Panna cotta with raspberry coulis

My very favourite dessert and so simple to prepare!  Be sure to use enough vanilla, there should definitely be more than just a hint of it!  Tastes luxurious and there’s minimal effort required.  Always a crowd pleaser, so perfect for a dinner party!

Makes 2 large panna cotta

Ingredients:

For the raspberry coulis:

250g of fresh or frozen raspberries
50g icing sugar

For the panna cotta:

75ml milk
300ml double cream
1 1/2 vanilla pods
1 1/2 sheets gelatine
40g icing sugar

Method:

Raspberry Coulis:

• Add the raspberries and icing sugar to a blender and blend until smooth (if the mixture is a little thick, add a tbsp. of cold water).

• Pass the mixture through a fine sieve over a jug and allow to cool.  Serve cold or slightly heated with the panna cotta.

Panna cotta:

• Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water.  Keep in the water until required.
• Pour the milk and two-thirds of the cream into a saucepan. Cut the vanilla pods in half, scrape out the black seeds and put them, along with the pods into the cream. Simmer gently for 5-6 minutes. The mixture will reduce slightly.

• Remove from the cream mixture from the heat and discard the vanilla pods.  Add the softened gelatine to the mixture.
• Fold the icing sugar into the remaining cream and add to the cream mixture.  Now pour the mixture through a fine sieve over a jug.  Pour the mixture into ramekins.  Allow to cool and refrigerate, ideally overnight.

• Serve either straight from the ramekin with the coulis on the side or serve the classic way by dipping the ramekin in hot water for a few seconds and then turn out onto a plate and pour the coulis around it.

Chicken Pie

Ahhh, the humble chicken pie!  I have an undying love for this dish and the ingredients it contains!

I had a good look at a number of different chefs versions of this classic and most looked mouth-watering, but only very few combined all the ingredients that I would deem MUST go into a chicken pie – double cream, white wine, rich stock, bacon, leek and mushrooms!  So I’ve come up with my own version and combined them all!  Warning, your kitchen will never smell as good when cooking this dish!  ENJOY!

Ingredients:

• 400g of chicken
• 100g of leek, trimmed and sliced
• 2 rashers of smoked bacon
• 120g of mushrooms
• 25g of butter
• 250ml of chicken stock
• 125ml of white wine
• 300ml of double cream
• 1 tbsp of garlic infused olive oil
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• salt to season
• black pepper to season
• sheet of puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten

Method:

• Pre-heat an oven to 200c/Gas mark 6.
• Add 1 tbsp garlic infused olive oil to a frying pan and set to a high heat.  Cover the diced chicken in flour, season with salt and black pepper.  Dust of the excess flour and add to the hot pan.  Brown the chicken all over but be careful not to over cook.  Set aside.

• In a large saucepan, heat some olive oil and bring to a medium heat.  Add the leeks and bacon and cook for one minute.  Add the mushrooms and the butter and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
• Add the stock, wine, double cream, thyme & bay leaves and bring to the boil.

• Once reduced by around a third, reduce the heat and add the chicken and keep cooking.  Once the sauce has thickened slightly, remove the bay leaves and thyme (be careful not to reduce too much or the sauce will become too thick as it still has a further 20mins cooking in the oven).

• Add the contents to a pie dish.  Cut a piece of puff pastry so it covers the pie dish and trim the edges for a neat finish.

• Cook for around 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown in colour.
• Serve on it’s own or with green beans and new potatoes.

Apple Tarte Tatin

This dish was created accidentally in France by Stephanie Tatin in France in the 1880’s and thank god accidents happen!

Tarte Tatin is up there as one of my very favourite desserts and it’s incredibly simple to create!  Just ensure you don’t burn the caramel and that your cooking times are spot on, and you’ll create a truly magical dessert!

Give my version a go…

Ingredients:

• 6 braeburn (or other sweet) apples, peeled, quartered and cored
• 100g/4oz caster sugar
• 60g/2oz unsalted butter duced
• melted butter for brushing pastry
• Puff pastry, all butter, ready rolled, enough to cover circular roasting tin or oven proof pan
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 vanilla pod (optional), seeds scraped out

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C/gas 6.

