Nicky’s Plaice smoked salmon with crab salad & cucumber
Serves 4
225g (8oz) Nicky’s Plaice smoked salmon
FOR THE CUCUMBER JELLY:
1 gelatine leaf
½ cucumber, roughly chopped
FOR THE CUCUMBER ROLL:
½ cucumber
100g (4oz) fresh white crab meat, picked over to remove any pieces of shell
1 tsp creamed horseradish
2 tbsp mayonnaise
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
FOR THE AVOCADO PUREE:
1 ripe Hass avocado, skinned, halved & stone retained
1 tbsp crème fraiche
squeeze of fresh lemon
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
salted cured salmon eggs and micro cress, to garnish
To make the cucumber jelly, soak the gelatine leaf for 3-4 minutes in a bowl of
ice-cold water. Purée the cucumber in a food processor, then season to taste.
Place in a small pan with 100ml (3 ½ fl oz) of water. Drain the gelatine and
squeeze dry, then dissolve in the cucumber mixture. Push through a fine sieve
into a small container and allow to set in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours.
Using a long, straight-edged knife, slice thin horizontal slices from the smoked
salmon. Cut these layers into 4cm (1 ½ in) squares.
To make the cucumber roll, place the crab meat in a bowl and fold in the
horseradish and mayonnaise. Add the lemon juice and season to taste. Remove
the seeds from the cucumber using a small teaspoon and then pare long thin
ribbons from the cucumber using a swivel vegetable peeler – you’ll need 8 in
total.
Arrange two slices of the cucumber on a clean work surface in a slightly
overlapping layer. Divide the crab mixture into quarters and place one quarter at
one end of the cucumber, then roll up tightly to enclose the filling.
To make the avocado purée, blend the avocado, crème fraiche and lemon juice
together in a food processor. Season to taste, then transfer to a bowl and pop the
avocado stone into the middle of the mixture (this prevents the avocado from
going brown). Seal with clingfilm and chill until needed.
To serve, arrange the smoked salmon on chilled plates. Cut the cucumber jelly
into small squares and arrange one on each plate with a cucumber roll. Scatter
over the cured salted smoked salmon eggs and micro cress to garnish. Finish
each one with a small pile of Maldon salt.
Fermanagh free range seared chicken breast with barley, cured bacon & turnip
purée
Serves 4
4 tbsp olive oil
4 Fermanagh free range chicken breast Supremes (skin on, boned but with wing
bone still attached)
100g (4oz) barley
1 shallot, finely chopped
50g (2oz) smoked bacon lardons
50g (2oz) button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
4 tbsp red wine
120ml (4fl oz) jus (see separate recipe)
FOR THE TURNIP PUREE:
275g (10oz) turnip, peeled and roughly chopped
1 shallot, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
parsley purée and pithivier filled with chicken confit, to garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. To make the turnip purée, place
the turnip, shallot with one tablespoon of water in a roasting tin. Stir in the olive
oil. Cover with tin foil and roast for 40 minutes until tender. Purée in a food
processor until smooth and season with salt and pepper.
Place the barley in a pan of boiling salted water and simmer for about 40 minutes
until just tender. Drain well and set aside until needed.
Heat half the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan and quickly brown the chicken
breasts on both sides and season. Transfer to the oven and roast for 10-12
minutes or until cooked through and tender.
Heat the rest of the olive oil in a sauté pan and sauté the shallot and bacon for 23 minutes until softened but not coloured. Tip in the mushrooms and sauté for
another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the barley and then pour in the wine and allow to
bubble right down. Stir in the jus and allow to simmer gently for a few minutes
until the flavours have had a chance to combine.
To serve, divide the turnip purée among warmed plates and make a dip in the
centre of each one. Spoon in the barley mixture and arrange a seared chicken
breast on each one. Garnish each plate with a spoonful of parsley purée and a
pithivier filled with chicken confit, if liked.
