February 2009 Archives

Rhubarb tart

Serves eight

For the filling

1kg rhubarb (forced or new season's)
200g caster sugar
250ml crème fraîche
125ml double cream
3 egg yolks

Rhubarb tart
Here, the quintessential English pairing of rhubarb and custard is cooked in a pastry case that looks like a sweet quiche. Instead of cooking the rhubarb beforehand, which would turn it to a pulp, it's macerated in sugar. This leaves the rhubarb with its natural colour, a little bit of crunch and an intense flavour.

1. Trim the rhubarb, then cut the stalks across into thin slices (this helps break down any stringy fibres). Mix the rhubarb with 150g of the sugar in a bowl. Leave at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, make the tart case. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to about 5mm thick. Use to line a 25cm flan ring placed on a baking sheet covered with greaseproof paper (or use a fluted loose-bottomed tart tin). Let the surplus pastry hang over the edge of the ring, and do not stretch it or it will shrink during baking. Prick the bottom all over with a fork, then leave the case to rest in the fridge for about half an hour before baking.

3. Set the oven at 170°C. Line the bottom and sides of the pastry case with a disc of greaseproof paper. Fill with baking beans or uncooked pulses or rice and bake for 20 minutes. Slide the baking sheet out of the oven and lift out the paper and beans. Brush the pastry with beaten egg and return to the oven for 5 minutes.

4. Tip the macerated rhubarb into a sieve and let the liquid drain through, pressing and squeezing the rhubarb tightly with your hands to extract as much liquid as possible - the pieces should be compact and dry.

5. Increase the oven to 180°C. Trim off the surplus pastry from the edge of the tart case with a sharp knife. Mix the remaining filling ingredients with the remaining sugar. Pile the rhubarb in the tart case and slowly pour in the filling. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is lightly coloured. The filling should be just set, with a slight quiver in the centre when you gently shake the tart.

 

 

Fish of the week

Prices per kg:

Large Mackerel £5.95
Sardines £4.50
Megrim Sole £7.50
Lemon Sole £8.50
Sprats £3.50
Grey Mullet £5.50
Bass 1-2kg £10.50
Smoked Cod Roe £18.50

Source: Chef Direct
01275 474707

Meat

Wood Pigeons
Mutton all cuts
Sirloins and Foreribs
Ox Cheeks
Pork all cuts

For prices click here

Source: Chef Direct
01275 474707

Fresh

Spring has definitely arrived... in Egypt. The proof is that the first pricy, but super zingy-fresh new wet garlic bulbs are here. As usual they're small and contain very tiny cloves. But because all but the outer skin can be sliced or chopped into salads, sauces and cooked dished, they are not too fiddly to use.

Things are warming up a bit in Spain and Italy, too. It shows in the quality of the leaves on their bunched beetroots and bunched carrots respectively. The Beetroot leaves are good enough to serve as greens and the carrot tops make an excellent garnish and can be added sparingly (too much can impart bitterness) to soups and stocks.

Cavalo nero (Italian Black Cabbage) is also a good choice at the moment. The dark, crinkly leaves are superb added to minestrone, made into pesto, shredded and deep-fried or simply steamed and tossed in olive oil.

Christmas is far enough away to start enjoying super-healthy Brussels Sprouts again. They are thriving in this cold weather and are sweeter than they've been for years, Brussels tops have made a return to form and our red Brussels tops are simply wonderful.

In Fruit, cape plums are good, but maybe not up to their usual standard due to some cold, wet weather in the South African growing season. There are still some good apricots, peaches and nectarines coming in.
Source: 4°C
020 8558 9708
www.4degreesc.com

 

Is this the ultimate insult to the consumer or clever profiteering of a corporate institution?

Yes, the Marks and Spencers jam sandwich hit shelves a while ago for 75p a double slice.

"But I can make that for 10p at home with some soggy white bread and average jam and i wouldn't have to stare a ill-tempered and menopausal checkout lady in the face," you may say.

Quite, quite. What can you do? It's consumerism gone mad.

For the record, the Real Food Festival have also weighed in with their two cents as well:

The M&S jam sandwich:  Philip Lowery, Director of the Real Food Festival comments: "It's hard to work out who has lost the plot more when looking at the launch today of the new M&S jam sandwich; the store themselves for promoting this as a credit crunch lunch priced at 75 pence, when anyone could buy these ingredients for less than 10p and prepare it themselves in a matter of seconds, or the people who will inevitably buy this product for believing that everything in their so called busy lives takes precedence over preparing simple, healthy, nutritious food. On balance, I'd say M&S, who really ought to know better." 

