Pheasant with Sloe Gin and Port Sauce, Soured Red Cabbage and Carrot Puree

To cook the pheasant heat oven to 200C, cook and a heavy based oven proof pan for 10 minutes on on breast, then turn and 10 minutes on the other.  Then cook on the back for another 10 minuntes.  This will vary on the size of the bird so check the juices after 25 minutes of cooking to make sure you don't over cook this.  (Place a skewer deep into the fattest part of the bird and remove and watch the colour of the juices, when the juices run clear and not pink, then it is ready.) Rest for ten minutes.

The sauce takes about 45minutes to an hour so start this before the pheasant. Soften onions and a small clove of garlic.  Add good quality chicken stock (or preferably home made) and bay leaf, star anise, 8 crushed pepper corns, thyme, a little rosemary, then reduce by half.    Add a large glug of port and a few dashes of sloe gin, some red wine vinegar and sugar until you get the correct sweetness and of course season.  Cook this right down to a thick sauce that will at least coat the back of the spoon if not a bit thicker.   This will give a lovely wintery, gamey sauce that will compliment the pheasant.

Serve with what ever takes your fancy, I used roast cubed potatoes, carrot puree and soured cabbage.

Christmas Dinner 2011

Starter - Scallops with Prawn and Haddock Tortellini and a Chorizo Cream
I've been playing around with making my own tortellini fillings for a while now and getting the pasta thickness just right.   If it is too thin, you cannot place them individually on a plate as they are self supporting but have them too thick and they are wasted.  I've found that the second thinest setting is the best on my pasta machine.

The filling is 70 prawn, 30% haddock or white fish.  Gently poach or bake the haddock but don't over cook as it will also have some cooking in the tortellini. Put the prawn and haddock with a little splash of single cream in a mini-chopper for a few seconds.  I also added a little taragon but not to much. Then that makes your filling, with any left overs, use that to place in the centre and build your green leaves on top to give height.

Chorizo and scallops is a well known combination but it can often over power the flavour of the scallops but if used as a chorizo cream, this leaves a subtle taste that is not overpowering.  Cook the chorizo first, then adding cream, put into a mini-chopper.  Put this through a tamis or sieve and you are left with a mild chorizo cream.  If you can leave the chorizo in the cream for a longer time, this will allow the flavours in infuse more.

Mains - Roast Pork from Sunnyside Farm with Sausages (the one I butchered), Celeriac Puree and all the trimmings.

Desert - Chocolate Ganach with Mango Jelly, Vanilla Ice Cream and a Baileys Cream Sauce.

Christmas Ham

Its Christmas, I'm so excited, I'll be cooking on and off today, tomorrow and on Christmas day.   Here is the best Christmas Ham recipe, its not mine but one I pinched off Jacqueline O'Donnell.  I also added some sloe gin to the glaze and use a carton of orange juice as well as apple and omitted the water.  Keep the juices that you boil the ham in, it makes a wonderful stock that you can use for pork gravy.   Well I think it will, will tell you on Christmas Day.

Recipe
6.5kg gammon, with knuckle bone
250ml red wine (1 cup)
Apple juice/water to cover
1 large onion, halved
2 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
1 head fennel, halved
2 star anise
1 x 15ml tablespoon coriander seed
1 x 15ml tablespoon fennel seed
1 x 15ml tablespoon mixed peppercorns
 1 bay leaf
 6 cloves

Ham Glaze:Approx. 20 whole cloves
4 x 15ml tablespoons cranberry or redcurrant jelly
 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
 ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar

Preparation: 1. Put all the ingredients, except those for the glaze, into a large pan, on the stove but off the heat, adding water until the ham is covered.
2. Turn on the heat and bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and partially cover the pan. Cook for about 3 1/2 hours. (This may not seem long for a big joint, but as it will carry oncooking as it cools, and this is going to be eaten cold, I don’t want it overcooked. Nor do you.)
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6 (400F). Lift the ham gently out of the hot liquid, sit it on a board and let it cool slightly, not too much but just so that you can touch it without burning yourself.
4. With a sharp knife, strip off the rind, and a little of the fat layer if it’s very thick, but leave a thin layer of fat. I love this work: it is peculiarly gratifying seeing the hot blubbery fat slither off. Use the same knife to score a diamond pattern in the remaining fat on the ham, in lines about 2cm apart. Stud the points of each diamond with a clove.
5. Put the cranberry or redcurrant jelly, cinnamon, paprika and red wine vinegar into a little saucepan and whisk together over a high heat, bringing it to the boil. Let the pan bubble away, for about 5 minutes, so that the glaze reduces to a syrupy consistency that will coat the fat on the ham.
6. Now sit the ham in a roasting tin lined with foil, as the sugar in the glaze will burn in the oven as it drips off. Pour the glaze over the diamond-studded ham, then put it in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the glazed fat has caught and burnished. Take the ham out of the oven and sit it on a wooden board to cool (2–3 hours) before you carve it.