Jus
Makes about 900ml (1 ½ pints)
25g (1oz) butter
1 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
200ml (7fl oz) ruby port
200ml (7fl oz) red wine
1.5 litres (2 ½ pints) beef or veal stock
Melt the butter in a large saucepan and gently cook the shallot, garlic, celery,
carrot, bay leaf and thyme for about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and cook for 2-3
minutes to caramelise. Add the balsamic vinegar, port and red wine and reduce
by half. Next add the stock and reduce to a sauce consistency. Pass through a
muslin-lined sieve, cool and chill in a covered container. The jus should keep for
about 5 days in the fridge. It can also be frozen in ice-cube trays and then stored
in plastic bags in the freezer.
Chocolate pave with Moonshine organic ice cream and Moonshine organic
milkshake
Serves 6
300g (11oz) plain chocolate, broken into squares
500ml (18fl oz) cream
2 eggs plus 5 egg yolks
250g (9oz) caster sugar
200g (7oz) slab chocolate cake (shop-bought or homemade)
2 tbsp Cointreau (orange-flavoured liqueur)
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
2 gelatine leaves
175g (6oz) caster sugar
50g (2oz) cocoa powder, sifted
120ml (4fl oz) cream
40g (1 ½ oz) plain chocolate, broken into squares
chocolate sauce, Moonshine organic ice cream and Moonshine organic
milkshake, to serve (see separate recipes)
quenelle crème chantilly, orange reduction, blood orange jelly, blood orange
segments, hazelnut praline and sugared brick pastry shards, to decorate
(optional)
To make the chocolate pave, melt the chocolate in a small bowl set over a pan of
simmering water or in the microwave. Whisk the cream in a separate bowl until it
just holds its shape. Set aside until needed. Whisk the eggs and egg yolks in a
bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Continue to whisk until the mixture is
fluffy, light in colour and holds its shape when you pass the whisk through it in a
figure eight.
Heat the sugar and 80ml (3fl oz) of water until it reaches 110°C (if you are using
a sugar thermometer) or to the soft ball stage (just before it browns). Gently pour
into the egg mixture and continue to whisk. Fold in the melted chocolate and then
fold in the cream.
Cut the chocolate sponge into slices and use them to line the bottom of a 17.5cm
(7in) square baking tin, cutting down the slices as necessary to fit. Drizzle over
the Cointreau. Pour over the chocolate mixture and chill overnight until set.
To make the chocolate glaze, soak the gelatine in a small bowl of ice-cold water
for 2-3 minutes, then squeeze dry. Heat the sugar and 150ml (¼ pint) of water in
a small heavy-based pan, without stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in
the cocoa until well combined.
Pour the cream into the cocoa mixture and reduce by half, then remove from the
heat and stir in the soaked gelatine leaves whisking until dissolved. Melt the
chocolate in a small bowl set over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave,
then whisk into the gelatine mixture. Pour over the set chocolate mousse and
leave to set again for 2-3 hours in the fridge.
To serve, cut the chocolate pave into six equal rectangles and arrange on plates,
then decorate each one with a quenelle of crème chantilly and some sugared
brick pastry shards. Add a drizzle of the orange reduction and a little of the
chocolate sauce along with some blood orange segments and a blood orange
jelly. Sprinkle on a little of the hazelnut praline to the side of each plate and top
with a scoop of the Moonshine ice cream. Serve with a Moonshine milkshake.
Chocolate sauce
Makes about 300ml (½ pint)
50g (2oz) cocoa powder, sifted
100g (4oz) icing sugar, sifted
100ml (3 ½ fl oz) cream
125g (4 ½ oz) plain chocolate, finely chopped
Place 100ml (3 ½ fl oz) of water in a small pan until it comes to the boil. Whisk in
the cocoa powder with the icing sugar until well combined. Whisk in the cream
and allow to heat through and slightly reduce. Then whisk in the chocolate until
just melted. The sauce should have a nice glossy consistency. Remove from the
heat and leave to cool. Pour into a jug, cover with clingfilm and chill until needed.
Moonshine organic ice cream
Makes about 600ml/1 pint
400ml (14fl oz) Moonshine organic milk
1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways
4 egg yolks
75g (3oz) caster sugar
Bring the milk and split vanilla pod to the boil in a large saucepan.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a
large pan of simmering water until the mixture is pale and creamy.
