Paul's cooking .......

Eton Mess - the ultimate English summer dessert!

There cannot be another dessert dish that on a hot summer’s day will elicit as much pleasure and delight amongst adults and children alike as eton mess. It is the perfect combination of taste, texture and appearance. I’ve added a slight twist to my recipe which I believe improves on the original!

 

Ingredients

350 gr Golden caster sugar

6 large egg whites

 1 kg  fresh strawberries

3 tablespoon icing sugar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1200 ml double cream

 

Ok, you must have the cleanest possible bowl into which place the egg whites and whisk (by hand or machine) until they form soft peaks that will gently fall when removing the whisk. Now add the caster sugar gently a bit at a time and whisk until the sugar has been thoroughly whisked in.

Now simply take rounded dessert spoonfuls and place on a lined baking tray. Place in the middle of a low oven at 150 C and leave the meringues for 1 hour.  I prefer the meringues slightly chewy so take them out after an hour, however if you prefer a dryer texture leave them until the oven goes cold.

Prepare half of the strawberries, hulling and chopping in half and set aside. The remainder are placed in a blender with the icing sugar and the balsamic vinegar. The balsamic vinegar adds a delicious depth and sharpness, believe me!

Now pass the puree through a nylon sieve to remove the seeds.

Just before time to serve pop the meringues into a plastic zipper bag and have huge fun breaking the meringues into nice mouth sized bits (not too small!). Add the crushed meringues to the large bowl of whipped double cream, add the prepared strawberries and gently fold the puree into the mix creating a lovely marbled effect.

I keep aside maybe a quarter of the puree to allow guests to drizzle it themselves. I also prefer to serve in one huge bowl, and watch the ensuing melee as previously civilised guests fight for their fair share of what is simply a stunning summer dessert.

Impossible to eat without a smile on your face!

Fresh Garden Peas - Sicilian Style

This recipe is courtesy of Keith Floyd, a man with a huge passion for food and an even greater passion for the liquid form of refreshment!

June is a great month if you like peas - supermarkets may have peas all year round, but now is the time if you want seasonal freshness.

My children love this dish.

Ingredients

Olive Oil

50g Butter

1 bunch spring onions

2 finely diced carrots

1 thick slice of prosciutto chopped (smoked lardons will do as well)

2 chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

1 glass dry white wine

1kg fresh peas

150 ml fresh milk

handful of chopped oregano 

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan. Add the spring onions, carrots and prosciutto, sauteing for around 5 minutes until softened. Now add the strips of chicken to the pan, season and fry until golden.

Pour in the wine and allow it to evaporate. Remove the chicken and set aside. Add the fresh peas to the frying pan and cook over a gentle heat for about 5 minutes.

Now return the chicken to the pan, add the milk and oregano and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Season well with salt and ground pepper and serve immediately.

Enjoy a simple but nutritious dish.

Linguine with Crab (Linguini al Granchio)

I first ate this dish in the fabulous River Cafe Restauarant in Fulham, London. I loved the combination of flavours, particularly the heat from the chillies with the fantastic crab meat.

Imagine how pleased I was when I decided to replicate this dish at home. It really does taste as good!

It is a fantastic dinner party starter or main course for supper.

Ingredients:

2 large live male crabs, 2-3 kg in weight

3 fresh chillies (4 if you enjoy it hot!)

2 handfuls of flat leaved parsley, finely chopped

1 handful of finely chopped corriander

juice of 4 lemons

3 garlic cloves, ground with a little sea salt

250 ml olive oil

500 gr Linguine

sea salt and ground black pepper

extra virigin olive oil

In a large pot bring sufficient water to the boil and place the crabs in (you may wish to put the crabs in the freezer for some time prior to this if concerned as to the crab's welfare). Boil gently for 20 minutes, removing from the water and leave to cool.

Having removed the legs and claws, break the bodies carefully and remove the brown meat along with any juices into a bowl. Now remove the white meat from the claws and mix in the bowl.

Finely chop the chillies (seeds in for extra heat, out for a less hot version)  and add to the coriander and parsley (reserve a little parsley for garnish) , lemon juice and crushed garlic. Now mix with the crab mixture and stir in the olive oil. The resulting sauce is quite wet.

Cook the linguine as per packet instructions and drain thoroughly. Immediately stir in the crab sauce, mixing well. 

Serve immediately, sprinkling each serving with a little of the reserved parsley and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.

Plenty of crusty bread to mop up the sauce and a very cold flinty white wine will make this a memorable starter or supper!

