Category: Everyday meals

Celebrating Saint George’s day in style with this recipe…

Hollandaise Sauce Reduction:

• 125 ml of white wine vinegar 
• 125 ml of white wine
• ½ shallot finely diced 
• 2 bay leaves bruised 
• Pinch of sea salt 

To begin in a medium saucepan add your shallot along with a pinch of sea salt, your bay leaves and both of your liquids.

Bring this to a boil and reduce by a third, this is your reduction which you use to form your hollandaise. 

Once at this point allow to cool down completely, this keeps for up to a month in the fridge in a glass jar. You can make a bigger batch of this liquor. 

Clarified butter:

To begin place a whole block of butter into a small saucepan and allow to clarify in a warm place, by clarifying butter you remove any excess water or fat which will result in a cloudy and chalky hollandaise. 

Using a ladle, remove the water and fat

Hollandaise Sauce: 

• 4 free range egg yolks 
• 2 dashes of your reduction
• 250 grams of clarified butter 
• Squeeze of lemon 
• Pinch of black pepper 
• Pinch of sea salt 

To begin over a pan of rolling water place your bowl of egg yolks and your reduction and whisk to combine, next gently pour in your clarified butter and whisk constantly. Ensure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water as this will scramble the eggs. 

Once your sauce has reached the ribbon stage then you know your sauce is ready, at this point taste and adjust the seasoning with a squeeze of lemon and pinch of both black pepper and sea salt.

Then decant into a thermo container to stop a skin from forming over the sauce. 

Grilled Asparagus:

• 2 bunches of freshly picked English asparagus 
• Dash of olive oil 
• Pinch of sea salt 
• Squeeze of lemon juice 

To begin either place under a high grill or an open fire, you want your asparagus to still be al dente.

Once it is perfectly cooked this will only take 3 minutes

Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt, black pepper and lastly a squeeze of lemon juice, as this gives the whole dish a beautiful lift but also complements the rich hollandaise perfectly. 

Poached eggs:

• 2 eggs
• 150 ml of water on a rolling boiling 
• 2 caps of white wine vinegar 

Once your pan has reached a rolling boiling, stir with a spoon, crack your eggs in and cook till the white perfectly encapsulates the rich yolk, this will take around 3 minutes keep an eye on them. 

Once ready remove the pan of water using a slotted spoon and place onto a piece of j cloth, then trim them so they are perfect. 

To plate:

On a preheated artisan plate, lay out your grilled asparagus top with your poached eggs and then lastly drizzle with your hollandaise sauce, to finish add some cracked black pepper and enjoy with a crisp glass of cold wine.

The Gourmet Gent 

Romesco Sauce:

• ½ shallot brunoised 
• 2 cloves of garlic peeled and pureed 
• juice and zest of one unwaxed lemon 
• 10 drained sundried tomatoes
• 200 grams of toasted flaked almonds 
• 200g of toasted till golden pinenuts 
• 200 ml of olive oil 
• 120 ml of Sun Dried tomato oil 
• 4 Charred large red peppers 

1. to begin wash your large peppers and dry thoroughly, lightly oil and place over your open fire or gas burner to blacken and charr the outter skin as this gives the pepper and sauce a lovely smokiness. 
2. Once the pepper are blackened if they are quite large place them into a pre-heated oven of 180 degrees and cooked till soft this will only take 10-15 minutes. 
3. Once they are ready remove from the oven and place onto a pre-warmed plate and wrap with cling film as this makes the peppers sweat a little lifting up their skins. 
4. When you peel your peppers do not remove all of the charr skin as it gives the sauce a touch of depth. 
5. Remove the seeds from the peppers and julienne then fine brunoise. 
6. For the base of your sauce, into a large pesal and mortar place your shallot, garlic toasted almonds and pinenuts, beat to make a paste.
7. Then add your lemon juice to let it down a little using a sharp knife and chopping board bruinoise your sun dried tomatoes and then add these to your base and again beat to form a smooth paste. 
8. Next add your olive oil and sundried tomato infused oil in a steady stream and lastly add in your peppers to finish add a touch of seasoning and the zest of one lemon the reasoning to why you add the lemon zest now is so that you get the freshness and lightness of the citrus delivered into the sauce. 
9. This recipe makes two small jars so if not for immediate use place into an air tight jar and store in the fridge for up to month with a covering of olive oil to form a air lock. 

For your three cornered Arancini’s:

• 2 sticks of celery washed and brunoised 
• 1 large leek washed and sliced finely 
• 2 garlic cloves finely sliced 
• 1 shallots peeled and brunoised 
• 500 grams of risotto rice 
• 500 ml of vegetables stock 
• 15 ml of good quality white wine 

1. To begin sweat off your vegetables base in a little olive oil, season with a pinch of sea salt. 
2. One soft add your risotto rice and allow to toast a little, once at this stage add your white wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate away. 
3. Once at this stage, begin to ladle in your vegetable stock for best results gently warm your stock before hand. 
4. Add each ladle allow to absorb and work the gluten from the rice this will result in a smooth and glossy risotto.
5. You want to cook your rice till just al dente as it will carry on cooking when you deep, fry them later on in the process. Once at this stage adjust the seasoning add a small knob of softened butter and allow to melt through the risotto. 
6. Transfer into a large tray so it as one layer and allow to cool for 90 minutes till the core temperature has reached below 8 degrees. 
7. In the meantime pick and wash your three cornered leeks from the garden. 

Next stage:

1. Once your rice has cooled down, begin to shape into your risotto balls, to do this take half a ball of rice, then place a ball of mozzarella and then four pieces of three cornered garlic in the centre this will result in enough heat from the wild foraged garlic without over powering the dish. 
2. Next prepare your pane station consisting of flour, egg and milk and lastly breadcrumbs I used panko for the extra crunch. 
3. Whilst you are paneing your risotto balls place a large saucepan of vegetable onto a medium heat full your pan just under half way as oil expands when it  is heated BE CAREFUL !! 
4. Once your oil has reached 180 degrees place your risotto into the hot oil and colour on both sides till golden brown and crisp. Then place onto a baking sheet and place into an oven at gas mark 3 till warm all of the way through this should take around 15 minutes. 
5. Ensure that your oil has been turned off and is pushed to one side, then lastly enjoy either hot or cold as these make ideal picnic food types due to their versatility and easy way to transport them. 

Enjoy with friends and family. 

The Gourmet Gent

Arancini with three cornered leeks, mozzarella and romesco sauce

An assortment of mushrooms, aubergine and freshly made pasta – simple ingredients but amazing in complexity and flavour