Category: Everyday meals

To begin the remoulade…

Mayonnaise:

• 4 free range egg yolks
• 2 heaped tablespoons of wholegrain mustard
• ¼ pint of vegetable oil
• ¼ pint of olive oil
• Dash of white wine vinegar
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Sea salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

1. To begin your mayonnaise separate 4 free range egg yolks, then add a heaped teaspoon of wholegrain mustard and a dash of white wine vinegar.
2. Next add a squeeze of lemon juice and add your oils in one steady stream, if the mayonnaise gets too thick you can add a touch of water to let the mayonnaise down.
3. To finish, season with sea salt and black pepper and reserve in the fridge until required later on in the process.
4. For your heritage carrot and cumin remoulade wash and peel 3 large purple white and red carrots, top and tail them, then using the julienne attachment on your Japanese mandolin cut your carrots into long strips.
5. Place into a large serving bowl, gently season with sea salt as this helps to firm up the texture of your vegetables removing a little of the moisture.
6. Season with black pepper and freshly toasted cumin seeds, mix with a little of the mayonnaise just to bind and then finish with a squeeze and zest of lemon juice.

For your Mackerel:

1. For your mackerel, gut fillet and pin bone your mackerel, make small cuts along the back of the fish, as this benefits the fish in two ways; even seasoning and even cooking.
2. For even seasoning lightly season the fish in a three part brine, this is three parts salt to water. Rest in the brine for 15 minutes, wash the fish under cold running water to remove the brine as the fish will become to salty and over brined.
3. To cook your mackerel line a baking tray with tin foil, place your mackerel fillets facing up and griddle for 10-15 minutes until the mackerel is perfectly cooked and the skin a light golden brown.
4. Remove from the grill, to finish squeeze over a little lemon and some freshly cracked black pepper.

To Plate:

Lay a spoonful of your heritage carrot and cumin ramoulade onto the base, next top with your freshly grilled mackerel fillet and a drizzle of cold pressed olive oil.

‘I love this dish for two reasons the first being the array of textures which it delivers the fresh crunch of the carrot coupled with the soft flakes of gridled mackerel flesh’ – The Gourmet Gent

 To accompany this dish… the GG’S warming wholegrain fennel salad:

1. To begin this dish in a small saucepan of boiling water place ¼ of bag of wholegrain rice to three cups of water, allow to cook until the rice has absorbed the water, through cooking grains and pulses like this you ensure that they are perfectly cooked and tender.
2. Next add two cups of wholegrain couscous , into a bowl along with three cups of boiling water and a drizzle of olive oil and half a lemon. Once cooked season with a touch of sea salt and black pepper.
3. To lift this dish, using the Japanese mandolin finely slice your fennel bulbs reserve the shoots of the fennel as they give the dish a perfect fragrance and delicate notes.

Refreshments
My take on a Saint Clement’s…

1. In a large jug squeeze and zest three lemons and limes
2. Add crushed mint leaves and the bruised stalks as this helps to refresh your taste buds and compliments the dish.
3. To finish add some ice cold lightly carbonated water and pour into chilled glasses.

Serve and enjoy with family and friends.

Basic Mayonnaise:

• 4 egg yolks
• 2 heaped teaspoons of Dijon mustard
• ¼ pint of vegetable oil
• ¼ pint of olive oil
• Dash of white wine vinegar
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Lemon Zest
• Pinch of sea salt
• Freshly cracked white pepper

1. To begin the mayonnaise, crack four eggs into a clean bowl and separate the yolks from the white, discard the whites and the shells. Next add four heaped teaspoons of Dijon mustard and a dash of white wine vinegar.
2. In a separate jug mix together the vegetable and olive oil, add to the egg yolk mixture in a steady stream ensuring that you whisk constantly or otherwise the mixture will split. The secret to a silky mayonnaise is to take your time.
3. To finish the mayonnaise, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and season to taste with a pinch of sea salt and freshly cracked white pepper.
4. Reserve in the fridge until it is required later on in the process.

To finish off your Tartar sauce, add 1 finely diced banana shallot, 150 grams of curly chiffonade parsley, 2 crushed garlic cloves that have been pureed, add all this to your basic mayonnaise and stir to combine.

Next warm through an artisan loaf of olive bread, wash and dress lambs lettuce with a little twist of lemon, olive oil and sea salt.

To star of the show… for this open chefs sandwich, when buying fresh fish ensure that you buy local and sustainable.

1. For your mackerel, fillet and pin bone two large mackerels. Using a sharp knife make small incisions along the back of the mackerel as this helps to open up the fish to even cooking and seasoning.
2. Place onto a foil lined tray and then under the grill for 10 -15 minutes, until the skin has gone a beautiful light golden brown and the fish is perfectly cooked.
3. To serve slice your olive bread into three, spread the tartar sauce onto the base of your sandwich and top with the lambs lettuce.
4. Then remove the skin from your mackerel and break on top.

This is a quick and easy dish is ideal for lunch or a light dinner.
Featuring bespoke GG printed tea cloths kindly gifted from my Auntie!

Cornish Cod Al Forno, blackened tomato and basil sauce, garnished with finely chopped chives.

