Risotto Primavera, Goats Cheese

A take on the classic risotto Primavera served with deliciously addictive goats cheese bonbons!

This risotto Primavera is very light yet maintains impressive depth of flavour with a big hit of fresh lemon.

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Risotto Primavera, Goats Cheese Bonbons
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Risotto: 4tbsp Unsalted Butter, 2 Shallots (Chopped), 5 Leeks (Finely Chopped), 1 Celery Stick (Finely Chopped), 125ml Dry White Wine, 350g Risotto Rice, 2l Vegetable Stock, 100g Frozen Peas, 2 Large Handfuls Spinach, Zest and Juice 1 Lemon, 100g Parmesan (Grated), Large Handful Parsley (Chopped), Sea Salt, Cracked Black Pepper

For the Bonbons: 100g Soft Goats Cheese, 75g Hard Mozzarella (Grated), 25g Parmesan (Grated), 1tsp Grated Nutmeg, Breadcrumbs (Gluten Free if required), 1 Egg (Beaten), Vegetable Oil

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Method:

1) Prepare the bonbons by combining all of the ingredients (except the breadcrumbs) in a small bowl and mixing well. Form into small balls and store in the fridge until ready to fry.

2) To make the risotto, place a large casserole dish over a medium heat and melt 2tbsp of the butter. Sweat the shallot, leek and celery for 5 minutes. Add the wine and allow to reduce by half. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes coating well with the butter. Place the stock in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.

3) Gradually add the stock to the rice, allowing to absorb before adding the next amount, whilst stirring continuously. Continue until the rice is tender (around 25 minutes) – you may need more stock. Once the rice is cooked, add the remaining butter, parmesan, lemon juice and zest, parsley, spinach and peas and season well with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Cover and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes.

4) Meanwhile, heat a deep-fryer or pan of oil to 190c. Roll the cheese bonbons in the egg and then coat in the breadcrumbs. Deep fry for 20 seconds until just browned before removing and draining.

5) Uncover the risotto and beat well with a large wooden spoon. Serve with the cheese bonbons and a good crack of black pepper.

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Enjoy!

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Ham, Egg, Peas

Pea pancakes served with braised peas, dry cured bacon steak, poached duck egg and sherry caramel.

A superb starter or main which is super light and bursting with fresh flavour.

Sherry Caramel is taken from my previous incarnation of this dish, inspired by Restaurant Sat Bains: Ham, Egg and Peas

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Ham, Egg, Peas
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Pancakes: 350g Frozen Peas, 2 Eggs (Separated), 60g Cornflour, Sea Salt, Cracked White Pepper, Unsalted Butter (For Frying)

To Finish: 4 Dry Cured Bacon Steaks, 4 Duck Eggs, 50g Frozen Peas, 25g Unsalted Butter, Black Sea Salt, Sherry Caramel

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Method:

1) Blanch the peas in a pan of boiling water and drain. Place in a blender with the egg yolk, cornflour and a good pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper – blend until smooth. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the pea purée mixture.

2) To cook the pancakes – heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and melt a tablespoon of butter. Fry tablespoonfuls of the mixture for around 2 minutes each side or until cooked. Keep warm and continue to fry in batches until the mixture is exhausted. Keep the pancakes warm until ready to serve.

3) Meanwhile, melt the 25g of unsalted butter in a small pan and add the peas – braise until tender and season with a little salt – keep warm. Fry the bacon steaks in a little melted butter in a frying pan for 4 minutes each side or until cooked through – keep warm. At the last minute poach the duck eggs for around 2 minutes or until cooked (and still runny!).

4) Serve the pancakes with the bacon steaks, braised peas, duck egg and sherry caramel – topping with a little sea salt.

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Enjoy!

White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Delicious, super sweet white chocolate chunk cookies with a big hit of vanilla.

I always favour thinner cookies over thicker – crisper at the edges and (providing you watch the cooking time) gloriously gooey in the centre!

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White Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Makes 20-24 Cookies

Ingredients:

170g Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature), 130g Plain Flour, 1/2tsp Salt, 3/4tsp Baking Powder, 1 Large Egg, 160g Light Brown Sugar, 30g Caster Sugar, 1/2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste, 125g White Chocolate (Chopped)

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Method:

1) Pre heat the oven to 200c and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2) Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and two sugars together with a mixer on medium speed until well combined (2 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla to the mixture and beat on medium speed until fluffy (2 minutes). Add the flour and fold to combine. Add the chocolate chunks and fold lightly to combine.

3) Spoon heaped teaspoonfuls of the dough on to the baking parchment, leaving a good 2″ gap around each spoonful. Bake in the oven for 6 minutes or until brown round the edges. When ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool a little before transferring to a wire rack to cool fully. Continue to cook the mixture in batches until exhausted.

