Fine Dining for YouI have had no formal chef’s training. Classical piano was my parents’ choice, and that took care of the first 20 years of my life. Journalism and radio followed (my own choices, this time), and these opened many doors for me into different countries, people, cultures — and, of course, foods. In a six week series on radio I used it as a platform for my love of food and shared lots of interesting recipes and food news with listeners.
My earliest memories of food come from the family kitchen at home; I can still remember the wonderful smells of the dishes my mother prepared. I became aware of the flavors of her creations at an early age. Some I enjoyed and preferred, while others depressed me with their lack of interesting flavors. My mother was a good cook, but not a gourmet, and sadly this often showed. What I did appreciate was that she always involved me in the preparation, sharing her knowledge of nutrition, flavor, color, and the harmonies of each plate she dished up. She was also a genius with leftovers and quick meals when unexpected guests arrived. This is one of the things that stands out in my mind, and it inspired me to create wonderful dishes from leftover foods myself.
I carried on with the tradition of carefully planning meals to combine nutrition, color and flavor, while at the same time offering variety and elegant presentation. In the process, I developed a passion for seeking out the best available products, adhering to each season’s offerings, and treating it with the respect it deserves, which eventually became part of my daily culinary life and travels. I did these things not because I wanted to become a chef, but to satisfy myself, family and friends with creations of gorgeous food and exciting flavors. All of which, I hope, is reflected in this blog.
Sichuan peppercorns is not strictly speaking pepper but berries of a shrub called prickly ash. Sichuan pepper, unlike ordinary pepper, has a pungent flavor and the aftertaste, rather than being hot as is in the case of pepper, is numbing. The “peppercorns” should be crushed and dry-roasted to bring out their full flavor.
Cutting the chicken this way, makes it much easier to serve when entertaining a large group of people.
Served with a creamy white wine and thyme sauce, served rice and any vegetables.
Serves 4
The chicken:
1 large free-range chicken, washed inside and out, and dried
3 tablespoons/45 ml olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice of ½ lemon
20 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied in two bundles
2 cups/500 ml chicken stock
The sauce:
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 cup/250 ml chicken stock
the pan drippings
1cup/250 ml fresh cream (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
The bulgur wheat salad:
250 g/9 oz bulgur wheat
4 small free-range eggs (small hen’s eggs or quail eggs)
1 fennel bulb, halved and finely sliced
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
25 g/0.8 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
a handful of green seedless grapes, cut in half
3 tablespoons/45 ml chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons/30 ml chopped fresh mint
75 g (2.6 oz) black olives, stoned
¼ cup/60 ml olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons/30 ml lemon juice
salt and ground black pepper
To serve:
Served with horseradish and micro salad leaves
Serves 4
The mousse:
4-8 ribbons of smoked trout (to line the ramekins)
2 smoked trout fillets
½ cup/125 ml full cream, chilled
1 tablespoon/30 ml butter at room temperature
Tobasco sauce, a few drops
2 tablespoons/30 ml fresh lemon juice
salt
1 sheet gelatin
1 tablespoon/15 ml water
1½ cup/750 ml chilled full cream
4 tablespoons/60 ml caviar (if caviar is not available, finely chopped chives will do)
The horseradish cream:
3 tablespoons/45 ml fresh horseradish, grated
1 tablespoon/15 ml white wine vinegar or lemon juice
1 teaspoon/5 ml sugar
1 tablespoon/30 ml fresh dill, finely chopped
1 cup/250 ml fresh full cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
The garnish:
micro salad leaves and sprouts
horseradish cream
dill sprigs
small wedges of lemon
To serve:
Arrange the salad leaves and sprouts in the center of each serving plate and turn the mousse out onto the greens. Carefully peal off the cling wrap then spoon some caviar (or chives, if using) on top and drizzle the horseradish cream around the mousse. Decorate with a few sprigs of dill and the wedges of lemon and serve immediately.
Place the empty shallow container in which you wish to freeze the ice cream in the freezer for about 30 minutes before pouring the cream mixture into it. Ice crystals form in the inside of the container as the mixture freezes and it needs to be broken down and mixed into the rest. Do this after 30 minutes by whisking (or processing with the pulse setting) the mixture until it is smooth again. Return to the freezer and repeat every half hour for about 3 hours or until it become more solid and smooth. Take care not to overwork the mixture as it might become grainy.
For use with Current tart served with Crème de Cassis syrup and Cassata (Glazed fruit ice-cream cake with a fresh strawberry compote), and Strawberry cake with thick custard and a meringue and almond topping.
The cake:
225 g/8 oz self-raising flour
½ level teaspoon/3 ml baking powder
225 g/8 oz castor sugar
225 g/8 oz unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
½ cup/125 ml milk and water mixed
1 large free-range egg
zest of 1 lemon
pinch of salt
The syrup: (optional)
3 tablespoons/45 ml castor sugar
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon/15 ml Cointreau (or freshly squeezed orange juice)
50 g/1.8 oz unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/356°F.
Grease a cake pan of about 22 cm/8.6 in in diameter with a loose bottom, and then dredge all over inside with a mixture of flour and castor sugar.
Into a mixing bowl, sieve the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in the sugar, egg, butter, milk and water and whisk together until the mixture forms a smooth batter.
Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until well risen and golden. Remove from the oven and leave for 5 minutes. Remove the cake from the cake tin and (if using the syrup) prick it all over with a skewer. Spoon half the amount of syrup over, and use the rest to spoon on the plates when serving.
While the cake is baking, heat the sugar and lemon in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes, then add the Cointreau (or orange juice). Beat in the butter, a little at a time, until the sauce thickens.
Combine 400 g/14 oz caster sugar, 1½ cups/750 ml cold water and 2 tablespoons/30 ml liquid glucose in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved. Skim off any scum that may rise to the surface. Then boil hard for 3 minutes. Leave to cool down completely, pass through a sieve, and if not using immediately, store covered in the refrigerator for use later.
Chef’s note: It is useful to have a supply of sugar syrup to make a quick sauce for a simple dessert.
“Sous-vide”-cooking is a method used to cook food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath for longer than normal cooking times, sometimes as long as 72 hours, at a regulated temperature much lower than normally used for cooking. The intention is to cook the item (mostly tough cuts of meat) evenly, preventing the food from overcooking whilst keeping it juicy, succulent and tender.
For the pork:
1 kg/2 lb pork belly, without bone
300 ml pork stock
2 tablespoons/30 ml vegetable oil
The marinade:
1 stalk lemongrass, hard outside removed, the core finely chopped
1 teaspoon/5 ml white pepper, freshly ground
2 teaspoons/10 ml Chinese five-spice powder (mix your own)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons/10 ml fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
Kosher salt
1-2 red chilies, seeds removed, finely chopped
Five-spice powder is a spice mixture of five spices, used primarily in Chinese cuisine but also used in other Asian and Arabic cookery.
1 teaspoon/5 ml Szechwan peppercorns
2 whole star anise
1 teaspoon/5 ml fennel seeds
1 teaspoon/5 ml whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon
In a dry pan over medium heat, toast all the spices until fragrant, stirring regularly to prevent the seeds from burning. Allow to cool. In a spice grinder grind all the spices until a fine powder is formed. Store the powder in an airtight container away from direct light. The spice blend will stay good for several months.
The fishcakes can be made with any leftover fish from a previous meal.
Serves 4
The mashed potatoes:
300 g/0.5 oz potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons/30 ml créme fraîsche (make your own)
2 tablespoons/30 ml milk, heated
salt and freshly ground white pepper
The seafood:
1 tablespoon/15 ml olive oil
8 medium prawns, shelled, deveined
200 g/7 oz firm white fish OR 100 g/3.5 oz salmon and 100 g/3.5 oz
firm white fish
100 g/3.5 oz smoked salmon
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1 small mild red chili, finely chopped
1 tablespoon/15 ml lemon juice
1 egg lightly beaten
1 tablespoon/15 ml parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh coriander, finely chopped
salt and fresh ground black pepper
Japanese breadcrumbs (Panko)
oil for deep-frying
The sauce:
2 hard-boiled egg
½ teaspoon/3 ml Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup/125 ml peanut oil
2 teaspoons/10 ml white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon/15 ml capers, drained, rinsed and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons/30 ml gherkins (cornichons), finely chopped
1 tablespoon/15 ml of each of parsley, tarragon, chives and chervil, finely chopped
The garnish:
a mixture of fresh herb leaves
paprika for sprinkling
Cut the potatoes into even chunks and boil in salted water until tender (about 15 minutes). Drain and return to the pan and over gentle heat, reheat the potatoes until any excess moisture has evaporated. Push the potato chunks through a potato ricer. In the meantime, slowly add the heated milk to the potatoes whilst whisking it with a fork. Mix in the créme fraîsche, salt and pepper to taste, then cover and set aside in a warm place.
To get the potato mash even smoother, push it through a drum sieve.
In a frying pan, heat the oil and lightly fry the prawns for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel. Then fry the fish until just cooked – about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel. When the prawns and fish have cooled completely, roughly chop all of it and put in a bowl. Cut the smoked salmon into small pieces and add to the fish and prawns. Add the rest of the ingredients and the mashed potatoes, except the crumbs and oil, and mix well. Put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to set, then remove and form the cakes. Divide the mixture into 8 equal sized cakes. (If you find that the cakes are too big, make smaller ones to get 12 cakes.)
To make sure that all the cakes are the same size, weigh them!
Heat the oil to about 170°C/335°F. (See safety tips for deep frying.)
Roll each cake in the crumbs, making sure the crumbs stick well, then fry in the oil – about 1-2 minutes on each side until they are golden brown. Drain on kitchen towel and keep warm until ready to serve.
Put the yolks of the boiled eggs with the mustard and salt and pepper in a blender and blend well until a smooth paste forms. While mixing, add half the oil, drop for drop, until all the ingredients amalgamated well. Carry on mixing and add the vinegar, then slowly add the rest of the oil. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and mix in the rest of the ingredients except the paprika. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. The paprika will be sprinkled over the sauce once it has be spooned onto the serving plates. Keep the sauce refrigerated until ready to serve.
To serve:
Place two or three fishcakes in the center of each serving plate, then put a posy of herb leaves on top or next to the cakes, and drizzle the sauce around. Lightly sprinkle some paprika onto the sauce.
Fine Dining for You 