Lamb Tagine with Prunes

Another superb meal from Khadija!

Fish Finger Sandwich

Whilst this blog is dedicated to cooking and generally we frown upon convenience food, there are some things thast just hit the spot, white bread (OK in France it's pain de mie from the local baker), fish fingers, and Heinz Tomato Ketchup.

Glazed Duck and Jerusalem Artichokes

Tip top recipe although I'd guess many people would prefer to peel rather than scrub the artichokes, also I'd suggest that 20 minutes is a very conservative cooking time and 35 minutes is more realistic. Also if you have some where hot I'd suggst to be bold cooking the duck and let it rest a bit longer. It's by Marcus Wareing and from the Independent.

Honey-glazed duck breasts with Jerusalem artichokes and walnuts

The combination of the caramelised duck breast with the distinct, nutty, flavour of Jerusalem artichokes gives these amazing ingredients what they deserve; the walnuts complement perfectly, with an oily crunch.

Serves 2

For the artichokes

4 medium-sized Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and cut into quarters
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp table salt

For the duck

2 Gressingham duck breasts, skin scored in a criss-cross pattern

1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 tbsp honey

To serve

25g/1oz walnuts, toasted
1/4 bunch parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas6. Place the artichokes in foil with the garlic, olive oil and salt; gather up and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Place a frying pan on a low heat. Season the duck breasts with the salt then place skin-side down in the dry pan. Allow the fat to slowly render off, tipping off the excess a couple of times. Cook until the skin has browned and the majority of the fat has rendered off (this should take around 15 minutes). Pour off the fat, then add the honey to the pan with the duck and allow to brown. Turn the breasts on to the flesh side for around four minutes then remove and set aside to rest for five minutes. Mix the roasted artichokes with the walnuts and parsley and serve with the duck breasts.

Lamb Navarin

Unfortunately the budget didn't stretch to milk-fed spring lamb, ended up with a "normal" shoulder of Lamb so I ended up multiplying the quantities by one and a half, but a great recipe from Gerard Depardieu's book. Top tips use frozen broad beans and peas and you need a really big pot to fit it all in!

Veal Chop with Roasted Shallots and Creamed Spinach

This is an adaption from recipes in the Independent by Mark Hix, couldn't get a Veal T-bone so used chops cooked just over a minute a side on hot griddle pan, then rested for five minutes. Creamed Spinach used the cheaper stuff from the market and left quite a lot of stalk in, I'd suggest putting the cream in the food processor and then reheating in a microwave is easier.

Chez Hager!

A lovely meal and great company.

Fishcakes (Posh)!

This is a belter of a recipe, top tip don't crowd the pan if you fry them they are a bit delicate!

Rabbit Pie

A really good recipe, no spring carrots so just cut some big ones into batons.

Pizza, Beer and Football

Chicken, Lemon and Rocket Risotto

I'd use less chicken breasts than in the recipe.

Calves Liver with Red Wine Vinegar and Tagliatelle

Have a look at the recipe here, but I'd suggest not cutting the liver so thin and if you do three minutes a side would be over-done in my eyes.

Chilli con Carne

Well this is Gordon Ramsay's take on this very nice too, I'd suggest a longer cooking time for the meat before adding the beans.

Recipe click here!

Restaurant Pat Pat - Creative Director Sandrine

Another tip-top night!
Starter Cocottes Scallops, Mussels and Asparagus

Followed by poisson au lait de coco de la belle soeur brésilienne de celle qui a écrit la recette

Chez Adeline

A fantastic night, with great food.
Apéro


Then

Crème de Patate Douce au Poisson

Magret Sauce Grenade

Cheese

Le Gâteau au Chocolat Fondant de Nathalie

Fantastique!

Pork Chops Charcutière Style

Hats off to the great Gerard Depardieu as he guided us through this recipe served with Gratin Dauphinois.