Enjoy!

Steamed Sea Bream with chili and Coriander

Sea Bream (Dourade) is a very under-rated fish in my opinion, I can recall the most fantastic sea-bream taken fresh from the sea in Portugal, scaled, gutted and thrown straight onto hot coals - delicious if somewhat brutal way of eating a very well flavoured fish.

So here's a slightly asian take - deliciously tasty but subtle also!

Very healthy too!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 whole plate-sized bream, scaled, gilled and gutted 

⅔ cup fish sauce 

⅓ cup lime juice 

2 teaspoons grated palm sugar 

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

4 small green chillies, finely sliced 

½ bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped 

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Half fill a wok (or large saucepan) with water and bring to the boil. 

Place a plate in a steamer basket, or line with baking paper. 

Having scaled and cleansed the fish (if you have a good fishmonger, he'll have done this for you - don't be afraid to ask!) rinse the belly cavity of the fish, rub away any black lining and pat dry. Cut several deep slashes into the thickest part of both sides of the fish. 

Combine the fish sauce, palm sugar, lime juice, garlic, chili and half the coriander and ensure that the resulting marinade covers the sea-bream .  (I love this marinade and it can be used on many fish not just sea-bream)

Now place fish into the steamer. Place steamer over wok or saucepan,  and cover and steam for 10-12 minutes until the fish is opaque and flesh flakes easily when tested with a fork. One of the joys of steaming fish is that it relatively quickly one becomes adept at judging when the fish is cooked to its' best. I think the transformation under the steam is magical.

Remove the plate from the steamer and  sprinkle with the remaining coriander.

Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice and enjoy the idyllic combination of fresh steamed fish, lime, chili and coriander. Your guests will think you're a culinary genius, but we don't need to tell them how simple this dish really is !

Poulet Sauté Au Vinaigre

A very simple dish which requires a good chicken and excellent-quality vinegar. It is a great summer dish - the only time we get truly ripe tomatoes in England!

There is a version of this dish from the early 1970's which includes armagnac, dijon mustard, tomato purée, garlic, white wine, chervil, and double cream, however this recipe creates a more traditional version. 

 Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 kg free-range chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• Sea salt and black pepper
• ½ cup butter
• 2 tbsp good quality olive oil
• 6 very ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1 cup best-quality red wine vinegar
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 heaped tbsp chopped parsley    

We start by seasoning the pieces of chicken with salt and pepper.

Now heat (not too fiercely) 4 tbsp of the butter and the olive oil in a flameproof casserole until just turning nut-brown. Add the chicken and fry gently, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over.

Add the chopped tomatoes, and carry on frying and stewing until the tomato has lost its moisture and is dark red and sticky. Don't be tempted to taste at this stage, wait for the finished article!

Now pour in the vinegar, it will sizzle strongly! and reduce by simmering until almost disappeared. Add the stock (homemade if possible), and simmer again until reduced by half. Now remove the chicken to a serving dish and keep warm. Whisk the remaining butter into the sauce to give it a glossy finish - forget about the calories, this is a memorable dish!

Add 1 tbsp chopped parsley, pour over the chicken, and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

Traditionally this is served with plain boiled potatoes, but it is delicious with a serving of buttered noodles.

In keeping with the summer theme, a delightful ice-cold bottle of rose will make this a memorable lunch!

Potato and Anchovy Gratin

This dish makes a delightful lunch or light supper, the combination of cream, potatoes and anchovies is stunning!

It's important to use Swedish Anchovies. Swedish anchovies are pale, bigger and generally preserved in sweetened brine, often flavoured with a hint of cinnamon and ginger. They're readily available from that big swedish furniture store!

Ingredients

• 2oz/60g softened butter
• 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2x4 1/2oz / 125g tins Swedish anchovies, drained (keep the juice from one of the tins)
• 6 medium sized  waxy potatoes (Desiree are best) peeled
• 14floz/400ml whipping cream
• 2tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs

Start as ever by preheating the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

Prepare the potatoes, ideally with a mandoline, ensuring thin even slices and also finely chop the shallots (I prefer the extra sweetness of shallots over onions, but onions will still make an excellent dish too)

Grease a shallow ovenproof dish with half the butter. Fill the base of it with the shallots.

Now use a pair of scissors and snip the anchovies into four and distribute them over the shallots.

Pour over the juice from one of the tins. Cover with the prepared potatoes, press them down lightly and season with a little salt and plenty of black pepper.

