Butter-poached prawns with warm garden salad
Cook this sophisticated starter for a romantic dinner for two. Use the best quality prawns that you can afford to make this extra special.
Ingredients
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4 new potatoes
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1 corn on the cob
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200g/7oz unsalted butter
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10 Strangford prawns (or other large prawns), heads and shells removed and reserved, de-veined
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1 tbsp vegetable oil
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sprig fresh thyme
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sprig fresh basil, plus extra to garnish
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1 tbsp tomato purée
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200ml/7fl oz chicken stock
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1 lemon, juice only
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salt and freshly ground black pepper
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2 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed, sliced
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1 round lettuce, leaves separated
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1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
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1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
Preparation method
1.
Cook the potatoes in boiling, salted water for 5-6 minutes, or until tender, then drain. Slice the potatoes and keep warm.
2.
Meanwhile, cook the corn on the cob in boiling water for 5-6 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and set aside to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, slice the kernels off the cob into a bowl.
3.
Heat the butter in a saucepan until melted, then poach the prawns for 5-6 minutes, or until pink and just cooked. Remove the prawns from the butter and keep warm. Reserve the butter.
4.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the reserved heads and shells from the prawns, using a wooden spoon to the crush the shells as they cook. Add the thyme, basil, tomato purée and chicken stock and bring the mixture to the boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then strain the mixture into a clean saucepan. Continue to simmer until the volume of liquid has reduced by half.
5.
Add the reserved melted butter and blend the mixture until emulsified, using a hand blender. Season, to taste, with lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6.
Meanwhile, cook the corn kernels in boiling water for 5-6 minutes, or until tender. Drain well.Stir the corn kernels, tomatoes, prawns and fennel into the sauce.
7.
Place the lettuce leaves into a bowl, add a squeeze of lemon juice, the extra virgin olive oil and a little sauce and mix until combined.
8.
To serve, place the lettuce leaves onto serving plates, top with the potato slices then spoon over the sauce
CHEF by Ed Baines
Green chicken curry
Ingredients
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220g/8oz sliced chicken thigh, skinless
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handful of sweet basil
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3 red chillies, thinly sliced
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2½ tbsp fish sauce
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250ml/9fl oz coconut cream
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3 kafir lime leaves julienne
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8 baby corn (optional)
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625ml/22fl oz coconut milk - thin
For the paste
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large pinch of salt
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12 white peppercorns
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¾ tsp coriander seeds
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¼ tsp cumin seeds
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1½ tsp roasted shrimp paste, optional
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4 tbsp bird's eye chillies
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1 tbsp galangal
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1 tbsp kafir limes zest or lime zest
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2 tbsp lemongrass chopped
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2 tbsp washed coriander root or stems
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3 tbsp shallots
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1 tsp turmeric
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2 tbsp chopped garlic
CHEF by Emma Crowhurst
ndividual summer puddings with summer berries
This chilled British classic is the make-ahead queen of summer dessert. A drizzle of cream is compulsory.
Ingredients
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1.8kgs/4lbs summer fruits: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, red and blackcurrants
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570ml/1 pint water
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285g/10oz caster sugar
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20 large slices slightly stale thin white bread, crusts removed
To serve
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selection of summer fruits (small strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, redcurrant, blackberries)
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fresh mint sprigs
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icing sugar to dust
CHEF Pontais recipes
Green bean, red pepper and basil salad
Ingredients
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2 tbsp olive oil
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1 red pepper, de-seeded and sliced
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100g/3½oz green beans, trimmed
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½ lemon, zest only
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1 handful fresh basil leaves, torn
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salt and freshly ground black pepper
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1 tbsp sesame seeds
Preparation method
1.
Heat the oil in a pan and lightly fry the red pepper strips for 1-2 minutes, then add the green beans and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until the vegetables are just cooked but with a bit of crunch.
2.
Stir in the lemon zest and basil leaves and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
CHEF by Galton Blackiston
Roast Gressingham duck crowns with wilted watercress, butternut squash mousse and bigarade sauce
This sophisticated roast duck is restaurant-quality food. Try it at home with our step-by-step instructions.