Serves 4
1 glass of Veal Stock
2 onions
3 shallots
4 pork loin chops
20 g butter
100 ml white wine
50 ml aged wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 gherkins
4 flat-leaf parsley sprigs
1 tsp mustard
1 tbsp sunflower oil

To prepare the sauce: heat the Veal Stock gently
in a saucepan. Peel and finely chop the onions and
the shallots, heat half the butter in a small saucepan and fry the
onions and shallots until lightly browned. Add the
white wine and vinegar and reduce by two thirds.
When the sauce is reduced, add the Veal Stock and
rednce again. Season with salt and pepper and leave
on a very low heat.
Finely chop the gherkins and the parsley and add
them to the sauce. Stir in the mustard, cover and
turn off the heat.
Heat the remaining butter and the oil in a large
flying pan and fry the pork chops for 6 minutes on
each side.
When they are nicely browned transfer the pork
chops to warmed serving plates and coat with the
reduced sauce.

Bavette - Sauce au Bleu de Gex

Merci Philippe!

Saumon en croûte

Due respect to the Ramsay, he may be a loudmouth and sweary but his recipes work http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes/chefs/gordon-ramsay/salmon-en-croute-recipe_p_1.html
I did the pastry! Says my wife!

Autumn Dinner Party

 
 
 

Quails Eggs and Ham dusted with Paprika

Pumpkin Soup

Skate en Papillotte

Soup for Starters & St Mungo's

Here's the stuff from St. Mungo's, go to their website and follow the Soup for Starters links,

Well it started in optimism but without a photograph, saucisson, beer, and gin and tonics whetted our appetites.

Obviously as we were in Paris the conversation quickly became profound and philosophical

Even Gordon Ramsay may have had said my attempt at his Saffron-scented leek soup with pickled mushrooms was not to shabby.

Then the Paella from the Moro cookbook, I've done this before I'm afraid this time my involvement in contributing to the festive atmosphere led to two problems first I forgot a pan was on and completely charcoaled my sofrito then I overcooked the paella itself so the rice was a bit too far gone.
Anyway thanks to the King of Cheese, Philippe Brun from the Market the next course was a great success.
Then it was time for dessert provided by my mother-in-law, "La Bûche d'Alberte"!
At the end of the night we had celebrated my beautiful wife's birthday, shared food and wine with friends and raised money to help people get and stay off the streets, and by a few clicks on a computer you can make the the donation, it couldn't be easier!

Anyway the night ended well(ish)!

Shoulder of lamb with leek-wrapped loin and champ

Ahoy this is my version of this recipe, a long days work:-

Shoulder of mountain lamb with leek-wrapped loin and champ lamb shoulder
Richard Corrigan
by Richard Corrigan
from Great British Menu

Serves 4

Preparation time overnight

Cooking time over 2 hours



Ingredients
1 shoulder of lamb on the bone, about 1.5kg/3lb 5oz, trimmed of excess fat and sinew, and bone fully cleaned (you can ask your butcher to prepare this for you)
few sprigs each of rosemary and thyme
olive oil
selection of finely cubed vegetables (2 carrots, 2 celery sticks and 1 large onion)
½ x 75cl bottle dry white wine
200ml/7fl oz white wine vinegar
1 best end (rack) of lamb, meat removed from the bones in one piece and bones reserved
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
250g/9oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 large leek, leaves separated
knob of unsalted butter
For the onion soubise
2 onions, finely sliced
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
½ tsp thyme leaves
olive oil
knob of unsalted butter
For the champ
1kg/2lb 4oz floury potatoes, such as Kerr's Pink, King Edward or Desirée
300ml/½ pint whole milk
60g/2½oz unsalted butter
6 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped chives
1 banana shallot, finely chopped
For the garnish
1kg/2lb 4oz broad beans in their pods, pods remove
500g/1lb 2oz peas in their pods, pods removed
50g/2oz unsalted butter