It's been three years in the making but David Everitt-Matthias's second book - the follow-up to 2006's Essence - is due out in April. Featuring Dessert recipes from the two Michelin starred Le Champignon Sauvage it promises to be box-office stuff. Here's a sneaky peak at one of the recipes:

Chocolate yoghurt with prune purée

The sweet and sour taste of the prune purée makes it a perfect partner for chocolate, while the lactic acid in the yoghurt helps cut the richness, creating a lighter dessert. If you want something a little richer, simply double the amount of chocolate. You could replace the prune purée with a banana one and the chocolate with thick caramel. You could also consider flavouring the yoghurt with different spices, but I do like to use cardamom in this dessert.
If you have problems finding the grue de cacoa, just grate a little of the bitterest chocolate you can find on top. It won't have the same crunch but it will taste fine.

Serves 8 as a pre-dessert

For the chocolate yoghurt

100g bitter chocolate (64 per cent cocoa solids), chopped
1 quantity of Cardamom Yoghurt

For the prune purée
250g Marinated Prunes in Armagnac plus 75ml of their liquid to serve
50g grue de cacao, roughly ground

Chocolate yoghurt
Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water or in a microwave. Divide the cardamom yoghurt in half and pour one portion on to the warm melted chocolate, whisking all the time. Set aside at room temperature until needed. Keep the remaining cardamom yoghurt in the fridge.

For the prune purée

Remove the stones from the prunes. Place the prunes in a liquidiser with the liquid and blend until smooth.

To serve

Layer some of the chocolate yoghurt, prune purée and cardamom yoghurt in 8 glasses.
Repeat until the glasses are almost full. Sprinkle over the grue de cacao. You can, if you wish, keep them in the fridge at this stage until needed. Just remove from the fridge 20 minutes before serving.

Book info: Published by Absolute Press, £25, ISBN 9781906650032

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah the pleasures of blood orange season. Want more ideas for that lovely red fleshed fruit? Try this pithy little recipe from Jacob Kenedy, chef patron at acclaimed new London restaurant Bocca di Lupo

Blood orange granita
75g caster sugar
600ml blood orange juice (from just over a kilo of oranges)
4 tablespoons flaked almonds
1 tablespoon icing sugar
4 large mint leaves

Stir the sugar into the blood orange juice until dissolved. Freeze in a shallow dish, stirring through with a fork every half hour to produce frozen flakes of ice

Toast the almonds in the oven until brown, but not burnt. Toss when still warm in the icing sugar, then leave to cool.

Serve the granita in frozen glasses, with finely shredded mint and the toasted almonds on top.

Hot from the market floor, this week's food news:

Fresh

The flavour and juiciness of Sicilian blood oranges, just has to be experienced to be believed. The South African plum season is progressing well, with the arrival of the first Sunkiss yellow plums of the season.  They look good, taste pleasant, and should ripen nicely by Monday.

There's a good choice of exotic and tropical fruits in the market right now. Tangelos, or ugli fruits, are in good supply also. Their sweet orange and grapefruit taste makes them perfect for breakfast, starters, salads and desserts. English forced rhubarb is now plentiful. The pale, tender stems are deliciously fruity and have a much more delicate taste than the outdoor crop. 

New in from Lancashire: sweet, delicious Red brussels tops. They have beautiful deep purple outer leaves and pale beautifully veined mini hearts.

Italian Spring rape is the vegetable version of the golden fields that cover Britain in late April. The bright green leaves and florets are all edible and should be treated much like purple sprouting broccoli (which is also on top form right now). They have a slightly bitter, mustard-edged taste and are splendid steamed, or wilted in garlic-laced olive or rapeseed oil. Portuguese hispe remain a tasty choice and tundra, savoy and soon-to-end January Kings are excellent home grown options. Curly kale and cavalo nero are worth a spot on the menu, too.
 
Our English parsnips are even sweeter now they've had a few doses of cold weather. Donkey Carrots have developed a really rich, herby taste and are one of the few lines that are really good value this winter. Potatoes are also good buys, whether you choose our washed whites, sante bakers or slightly more unusual harlequins. They are close relatives of the Pink Fir Apple, have a similar taste and texture, but are easier to peel.

Source: 4°C
020 8558 9708
www.4degreesc.com

Ahoy-hoy. Welcome to Caterer's new food blog, bringing you near-on daily news of what's in season, how to cook it and how to source it. A sort of food news/food-vidiprinter if you will. Stay tuned - there's a lot of cracking stuff to come.