Fillet of brill in prawn sauce

 The original recipe was based on lobster, which I cannot afford, so my sauce was made from a pre-made prawn bisque from my freezer.

Each time I cook with prawns I freeze the shells and heads. 

When I have about 500 gr its time to make a nice bisque. It is simple:

Put them in 1,5 litre of water, add a glass of white wine, 2 halved onions (unpeeled, the skin colours the bisque), 2 bay leaves, 1 clove of garlic, 10 peppercorns, a couple of halved tomatoes,1 tbsp tomato paste, a couple of celery stalks (incl some leaves), half a bunch of parsley, some chopped carrots.

Bring it all up to a boil with a splash of cognac and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, covered until the stock is well infused by the shells. Then I take everything out and reduce the liquid till a nice brown bisque is the result. Which goes into the freezer for opportunities like today.

For the sauce you need 200 ml. Add 25 ml cream and bring to the boil again. Then set aside

Use a mandoline to shave 3 green asparagus lengthways before cooking for 3 mins with 100 gr samphire.

Season 2 fillets of brill and place them, skin-side down, in a hot pan with a little olive oil. Cook until golden brown. To replace the lobster I fried some prawns  along them (and kept the shells and heads of course). Turn the brill over and then take the pan off the heat. Allow the fillets to cook through off the stove. 

Put the samphire in the centre of warmed bowl plates. Add the shaving of asparagus and place the brill on top.

Reheat the sauce and whisk in 30 gr unsalted butter. 
Season to taste, then pour on and around the brill. 
Finish with the prawns, a spoonful of caviar 
(which I cannot afford so I used black seaweed pearls 
from... IKEA) and an edible flower. 

(Here is the original recipe by Simon Hulstone)

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Ceci n'est pas un dessert !

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Wash several different beetroots well then wrap in foil with 1 sprig of thyme, 1 bay leaf, a pinch of sea salt, 10 black peppercorns, olive oil and water. Ensure that the foil is sealed so that the beetroots will steam in the parcel. Cook for 45 minutes, until a metal skewer, or sharp knife, goes easily through the beetroot

Leave the beetroots to cool before peeling away the skin and cutting some in quarters, others in slices

Then make a lemon dressing whisk together a tbsp of lemon juice, a pinch of salt, slowly drizzle in 3 tbsp olive oil 

Next make the beetroot coulis, roughly chop 100 gr cooked red beetroot and place in a blender with 10 gr red wine vinegar, 10 g Worcestersauce, 3 drops of Tabasco, a pinch of salt&pepper and blend until smooth

To plate spread the coulis in the middle of the plate in a circle. Place ½ burrata per person on top and season with sea salt and olive oil

Dress the  beetroots with the lemon dressing and arrange around the plate. Garnish with cress and edible flowers.

(My variation on a recipe by Xavier Boyer)

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Corona cooking : Homemade lasagna

Pre-heat the oven at 220° C (for dried lasagna sheets) or 180° C (for fresh sheets).

This is a recipe for seventeen portions, two to eat right out of the oven, still bubbling and fifteen to freeze and enjoy later during these uncertain times. Or...to give away!

First blacken 4 red paprikas under the grill.

Chop 4 onions and mince 2 cloves of garlic.

Wash 2 courgettes (preferably one green and one yellow) and halve them lengthwise, then slice. 

Fry 1500 gr minced meat (half beef, half pork) in 2 batches, seasoned with 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp cove powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp salt.
Set aside.

Sweat the onion and garlic, then add a bottle of tomato pasata, a can of diced tomatoes, a tbsp tomato paste, and a bouquet garni (fresh thyme, marjoram, rosemary) and let it stew for 30 mins. Taste and season with pepper and salt.

In the meantime peel the paprikas and cut into strips.

Remove the fresh herbs from the sauce, add the paprika strips, with the minced meat. 

Oil a large baking tin (40x 32 x 7 cm) and cover the bottom with 8 lasagna sheets.

Cover with 1/3 of the tomato/meat mix.

Then 1/3 of the courgette slices.

Cover that with 400g white (Bechamel) sauce and finish with 150 gr grated cheese.

Repeat this 2x (but on the 2nd layer add slices of 2 celery sticks with the courgette)

Then bake in the oven for 30 mins.

(A Janneke Muileboom recipe)

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< Put the frozen package in a 180°C   
   oven for 50 mins to get this result

Mackerel pâté with pickled cucumber

For the cucumber pickle, add 600 ml water to a pan and place over a medium-high heat. Add 30 gr salt, 2 cloves, 4 black peppercorns, 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, a bay leaf and a sprig of fresh tarragon. As soon as the water boils, remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Once the mixture is cold, add 50 ml Chardonnay vinegar to the pan. Place a sliced cucumber in a jar and cover with the vinegar mixture.
Leave until required, the longer the better

Check 250 gr smoked mackerel for bones, pull apart with a fork.

Add 2 tsp sambal, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp ketjap asin, 2 tbsp crême fraiche, 1 tbsp chives and 1 tbsp shredded mint.

Season with salt&pepper.

Serve as quenelles, with smoked paprika, daikon cress and toast.

