This dish makes a perfect, if slightly alternative, starter. The inspiration for the frozen Foie Gras come from a dish served by David Chang in New York. We have mentioned that the Foie gras is optional, in fact Jo has hers without, but in my opinion it is well worth the addition.
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 Large portabello mushrooms
8 slices smoked dry cure bacon
250ml rosé wine
3 sheet leaf gelatin
25g butter
2 cloves garlic peeled & crushed
1 small tin foie gras (optional)
salt & pepper
Method
If you are using the foie gras, ideally you need to remove the foie gras from the tin the day before serving, wrap it in cling film & put it in the freezer.
First make the wine jelly. Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water (if you are using powdered gelatin, follow the instructions on the packet, using the correct quantity required to set 250ml) until soft. Measure out 250ml of the wine & pour into a mixing bowl. Remove the gelatin from the water and squeeze out any excess water, place in a small pan together with 3tbsp of the wine. Place over a very low heat and warm until the gelatin has melted. It is crucial not to overheat the gelatin. As soon as the gelatin has melted, remove from the heat and pour into the remaining wine, mix well. Pour the jelly into a large flat container, so that the jelly is approximately 1 cm deep. Place somewhere cool or in the fridge to set.
Once the Jelly has set remove from the container & cut into 1 cm cubes.
Just before serving, remove the stalks from the mushrooms and chop finely. Fry the chopped stalk in the butter until golden. Add the garlic & stir through, cooking for no more than 1 minute. Remove from the pan reserving the fat, and set aside somewhere warm.
In the same pan fry the bacon until crisp & golden. Remove from the pan & again reserve the remaining fat in the pan. Cut the bacon into 2 cm lengths and set aside again somewhere warm.
Fry the mushrooms in the pan until the bottoms are golden & the gills turn very dark, season with salt & pepper. The dish is now ready for assembly.
Arrange the cubes of jelly on the serving plates around the outside rim, leaving enough space for the mushroom in the middle, intersperse with some of the bacon. Place the remaining bacon in the cooked mushroom & top with the chopped stalk.
If you are using the foie gras, remove from the freezer and finely grate a generous amount over the top of the mushroom.
Place the mushrooms in the centre of the plates & serve immediately.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Coq Au Vin
Serves 4
Ingredients :
2 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed
4 chicken thighs & 4 chicken legs
1 bottle red wine
200g smoked lardons or chopped streaky bacon
200g small onions or shallots
500ml chicken stock
1tbsp vegetable oil
100g mushrooms
25ml single cream
salt & pepper
25g butter
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp dried herbs
Method:
Dust the chicken pieces in a light coating of flour.
Pour the wine into a pan, bring to the boil & reduce by half.
Heat the oil in a frying pan & fry the lardons until golden. Remove from the pan & place half in a casserole – keep the other half to one side.
Using the fat left in the frying pan, turn the heat to high and brown the chicken on all sides. Place in the casserole.
Peel & chop half of the onions. Using the frying pan & oil you used to brown the chicken, fry the onions until translucent but not coloured, then add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Add to the casserole.
Into the casserole which now has the lardons, chicken & onions, also add the reduced wine, stock & dried herbs. Place in the oven at 150°C for 1 ½ hours.
Remove from the oven, strain the liquid & return to the casserole. Remove the chicken & discard the remainder. Allow the chicken to cool before removing the skin & taking the flesh from the bones. Cut the flesh into bite size pieces & return to the casserole.
In a frying pan fry the remaining onions (peeled but left whole if small – otherwise cut in half) in the butter & add to the casserole.
Quickly fry the mushrooms (whole if small or halved or quartered if big) until browned & add to the casserole. Add the cream & mix.
Season to taste – bear in mind the lardons (or bacon) will add salt.
Return to the oven for 40 mins. Serve.
Ingredients :
2 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed
4 chicken thighs & 4 chicken legs
1 bottle red wine
200g smoked lardons or chopped streaky bacon
200g small onions or shallots
500ml chicken stock
1tbsp vegetable oil
100g mushrooms
25ml single cream
salt & pepper
25g butter
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp dried herbs
Method:
Dust the chicken pieces in a light coating of flour.
Pour the wine into a pan, bring to the boil & reduce by half.
Heat the oil in a frying pan & fry the lardons until golden. Remove from the pan & place half in a casserole – keep the other half to one side.
Using the fat left in the frying pan, turn the heat to high and brown the chicken on all sides. Place in the casserole.
Peel & chop half of the onions. Using the frying pan & oil you used to brown the chicken, fry the onions until translucent but not coloured, then add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Add to the casserole.
