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Soufflé Au Grand Marnier

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This is a transcription of a recipe from The French Cookery School published years ago in parts in The Observer Magazine from Anne Willan of La Varenne, in Paris.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 30 mins
cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients

  • ½ pt milk
  • 2 oranges
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 oz sugar
  • 1 oz plain flour
  • 3 – 4 tbs Grand Marnier
  • 5 egg whites
  • icing sugar (for sprinkling)

Method

Butter the soufflé dish being careful to butter the rim generously to prevent sticking. Sprinkle the dish with sugar, discarding any excess.

Scald the milk by bringing it just to the boil. Zest the oranges and beat this together with the egg yolks and half the sugar until thick and light. Stir in the flour. Whisk the boiling milk into the yolk mixture, blend well and return it to the pan. Whisk over gentle heat until boiling and smooth. Simmer for about two minutes or until thickened, remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the Grand Marnier. Rub the surface of the mixture with butter to prevent a skin from forming. (This can be prepared 3 ? 4 hours ahead.)

Remove all pith from the oranges and segment them.

20 – 30 minutes before serving, set the oven to very hot (220°C, 425°F, gas 7). Whip the egg whites until stiff, add the remaining sugar and beat 20 seconds longer until glossy. Reheat the Grand Marnier mixture until hot to the touch, remove from the heat and stir in about ¼ of the egg white mixture. Add this combination to the remaining egg white mixture and fold together as lightly as possible. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish, smooth the surface and quickly decorate with the orange segments. Bake at once in the preheated oven for 12 – 15 minutes or until the soufflé is puffed and brown.

Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve at once.


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Posted in Desserts Tagged with:

Skate with a Herb Crust

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This recipe is from The Fish Course by Susan Hicks. Skate is a tasty, easy to eat fish courtesy of its flat bone (well, cartilage, really) structure. This dish has the added advantage of being reasonably healthy since the fish is steamed before being given its herb crust.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 15 mins
cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 skate wings
  • pepper
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 4 tbs olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 tbs fresh mixed herbs, finely chopped
  • 4 oz fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs

Method

Wash the skate wings, dry them and sprinkle them lightly with the freshly ground black pepper. Prepare a suitable steamer and place the skate wings on the steamer platter. Since skate wings taper, it is a good idea to overlap them, thick end to thin end, to help them cook more evenly. Steam them for about 12 minutes depending upon thickness until barely cooked (they are to be finished under a hot grill).

Meanwhile, mix the olive oil with the garlic and one tablespoon of lemon juice. Also, mix the breadcrumbs with the chopped mixed herbs.

Preheat the grill. Line the grill pan with aluminium foil and brush it lightly with olive oil. When the skate has been steamed, remove it from the steamer, separate the wings and place them both in the grill pan. Brush each wing generously with the olive oil mixture and scatter the breadcrumb mixture on top. Drizzle over the remaining olive oil mixture and place them under the hot grill for 1 or two minutes until they are browned and sizzling.


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Posted in Fish Tagged with:

Skate with Chilli Beans

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A wonderful, interesting way to cook skate from the pre-eminent Mr. Stein’s Seafood (based upon his cookery school). I’ve no idea of the provenance of this dish but it seems to be Mexican/Spanish to me, given the use of chillies, paprika and sherry vinegar. Wherever it’s from, if you like a little spiceyness, this is definitely for you. The beans are so moreish!

Let’s face it, buying fresh fish is a spur-of-the-moment thing and rarely affords planning ahead time for the soaking dried beans. Go ahead and use tinned cannelini beans; they are perfectly fine. I usually use two tins for two people and have some left over for lunch. Just miss out the soaking and pre-cooking stages.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 15 mins
cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients

  • 350g dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 medium red chillies, deseeded & finely chopped
  • 1 medium onion, peeled & finely chopped
  • 350ml chicken stock
  • 3 medium tomatoes (skinned, if desperate) & chopped
  • 2 tsp chopped tarragon
  • 4 x 225g prepared skate wings
  • 1 tsp ground paprika
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 50g butter
  • 3 tbs sherry vinegar
  • salt & pepper

Method

Drain the cannelini beans and put them in a pan with plenty of fresh water to cover. Bring them to the boil, skim off any scum which rises, cover and leave them to simmer gently until just tender (about 1 hour). Drain the beans and set them aside.

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Dry the skate wings with kitchen paper and sprinkle on both sides with paprika and black pepper.

To make the chilli beans, heat the olive oil together with the chillies and garlic in a pan. When sizzling begins, add the onion and fry for about 5 minutes until soft but not brown. Add the beans and 300ml of the chicken stock. Bring this to simmering point and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped tarragon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and cover to keep these warm while you cook the skate.