4) Store the cookies in an airtight container.

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Enjoy!

Latkes

The ultimate snack food, latkes are best eaten fresh from the pan with a good dollop of homemade apple purée and soured cream.

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Latkes
Makes 12

Ingredients:

750g Rooster Potatoes (Peeled and Grated), 1 Onion (Finely Sliced), 2 Large Eggs, 4tbsp Breadcrumbs (Gluten Free if Required), 2tsp Sea Salt, 2tsp Cracked Black Pepper, 1 1/2tsp Baking Powder, Vegetable Oil

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Method:

1) Pre-heat the oven to 180c. Place the grated potato in a salad spinner and spin to rinse out the majority of the liquid. Alternatively place in a tea towel and rinse out.

2) Place the egg, breadcrumbs, sea salt, black pepper and baking powder in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Fold in the potato and onion.

3) Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Coat the pan with 0.5cm of vegetable oil. Place dessertspoonful of the potato mixture into the oil and press down to form a circular shape. Fry for 3 minutes each side, drain on kitchen towel then transfer to the oven to keep warm. Continue to cook the mixture in batches until exhausted – you may need to add a little oil to the pan in between batches.

4) Serve the hot latkes with apple purée spiced with nutmeg and soured cream.

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Enjoy!

Pigeon, Foie Gras, Chestnut

A delicious pairing of pigeon and foie gras accompanied by roasted parsnip and chestnut, homemade cranberry sauce, fresh sage, chestnut stuffing and Madeira jus.

You can prepare most of the elements in advance and reheat before serving, making this a most impressive dinner party dish.

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Pigeon, Foie Gras, Chestnut
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Sauce: 1tbsp Unsalted Butter, 2 Shallots (Sliced), 2 Garlic Cloves (Bashed), 150ml Madeira, 150ml Game Stock, 3 Thyme Sprigs, Sea Salt, Cracked Black Pepper

For the Stuffing: 250g Pork Sausagemeat (Gluten Free if Required), 75g Cooked Chestnuts (Finely Chopped), 1 tsp White Pepper, Zest 1 Orange, Small Handful Sage Leaves

To Finish: 8 Pigeon Breasts, 1tbsp Rapeseed Oil, 2tbsp Unsalted Butter, 2 Parsnips, 2 Slices Foie Gras, 75g Cooked Chestnuts (Chopped & Oven Dried), Homemade (Or Good Quality) Tart Cranberry Sauce, Sage Leaves, Sea Salt, Cracked Black Pepper

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Method:

1) Pre-heat the oven to 220c. Make the stuffing by combining the ingredients in a small bowl and mixing well until fully combined. Roll the stuffing into a sausage shape in tin foil and transfer to the oven for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Once cooked, remove from the oven and remove the tin foil and then cut into disks and keep warm. Peel and half the parsnips, season with sea salt and wrap in tin foil. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes until tender and remove, cut in half and keep warm.

2) Meanwhile, make the sauce by melting the butter in a medium saucepan and adding the shallot, garlic and thyme. Sauté the mixture over a medium heat for 5 minutes until softened. Turn the heat up high and add the Madeira. Allow to reduce by half. Add the stock and simmer for 10-20 minutes or until a thick consistency is achieved. Season to taste with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Keep warm.

3) Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the rapeseed oil. Season the pigeon breasts with sea salt and cracked black pepper and fry for around 2 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking – add the butter 2 minutes before the end of cooking and baste the breasts. Set the pigeon aside to rest for 5-10 minutes.

4) Drain the butter from the pan and dry with kitchen towel. Reduce the heat to medium. Season the foie gras with sea salt and sauté for 30 seconds-1 minute each side. Remove and dice into small cubes.

5) Slice the pigeon breasts and serve atop the cranberry sauce and sage leaves. Set a disk of the stuffing on the side. Serve the roast chestnut and diced foie gras between two halves of the parsnip. Spoon some Madeira jus over the plate.

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Enjoy!

Pork Loin, Apple Sauce

Pork and apple – a perfect marriage. With a windfall of apples in the garden, now was the time to make a big batch of apple purée.

Pork Loin is pan seared on the bone with a little garlic and thyme and served with my recipe for the perfect apple sauce.

For the sauce, spiced apple purée is combined with fresh, diced apple. This can be made in a big batch to be kept in the freezer.