Aromatic Christmas Ham Make Ahead Tip:
Cook the ham, loosely cover in a 'tent' of foil and keep chilled for up to 1 week.

Razor Clams in Veloute

Razor clams are really easy to cook, soften a shallot, put in a few glugs of white wine, then just pop them in once bubbling and cook with a lid on for 60 to 90 seconds and no more.  Remove, then only use the white meat, reheat before serving.  Serve with what ever accompaniments you like.

Pork Loin with Stuffed Cabbage leaves and Mustard Foam

Pork loin with celeriac puree with stuffed cabbage leaves and a mustard foam.  I'm experimenting with lecithin to help stabilize my foams, getting there.

Scallops with Lemon and Coriander Risotto

Risotto made with my own fish stock.  These were caught that morning so were as fresh as they come. If you get the correct scallops you are much better to under cook than over cook, and a little raw in the middle with fresh muscles is how I like them.

The Wonders of Tuna

Just looking back at my photos, I have cooked three tuna dishes recently.  I think that tuna works very well with a Thai slant to it but not too much to overpower the flavour.

Thai Tuna with corriander,
red chilli, garlic, ginger
& a soy sauce &honey dressing.

Tuna steak with Thai
flavoured udon Noodles

Pink centred Tuna
with udon noodles

How Pigeon Should be cooked.

Okay, after my rant below, here is how to cook pigeon, it must be pink and not over cooked otherwise it will be tough and tasteless.  It only needs 2 or 3 minutes depending on how thick the breasts are, then a couple of minutes to rest.

I have cooked pigeon three times since the below post and I am falling it love with it as a meat, it should almost melt in your mouth.  Thanks to my father in law who brought round the wood pigeon that flew into his window.

I cooked this with a pea puree and chard, sorrel and pancetta salad. I was a bit lazy with the puree as I didn't put it though the tamis to get all the lumps out.  Pea puree is actually sweater and tastier than normal peas.  Cook the peas in half cream, half milk until soft, then whiz in a blender and put though a tamis or fine sieve to remove all the lumps. Then, heat when needed. It's also good for freezing and keeps well.

Restaurant Review - La Bagatelle, Edinburgh, 22a Brougham Place, EH3 9JU

This was probably the worst dining experience of my life. The restaurant looked like something from the 1970's, the decor was outdated, the seats and menus shabby. It had the atmosphere of a Grannys front lounge and the food to match.

We waited over half an hour for our first course to be served. The waitress was conspicuous by her absence and it was difficult to refill my empty glass.

My pigeon starter was dry and overcooked and my wife's seafood starter was unmemorable and her fish main course was tasteless and in parts in inedible.

I told the pleasantly mannered waitress that we didn't think the food was up to what we had hoped and I asked if the pigeon was fresh which she assured me it was. I said to her we did not wish to make a fuss nor make a complaint in case we disturbed the only other table in the restaurant.

Moments later I was confronted by a clearly angry Chef pointing at the pigeon which he was about to serve to the next table and that looked equally dry and overcooked. His manner was inexcusable, his restaurant outdated and totally out classed by his competitors which he seemed to know very little about. We will never return and spread the word to others never to go there.
Rating:  0/10

Squid Stuffed with Black Pudding and Balsamic dressing

I'm into my squid stuffing just now, works quite well with black pudding albeit a little over-powering.

It's Been a Long Time

I cannot believe its been early April since I last blogged. I briefly saw Tim Anderson (MasterChef winner 2011) in Edinburgh on Sunday.  I just glanced into the door of Mellis in Stockbridge (as I usually do when passing) and saw a glimpse of someone sniffing some produce, wandering on, I thought that looked a bit like Tim but thought nothing of it.  A few minutes later I met my sister-in-law who said she had just seen him.  That is a pity, I was routing for him all the way through the last show. It would have been a great photo for the blog.  Well below it's not exactly hamburger and chips three ways but hey ho.

Thai Stuffed Squid 
Dice the tentacles and some prawn and mix with some finely chopped garlic and fresh ginger that has been softened in a frying pan. Add some fish sauce, coriander, chili and a squeeze of lime or some grated lime rind.  I used some of the squid ink to darken the rice as an experiment, it came out a strange grey colour but worth a try.

GastroTastic
Pesto spaghetti and stars, with chicken,  tomato and basil.  When I say pesto spaghetti, the spaghetti is made of pesto not pasta (courtesy of my new gastro purchases). The stars are also made of pesto, one course with pine nuts still visible and the other was put through a strainer to remover the bits.