Melt the butter in a roasting tin on top of the stove and add teh skate wings, lightly browning them for 1 minute on either side. Sprinkle with a little salt and roast them in the top of the oven for 10 minutes.

Divide the chilli beans among four warmed serving plates and place a skate wing on top of each pile. Place the roasting pan over moderate heat and deglaze it with the sherry vinegar and remaining 50ml chicken stock. Boil it briefly scraping all the flavour from the bottom of the pan into the liquid. Season the juice to taste then strain it over the skate wings.


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Posted in Fish Tagged with:

Skate with Beurre Noisette

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The classic skate recipe. The aroma of the black butter is guaranteed to get the digestive juices flowing.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 15 mins
cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients

  • 1½ ltr water
  • 75 ml white wine vinegar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 12 whole black peppercorns
  • 1 onion, peeled & thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, peeled & thinly sliced
  • 2 sticks celery, peeled & thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 x 225g prepared skate wings
  • 175g lightly salted butter
  • 30 ml red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbs brined capers, drained

Method

First, make a court bouillon. Put all the ingredients down to and including the salt together in a large pan. Bring this to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid off the vegetables, discard the vegetables, and return the liquid to the pan.

Add the skate wings to the court bouillon and bring to the boil. As soon as it boils, turn the heat off, cover the pan and leave the skate to poach in the hot liquid for about 10 minutes. The actual length of time they take to cook will depend upon their thickness – 10 minutes is about right for wings approximately 2½cm (1 inch) thick. Remove the skate wings and drain them on kitchen paper, then put them on warmed serving plates while you make the beurre noisette.

Melt the butter (salted butter browns more readily) in a frying pan over moderate heat. Agitate it gently while it is cooking and watch it carefully. When it is foaming and turning brown it should begin to smell quite nutty. At this point, toss in the red wine vinegar and boil it for a minute. (This is where the gastric juices start going mad.) Turn off the heat and stir in the capers. Immediately, pour the beurre noisette over the skate wings, giving everyone a fair share of the capers of course, and serve immediately.


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Posted in Fish Tagged with:

Shortcrust Pastry

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A shortcrust pastry, in either sweet or savoury form, which seems to break many of the accepted pastry rules but which works well.

Planning

serves:  
preparation time: 10 mins
cooking time:  

Ingredients

  • 8 oz self-raising flour
  • pinch salt
  • 1 oz. caster sugar (optional)
  • 2 oz. butter
  • 2 oz block margarine
  • 1 oz lard
  • 1 egg yolk
  • milk, to mix

Method

Sift the flour, salt and caster sugar (if using) into a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter, margarine and lard with the finger tips to the fine breadcrumb stage. Add the egg yolk and enough milk to mix to a pliable dough using a round bladed knife. Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead lightly until smooth and even.


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Posted in Basics Tagged with:

Shepherd’s Pie

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The old English classic; this version being just a minor modification to one from The Cookery Year published by the Reader’s Digest Association. Some interesting (healthier?) variations can be made by using alternative toppings such as sweet potato or a 50/50 mix of celeriac and potato.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 30 mins
cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 75g butter
  • 500g minced lamb
  • 125ml stock (preferably lamb but …)
  • 1 tbs tomato purée
  • ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • salt & pepper
  • 2-3 tbs milk
  • 500g mashed potatoes (or alternative)

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7.

Fry the onions gently in 25g of the butter until soft. Add the lamb and cook until browned, stirring to break up the meat and brown evenly. Stir in the stock, tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce, then season to taste.

Beat the remaining butter into the potatoes together with the milk. Put the meat in a greased ovenproof dish, cover with the potato mixture and score the top lightly with a fork. Bake near the top of the oven for about 30 minutes until the top is brown.


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Posted in Meat Tagged with:

Salsa Verde

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A wonderful little je ne sais quoi for adding some extra interest to plain grilled fish – Gilthead Bream or Red Snapper, for example. It’s also excellent with a grilled steak such as sirloin or rib-eye.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 10 mins
cooking time: n/a

Ingredients

  • 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
  • 6 anchovy fillets
  • 2 tbs capers
  • ~ 30g fresh parsley, leaves picked
  • ~10g fresh basil, leaves picked
  • ~ 10g fresh mint, leaves picked
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 6-8 tbs olive oil
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • salt & pepper

Method

Chop all the solid ingredients together until they reach your preferred consistency. (I like it quite well chopped but still with a little texture, some people prefer a coarser texture.) Transfer this mixture to a bowl and stir in the mustard and some olive oil. Season to taste with the lemon juice, salt and pepper. (You shouldn’t need much salt because of the anchovies.) Adjust the consistency to something like unwhipped double cream by adding olive oil.