Into the casserole which now has the lardons, chicken & onions, also add the reduced wine, stock & dried herbs. Place in the oven at 150°C for 1 ½ hours.
Remove from the oven, strain the liquid & return to the casserole. Remove the chicken & discard the remainder. Allow the chicken to cool before removing the skin & taking the flesh from the bones. Cut the flesh into bite size pieces & return to the casserole.
In a frying pan fry the remaining onions (peeled but left whole if small – otherwise cut in half) in the butter & add to the casserole.
Quickly fry the mushrooms (whole if small or halved or quartered if big) until browned & add to the casserole. Add the cream & mix.
Season to taste – bear in mind the lardons (or bacon) will add salt.
Return to the oven for 40 mins. Serve.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Mushroom & Turnip Parcels
A transitional dish that works well for those late Summer evenings and Autumn lunches. Suitable for vegetarians but those omnivores among us won't notice the lack of meat.
Serves 4
Oven Temperature 180°C
Ingredients
250g field mushrooms
400g turnips, peeled and cut into a rough 2.5 cm dice
75g butter
100ml white wine (optional)
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1tbsp light soy sauce
½ tsp powdered wasabi (optional)
8 sheets of brick or filo pastry
40g melted butter
salt & pepper
Method
Put the turnips in a pan together with the wine and 25g of butter, top up with water to cover the turnips.
Heat the pan to boiling point and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until soft. Remove the turnips from the pan, reserving the liquid, and set aside to cool.
Return the pan to the heat and boil the remaining liquid until only a teaspoon of wine & water together with the butter remain.
Chop the mushrooms into a ½ cm dice. Heat a frying pan until hot, add 50g of butter together with the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Fry until the mushrooms are golden, turn off the heat and add the garlic stirring gently.
Place the cooled turnips in a blender together with the reserved juice and puree the mixture until smooth, add the wasabi (if using) and the soy sauce. Place the turnip mixture together with the mushrooms in a bowl and gently stir them together. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Set aside in the fridge to chill.
Take a sheet of pastry and, using a pastry brush, cover with a thin coating of the melted butter, repeat with a second sheet and lay this on top of the first. Then either push the middle of the 2 sheets of pastry into a deep muffin tin, or lay flat on a baking tray, spoon ¼ of the turnip & mushroom mixture into the middle of the pastry. Gather up the outer edge of the pastry and twist it so that it creates a ball of filling in the bottom with a frilly pastry top - as the butter cools & sets it will hold the shape.
Repeat this process with the remaining sheets of pastry and the filling. Allow the melted butter to cool before putting the parcels on to a baking sheet, then place in the oven for 25 minutes or until the pastry top is a dark golden colour.
Serve hot.
Serves 4
Oven Temperature 180°C
Ingredients
250g field mushrooms
400g turnips, peeled and cut into a rough 2.5 cm dice
75g butter
100ml white wine (optional)
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1tbsp light soy sauce
½ tsp powdered wasabi (optional)
8 sheets of brick or filo pastry
40g melted butter
salt & pepper
Method
Put the turnips in a pan together with the wine and 25g of butter, top up with water to cover the turnips.
Heat the pan to boiling point and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until soft. Remove the turnips from the pan, reserving the liquid, and set aside to cool.
Return the pan to the heat and boil the remaining liquid until only a teaspoon of wine & water together with the butter remain.
Chop the mushrooms into a ½ cm dice. Heat a frying pan until hot, add 50g of butter together with the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Fry until the mushrooms are golden, turn off the heat and add the garlic stirring gently.
Place the cooled turnips in a blender together with the reserved juice and puree the mixture until smooth, add the wasabi (if using) and the soy sauce. Place the turnip mixture together with the mushrooms in a bowl and gently stir them together. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Set aside in the fridge to chill.
Take a sheet of pastry and, using a pastry brush, cover with a thin coating of the melted butter, repeat with a second sheet and lay this on top of the first. Then either push the middle of the 2 sheets of pastry into a deep muffin tin, or lay flat on a baking tray, spoon ¼ of the turnip & mushroom mixture into the middle of the pastry. Gather up the outer edge of the pastry and twist it so that it creates a ball of filling in the bottom with a frilly pastry top - as the butter cools & sets it will hold the shape.
Repeat this process with the remaining sheets of pastry and the filling. Allow the melted butter to cool before putting the parcels on to a baking sheet, then place in the oven for 25 minutes or until the pastry top is a dark golden colour.
Serve hot.
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