Venison
Scottish Venison with spinach and walnuts, mash potato, a herb polenta and a sweet potato and a butternut squash puree with venison jus. The walnuts were to give it a bit of texture otherwise with the mash and purees it would be a bit mushy. Beautifully pink venison can't be beaten. 

Home Made Apple Ice Cream, Meringue and an Hibiscus Sauce

The bitterness of the hibiscus contrasted the sweetness of the ice cream and meringue and worked very well.  Take some hibiscus flowers and soak in water to get vibrant red colour out then add some sugar and reduce until it is a thick syrup. 

A Typical Weekend

Breakfast - poached eggs on toast topped with a fried quails egg.
Lunch - foraged wild garlic soup
Dinner - baked john dory risotto with choritzo.

The wild garlic soup

We picked some in the woods whilst walking the dog. I softened two small shallots, added some lemon thyme and marjoram from the garden then wilted the garlic first before cooking in beef stock. Add a little five spice blend and serve. It would also work well with chicken stock.

Happy Foraging, there's plenty of it. 

Confit Duck Legs

This has to be one of my top 5 tastiest meals ever, its easy and simple but needs a little pre-thought. I can't claim this was my recipe either thanks Raymond Blanc.

Put legs skin side down and sprinkle salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf on the flesh. Cover and put in fridge overnight.
Cover in goose or duck fat warmed to 80c (not bubbling) and cook for 3 hours at 90-100 degrees C, remove and crisp skin in pan until brown.

Absolutely delicious, pink, tender and melt in the mouth! try it

Scotch Quails Egg on Smoked Haddock Risotto

I liked the scotch egg! Soft boil the egg in the shell for 2mins then put into iced water. Mince some haddock and use brioche for the bread crumbs. Once cooled peel the egg dip in egg yolk and wrap with the haddock and put in the fridge. Add the bread crumbs and deep fry for 4minutes.

Pork medallions caramelised carrots and carrot and celeriac purees

Venison fillet encrusted with fennel and cumin, pea puree boulangere potatoes end sweet potato mash

Thai Scallops then Pepper and Cranberry encrusted Venison Fillet

Delicately flavoured Thais sauce using home make fish stock, ginger, lemon rind, tamarind, garlic and garnished with coriander. Should have more colour on the scallops but I turned the wrong pan down, doh!

Venison encrusted with crushed black pepper and cranberry with a garlic puree, dauphinoise potato and kale. I smeared the venison with Dijon mustard to help the crust stick.

Boned and Rolled Chicken stuffed with Spinach & Asparagus

I'm still mastering skinning the chicken then rolling it in its skin and cooking but getting there.This is taken from Tom Kichen's excellent book From Nature to Plate. Admittedly, his looks a little better, but I was hungry and his wouldn't feed a sparrow.

King Prawn & Wolffish Risotto with a Chorizo Ouree

Chorizo puree is the way to go.  It really adds vibrant colour to a dish as well as taking away some of the strength of the flavour which can sometimes over power the main flavours.  Warm through the chorizo, add some cream then put in a blender the pass through a fine sieve.  These King Prawns were massive and not cheap too.  Risotto made with home made fish stock.

Chicken with chirozo and a tomato tarragon and basil sauce

The wife gave this one top marks even saying it was one of the best meals I've made her.  Not bad for something I just rustled up on the spot. I used smoked paprika in the sauce with a little gastric to give it the sweet and sour tinge. The tarragon really helps the flavour and I used cherry tomatoes to add to the sweetness.

Tuna Chilli and Coriander Roulade with Asparagus with wasabi puree

Rolled Tuna chilli and coriander roulade was a recipe I saw at the Foodies Festival in 2009, I didn't quite get my roulade right, but I'm going to keep on at this one until I get it spot on.

Venison with Roast Potatoes

Venison from the Farmers Market with Port and Cranberry Sauce, roasted sweet potatoes and potatoes.

Hogmanay Special, dinner with friends.

Starter - black truffle risotto.

Mains - seabass coponata containing tomatoes, peppers, capers, golden raisins and aubergine, finished with pine nuts, balsamic and parsnip crisps.

Pudding -  chocolate whisky and orange mousse with home made Drambuie ice cream and an hibiscus and blood red orange syrup.

Pollock with Roasted potatoes, parsley and peppers

Pollock is a great affordable meaty fish and provides an excellent sustainable alternative to cod or haddock.

Curry

Here are a couple of curry dishes, a Sri Lankan Prawn Curry with tomato and chick pea Dahl.

Beef with black-eyed bean dahl and home made roti.