pears and reduce the stock by half.

Serve the pears with the stock and add vanilla mascarpone or ice cream.

Recipe: Northumberland beef, Braised Oxtail crepinette, celeriac puree, roast root vegetables and Veal Jus

 

For the beef

12oz beef fillet

1kg oxtail

750ml Red wine/ brandy

120g caul fat

Plain flour

1 small Celery

300g celeriac

20g butter

Onion

Garlic

150ml milk

2 baby carrots

2 baby turnip 2 baby leek

Seasonal heritage potato

Herbs

Veal stock

Seasoning

For the beef

12oz beef fillet

1kg oxtail

750ml Red wine/ brandy

120g 

1 small Celery

300g celeriac

20g butter

Onion

Garlic

150ml milk

2 baby carrots

2 baby turnip 2 baby leek

Seasonal heritage potato

Herbs

Veal stock

For the beef

12oz beef fillet

1kg oxtail

750ml Red wine/ brandy

120g caul fat

Plain flour

1 small Celery

300g celeriac

20g butter

Onion

Garlic

150ml milk

2 baby carrots

2 baby turnip 2 baby leek

Seasonal heritage potato

Herbs

Veal stock

Seasoning

Seasoning

For the beef

12oz beef fillet

1kg oxtail

750ml Red wine/ brandy

120g caul fat

Plain flour

1 small Celery

300g celeriac

20g butter

Onion

Garlic

150ml milk

2 baby carrots

2 baby turnip 2 baby leek

Seasonal heritage potato

Herbs

Veal stock

Seasoning

Goats cheese Pannacotta, orange and beetroot salad, soft boiled Quails egg, Robert Latimers home smoked salmon

For the Pannacotta and salad

100ml cream

50ml milk

40g goats cheese

15g parmesan

2 leaves gelatine

240g Smoked salmon

2 oranges

4 quails eggs

Micro leaves

1 endive

10ml white wine vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

30ml olive oil

100g bread

1 egg

25g flour

Recipe: Swaledale Goats Milk Cheese Salad

It is thought that cheese making was first brought to the Yorkshire Dales in the 11th century by Cistercian monks who arrived from Normandy and settled in the local abbeys. They in turn passed on the cheese making techniques to the local farmers of Swaledale and thus, Swaledale cheese was born.

Since then Swaledale cheese has provided a fine array of artisan cheeses including Goats Milk Cheese, the dish below has been cooked to demonstrate how flavours like this combine and deliver a simple but tasty salad.

Ingredients

1 baby beetroot, quartered

1 golden beetroot, diced

2 blanched peeled cherry tomatoes

3 cubes of bread crumbed goat’s cheese

Citrus vinaigrette and water cress for dressing salad

Method 

Warm the beetroot and Place it on the plate

Add the golden beetroot to the dish cold

Arrange cress on the beetroot and season

Add the cherry tomatoes and a bit more cress

Deep fry the goat’s cheese until crisp, do this carefully so the bread crust does not split

Dress the salad with the citrus vinaigrette

Top the salad with the goat’s cheese

Recipe: Pan Fried Pigeon, Pickled Vegetables, Foraged Wild Blackberry and Rapeseed Dressing

Recipe

1 pigeon breast, marinated in rosemary, juniper berries, shallot and a little oil for 24hrs
30g home pickled vegetables (these have been pickled and stored in an air tight jar until required)
5g pea shoots
2 table spoons blackberry and rapeseed dressing

Method

Pan Fry the pigeon in a hot pan with oil and butter, 3 minutes each side
Once cooked allow to rest for 4 minutes
Place the pickled vegetables on the plate
Top the vegetables with pea shoots
Flash the pigeon to warm through, slice and plate
Finish the dish with dressing

My love for Beetroot..

The beetroot plant “Beta Vulgaris” can grow in a number of soils, Beetroot evolved from the wild sea beet which is a native of coast lines from India to Britain Today beetroot is common throughout Europe, it is extensively used in Eastern European & Russian cuisine. Today many varieties are available;

Albino

Bull’s blood

Golden

Detroit dark red

Early wonder

Red ace hybrid

Ruby queen

Touchstone Gold

 

In my kitchens I use a lot of beetroot for it’s a good source of carbohydrates, good source of protein, contains high levels of vitamins, minerals & micro-nutrients, practically no fat and no cholesterol. I use a number of varieties of beetroot for a number of dishes and today and I would like to share a soup recipe that I often use. This recipe was found one day I was pondering my cook book collection whilst cooking dinner for the family, although it is not one of my own recipes I do feel it is a success in its own rights.

Beetroot Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon light olive oil

3 ounces onion

6 ounces carrot

1 medium parsnips

0.50 teaspoon ground coriander

2 pints vegetable stock 12 ounces beetroot

4 teaspoons dill

1 pomegranate

4 teaspoons yogurt

2 tablespoons walnut pieces

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan, then sweat the onion, carrot and parsnip for 5 minutes, until starting to soften. Add the stock and beetroot. Bring to the boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes, adding 2 teaspoons dill for the final 2 or 3 minutes. Cut the pomegranate in half and extract the juice using a lemon squeezer. Blend the soup in a food processor or blender. Add pomegranate juice to taste. Reheat the soup, then served garnished with the yogurt, walnuts and remaining dill.

Recipe: Lillies Blackberry Jam

Ingredients

1.5kg hand picked blackberries
2 lemons
1kg jam sugar

Fruit is always best hand picked

Method

Wash and place the berries into a colander to air dry. Once dry, cover the berries with sugar and stir. Allow them to chill in the fridge for 3 hours. Place the berries into a thick bottomed pan, add lemon juice and gently heat then bring to the boil.

Turn down the heat and allow the jam to simmer for 40 minutes. Remove the jam from the heat and allow to cool for 40 minutes. Ensure the pots that you are using are sterilized and air dried. Pour the jam into the jars, seal and label.

As a family that makes a lot of Jam during the summer months we often find ourselves giving it away to friends and family. Our jam is not as thick as some but we use it for a lot of things rather than with the traditional toast. My wife enjoys it with Greek or natural yoghurt, the kids love it in ice-cream sundaes and I enjoy it with shortbread biscuits and a cup of tea in the garden.