2. Put the roasting tin or pan on the hob, over a medium heat.  Cook the sugar and diced butter to a brown caramel, stirring and ensuring it doesn’t burn.  Add a tsp of ground cinnamon and the vanilla seeds.  Give the mixture a stir and cook for a further minute or so.

3. Remove from the heat, brush some of the mixture over the apple quarters and arrange them tight, around the edges of the dish, with the cores facing upwards and towards the centre, then fill in the rest of the dish the same way.  Try to ensure that there are very few gaps between the apples to ensure the tart is dense.   Cook on a medium heat for a further 10 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly and place the disc of puff pastry on top.  Tuck in the edges against the apples and prick the pastry with a knife to allow some of the steam to escape when cooking.  Brush the pastry with the melted butter.

6. Cook in the oven for a further 25 minutes until the puff pastry is golden brown and crisp.

7. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes (I like to wait an hour or so) then slide the blade of a sharp knife round the edges and turn upside down onto the serving plate.  Serve with clotted cream or ice cream.

 

French Onion Soup with Parmesan and Gruyere Croutons

I’ve been having a browse through an array of varying recipes for this French classic recently and have come up with my own version, which I’m extremely pleased with – full of flavour and almost serves as a meal in itself!   The cider compliments the onions perfectly and the addition of the vinegar provides a little zing!  Use a good quality beef stock to give this French classic the rich, intense flavour it deserves!

Serves 2 large portions

Ingredients

Soup:

• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 40g of unsalted butter
• 1 large white onion, finely sliced
• 1 large red onion, finely sliced
• 1 banana shallot, finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 30g of pancetta
• 40ml of cognac
• 500ml of dry cider
• 25g of flour
• 1 tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar
• 750ml of Beef stock
• salt
• pepper, freshly ground

Croutons:

• 1 baguette cut in 1cm thick slices
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely sliced
• 25g of Parmesan, finely grated
• 25g of Gruyere, finely grated

1. Place a large, heavy-based pan on the hob.  When the pan is hot, add the oil and melt the butter then add the onions, garlic and pancetta.
2. Cook over a medium heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring so they become soft and golden brown.  The longer the onions cook the more the sugars in the onions will add to the dish.
3. Add the cognac, cook for a minute then pour in the cider and bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds.  Add the vinegar, thyme and bay leaf.
4. Stir in the flour then add the stock and a pinch of salt to taste. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, cover and simmer for around 30minutes.
5. Add salt and freshly ground pepper if required.
6. To make the croutons, set the oven to 180˚C/Gas mark 4. Drizzle the baguette slices in olive oil and cook for around 10/15 minutes until golden brown.
7. Rub the cooked croutons with garlic, sprinkle with the mixed cheese and place under a hot grill until the cheese turns golden brown.
8. Serve the soup in large bowls with the croutons on top.

Mango and vanilla souffle

I don’t often prepare desserts but when I do they’re usually French or Italian!  So I’ve stuck with this theme this evening and prepared mango and vanilla soufflés.  The cooking time and accuracy of ingredient volumes are completely key when preparing soufflés so follow my guide below and you should end up with something like this…

Mix it up a little and substitute the mango with raspberries or any other fruit!  Souffles are also magnificent as a savoury dish, especially cheese flavoured!

Ingredients

Meringue:

20g softened butter, to grease dishes
20g caster sugar, to coat dishes
4 medium egg whites
40g caster sugar
1 ripe mango, about 250g, peeled, stoned and finely diced

Pastry cream:
350ml milk
70g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
7 medium egg yolks
50g plain flour

For the passion fruit coulis:
30g caster or icing sugar
juice of two oranges (alternatively use good quality bottled fresh orange juice)
2 passion fruit, halved

Method

For the coulis:

1. Slowly bring the orange juice and caster sugar to the boil.  Reduce by around a third. cool and add the seeds of the passion fruit.  Set aside and serve cold or re-heat when the soufflés are ready.