Recipes: Linda Bonn (mackerel) and Simon Hulstone (cucumber)

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Asparagus, poached egg, Parmesan

Steam asparagus for about 3 to 4 mins

Poach eggs

Serve as shown, add slivers of Parmesan cheese

Season with sea salt and pepper, dress with olive oil and Crema de Balsamico.

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Potato dischetti with anchovy and capers

Boil potatoes until cooked but not overly soft. When cooled, if so desired, peel the potatoes and slice into 5mm thick rounds.

Rinse some capers and mix them together with chopped black olives. Set aside.

Make a dressing by blending together olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper

Place the potato slices on a large platter and drizzle herb dressing on each slice.

When the platter is covered, sprinkle the olive and caper mixture on top of the rounds. 

Finish with anchovies and serve slightly warm or room temperature

(Recipe by Amy Gulick)

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Black cod with pea shoots, mint and Thai dressing

Begin by preparing the salad. Place some mint leaves, pea shoots, coriander leaves, thinly sliced shallot, thinly sliced chili, parboiled mange tout (split in half)and dill in a bowl and set aside.

For the dressing, combine the juice of 2 limes, 1 tbsp grated palm sugar and a tbsp fish sauce in a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside until required

To cook the fish, place a large non-stick pan over a high heat. Once hot, pour in a small dash of vegetable oil and add black cod fillet, skin-side down

Press the fish down gently with a spatula to evenly brown the skin andcook for a further 2-3 minutes. Flip the fish over and cook on the other side until the fish firms up and is just cooked through - this should take an additional 3-5 minutes depending on the size of the fillet. Remove from the pan and allow to rest for 1 minute. 

Meanwhile, dress the salad, mixing to coat all of the ingredients. 

Place the fillets onto plates and arrange the salad and edible flowers on top. Pour over any excess dressing, sprinkle some sesame seeds (which I forgot) on top and serve immediately

(Recipe by Andy Waters on Great British Chefs)

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Pan-fried salmon & Asian vegetable wok

 

1. 
   

With a mandoline or food processor, finely slice a carrot and 1/4 zucchini. 

Finely slice 1/4 Chinese cabbage, 50 gr snow peas and 60 gr shitake mushrooms with a long sharp knife. 

In a large bowl, add all the vegetables together with 50 gr soybean sprouts. Set aside. 

Grate 2 gr ginger and add to a bowl. Add 15 gr oyster sauce, 25 gr soy sauce, 2 gr palm sugar, 5 gr sesame oil and 5 gr sunflower oil. and mix well. Set aside.

 
Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Season deboned salmon fillets with salt and place in the pan. Cook for 5 minutes on the same side for crispy salmon. Then flip to the other side and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

In the meantime, heat a wok or a large pan over high heat. Add the vegetables to the wok and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the desired amount of sauce and cook for few seconds. Remove from the heat.

Place the vegetable wok and the salmon on the plate. 

Serve warm. Bon appétit!

(Recipe by Vincent Guiheneuf on Cookniche.com)

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Scallop, curried parsnip purée, parsnip crisps and pomegranate

Begin by preparing the parsnip crisps. Use a peeler to form strips of parsnip, avoiding going down to the core (you can use any scraps to make the purée). Pat the strips dry with kitchen paper and set aside until ready to cook

Once ready to cook, preheat a deep pan of vegetable oil to 180˚C. Deep-fry the strips for 4-5 minutes, or until golden, then remove from the oil, drain on kitchen towel and season with salt. Keep in a warm, dry place until required

For the curried parsnip purée, place a saucepan over a medium heat and add a dash of vegetable oil, followed by 250 gr parsnips and spices (5 gr curry powder, 5 gr ground coriander, 4 gr ground cumin and a small pinch of curcuma.  Reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Add 50 ml cream and 50 ml milk, bring to a simmer and cook for a further 25 minutes or until the parsnips start to soften

Remove the saucepan from the heat, transfer the contents of the pan to a blender and blitz on full speed until a smooth purée forms

Transfer the purée to a clean saucepan and season to taste with salt. Cover with a cartouche until ready to reheat and serve

For the pomegranate dressing, reduce 100 ml pomegranate juice down in a pan until you are left with 25 ml. Remove the juice from the heat and tip into a deep bowl. Quickly whisk in 50 ml rapeseed oil and set aside in a bottle until ready to use.

Make sure the scallops are cleaned and stored in the refrigerator on a clean tea towel or J-cloth before cooking. To prepare the scallops season lightly with salt

Meanwhile, begin to reheat the parsnip purée

Place a frying pan over a high heat and add a dash of vegetable oil. Once the pan is almost smoking, add a few of the scallops, making sure you do not overcrowd the pan, as this will cause them to stew and not sear and caramelise

Sear the scallops on each side for 30-45 seconds or until golden brown on each side.

Arrange spoonfuls of the parsnip purée around each plate, then top each mound of purée with a scallop half. Garnish with the seeds, crispy parsnips and micro cress and drizzle over the pomegranate dressing. Serve immediately.

(Recipe by Marcus Wareing on Great British Chefs)

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