Ingredients
For the butternut squash mousse
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350g/13oz (peeled weight) butternut squash, cut into small cubes
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rapeseed oil
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4 gelatine leaves
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75ml/3fl oz chicken stock
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50ml/2fl oz double cream
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75ml/3fl oz water
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salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the bigarade sauce
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1 lemon
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3 oranges
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45g/1¾oz light brown sugar
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3 tbsp red wine vinegar
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300g/10½oz duck wings
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rapeseed oil, for frying
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700ml/1pt 5fl oz chicken or duck stock
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salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the duck
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2 Gressingham duck crowns
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salt and freshly ground black pepper
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1 large carrot, peeled, diced
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3 celery stalks, trimmed, diced
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1 onion, peeled and chopped
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2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
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rapeseed oil, for frying
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250g/9oz watercress
Preparation method
1.
For the butternut squash mousse, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2.
Place the cubes of butternut squash onto a large piece of aluminium foil, drizzle over a good splash of rapeseed oil, and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well to coat the butternut squash in the oil, then gather the edges of the aluminium foil together and scrunch together to form a loose parcel.
3.
Place the parcel onto a roasting tray and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the butternut squash has softened.
4.
Meanwhile, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water until softened.
5.
Heat the chicken stock, double cream and water in a saucepan over a medium heat until almost boiling.
6.
Transfer the cooked butternut squash to a food processor, add the warm cream mixture and blend well.
7.
Squeeze any excess water from the softened gelatine leaves, add them to the food processor and continue to blend until really smooth.
8.
Pass the butternut squash purée through a fine sieve into a jug, then pour into four dariole moulds. Set aside until completely cooled, then chill in the fridge until set.
9.
Meanwhile, for the bigarade sauce, heat a splash of rapeseed oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the duck wings and fry until browned all over.
10.
Meanwhile, zest the lemon and two of the oranges and set aside.
11.
Squeeze the juice from the lemon and all of the oranges into a bowl and set aside.
12.
Heat the sugar and wine vinegar in a deep-sided, non-reactive frying pan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
13.
Increase the heat slightly and continue to cook the sugar until it forms a deep golden-brown caramel.
14.
As soon as the vinegar syrup has formed a caramel, add the lemon and orange juice mixture and the browned duck wings.
15.
Continue to cook the caramel for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time to prevent the duck wings sticking to the bottom and to coat them in the caramel.
16.
Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 40-45 minutes, or until the sauce is thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Skim any froth that rises to the surface from time to time during cooking.
17.
While the sauce is cooking, julienne the citrus zest. Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the julienned zest for one minute. Drain thoroughly. Set aside.
Technique: Learning to chop: the 'julienne' technique
18.
Meanwhile, for the duck, increase the oven temperature to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
19.
Season the duck crowns with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
20.
Place the carrot, celery, onion and garlic into a roasting tray and mix well.
21.
Heat a splash of rapeseed oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. When the oil is smoking, add the duck crowns, skin-side down, and fry until the skin on the breasts is crisp and golden-brown, pressing down firmly with the back of a wooden spoon. Turn over the crowns and fry the underside until golden-brown all over.
22.
Remove the duck crowns from the pan and place on top of the vegetables in the roasting tray.
23.
Roast the duck crowns and vegetables for 15 minutes, basting the meat from time to time with any juices in the bottom of the roasting tin.
24.
Reduce the oven temperature to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Continue to roast the duck and vegetables for a further 15-20 minutes, then remove from the oven and set the duck crowns aside to rest for at least 5 minutes.
25.
Heat another splash of oil in a separate frying pan; add the watercress and cook until wilted, stirring well. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
26.
Just before serving, strain the bigarade sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pan and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
27.
Add the reserved, blanched lemon and orange zests to the bigarade sauce and stir well.
28.
To serve, arrange some of the wilted watercress into the centre of each of four serving plates. Remove the duck breasts from the crowns and carve. Place one carved breast on top of each portion of watercress. Turn out one cold butternut squash mousse alongside each duck breast. Drizzle over the bigarade sauce.
