Food File

Meat
The best of Scotch beef is arriving in better numbers, but by no means in good supply yet. Consequently it is still not cheap. There is still a great supply of imported beef and, with the relative strength of the pound, it remains very cheap. British lamb varies between wonderful and very ordinary, so it's important to know your suppliers. Meanwhile, game becomes more and more exciting. Mallard and red-legged partridge are at their best now, and the first of the excellent wild venison is coming in good numbers.
Source:
Aubrey Allen
024 7642 2222
www.aubreyallen.co.uk


Fresh produce
English top fruit is now excellent, including beautiful Cox, Russet and Bramley apples, and Conference and Comice pears. Wild crab apples and sloe berries can be found in our hedgerows, and there are plenty of different plums on the market. Striped Italian aubergines are a seasonal favourite, as are new-crop fresh green olives, chicoria leaf and the last of the fabulous wine grapes are also available. Fresh chestnuts are just starting, but are on the small side at present.
Source:
Chef's Connection
020 7627 4809
www.chefs-connection.com


Fish
Better fishing conditions off the south coast will see an improvement in supplies this week, with landings of line-caught sea bass, skate, mackerel, dogfish, brill, Dover soles, hake, red mullet and plaice all improved. Expect some prices to drop. Cornish ring netters are also catching plenty of sardines at the moment. Small cod are available from Denmark, but larger fillets will be scarce and expensive. Haddock prices should remain similar. Tuna is plentiful from the Indian Ocean, and prices will drop, but there are no fish from Australia this week because of holidays. On a more unusual note, there have been some landings of porbeagle shark in the last week around the UK.
Source:
M& J Seafood
01296 588221
www.mjseafoods.com


...and how to use them

Spiced-poached plums, malted rice pudding and frozen honey yogurt

Ingredients
(Serves four)
For the plum
14 firm Marjorie's Seedling plums
250g caster sugar
250ml water
1/2 cinnamon stick
8 cloves
15 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 dried chilli
For the rice pudding
200ml double cream
200ml whole milk
75g pudding rice
3 egg yolks
40g caster sugar
30g Horlicks
For the frozen honey yogurt (Pacojet recipe)
400ml natural yogurt
100ml double cream
70g honey
Plum tuile
200g icing sugar
50g flour
100g plum pur‚e (blend six of the freshly poached plums)
80g melted butter

Method
For the spiced plums, place all ingredients except plums into a pan and simmer for five minutes. Meanwhile, halve the plums and remove the stone. Once the liquid is ready, add the plums and poach for about three minutes.

Remove the plums and continue to simmer the liquid to syrup, cool when ready.

For the rice pudding, bring the liquid and Horlicks to the simmer, add the rice and cook for about 25 minutes.

When the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid, mix the egg yolks and sugar to ribbon stage.

Whisk the rice mixture into the egg mixture and return to the pan to cook out (as for ice-cream).

Lay out on a tray for cooling.

For the frozen yogurt, combine all ingredients and freeze in containers for 24 hours.

For the tuile, blend six of the plums to make the pur‚e. Combine all ingredients in a mixer with the paddle attachment.

Spread on to a non-stick sheet and cook for three to five minutes at 200°C.

Reduce plum syrup, then serve two plums per person on the rice pudding, with tuile and a quenelle of frozen yogurt

Nathan Outlaw, chef-proprietor of the Black Pig, Rock, Cornwall