food blog

Basil & Mint Tea Infused Ice Cream with a Summer Berry Sauce

May 12, 2014 — 1 Comment

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I scream, you scream, we all scream, for ice cream… and what better time with the weather just starting to turn into nice sunshine here in London. This light, zingy, refreshing and interesting dessert may not seem like an obvious flavour combination to some people, but I believe it really works. The sweet, intense, fresh acidity of the sauce cutting through the richer, custard based ice cream, with its infused herby flavours and creamy textures. This ice cream is great as a light dessert, or you can keep it in the freezer and pull it out for when you just want a hit of something refreshing and sweet on a hot day (the sauce will keep for around 10 days if kept in a sealed container in the fridge). You could also substitute the infused mint tea for fresh mint and the recipe would probably work just as well.

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INGREDIENTS

For the Basil/Mint Tea Infused Ice Cream

  • 30 grams basil
  • 250ml heavy cream
  • 150ml whole milk
  • 3 mixed mint tea bags
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 150 grams sugar
  • vanilla extract

For the Summer Berry Sauce

  • 1 punnet of Raspberries
  • 1 punnet of Blueberries
  • 1 punnet of Blackberries
  • 1 lemon (halved)
  • Caster sugar to taste

MUSIC I COOKED TO:

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Preparation Method:

  1. Heat the milk gently to a light simmer.
  2. Remove from heat. Add the half the chopped basil leaves and mint tea bags and infuse for fifteen minutes. Don’t worry if the mix looks a little grey at this point – the vibrant green colour will return when you add more herbs later!
  3. Quickly blanch the rest of the basil and mint in boiling water and then transfer the herbs to an ice bath to halt the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
  4. Add the heavy cream, milk and a splash of vanilla essence to a saucepan on medium heat. Stir the mixture until it is liquid. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.
  5. While the cream/milk mixture is warming up, whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl or blender. Make sure they’re well combined.
  6. When the cream is just starting to simmer (do NOT boil it), SLOWLY temper it into the yolks by pouring the mixture into the egg mixture whilst whisking.
  7. Pour the custard mixture back into the saucepan and turn the heat down to medium low. Stir in a figure 8 motion for several minutes until the mixture coats the back of a wood spoon or rubber spatula. Remove from the heat and add the herbs. Do not heat to quickly or you will end up with scrambled eggs.
  8. Puree the rest of the basil in a blender with the custard mixture and blend it on high until the basil is fully incorporated.
  9. Strain the cream through a fine mesh strainer and allow to chill thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
  10. Prepare the summer fruit sauce by placing the mixed berries in a pan.
  11. Cover with the fruit with a layer of caster sugar.
  12. Heat on a medium heat for around 10-15 minutes until the fruit has broken down.
  13. Squeeze in the juice of a lemon and then add the lemon halves to the mixture.
  14. Simmer for a further 5 mins.
  15. Strain the berry mixture into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve.
  16. Blend the solid berry flesh left in the sieve until liquid.
  17. Strain the blended mixture into the same bowl. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
  18. Make ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions for your ice cream maker. Cover and place in the freezer to firm up.
  19. Prepare some fine lemon peel for garnish.
  20. To serve place a quenelle of the ice cream on a small plate, drizzle over some of the chilled summer berry sauce, and garnish with the lemon peel.

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Herb Crusted Lamb with Minted Peas, Pancetta, and Lettuce

April 28, 2014 — Leave a comment

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This dish is fast, simple, light, full of flavour and wonderful colours. A rack of lamb dish like this really is very quick to put together and makes a perfect fast lunch or dinner that tastes really fresh and succulent. The cool, sweet, subtle tastes and textures of the herbs and vegetables compliment the meaty, salty lamb and pancetta really well – and the herb crust on the lamb adds a wonderful textural element to the meat, and imparts some great extra flavour punchiness. Just a quick note for the sake of total disclosure – the vegetable part if this dish was inspired by the cooking of the immense Dominic Chapman from a recipe in which he pairs it with a confit of duck. I’ve changed the amounts and adjusted the flavours slightly, by omitting spring onion which he includes, as I felt the spring onion would be a flavour too far with the herb crust of the lamb. 

