Hospitality’s Big Friendly Giant Chefs Inspire My Cooking

A first for me after invited guests struggled to find child-minders. So we decamped to their house and produced the meal from their kitchen.

I had already planned and shared the menu below with them so the only surprise would be whether I managed to get everything right on the night with unfamiliar equipment. All I’ll say is that I wasn’t disappointed with my efforts - and everyone was most convincing with their endeavours to be complimentary.

BFG Chefs (others are available!)
Helen Everitt-Matthias included as the doyenne of British restaurants’ front of house.

“Standing on the shoulders of giants” is a nice, if full-blown, concept but the elements of this menu relied, as ever, on the skills and wisdom of some of cooking’s finest exponents.

Here are the ‘giants’ who were referenced for the meal which I planned - with links to some of the recipes which you might be tempted to try out in your kitchen.

Nigella Lawson - ‘Bar Nuts’

Thomas Keller - ‘Bacon and Eggs’

David Everitt-Matthias - ‘Bar Nuts’ (the outtakes!), Ras-el-hanout mix, Prune pre-dessert (Recipe in chef’s ‘dessert’ - BUY IT!), Dessert (Recipe in chef’s first cookbook, ‘essence’ - another must-buy!), Petits fours - Salted caramel and peanut truffles, White chocolate and preserved lemon fudge, Mulled wine pastilles

Richard Bainbridge - Fish course

Catherine Fulvio - Main

Yotam Ottolenghi - his recipe for Olive Oil Crackers* was adapted for my ras-el-hanout cracker
* the recipe is more or less here - but discard the sesame seeds and the author’s ignorance of Ottolenghi’s first book, ‘Ottolenghi, The Cookbook’ from 2008 in which the recipe appears!

George Blogg - No recipe used BUT the booklet from his ‘Chef’s Masterclass’ given when Gravetye Manor was closed for the new restaurant build is the starting point and inspiration for planning many of my own more developed menus.

Coffee as always is ordered from HASBEAN

View fullsize

Union Square Cafe's Bar Nuts, Bacon and egg, Pain d'épices with smoked mackerel and horseradish

View fullsize

Spicy parsnip soup, ras-el-hanout cracker

Our fish starter is tried and trusted. Please don’t @ me over the appearance of that haddock. This photo was taken in my kitchen hours before the meal with a ’cushion’ of raw fish. Eat your heart out food stylists!

View fullsize

Poached haddock with stewed leeks, soy-cured egg yolk and curry dressing

A lovely, celebratory dish for our main. Prep pics plus the only photograph taken on the night itself.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Pheasant breast with wild mushrooms and parmesan polenta

View fullsize

Chocolate and cardamom yoghurt, Armagnac prune purée and grue de cacao

View fullsize

Millas cake with liquorice bramble compôte and lemon verbena ice cream

View fullsize

White chocolate and preserved lemon fudge, Salted caramel and peanut truffles, Mulled wine pastilles

View fullsize

Sensible menu.
Added nonsense with no extra charge.

View fullsize

Recipes, menus, matching food to wine, catering for larger groups… preparation and inspiration to become a better cook

Christmas 2014 - TWO: Eggs and Bacon

After I’d asked for and duly unwrapped a birthday present copy of Thomas Keller’s ‘French Laundry Cookbook’ this was the recipe which I decided to make first. It’s one tasty mouthful which I like to serve as a canapé or amuse bouche.

Mr. Keller runs his magnificent restaurant in California. Among many other claims to fame, he was invited to elaborate his version of 'confit byaldi' which is presented to the demanding restaurant critic, Anton Ego, in the classic animated film, "Ratatouille".

Buy it... and look for 'Soft Poached Quail Eggs with Applewood-Smoked Bacon'

As luck would have it, we are just down the road from a lovely lady who rears quail and sells their eggs.

The most demanding preparation here is to cut the leek, turnip and carrot vegetable garnish into brunoise. I usually get dice between 2 and 3 mm (any smaller and the micro-fine motor skills needed start cramping my poor thumb tendons) I always make more than needed and find that the excess will freeze nicely for next time.

How to Dice and Brunoise - Video

Next task... and, yes, it’s a bit fiddly slicing the tops off titchy quail eggs but, once done, they can be put into a bed of salt to stop tipping - they get too stubby to retrieve from their carton by this stage.

I use a stockpot with barely simmering water to boil the eggs. If you first swirl the liquid they will gather more of the white around them as they sink through a good nine inches of water. Not much more than a minute or the time it takes them to float to the surface will usually see them ready for rescue with a slotted spoon while they still have a runny centre. Straight into iced water now to stop the cooking. You can see a jar of them ready to store in the fridge where they will keep for a couple of days at least.

Choose your favourite bacon to chop and fry as crunchy crumbs (I’ll let you know about my supply from our wonderful local butcher in another post).

You can make Thomas Keller’s recommended ‘beurre monté’ but I tend to shortcut to whole butter to reheat the eggs in a pan. Warm the brunoise along with them. Then it's one egg into warmed spoons with its vegetables and a little of the buttery sauce. Sprinkle some crispy bacon pieces, twist a small grind of pepper over and offer them to your rather lucky guests.

This is a slightly intricate but not too demanding way to serve basic ingredients. The magic is in the miniature presentation, the terrific flavour and the huge appreciation which you can smugly accept before everyone asks for another!

Bacon, Brunoise and Butter Sauce finish these off... before you finish them off, of course!