For the soufflés:

Preheat the oven to 200c/Gas mark 6

1.Butter 2 individual soufflé dishes (ramekins) and coat the insides with the sugar.

2. For the pastry cream, put the milk and 20g sugar in a small pan, scrape in the seeds from the vanilla pods and bring to the boil.   Take off the heat and cool just very slightly.

3. Whisk the egg yolks and remaining sugar in a bowl, then incorporate the flour and whisk.  Pour the hot milk on to the yolks, whisking continuously.  Return to the pan and whisk over a low heat for 2 minutes until the mixture has become a thick custard. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool slightly.

4.For the meringue, beat the egg whites to a thick foam then add the 40g sugar and continue to beat until they become a meringue consistency.  Fold a third of the meringue mix into the pastry cream using a whisk then fold in the rest of the meringue to the mixture, scattering in the mango as you go.

5. Divide the mixture between the soufflé dishes bringing them level with the rim.  Place the ramekins on some baking paper on an oven tray and cook for around 10 minutes or until the soufflés have risen around 2cm above the ramekin.

6. Serve the soufflés immediately

Cut a small cross in the top of the coulis and pour in the orange and passion fruit coulis!

My rich, hearty, some what French, somewhat Scottish Venison pie!

So, I’ve been back studying the French classics again recently – the dishes of Robuchon and Roux etc, and what is always apparent is their love of hearty, wholesome, full of flavour dishes!

It’s been a while since I’ve cooked venison, so I thought I’d combine the passion of rich, hearty French cooking with some locally sourced Scottish produce!  So a wander round the Edinburgh farmers market and half a kilo of venison, some juniper berries and some goose fat later, I was ready to have a stab at my very own venison pie!

I’ve gone full on with the meaty flavours, using beef stock and port to compliment the rich, punchy flavour of the venison!

The addition of redcurrant jelly and juniper berries adds a zing and fruity notes to the dish!

Ingredients

2 shallots finely chopped
500g venison shoulder
2 garlic cloves crushed and chopped
75g wild mushrooms
1 carrot finely chopped
1 stick celery finely chopped
2 bay leaves
2 thyme sprigs
small handful of juniper berries (caution, they’re strong)
100g pancetta
1 tbsp plain flour
300ml beef stock
250ml port or red wine
1 sheet of rolled puff pastry
1 egg beaten
goose fat (for cooking)

Preheat oven to 180c/Gas 4

1. Heat some oil in a pan until very hot then brown the venison in batches (be sure only to brown and not overcook).  Transfer to a plate or bowl and allow them to cool in their own juices.
2. Heat the goose fat in a large flameproof casserole dish.  Add the shallots and brown slightly.  Add the garlic, celery, carrot and pancetta and fry till soft and slightly browned.
3. Add the mushrooms, juniper berries, thyme and bay leaf and cook for 3 minutes. Add the flour and  allow the ingredients to thicken slightly.  Now add the redcurrant jelly.
4. Start adding the stock then the port and bring to the boil.  Now add the meat and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Allow to sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly then cover and add to the preheated oven for 1 – ½ hours.  Keep an eye on the liquid level, you still want to maintain a good level of liquid to stop the meat drying out.
6. Remove from the oven and turn the temperature of the oven up to 200c/Gas 6
7. Transfer the contents of the casserole to a pie dish and cover with the pastry.  Crimp the edges and/or add your own design to the pastry then brush with egg mix.  Score a small cross in the middle of the pastry and insert a small chimney of greaseproof paper.  Transfer back into the oven and cook for around 30 minutes or until the pastry is a golden brown colour (I advise to overcook the pastry slightly rather than undercook.  The last thing you want is soggy pastry).
8. Steam or boil some sliced runner beans and serve alongside some parsnip puree or mash and a quenelle of redcurrant jelly.  Enjoy!