When the cream mixture starts to boil, pour it slowly over the egg and sugar
mixture, whisking all the time. Transfer the mixture back into the pan the cream
mixture was heated in and continue cooking on gentle heat until the custard
coats the back of a wooden spoon. Pass the custard through a fine sieve. Scrape
the seeds from the vanilla pod into the custard and discard the pod. Leave to cool
completely.
Transfer the cooled custard to an ice cream machine and churn according to
manufacturer’s instructions, folding the apple compote in just before it is finished
churning. Use as required or freeze for up to five days in a rigid plastic container.
Moonshine organic milkshake
Serves 6
1 scoop Moonshine organic ice cream (see recipe or use a good quality vanilla
ice cream)
1 banana, sliced
225ml (8fl oz) milk
50ml (2fl oz) Bailey’s cream liqueur
whipped cream and hazelnut praline, to serve
Place the ice cream in a liquidizer with the banana, milk and Bailey’s liqueur.
Blend until frothy and divide among small glasses. Top each one with a little
whipped cream and a dusting of hazelnut praline. Place a short straw in each one
to serve.
Knockdrinna Meadow sheeps cheese, rarebit with port & pear purée and candied
pecans
Serves 20
450g (1lb) Knockdrinna Meadow sheeps cheese
FOR THE POACHED PEARS:
2 firm, slightly under-ripe pears
100g (4oz) caster sugar
FOR THE RAREBIT:
350g (12oz) Knockdrinna Meadow sheeps cheese, rind removed and grated
75ml (3fl oz) milk
25g (1oz) plain flour
25g (1oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
good pinch English mustard powder
a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
5 slices of white bread
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
candied pecans and port & pear purée, to serve (see separate recipes)
micro cress, to garnish
To poach the pears, peel the pears and take a thin slice off the bottom of each so
that you can stand it upright. Place in a small high-sided saucepan that will hold
them tightly; it should not be deep enough for them to float.
Add the sugar to the pears and pour in enough water to reach just below the pear
stalks. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. Poach
for 30-45 minutes or until the pears are tender. How long this takes will depend
on their variety and ripeness. Leave to cool, then carefully remove and cut into
slices. Use as required.
To make the rarebit, place the cheese and milk into a pan and slowly melt
together. Add the flour, breadcrumbs and mustard and cook for a few minutes
until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Add the Worcestershire sauce and
season to taste, then leave to cool.
Once cold, scrape the mix into a food processor. With the machine running,
slowly add the egg and the egg yolk. Transfer to a rigid plastic container and chill
for at least 1 hour before using, or divide into smaller quantities and freeze.
To cook the rarebits, preheat the grill to high. Toast both sides of the bread until
lightly golden, then stamp into 2.5cm (1in) rounds. Mould the rarebit mixture to fit
the shape of the toasted bread rounds. Rest it on top and slide back under the
grill for a few minutes until glazed and golden brown.
When almost ready to serve, remove the cheese from the fridge and carefully cut
off the rind, then cut into 20 even-sized slices and arrange on plates. Set aside to
allow the cheese to come up to room temperature. Cut the poached pears into
slices and arrange a slice on each piece of cheese. Arrange the candied pecans
with a small spoonful of the port & pear purée on each plate and garnish with the
micro cress to serve.
Candied pecans
Serves 6
75g (3oz) caster sugar
25g (1oz) pecan nuts
To make the candied pecans, place five tablespoons of water and the sugar in a
pan and boil steadily for 5 minutes, bringing the syrup to the soft boil stage
(121°C/250°F). Add the pecans and cook for 1 minute before carefully removing
them with a perforated spoon. Transfer to a sheet of non-stick parchment paper
and leave to cool completely.
Port & pear purée
4 ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped
250ml (9fl oz) red wine
2-4 tbsp fine ruby port
Place the pears in a pan with the red wine. Bring to the boil and then simmer for
4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to cool. Blend to a purée with a hand
blender or in a food processor and stir in enough of the port to make a thick
purée. Transfer to a plastic rigid container and chill until needed. Use as required.