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Pork Loin, Apple Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Pork: 4 Bone in Single Loin Pork Chops (French Trimmed), 1tbsp Rapeseed Oil, 75g Unsalted Butter, 4 Garlic Cloves (Bashed), 3 Thyme Sprigs, Sea Salt, Cracked White Pepper, Small Handful Sage Leaves (Chopped)

For the Apple Sauce: 8 Small/Medium Cooking Apples (Peeled, Cored and Diced), 25g Unsalted Butter, 75g Caster Sugar, 2 Cinnamon Sticks, 3/4tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg, Small Pinch Sea Salt, 3 Sweet Eating Apples (e.g. Gala) (Peeled, Cored and Diced), 1tsp Grated Lemon Zest

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Method:

1) Make the apple sauce by placing the diced cooking apples in a medium saucepan with the butter and a little splash of water over a medium heat. Add the cinnamon sticks and cover. Turn the heat down low and simmer for around 30 minutes until the apples have cooked out and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the caster sugar to taste and remove from the heat. Allow to cool slightly and add the diced eating apple, nutmeg, sea salt and lemon zest – stir well to combine. Set aside until ready to serve or store for later use.

2) Place a large frying pan over a high heat and add the rapeseed oil. Season the pork chops well with sea salt and cracked white pepper. Fry in the pan with the garlic and thyme for around 5-6 minutes each side until cooked to your liking. Add the butter to the pan and allow to melt. Baste the pork chops well on each side with the butter for 2 minutes. Remove chops from the pan, cover and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.

3) Slice the pork loin from the bone and serve with the apple sauce and the chopped sage. Great served with roast potatoes and kale.

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Enjoy!

Carpaccio

Perhaps my favourite way to start a meal – Carpaccio is super simple to prepare and is always sure to impress.

Beef fillet is seared then sliced thin and served with crispy capers, parsnip crisps, crisp parmesan and high quality extra virgin olive oil.

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Carpaccio
Serves 4

Ingredients: 300g Beef Fillet (Fully Trimmed), 1tbsp Capers, 1 Parsnip, 75g Parmesan (Grated), Maldon Sea Salt, Cracked Black Pepper, High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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Method:

1) Place a frying pan over a high heat and coat with a little olive oil. Season the fillet generously with cracked black pepper and sear for 30 seconds each side in the frying pan to achieve a thin crust. Set aside to cool then transfer to the fridge for at least 2 hours to firm up.

2) Meanwhile make the crisp parmesan. Preheat your oven to 190c. Sprinkle the grated parmesan over a non-stick baking mat on a baking tray and transfer to the oven. Bake for around 5 minutes or until the parmesan has melted and turns slightly golden. Remove from the oven when ready, allow to cool then break up into small pieces. Set aside.

3) Make the crisp capers by deep frying in hot oil (190c) for 20-30 seconds until crisp – remove and drain. Make the parsnip crisps by peeling the parsnip and quartering lengthways. Cut strips from the parsnip with a vegetable peeler and fry in hot oil (190c) for 1-2 minutes until crisp and golden – remove and drain. Set the capers and parsnip aside.

4) When firmed up, slice the beef thinly with a sharp knife. Arrange on plates and top with the capers, parmesan and parsnip crisps. Sprinkle the plate with a good amount of sea salt and drizzle with a good amount of strong extra-virgin olive oil.

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Enjoy!

Game Terrine, Truffle Dressing

A great dish which showcases the best of British game. Fantastic as a starter, this can be prepared in advance for quick service when guests require attention!

This Game Terrine is served with a truffle dressing, crushed walnuts and dried cranberry. Best served with a big chunk of toasted brioche.

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Game Terrine, Truffle Dressing
Serves 6/8

Ingredients:

For the Terrine: 800g Mixed Game Breasts (E.g. Pigeon, Pheasant etc), 300g Finely Minced Game Trimmings and Pork Fat (Equal Quantities), 75g Pancetta (Chopped), 1 Garlic Clove (Crushed), 2tsp Thyme Leaves, 3 Bay Leaves, 200ml Game Stock, 3 Gelatine Leaves, Sea Salt, Cracked Black Pepper

For the Dressing and Accompaniments: 200ml Crème Fraîche, 50g Grated Truffle, 1tsp Lemon Juice, 1/2tsp Truffle Oil, 75g Chopped Walnuts, 75g Chopped Dried Cranberry, Sliced Truffle

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Method:

1) Pre heat your oven to 160c. Line a terrine mould with some baking parchment to make it easier to remove the terrine once cooled. Combine the game breasts with the minced trimmings, pancetta, garlic, thyme and season with a little sea salt and black pepper. Place the bay leaves on the bottom of the terrine mould and spoon the mixture over the top and flatten.

2) Cover the terrine with kitchen foil and transfer to the oven and cook for around 2 hours or until the game is cooked through. Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

3) Bloom the gelatine leaves in a little cold water. Meanwhile, heat the stock in a small saucepan. Add the gelatine leaves to the stock and remove from the heat – stirring to combine. Pour the stock evenly over the terrine. Place the terrine in the fridge to set for at least 24 hours.

4) Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the crème fraîche with the grated truffle, truffle oil and lemon juice – mix well to combine. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

5) When the terrine has set, remove from the mould and slice. Serve with the truffle dressing, the chopped walnuts, dried cranberries and sliced truffle.

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Enjoy!

Pork Pinwheel, Hazelnut Mayonnaise

A great alternative to a sausage roll – a blend of minced pork, apple and sage is spread over pastry and rolled up like a swiss roll! This is great served with homemade hazelnut mayonnaise.

The addition of a good crack of black pepper, freshly grated nutmeg and lemon and orange zest makes the filling for this pinwheel truly delicious and befitting of this time of year!

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Pork Pinwheel, Hazelnut Mayonnaise
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Pinwheel: 1 Block Puff Pastry, 800g Minced Pork, 4tbsp Breadcrumbs, 2tbsp Sage Leaves (Chopped), Zest 1 Orange, Zest 1 Lemon, 1 Apple (Finely Diced), 1 Red Onion (Finely Sliced), 1 1/2 tsp Grated Nutmeg, 1tsp Sea Salt, 3tsp Cracked Black Pepper

For the Mayonnaise: 1 Egg Yolk, 1tsp Dijon Mustard, 1tbsp White Wine Vinegar, 60ml Hazelnut Oil, 100ml Sunflower Oil, 1/4tsp Sea Salt

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Method:

1) Pre heat the oven to 200c. Roll out the pastry to a sheet measuring around 7″x14″ and around 3mm thick. Combine the minced pork with all of the other pinwheel ingredients in a bowl and mix well until fully combined. Spread the mixture over the pastry, leaving a 1″ edge at one end and roll the pastry from narrow end to narrow end as you would a swiss roll.

2) Cut the pinwheel into 3/4″ slices and transfer these to a lined baking sheet and glaze with a little egg wash. Place the pinwheel in the oven and bake for around 25 minutes until the pastry is golden and filling cooked through.

3) Meanwhile make the mayonnaise. Place the egg yolk, dijon and white wine vinegar in a food processor and blitz. Whilst blitzing, slowly add the hazelnut oil and then the sunflower oil until exhausted and the mayonnaise is thick and has emulsified. Add the sea salt and blitz quickly to combine. Set aside.

4) Serve the slices of pinwheel with the hazelnut mayonnaise.

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Enjoy!

Beef Fillet, Madeira, Yorkshire Pudding

A decadent Sunday Lunch! Roasted beef fillet is paired with a sweet Madeira jus and richer Yorkshire puddings.

We have been developing extra-matured 60 day, dry aged steaks at work (my family butchers business) and I had the pleasure of using an extra-matured fillet for this dish. Beautifully tender with a rich, almost game like flavour – the results are better than we could have wished for – a really special steak! Our extra-matured steaks are available to buy from our online shop!

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Beef Fillet, Madeira, Yorkshire Pudding
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Beef: 800g Beef Fillet, 25ml Rapeseed Oil, 25g Unsalted Butter, 1 Rosemary Sprig, 1 Garlic Clove, Sea Salt, Cracked Black Pepper

For the Madeira Jus: 3tbsp Unsalted Butter, 1 Shallot (Finely Diced), 1 Garlic Clove (Bashed), 100ml Madeira, 200ml Beef Stock, Sea Salt, Cracked Black Pepper

For the Yorkshire Puddings: 225g Plain Flour, 375ml Milk, 4 Eggs

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Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 220c. Make the Yorkshire pudding batter by whisking together the milk and eggs. Slowly add this mixture to the plain flour in a large bowl – whisking to combine (don’t worry if there are a few lumps!). Pour a little vegetable oil into the bottom of each hole of a 12 hole muffin tin and place in the oven to preheat. Once hot, remove and pour the batter into the muffin tin, dividing the mixture equally between the holes and return to the oven to cook for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

2) Make the Madeira jus by sautéing the shallot and garlic for 5 minutes in 1tbsp of the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Turn the heat up high and add the Madeira, allow to reduce by half. Add the beef stock and continue to reduce until the mixture has reduced by 2/3. Strain the sauce into a clean pan and whisk in the butter whilst over a low heat. Set aside.

3) Preheat the oven to 200c. Season the beef fillet with sea salt and cracked black pepper and sear for 2 minutes on each side in the rapeseed oil in a large pan over a high heat. Transfer to the oven, sitting atop the rosemary and garlic clove, and roast for 25-30 minutes for medium-rare or until cooked to your liking. Remove, cover and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, turn the oven down to 160c and return the Yorkshire puddings to the oven to warm.

4) Slice the beef fillet and serve with the Yorkshire puddings and warmed Madeira jus. Also great served with some roast potatoes and baked carrots.

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Enjoy!