Pour over the cream and then quietly tap the dish a couple of times upon a wooden surface to settle the assembly. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the surface and dot with the remaining butter.

Now place dish in the pre-heated oven and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until crusted and golden, bubbling at the edges. The smell will be tantalising, I promise you!

Serve at the table with a watercress salad, dressed lightly with oil and white wine vinegar.

The Ultimate Cornish Pasty

Inspired by "heated" debate as to the best shop bought pasty, I decided to include a recipe for a home made pasty, which in my opinion will beat those of the largest pasty retailers in the UK!

Real aficionados may like to look up the following title The Pasty Book written by Hettie Merrick.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

300 g lard

450 g strong plain flour

a pinch of salt

ice-cold water to mix

For the filling

200 g onion, coarsely chopped

200 g swede, peeled and diced

400 g chuck beef, trimmed and diced

600 g maris piper potatoes, peeled and diced

butter

a little water

egg wash

salt, freshly ground black and white pepper

Place the lard in the freezer, and leave for an hour until very hard.

Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Take lard from freezer and grate into the bowl. Dipping the lard into the flour may make the grating easier! Now mix the lard into the flour, until the mix resembles heavy breadcrumbs. Stir in a tablespoon of cold water at a time until the dough clings together and forms a ball. Cover with cling film and place in fridge.

Pre-heat the oven to 200' C.

Now mix the filling ingredients together, seasoning liberally with salt and the black and white peppers.

Roll out the pastry and cut into four circles. Place the filling ingredients across the centre leaving a 2cm border around the edge. Moisten half the pastry border with a little water, bringing up each side of the circle to enclose the filling, pressing together to form a ridge. Crimp the edge with your fingers.

Butter a flat baking sheet and sprinkle with water. Transfer the pasties to the baking sheet, and prick in a few places either side of the seam. Now wash pasties with the egg wash.

Bake for 15 minutes, now lower the temperature to 150' C and cook for a further 30-40 minutes.

Delicious served with HP sauce, or my personal favourite, salt and malt vinegar.

Dedicated to the pasty lovers of GOT!

Beef Daube - A french classic !

Daube is the classic French dish of slowly braised beef, red wine, vegetables, and seasonings. Before the introduction of modern ovens, a daube was cooked in a daubière, a heavy casserole or pot with a concave lid. Over a wood fire, the lid would be filled with water to help radiate heat around the stew.

I think there are as many recipes for daube as there are cheeses in France, after some experimenting, the recipe below is my personal favourite.

As with almost all stews, this tastes infinitely better the day after cooking, the beef also benefits from a days’ marinating, so all-in-all it’s at least a three day process.

Ingredients:

2 kg Stewing Steak (shin, thick flank or brisket is best)

500gr Belly Pork, the rind removed, and cubed into bit-size pieces

1 Pig's Trotter

1kg fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (or for ease 2 x 400gr tins of chopped Tomatoes)

500gr Carrots, peeled and cut into small chunks

500gr Flat Mushrooms, quartered

2 Bay Leaves

Salt and freshly-ground Black Pepper

750ml Water

1 tablespoon (15ml) Tomato Purée

Marinade:

1 litre “robust” Red Wine

3 medium peeled and quartered onions

1 bouquet garni

2 strips of Orange Rind finely chopped

2 large cloves of Garlic, peeled and chopped

2 whole Cloves

1 Cinnamon Stick

Generous amount of Black Pepper

2 tablespoons (30ml) Olive Oil

Prepare the marinade ingredients and add the cubed stewing beef – I prefer not to trim the beef to much, allowing all of the gelatinous bits to melt into the pot during cooking. Leave in the fridge or a cool place to marinate for about 24 hours turning the meat occasionally.

Next day, remove from fridge and allow to come back to room temperature. Now add the cubed belly pork. Wash the pig trotter and split (it may be easier to get the butcher to do this for you) and add to the beef.

Meanwhile pre-heat oven to 150’C . Place all the ingredients, except the mushrooms, into a heavy casserole. Now add water, until all ingredients are covered. Place lid on casserole and gently bring the mixture to near the boil on top of the cooker.

Now transfer the dish to the oven, and cook for 3½ - 4 hours or until the beef is very tender.

After cooking remove the trotter and use a fork to pull its meat in shreds from the bones. The smell will be amazing – please try not to lose any of the precious juices, and now return the shredded meat to the daube. Remove the bouquet garni, cinnamon stick and cloves.