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Posted in Accompaniments, Sauces Tagged with:

Salmon l’Avenue

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One of the most memorable meals I have had was in San Francisco at a restaurant called l’Avenue. It was salmon with a lobster sauce, topped with a julienne of carrot and leek. This is an attempt to create that dish. The sauce is actually adapted from a crayfish sauce recipe courtesy of Keith Floyd in his Floyd on Fish .

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 45 mins
cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients

  • salt and pepper

Method

 


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Posted in Fish Tagged with:

Salmon en Croute

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This recipe is an adaptation of one in the Reader’s Digest Cookery Year . The original uses double cream in the asparagus mixture but I find that light cream cheese binds it better and has less tendency to wet the pastry. It also wraps the salmon in bacon before wrapping it in pastry, which I prefer to omit, letting the salmon speak for itself.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 45 mins
cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients

  • 3-4 lb salmon (preferably wild, dream on)
  • 3/4 – 1 lb asparagus (or 12 oz. can of asparagus spears)
  • 2 tbs cream cheese
  • 1/2 tsp chopped fresh dill
  • 8 oz prepared puff pastry
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • siliconized baking parchment
  • salt and pepper

Method

Wash the salmon thoroughly under running water. Remove the head and tail from the salmon. Take the two side fillets off the backbone and skin them. Remove as many pin bones as possible with tweezers.

If you are using fresh asparagus, wash and trim it then steam it until the tips are soft to the touch. Alternatively, open the can of asparagus spears with panache and drain them. By whichever route you got here, rub the asparagus spears through a sieve. Beat into this the cream cheese, the chopped dill and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the pastry into two halves and roll both into sheets large enough to cover the salmon, leaving an edge to seal both together. Place one side of the salmon on one sheet of the pastry, spread the asparagus puree over it and place the second salmon fillet on top so as to reform the fish. Moisten the edges of the pastry with water, put the second pastry sheet on top of everything and seal the parcel all around.

Place the salmon on a sheet of baking parchment on a baking tray. Cut three vents in the pastry parcel to allow steam to escape during baking. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and bake in the centre of a pre-heated oven at mark 7 for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to mark 5 and bake for a further 20 minutes.


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Posted in Fish Tagged with:

Salmon Baggins

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This developed from an idea by my fish-cooking hero, Rick Stein, giving an oriental influence to a little seen ingredient called, somewhat ferociously, wolf fish. Since I can’t get wolf fish, I decided to try it with salmon. I also added some extra ingredients to bolster the vegetable content and the Asian influence.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 30 mins
cooking time: 1 hr

Ingredients

  • 4 Salmon cutlets
  • 8 raw tiger prawns in the shell (heads optional)
  • 1 pt. fish stock
  • 2 oz unsalted butter
  • 1 Shallot
  • 1 stem Lemon Grass
  • 1 tiny clove of Garlic
  • 4 heads Pak Choy
  • 24 large stems fresh asparagus
  • toasted sesame oil
  • salt and pepper

Method

First finely chop the shallot and sweat it in an ounce of the butter to soften and become translucent. Meanwhile, shell (and decapitate, if appropriate) the prawns and roughly chop these offcuts before adding them to the shallots. Sweat the shells gently for 3-4 minutes to colour and extract some flavour. Now add the fish stock, bring to simmering point and cook for 20-30 minutes. Strain and reserve the stock; discard the bits.

Finely shred the lemon grass and sweat it in the remaining ounce of butter over gentle heat for a few minutes. Add the reserved stock and thinly sliced clove of garlic and simmer gently for another 15 minutes or so. Strain and reserve the stock yet again. (With all the flavour and gentle reduction it’s had, let’s now call it a sauce.)

Quarter the heads of pak choy lengthways and trim (snap) the asparagus stems. Steam these together for about 5 minutes or to your liking. Meanwhile, in a second steamer, steam the salmon cutlets for 4-5 minutes depending on thickness. Keep these and the vegetables warm.

Return the sauce to the heat and bring back to the boil. Cook the prawns in it for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place the pak choy in the centre of warm plates and surround it by a ?hexagon? of asparagus stems and two prawns. Drizzle a small amount of toasted sesame oil (careful, it has a strong flavour) over the pak choy. Top the pak choy with a salmon cutlet and moisten all with a little of the sauce.


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Posted in Fish Tagged with: ,