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The summer seems to be hanging on for a little while longer and in the kitchen, there are lots of salad crops and plenty of peas, beans, and courgettes to brighten our plates. This is the time of year for the arrival of the first game and foraged wild mushrooms, whose rich earthy flavours are perfect partners and the season for mussels, oysters, and scallops.
A scone is a baked quick bread, with flour, fat and a raising agent, which were originally baked on a griddle and was around the size of a medium dining plate. The cooked scone would be cut into triangles, in Scotland thought to be one of the homes to the origins of the scone the large griddle cake is called a bannock. With the development of baking powder, scones became a popular recipe bake in the oven, slightly sweetened and often with the addition of an egg-wash glaze.
Gravadlax or Gravlax is a Scandinavian dish of cured salmon, prepared with salt, sugar, and dill. Gravadlax is normally carefully cut into very thin slices and served with rye bread or boiled potatoes and a distinctive dill and mustard sauce and is one of the dishes served in a traditional Smörgåsbord.
To all my American friends Happy Fourth of July or Independence Day, if you are feeling short of some suitably festive food why not look at the following recipes and have a great day.
Aioli is a flavour packed classic Provençal sauce made from garlic, olive oil, and egg and I use it as a dip with Devilled Whitebait. A portion of freshly fried thick cut chips, English not American are really great piping hot, dusted with sea salt and served with a large pot of pungent aioli. Aioli is traditionally served with seafood, hearty fish soup and at the centre of the classic Le Grand Aioli, a show-stopping dish of fish, normally salt cod, boiled eggs, chickpeas, and vegetables.
A typical Japanese meal may include a bowl of Miso soup or Misoshiru (味噌), it is a staple of Japanese cooking. It is an incredibly tasty and nourishing lunch and if you follow modern-day Japanese custom using instant Dashi stock very, very quick and easy.
I have been posting a series of recipes to celebrate Chinese New Year so I thought we need to look at how to cook the perfect bowl of light fluffy rice to eat with all the other dishes. If you follow the tips below you don’t need a rice steamer cluttering up your work surface and I know you won't go wrong with the perfect accompaniment to your Char sui Pork and Spicy Sesame Chicken Wings.
Cantonese cuisine is all about simple dishes and letting the natural flavours stand out, not like the spice-laden cooking of Sichuan, it just uses the regions abundant natural produce such as seafood, pork, chicken and beef and a few additional flavours.
So, you have successfully shucked the oysters, the steak was cooked to perfection and you matched your meal with a perfect bottle of wine, Valentine’s Day is going according to plan now you need something simply stunning to finish the meal. I have chosen something stunningly simple to make, that can be kept in the fridge and will wow your dinner companion. And the bonus, there will be a couple left over for the morning.
What can be more romantic on Valentine’s Day than to cook and share a delicious steak with your partner, served with a rich buttery Bearnaise Sauce, some thick cut chips, and a crisp green salad? Here are the steps you need to prepare a fabulous steak just like a professional grill chef.
A Bearnaise sauce is simply an egg yolk, a shallot, a little tarragon vinegar, and butter, but it takes years of practice for the result to be perfect.” Fernand Point, French chef, and restaurateur
The oysters are gratinated with a crisp mix of fresh herbs, savoury biscuit crumbs, and Jersey Blue soft cheese which creamy and slightly tangy taste accentuates the salty ozone flavour of the Jersey oysters. The very light continental style beer, Liberation Blonde provides the base for a refreshing dressing to the baked oysters and chilled is an ideal accompaniment.
How you like your steak is very subjective and in a professional kitchen, you often get cooking descriptions that can be convoluted and incredibly detailed. Chefs gauge the thickness and weight of the piece of meat, the type of cut, the cooking technique and the provenance of beef when cooking and often access the stages by gently touching and feeling the give in the meat and using their experience as a guide. A good grill chef is a very valuable member of the kitchen.
A proper pasty is considered to contain beef, sliced potato, onion, and swede. The ingredients are sealed in the pastry with plenty of black pepper and cooked from raw.
Lobster Thermidor is a classic French dish that traditionally consisted of cooked lobster meat bound in Béchamel sauce flavoured with mustard and Cognac
Shin is an inexpensive cut of meat, which is big on flavour, and is full of gelatinous sinew which cooks down to make the most excellent gravy. It is easy to stew, you can also cook in the oven at around 350 F / 180 C / Gas mark 4 and it really lends itself to batch cooking in the pressure cooker and freezing down until required. You can substitute the red wine for a strong tasting beer for beef and ale pie and adapt the recipe further adding chestnut mushrooms, sautéd kidneys or if you are feeling indulgent a dozen oysters just before you finish cooking.
Hollandaise sauce is an emulsion of egg yolk, melted butter and a dash of acidity
Court-bouillon is a light stock or broth used for poaching fish, shellfish, poultry, and sweetbreads. Court-bouillon is not the same as a rich, full-bodied stock and is generally not part of the finished dish. Court-bouillon often contains an acid such a wine, vinegar or lemon juice.
In this tasty recipe for mushroom soup, the mushroom flavour is boosted with the addition of the dried mushrooms and finished not with the classic cream but with a more modern lighter, slightly tangy crème fraîche.
The Demi-glace of classic French cuisine was made from one-part espangole and one-part roasted veal or beef stock which was then carefully reduced in volume by half.
The word velouté comes from a French term for velvet, this is the desired texture of the finished velouté sauce, smooth and rich.
Béchamel is traditionally made by melting butter and adding an equal part of flour in order to make a roux, which is gently cooked in a heavy bottomed pan, taking care not to burn or colour. Then scalded or heated milk is gradually whisked in, and the sauce is cooked until thickened and smooth.
don't worry it's not too late to have a perfectly relaxed and delicious meal which you can prepare plenty of the evening or day before.
Baked ham is very underrated as a joint with the added benefit the cold leftovers are delicious with pickles and chutneys on Boxing Day.
Most families in the United Kingdom traditionally sit-down on Christmas afternoon for their festive dinner. Today the centerpiece is usually a roast Turkey served with stuffing, sausages wrapped in streaky bacon ( pigs in blankets ), crisp roast potatoes, parsnips, Brussel sprouts and lots of other vegetables, and cranberry sauce.
Chilled Salmon, Dill, and Cucumber Soup. This is a lovely starter for a relaxed festive party or a fabulous light lunch, particularly with a nice glass of chilled Riesling or a crisp, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
The rest of the ingredients are pretty common and essential in a well-stocked kitchen. The secret to this classic is a spoonful of marmalade to add a little extra sweetness and an orange undertone to the finished soup.
The UK’s favourite accompaniment to cold seafood is Marie Rose Sauce ( sometimes sold as seafood sauce ), a tangy blend of ketchup and mayonnaise.
Sable Pastry - The word ‘ Sable ‘ is French for sand, which perfectly describes the texture of this rich crumbly biscuit-like sweet pastry. Adding sugar alters the structure of the finished dough giving it a melt in the mouth texture.
Thai green curry paste is used to make Thai green curry. You can buy commercial Thai green curry paste or make your own. Recipes may contain a number of variations, but most will include fresh green chillies, shallots, galangal, garlic, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and Thai sweet basil.
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