Allow the daube to cool and leave in fridge until tomorrow (or even the day after).

One hour before eating, remove from fridge and skim off any excess fat. Add mushrooms, place casserole under a very gentle light and allow daube to heat gently

Check for seasoning before serving. Traditionally daube is served with delicious buttery wide noodles, however I often serve just with fresh crusty bread.

Enjoy!

A classic Coq au Vin!

When the nights are drawing in and autumn is here, it is the time for more hearty, warming stews! My recipe is heavily influenced by Simon Hopkinson.

One of my favourites is another french classic "Coq au Vin" and like the Daube, the longer it takes to cook, the richer the experience when eating it!

This is not a pretty dish to look at - hours of slow cooking in a hearty red wine will remove most of the colours of the vegetables, but this is a dish to savour with the tongue and the nostrils - it tastes and smells fantastic!

If possible to obtain, an older chicken adds to the flavour, however if not possible a younger bird will achieve great results, albeit with less cooking time.

Ingredients:

1 bottle full bodied red wine - a Burgundy perhaps ? (don't skimp the flavours will come through)

500 ml chicken stock

several sprigs fresh thyme (lemon thyme - if possible)

3 bay leaves

1 dsp redcurrant jelly

1 red onion stuck with 2/3 cloves

3 celery ribs - finely chopped

3 carrots - cut into chunks

puree of 5 roasted garlic cloves - roasted in a hot oven for 20 minutes in their skins, when cold squeeze out puree like toothpaste!)

the best quality chicken - ideally 2kg - skinned and jointed

1 pigs trotter - split in two

salt and pepper

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp olive oil

25 gr butter

125 g pancetta cut into cubes

25 small shallots

25 button mushrooms

a good splash of brandy - again the best you can afford!

fresh parsley - chopped

In a large enamelled pot place the wine, chicken stock, thyme, bay leaves, jelly, onion, celery, carrots and roasted garlic puree and bring to the boil - reduce by one half and reserve.

Remove the skin from the jointed chicken and cut the thigh pieces from the drumsticks. Season each of the pieces well and roll them in the flour mixed with the paprika.

Heat the butter and olive oil in the enamalled pot and saute the chicken until golden brown. At the same time saute the split pigs' trotter. Remove and set aside. Now fry the pancetta in the same fat until golden and crispy. Reserve with the chicken and pigs trotter.

Next tip the mushrooms and shallots into the pot and fry until well coloured - about 10 minutes.

Now put back the reduced wine and vegetables, bacon and pig's trotter, turn up the heat and when near boiling pour over the brandy. Set alight and reduce heat, allow everything to settle down and cook under the lowest possible heat for as long as you wish - a couple of hours at least.  Add reserved chicken and remove from heat. (If using an older chicken can be added with the veg, pigs trotter and pancetta)

When cool, leave in fridge for a minimum of 24 hours (max 72 hours if well covered).

Spoon off any excess fat, remove pigs trotter and onion with cloves, and 1 hour before serving, warm under a low heat.

Serve with crusty french bread, boiled potatoes, or perhaps a potato dauphinoise.

Eat slowly, and savour the richness and depth of flavour!

Provencal Spaghetti

I call this dish Provencal Spaghetti, not because of the ingredients but rather that it was first created during a long hot Provencal summer! I've never worked out the weights of the ingredients as frankly they change each time. It is however a great lunch, especially with a good ice cold Rose (Chateau de Pampelonne for example)!

Ingredients:

Spaghetti

For the sauce:

Garlic - finely chopped
Asparagus
Sun-dried tomatoes
Grilled red peppers
Capers
Lardons
Parmesan shavings
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Dried Chillies
Black pepper
Croutons (from yesterday's baguette!)

Instructions

Firstly in a large pan of salted boiling water cook spaghetti as per packet instructions.

In a large open pan, fry the lardons over a high heat until they start to crisp up. Lower heat slightly and then add chopped garlic and dried chillies. Cook for another minute before adding the asparagus and capers. Cook gently for a minute or two and then add the grilled red peppers, the sun dried tomatoes and a good squeeze of lemon juice. I also like to add a few shavings of parmesan at this stage, as I enjoy their melted texture. Season well with black pepper, and cook gently until pasta is ready.

Drain pasta, and add to the sauce, mixing well to ensure that every strand has a glorious coating of oil, garlic, caper, chilli and parmesan flavouring.

Place on a large serving plate, add croutons and more parmesan shavings plus additional black pepper and serve immediately.