For the sauce you will need:

• 80 grams of finely chopped rosemary
• 80 grams of finely chiffonded sage
• 2 large banana shallots finely sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves crushed
• 8 grams of vine tomatoes
• Olive oil
• White wine
• Finely chopped chives for garnish

1. To begin this dish place your cherry tomatoes into a large gastro tray, drizzle with olive oil.
2. Then season with sea salt and black pepper, roast in the oven until softened and golden. By cooking them on the vine you maintain that greenhouse note to the dish.
3. Next place a heavy bottomed pan onto a medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil, once the pan is warm add your sage, rosemary and allow the essential oils to perfume the oil.
4. Next add your crushed garlic and finely sliced shallots, cook until soft, tender and a little golden.
5. Next add a small glass of white to deglaze, ensure you cook out all of the alcohol, use a wine which compliments the dish such a pinot, or Sauvignon Blanc with their light citrus notes.
6. Remove your tomatoes from the oven, click them off of their vines and add to the sauce. You can blend the sauce at this point but I like the rustic chunkiness as it gives the sauce both body and texture.
7. To finish the sauce, adjust the seasoning, add a little more olive oil for gloss and shine. Allow to cool then decante into four fired earth dishes ready for your cod.

The Cod

Always try and buy sustainable line caught fish when possible, for this dish you will need 4 perfect 80-gram portions.

1. For even seasoning and to firm up the fish a little brine the fish in 100 grams of Maldon with crushed bay leaves.
2. Once brined fro 15 minutes, wash off the brine under cold running water pat dry and place into the four fired earth dishes with the skin facing up.
3. The way to tell when they are ready is that the skin will just peal off or using a cocktail stick it should come off with no resistance at all.
4. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes at 180 degrees, once cooked remove from the oven place onto a wooden board.
5. Sprinkle over finely chopped chives as they give the dish a light onion note, enjoy with rosemary crusty bread and a glass of White Wine.

Hasselback potatoes

1. Wash 16 Charlotte potatoes
2. Put 8/9 vertical cuts into the potato, only slicing half way into the potato
3. Place onto a tray, drizzle with olive oil, crush 8 cloves of garlic and strip 2 sprigs of rosemary
4. Season with salt and black pepper, rubbing this into the cuts of the potato, the salt will draw out a little moisture making them more crispy
5. Place in the oven and roast for 10/15 minutes until golden brown, pierce with a cocktail stick, if it glides in they are done!

For the Bruschetta you will need:

• The juice and zest of one lemon
• 10 twists of black pepper
• Three cloves of raw garlic brunoised
• 60 ml olive oil
• Freshly chopped curly parsley
• Loaf of seeded artisan bread.

To begin, in a large bowl zest and juice one lemon, then season with Maldon sea salt and black pepper, add your olive oil and raw garlic. This is the first thing in your beautifully toasted bread will soak up whilst piping hot off the grill.

Slice your bread and toast until golden brown on both sides, whilst the bread is still warm drizzle over your infused lemon and garlic oil. To finish add a little chiffonade of freshly picked curly parsley.

For the Mussels:

Just before beginning your mussels place a pan of water onto a high heat for your pasta heavily salt the water.

Ensure that you have cleaned your mussels from any beards that maybe attached to them or any barnacles on their shells. Once your mussels are clean and have been looked over, store them in the bottom of your fridge in a damp tea-towel.

If you are unsure of how to prepare a mussel you can also ask your fish monger to do this for you.

Forming a fragrant base for when you steam your mussels:

Firstly finely brunoise one large banana shallot, one red chilli with the seeds left in. 8 – 10 parsley stalks, and four garlic cloves.

Add these to a large a saucepan and cover with around 50 ml of olive oil to infuse, as this will take your mussels to the next level.

As mussels take around the same time to cook as the pasta ensure you have everything ready.

To begin place the pan onto a medium heat, once the olive oil has begun to lightly smoke and the aromats are soft and tender add in your mussels along with one small drinking glass of white wine, as this will help to generate steam which will then open your mussels.

Once your mussels are open and juicy, at this point discard any that have not opened. Begin to bring your pasta over using a pair of tongs, you want a little bit of the cooking water, as this helps to form an emulsion with the mussel cooking liquor.

Just to finish the dish, add the juice and zest of one lemon along with a hand full of finely chiffonade parsley.

This recipe is designed to be relaxed, as it would be the perfect dish to cook either outdoors or on a beach.

Serve into warmed artisan bowls, enjoy with a glass of cold Sauvignon Blanc along with family and friends.

Fuelled by fizz and smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels

Grilled Sea bream and field mushrooms stuffed with stilton, spinach and nutmeg walnuts, alongside Cambolda stuffed baby bell peppers home grown by friends in Devon!

Since my kitchen is currently undergoing a refurb and the cooking facilities are very limited, here’s some grilled mackerel (finished with a blow torch) and honey roasted seasonal veg. Simple and slowly roasted realising all those seasonal flavours and I guess you could say I took inspiration from my deconstructed surroundings when it came to plating!

Ingredients:

• 3 large red chicory
• 4 large figs
• toasted walnuts
• toasted cob nuts
• stilton
• Soft blue cheese
• Richmond honey

1. To begin this dish toast off your cob nuts and walnuts until golden brown. Once your cob nuts are toasted crack them and reserve to one side to be grated over the dish just before being served.
2. Next into a pre-heated oven cross your figs and using your fingers gently push them open, Next drizzle them with some of the artisan honey, roast in the oven for 10 -15 minutes until sweet and tender.
3. To plate, wash you chicory, click the leaves to loosen them, and spread over your chosen plate. Next add your honey roasted figs along with the blue cheese pieces.
4. To finish the dish add your walnuts and then just before service grate the cob nuts and serve with a drizzle of artisan honey.

By using chicory leaves this gives the dish a little bitterness, which is well balanced with the sweetness from the honey. Both the walnuts and cob nuts add to the texture but also offer some creaminess.