Method
1. Prick the shoulder of lamb all over with a sharp knife and then insert the rosemary and thyme sprigs into the holes. Brush lightly with olive oil. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
2. The next day, preheat the oven to 190C/375/Gas 5.
3. Season the lamb and sear in hot olive oil in a heavy frying pan until well coloured on all sides. Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a large flameproof casserole that has a tight-fitting lid. Add the chopped vegetables and sweat over a low to medium heat for 8-9 minutes or until softened but not coloured, stirring frequently.
4. Place the lamb shoulder on the chopped vegetables. Pour over the wine and wine vinegar, and bring just to the boil. Cover the casserole with two layers of foil and tie with string, then put on the lid. Transfer to the oven to cook for one hour. Lower the temperature to 130C/265F/Gas ½ and cook for a further three hours, removing the lid and foil for the last 30 minutes. When cooked, remove from the oven and set aside.
5. While the lamb shoulder is in the oven, season the best end of lamb with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then sear on all sides in a little hot olive oil in a heavy frying pan. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest.
6. Clean the pan, then heat a little more olive oil and sweat the onion until softened but not coloured. Add the garlic and soften briefly, then add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cool slightly, then tip into a blender and blend until finely chopped.
7. Blanch four large leek leaves in boiling water for 10 seconds. Drain and refresh in iced water, then drain and dry. Lay two large (catering-size) sheets of cling film on top of each other on a work surface and smooth out any wrinkles. Lay the leek leaves next to each other on the cling film, overlapping them slightly so they form a rectangular sheet of leaves. Spread the mushroom stuffing over the leeks. Place the seared best end of lamb at one of the narrow ends and roll up to encase the meat in the sheet of leeks. Now roll the parcel in the cling film and tie the ends tightly with string. Set aside.
8. To make the onion soubise, sweat the onions, shallots, garlic and thyme in a little olive oil in a heavy pan for 8-9 minutes, stirring frequently. When the mix is soft and juicy but not coloured, remove the pan from the heat, cover and leave to cool slightly. Blend in a blender or food processor with the knob of butter, then pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Keep warm.
9. For the champ, cook the potatoes in their skins in a pan of simmering salted water for 20-30 minutes or until just tender (the flesh should offer no resistance when pierced in the centre with the tip of a small, sharp knife). Drain the potatoes and remove the skins, then lightly mash the flesh. In a small pan, combine the milk and butter, and bring to the boil. Add the spring onions, chives and shallot, remove from the heat and allow to infuse for about one minute. Stir this into the mashed potatoes and season. Keep warm.
10. While the potatoes are simmering, prepare the garnish and sauce. Blanch the broad beans and peas in separate pans of boiling salted water until tender. The beans should take 3-4 minutes, the peas 1-2 minutes. Drain and refresh in iced water, then drain again. Remove the outer skins from the beans. Set the garnish vegetables aside.
11. Lift the shoulder of lamb off vegetables, cover and keep warm. Tip the contents of the casserole into a fine sieve and strain the liquid into a bowl; discard the solids. Deglaze the casserole with enough water to cover the bottom, then add this liquid to the strained liquid.
12. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan until almost smoking. Add the bones and any trimmings from the best end of lamb, season and fry for 3-4 minutes or until well coloured and almost caramelised. Add the liquid from the lamb shoulder and reduce by half, then pass through a sieve lined with wet muslin into a clean pan. Add a knob of butter, season to taste and set aside.
13. Steam the leek-wrapped lamb parcel in a steamer over boiling water for three minutes. Reheat the broad beans with the butter and a spoonful of water for 1-2 minutes, then add the peas and toss with the beans until hot. Reheat the onion soubise and champ, if necessary.
14. To serve, cut the lamb parcel into portions and carefully remove the cling film. Divide the shoulder of lamb into chunks with a spoon and put some chunks on top of the peas and beans on one side of each of four plates. Arrange a spoonful of soubise on the opposite side and top with the leek-wrapped best end of lamb. Spoon some champ on each place, then drizzle a little sauce over both types of lamb and around the plate.