Recipes

Recipes

Tuesday 26 June 2012

Mushrooms en Croute -



The wild mushroom season has been of to a slow start, but for this recipe a little will go a long way.
Serves 8 as an appetizer or 4 as a starter. 

Ingredients:

8 slices toasted baguette
20 g butter, melted
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ small onion, finely chopped
100g wild mushrooms,finely sliced
20g sour cream or crème fraich
¼ tsp cornflour
¼ tbsp finely chopped herbs
¼ tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
20g Parmesan, grated


Method:

Preheat the oven to moderate 180°. Brush both sides of the bread with the butter. Bake on a baking tray until golden and crisp.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan; add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring, over low heat until the onion is soft. Add the mushrooms and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Blend the sour cream and corn flour, add to the mushrooms and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the herbs. Allow to cool.
Spread the mushroom mixture onto each croutons and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Place on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes, or until heated through. Serve decorated with small sprigs of fresh herbs.

Sunday 10 June 2012

Duo of Hake with green pea mousseline , red pepper purée, prawn caramel and samphire.



This Recipe is a little bit tricky due to the many components, but most can be prepared in advance.
(serves 4)

For the Red Pepper Purée

Ingredients:
40g     extra virgin olive oil 
1        small diced shallot 
1        tablespoon of white wine
5        strands of saffron
5        red peppers

Method:
Wash the red Peppers, dry and coat with a little oil. Roast in oven until soft and limp.
Place in a plastic bag and blast chill. Once cooled remove the skin and seeds.
Heat 10g of the olive oil in a saucepan and gently sauté the shallots for about two minutes, or until softened but not coloured. Add the white wine and saffron and reduce again.
Place all ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth, add the rest of the olive oil and season with salt and cayenne pepper.


For the Hake Spring Roll

Ingredients:
1        tablespoon of Olive oil
50g    carrots
50g    potato
1        teaspoon of honey
3        tablespoon of cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper, Chinese Five Spice
1        bunch of fresh dill chopped very fine
100g  Hake trimmings diced into small cubes
5        Sheets of spring roll pastry

Method:
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and gently sauté the carrots and potato for about two minutes.
Add the cream and honey and reduce until thickened. Season with salt,  pepper. Cool the mix, add the dill and hake and check seasoning again. Cook one test roll to check consistency and seasoning prior to rolling the rest.


For the Green Pea Mousseline 

Ingredients:
20 g   butter
1       shallot, finely chopped
1       tbsp dry white wine
50ml vegetable stock
100g shelled peas, fresh or frozen
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 lemon, juice only
2 tbsp double cream

Method:
To make the mousseline, heat the butter in a saucepan and gently sauté the shallots for about two minutes, or until softened but not coloured. Add the white wine and cook for a minute or two until almost evaporated.
Pour in the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then add the green peas and simmer for two minutes.
Blitz in a blender and strain through a sieve. Check the seasoning and add the lemon juice.


For the Prawn Caramel

Ingredients:
200g    Sugar
125ml  Prawn Stock
1         Cardamom Pod
1         Pinch Chinese Five Spice

Method: 
Caramelise the sugar in a saucepan. When it turns a deep amber, carefully add the prawn stock. Now add the spices and reduce to a syrupy consistency. Pass through a fine sieve.


To Finish the dish  

Ingredients:
400g  Hake cut into 4 Long pieces
8        Dublin Bay prawns large (tail meat only)
8        sprigs of Samphire 

Method: 
Start deep frying the spring rolls, in the meantime pan fry the hake until just about done and heat the other components of the dish simultaneously. Quickly sauté the prawn tails and the samphire in a little butter.
Arrange to your liking or as demonstrated in the picture.