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 INGREDIENTS

Herb Crusted Lamb

  • Small, trimmed rack of lamb (mine was 300g)
  • 150g of dry bread crumbs
  • Sprig parsley
  • Sprig thyme
  • Sprig coriander
  • Sprig rosemary
  • 1 tablespoons English mustard
  • splash of olive oil

Braised peas, lettuce, bacon, mint

  • A large handful of garden peas
  • 4 baby gem lettuce leaves
  • 100g of diced Pancetta
  • 20g of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
  • 30g of butter

MUSIC I COOKED TO:

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Preparation Method:

  1. Place your herbs on a large chopping board and finely chop them together with the garlic.
  2. Add them to the bread crumbs in a bowl.
  3. Add light olive oil until the mixtures becomes well coated and fluid.
  4. Place mixture into a mortar and pestle and crush into a fine crust. Set aside.
  5. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC
  6. Place lamb on a cutting board. Generously season the lamb with salt and pepper – ensuring it’s thoroughly coated all over.
  7. Heat some light, frying olive oil in an oven safe pan. Seal and brown the lamb all over.
  8. Transfer the lamb in the pan into the oven and bake for 7 minutes. Start to prepare the vegetables while the lamb is cooking.
  9. In a large pan, start to fry the diced bacon on a medium heat until golden. Remove the bacon from the pan and keep in a warm place until required.
  10. Remove the lamb from the oven and brush the top of the rack generously with the mustard. Dip the lamb into the crust mixture coating the top. Dip several times to ensure an even coating. Allow meat to rest for a bit.
  11. Place it back into the oven for 3 minutes, remove, and allow to rest until ready to serve.
  12. Increase the heat under the veg on the hob, add the butter and and small dash of water, stirring to emulsify in the pan. Add the 4 lettuce leaves and cook until just tender, but still green.
  13. Next, add the peas and return the bacon back to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Strain off any excess liquid in a colander, season to taste and add the fresh chopped mint to finish
  14. Crave the lamb into individual chops.
  15. To serve place the lettuce leaves on the centre of the plate, next add the minted peas and Pancetta. Place one or two chops on top of the vegetables and Pancetta.

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Red Wine Jus Steak & Celeriac/Sweet Potato Fries with Honey Glazed Carrots

April 8, 2014 — Leave a comment

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RECIPE_INFO1

Simple, hearty, earthy, juicy! What more is there needed to say about this awesome dish. Easy to put together with lovely strong flavours and great textures this is proper comfort food. There aren’t much better things in food than a big, juicy, well cooked steak covered in a rich, deep red wine sauce. Enough said.

INGREDIENTS

For the Red Wine Jus & Steak

  • Two large filet steaks
  • 2 chopped shallots
  • 175 ml port
  • 175 ml red wine
  • 1 sprig rosemay
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 759 ml good beef stock
  • salt to tase
  • 2 tbs butter

For the Celeriac and Sweet Potato Fries

  • 1 large celeriac (1.3kg/3lb total weight)
  • 2 large Sweet Potato
  • 3-4 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp paprika

For the Honey Glazed Carrots:

  • 4 small, thin and conical carrots
  • 125 g unsalted butter
  • 1 Tbsp runny clear honey
  • 1 tbp D’Jon mustard
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • Salt
  • 750ml chicken stock
  • White Wine (OPTIONAL)

MUSIC I COOKED TO:

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Preparation Method:

  1. Pre heat an oven to 230C/Gas 8/fan 210C
  2. Peel the celeriac, slicing off the top and bottom and sweeping down the sides with a heavy, sharp knife to remove the tough skin. Cut the celeriac into thumb-thick slices and then into chips. Peel and chip the sweet potato
  3. Bring a very large saucepan of salted water to the boil, throw in the chips and blanch (boil rapidly, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes). Drain the chips, pat dry with kitchen towel and throw back into the saucepan. Add the oil, paprika and sea salt. Toss until well coated.
  4. Spread the chips over a large heavy baking sheet, leaving plenty of space (you may need 2 sheets). They take around 30-35 minutes to cook – wait until they are caramalised and crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.
  5. For the red wine jus pan fry the finely diced shallots over a medium high heat until caramelised
  6. Add  the port, red wine and herbs. Simmer until reduced by half.
  7. Add the stock and reduce by half.
  8. Strain through a sieve into a bowl. Add back to the pan and set aside.
  9. Remove the green leaves from the carrots, leaving some greens still attached. Wash them well under cold running water and peel them.
  10. In a small bowl, add the honey, the mustard and the lemon juice and stir well until combined.
  11. Add the butter and heat over medium-high heat. When the butter has almost melted and is foaming place the carrots into the pan. Pour the honey-mustard-lemon juice mixture over the carrots and add salt to taste. Allow the carrots to cook for about 30 minutes over medium heat, until they are softened and caramelised, making sure to turn them every now and then in order to cook evenly. Continue to baste and cover them every so often with the cooking juices, when the pan starts to get a little dry you can deglaze it with some white wine if you have some to hand (or you can use a just a little water or vegetable stock). Never add too much liquid to the pan.
  12. When they are ready, remove them from the pan and arrange them on a platter. Pour some of the melted butter-mustard sauce on top.
  13. Heat a grill or pan to hot, smear the steaks with oil and salt and cook them, turning once, 3 mins each side.
  14. Bring the jus back to boil and remove from heat then whisk ( ‘monte’) in the butter.
  15. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  16. To plate up place the steaks next to the carrots in the centre of a plate, scatter some fries next to them and drizzle over some of the red wine jus.

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